Death in the Romance Aisle

by Lynn Cahoon

As a cancer survivor, Lynn Cahoon, made an unusual decision  with her Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series. Her protagonist Rarity is also a cancer survivor who leaves her corporate, big city life behind to open a small town book store which she names The Next Chapter. Within that context she starts a book club for cancer survivors. The goal is not to read books about cancer, but to bond with others who have experienced similar journeys. They mainly read mysteries and have a subgroup formed to informally investigate local murders that affect them in some way. In Death in the Romance Aisle, the murder victim is a new part-time employee at the bookstore.

Cahoon’s excellent writing skills are on display throughout Death in the Romance Aisle. There is tension related to the murder investigation especially when Rarity becomes a target. The characters are interesting with many of them becoming for Rarity the family she never had as they form bonds, support each other, and exhibit the dependability necessary to keep Rarity safe and the bookstore operating. Cahoon also includes romance threads. Rarity is dating Archer who owns a hiking tour service in Sedona, Arizona, and their relationship matures as they adapt to each other’s work needs. Rarity’s best friend is Sam who is dating the local police detective Drew. When Sam’s brother Marcus becomes a suspect, there is discord in Sam and Drew’s relationship. There are many other suspects, however, and thus the murder investigation and this book’s plot is involved. Cahoon also demonstrates her talents by including humor and friction among friends. Lastly, one of the characters is Killer, a little Yorkie that Rarity adopted when its owner died. He goes with her to work and is much loved by everyone. I just love his name.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #3 in the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.

    2. It includes a recipe for Marbled Pumpkin and Chocolate Brownies that sounds delicious.

    3. I enjoyed watching Rarity’s thinking as she develops ideas for improving her bookstore. She is very open to the ideas and suggestions of others, but she evaluates them carefully. Also, she always has notebooks at hand—one for the murder investigations and another for to-do lists and reminders.

Publication:  September 9, 2023—Kensington (Lyrical Press)

Memorable Lines:

“We don’t want to have a killer running around free. It’s not a good draw for the town festivals.” Malia laughed spitting out her coffee. She wiped it up with the arm of her hoodie.

The one thing she’d learned after having cancer was that tomorrow wasn’t promised to anyone. And if you had a dream, you needed to fight for it. She was living her dream. Good or bad, she’d jumped. And her life was better for taking the chance. A lot better. Not just in her career, but in her life. She had a community here. And no one was going to rip that apart.

“That woman is a ball of energy. She sucks all the energy from the room, then shoots it back out at people, covered in pink and red donut sprinkles. She light up the entire store when she’s here.”