A Thorny Murder
A Books and Brews Cozy Mystery
by Tara Benton
Published: June 27, 2026
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Amateur Sleuth, Cozy Mystery, Suspense, Short Read
Blurb:
A body in the rose garden. A knife that was never found. And a woman with a gift for noticing when things don’t add up.
Julie Miller came to Willow Glen to inherit a bookshop, not to be delivering books when a body turns up in the garden of the town's Rosewood Inn. She learns her gift for noticing runs deeper than intuition. She’s going to need her psychic impressions and the help of her feline companion, Luna, to solve the murder.
There's no shortage of suspects. A woman checked in the day before the murder with a grudge and twenty years of bitter, bone-deep anger. The florist was seen near the inn that morning, and an accidental touch of her hand filled Julie with a courthouse, a verdict and a grief that wasn't hers.
When a threatening note appears under the bookshop door, she knows she’s getting close. So does he. He’s already killed once to keep his secret. Julie could be the next one to sleep under the roses.
My Review:
Julie Miller arrived in Willow Glen to claim a bookshop that her grandmother had left her. While delivering books to Marjorie, the kind lady who manages the Rosewood Inn, they were chatting on the porch when Tom rushed in to announce that a guest had been found dead in the rose garden.
The deceased man in the rose garden is not who he claimed to be. Who exactly was he? What secrets was he concealing? What actions did he take that could have led someone to wish him harm? Did he wrong someone, or was it merely a misunderstanding? Perhaps he possessed information that others wanted to keep hidden, and they feared he was about to reveal it.
The tension of the situation was enough to keep me eagerly flipping through the pages, desperate to uncover the fate of the unfortunate man. I found myself racing through the text, unable to read quickly enough.
A Thorny Murder is a delightful addition to Tara Benton’s Books and Brews Cozy Mystery series. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in this charming series.
I wholeheartedly recommend A Thorny Murder to all enthusiasts of cozy mysteries. Be sure to grab your copy of A Thorny Murder today!
