Stoneham, New Hampshire, was a dying village until the head of the Chamber of Commerce invited used booksellers to fill its empty shops. Now it is Booktown. Tricia Miles, newly divorced and new in town, has just opened a vintage mystery shop there called Haven’t Got a Clue. Berkley Prime Crime published Murder Is Binding in April 2008 as the first Booktown Mystery.
What Is Murder Is Binding About?
Next door to Tricia is The Cookery, a cookbook shop run by Doris Gleason, whom few people in the town of Stoneham like. When Tricia finds Doris killed by a carving knife and a rare cookbook missing, suspicion falls on the newcomer who found the body. The sheriff keeps a close eye on her, and the locals start calling her the village jinx.
Then Tricia’s older sister Angelica arrives without warning. She turns out to be a willing partner in the murder investigation. Together they dig deeper into who wanted the cookbook and who wanted Doris dead. We won’t name the murderer.
Tricia, Angelica and a Small-Town Booktown
Tricia is careful and private, and her shop cat is named Miss Marple. Her sister is louder, bossier and a keen cook, which brings food into a story about books. The village is full of specialist shops, and the friendly competition between them is part of the fun. Readers name Tricia’s assistant Ginny and a loyal customer, Mr. Everett, as early favourites.
The model for Booktown is Hay-on-Wye, the Welsh town of bookshops. The author has said she has never been there.
Our Review: A Setting Worth Visiting, a Mystery Less So
The setting is the best thing here. A quaint village built around books is an easy place to spend time, and the sister story gives the series a heart. Publishers Weekly called it a charming first in a new series. The book ends with recipes.
The mystery is plainer. Several readers guessed the culprit early, and the suspense is light. Some readers also object to an offensive word used about a person with Down syndrome and to remarks about weight, and some find Tricia judgmental. Booksellers have asked how Tricia makes a living selling vintage mysteries; Barrett’s answer is that this is why it’s called fiction.
Booktown Mysteries in Order, and the Audiobook
There are twenty novels. The newest, A Critical Conjunction, came out in September 2026, and no book 21 has been announced. Read them in order, because the sisters’ relationship and the town change over time. The first book is on audio, read by Cassandra Campbell.
- Murder Is Binding (2008)
- Bookmarked for Death (2009)
- Bookplate Special (2009)
- Chapter & Hearse (2010)
- Sentenced to Death (2011)
- Murder on the Half Shelf (2012)
- Not the Killing Type (2013)
- Book Clubbed (2014)
- A Fatal Chapter (2015)
- Title Wave (2016)
- A Just Clause (2017)
- Poisoned Pages (2018)
- A Killer Edition (2019)
- Handbook for Homicide (2020)
- A Deadly Deletion (2021)
- Clause of Death (2022)
- A Questionable Character (2023)
- A Controversial Cover (2024)
- A Perilous Plot (2025)
- A Critical Conjunction (2026)
Bookplate Special, the third book, was nominated for the Agatha Award for best novel. We also reviewed Not the Killing Type, the seventh.
Who Is Lorna Barrett?
Lorna Barrett is the pen name of Lorraine Bartlett of Rochester, New York. Her publisher asked for a pseudonym. She chose one close to her real name so her books might one day sit together on the shelf. She also writes the Victoria Square and Lotus Bay Mysteries as Lorraine Bartlett and the Jeff Resnick Mysteries as L.L. Bartlett. Before writing she sold used books and antiques, and the Booktown series put her on the New York Times list.
Other Bookstore Mysteries and the Amish Quilt Shop Series
“Bookstore mystery” is a common label, and several other series use it. Sue Minix writes one called The Bookstore Mystery, and Lauren Elliott writes the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries. For a bookbinder instead of a bookseller, try Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle.
The Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries are not by Barrett either. They are by Isabella Alan, a pen name of Amanda Flower. The five novels are set in a quilt shop in Ohio’s Amish country, from Murder, Plain and Simple to Murder, Handcrafted.
Quick Facts
| Title | Murder Is Binding |
|---|---|
| Author | Lorna Barrett (Lorraine Bartlett) |
| Series | Booktown Mysteries, book 1 of 20 |
| First published | April 2008, Berkley Prime Crime |
| Setting | Stoneham, New Hampshire |
| Sleuth | Tricia Miles, owner of the Haven’t Got a Clue bookstore |
| Animals | Miss Marple, the shop cat |
| Audiobook | Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, 8 h 32 min (Penguin Audio, 2010) |
| Next book | Bookmarked for Death (2009) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find a summary of Murder Is Binding?
The first two sections above give the plot without spoilers. The publisher’s page and the author’s website carry the official blurb.
What is the best murder mystery book ever?
There is no single answer. In 2013 members of the British Crime Writers’ Association voted The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie the best crime novel ever.
Is it a cosy read?
Yes: a small town, a cat, recipes and no graphic scenes.