On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry

 (By the Book Mysteries #2)

408 pages (mass market paperback), 7 hrs, 49 mins

"In the aftermath of solving their first murder, bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to stay in Winthrop permanently. Now that they've made some updates to their cabin in the woods, they're turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited and converting it into the town's first independent bookstore. But when renovations unearth bones from a cold case and send them toppling—literally—onto Tess's head, the work comes to a grinding halt. With the whole town convinced that her grandfather was a serial killer, Tess has to call in a fellow horror author for reinforcements. Together, they'll come up with a perfect story to make all the clues fit...and solve a mystery more than thirty years in the making."  --from the publisher

I enjoyed this lighthearted mystery with its highly-imaginative, but endearing, protagonist. This would be a good vacation/weekend read. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry

 (By the Book Mysteries #1)

312 pages / 8 hrs, 40 mins

"Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow is almost at the end of her rope when she arrives with her teenage daughter at her grandfather's rustic cabin in the woods. She hopes this will be a time for them to heal and bond after Tess's recent divorce, but they've barely made it through the door when an explosion shakes the cabin. Suddenly it's raining fish guts and...is that a human arm?

"Tess was hardly convincing Gertie that a summer without Wi-Fi and running water would be an adventure. Now she's thrust into a murder investigation, neighbors are saying they've spotted Bigfoot in the woods near her cabin, and the local sheriff is the spitting image of her character Detective Gabriel Gonzales―something he's less than thrilled about. With so much more than her daughter's summer plans at stake, it's up to Tess to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt."  --from the publisher

I enjoyed this tale by a new-to-me author. How can you dislike an intro that includes body parts falling from sky? I give it three and a half stars out of five.