Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran is the first book in the Read ‘Em and Eat Mysteries. The concept really drew me to the book. I love to read and I love to eat. Moran’s descriptions of the cafe are wonderful. I wish we had that type of book store or cafe in the town I live in. The tables with the various author themes sounded awesome, and the titles of the various food items were super fun. Just to give you an example; The Old Man and the Sea chowder.

The two main characters, Sassy and Bridgy, were actually my least favorite of the characters. They were fine, but nothing about them really stood out to me. The side characters though… Aunt Ophie was a hoot. A cougar who spoke her mind and made a mess in the kitchen while she whipped up delicious food. And Augusta was a feisty woman who has a beautiful softer side. And the bit characters were really well fleshed out for not having as much story line.

The mystery itself was not as strong as other cozies I’ve read, but for a first in the series, it wasn’t bad. And I’m sure Moran will continue to get better with each book in the Read ‘Em and Eat Mysteries! ( )

Hope this is a new series ( )

This was an ok book about two friends, Sassy and Bridget who moved from New York to the gulf coast of Florida to open Read Em and Eat - a combination bookstore and restaurant . They have tables named after famous authors such as Emily Dickenson and Agatha Christie. One of their elderly customers is murdered and they start involving themselves, particularly Sassy to investigate. The book includes the recipe for buttermilk pie.

I love the Booktown Mystery Series by Lorna Barrett. In the Booktown Mystery Series the storylines revolve around two (2) sisters, Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica. Tricia is the owner/entrepreneur of bookstore featuring mysteries called Haven't Got a Clue and Angelica is the owner/entrepreneur of Booked for Lunch and the Cookery and is the author of cookbooks. The exquisite furry face is named Miss Marple. The setting is Stoneham, New Hampshire.

Now to discover the A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series by Terrie Farley Moran is an even more marvelous surprise and delightfully absorbing cozy series. In the A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery series the storylines revolve around two (2) girlfriends, “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield, and owners/entrepreneurs of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. The dashing furry face is named Bow and I can't divulge his address but you'll learn his preferences during the reading of this first novel in the series. The setting is Fort Myers Beach, nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast. I didn't think it would be possible to love a series more than Booktown [after reading six (6) titles in the series to date] but I now I'm ready to share that I like the Booktown Mystery Series but A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series is a fresh new approach and I love it. In some of the latest Booktown cozies, it seems as though the only things Tricia gets accomplished in a day is to dash up and down the stairs between bookstore and apartment, rush out the bookstore door to have lunch with her sister Angelica, and then to dash back up the upstairs to the apartment in the evening to change before going over to her sister's apartment to have dinner. Sassy and Bridgy spend a delightful amount of time in their own bookstore cafe as well as helping others and there's a wonderful supporting cast of characters to meet and appreciate. I hope you'll pick up a copy to read for yourself as soon as you can! It's not to be missed!! :) ( )

Enjoyed the characters and the setting. I tend to like more procedural type stories, but this was a great beach read. The idea of two friends opening a bookstore/cafe was appealing. The storyline was interesting, but was almost secondary to the characters and setting. If you like girlfriend novels or cozies, I recommend this book. ( )