Murder Out of Character

July 25, 2022
After a successful fundraiser for the Peach Coast, Ga., library in Matthews’s sugary sequel to 2021’s Murder by Page One, Marvey Harris, the library’s director of community engagement, comes across a list with four names on it. One person on the list has recently died. One is found dead shortly after the party. Has Marvey found a hit list? Marvey takes it to the police, who dismiss her concerns. But Marvey’s friend and secret crush, newspaper publisher and scion of the richest family in town, Spence Holt, is on the list, and Marvey won’t rest until the killer is caught and she knows he’s safe. Never mind the underdeveloped characters and the saccharine sentiments. A de rigueur budding romance, an intrepid heroine who rushes headlong into danger to keep her friends safe, and a happily-ever-after ending make this the prose equivalent of a Hallmark family movie. Lovers of small-town cozies can while away a pleasant afternoon with this one. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.