A Bitter Capsule (The Bookshop Mysteries)
by S.A. Reeves
Style: Thriller / Cozy
ISBN: 9781068720932
Print Size: 306 pages
Reviewed by Andrea Marks-Joseph
An enthralling, bookish trendy thriller
Gemma’s bookshop, Bookworm, isn’t in a dire state of affairs precisely, however they may very well be doing higher. She’s going to wish some contemporary concepts to herald extra revenue for the store, so she turns to her staff.
Collectively, the Bookworm employees decides to host a studying for Dominic Westley, an area writer whose buzzy e book has been flying off the cabinets. The writer’s identify on the occasion’s invite does certainly herald a crowd of individuals, however he reveals up late, flustered and looking out unwell.
Even within the temporary encounters the Bookworm employees has with Dominic when he arrives, it’s clear this man is boastful to the purpose of annoyance, refusing their provide of espresso to assist liven him up, as a result of he’s introduced his personal flask stuffed with “a selected Columbian bean, farmed solely on a particular, natural farm.”
He somewhat rudely goes on to clarify that “this run-of-the-mill stuff” he assumes the Bookworm’s café brews “simply doesn’t work to get [his] inventive juices flowing.” Moments later, he rushes to the toilet the place he collapses and has a suspected coronary heart assault. Sadly, the Bookworm’s first step towards success turns into the scene of Dominic’s sudden dying.
It’s a solemn shock to the area people, and Gemma and her employees attend the funeral out of respect. Out of nowhere, Donna, Dominic’s widow/ex (they have been separated) approaches Gemma to admit that she believes Ellie, the opposite lady who was hiding within the again at Dominic’s funeral, killed him. The police established that he died by overdose of his coronary heart treatment, she says. They dominated it a suicide, nevertheless it’s one thing he by no means would have completed. Donna additionally claims she and Dominic have been about to get again collectively. This confession, coupled with one in all her bookseller’s instincts that one thing curious was happening, prompts the staff to start an beginner investigation into Donna’s claims.
When Mavis, Gemma’s aged bookseller, meets with Ellie, she is crushed by the load of dropping Dominic, who broke up along with her when he reunited with Donna, beneath actually distressing circumstances. ”She was clearly devastated by the whole ordeal.” Mavis tells Gemma of her dialog with Ellie. “Devastated sufficient to manufacture a narrative?” Gemma identified.” Ellie’s desperation evokes an much more highly effective curiosity within the booksellers, who can’t resist the journey into one thing that mirrors the books they learn.
We spend the following few weeks with the 2 Bookworm workers as they chase leads and query potential suspects—whereas nonetheless making an attempt to brim up gross sales for the bookshop. I actually appreciated that these two beginner investigators by no means trusted somebody with out investigating themselves—and, gloriously, they by no means let their suspects see how strongly they could not belief them.
These are bookish detectives with a pointy intuition, and an impressively intelligent readability of context. Bitter Capsule is a charming and compassionate story, welcoming the despicable depths the murdered man stooped to and the truths of the ladies who liked him regardless of this: “He liked, damage and discarded girls as he noticed match, but each of these girls nonetheless mourned him, and bore the results of his actions.” That stated, Bitter Capsule by no means loses focus from its charming setting and immediately lovely main girls, who’re investigating from a spot of equal concern and curiosity.
Whereas Bitter Capsule may be very a lot steeped within the Bookworm’s cozy, bookish vitality, that is very a lot a homicide thriller and its authors and protagonists know the significance of the thriller’s pull. Every stunning reveal is thrilling, every twist thrilling. I appreciated that Gemma has a near-reckless want to chase the thriller, however she and Mavis don’t lose their level-headed strategy. Gemma contacts her ex-fiancee and potential future-boyfriend, a detective with the native police, to share their findings. That doesn’t imply they abandon her private sleuthing, although! Mavis admits when she was “rattled” by their close-call with the killer, however she tells Gemma it’s “nothing a spot of Earl Gray and some chapters of a snug e book couldn’t mend.”
S. A. Reeves drops breadcrumbs (or pastry crumbs) of chance alongside the best way. The particular person I suspected most was neglected for a protracted whereas, after which it felt like everybody was onto their path together with me. Later, after they weren’t caught within the second I believed they might be, it felt like their identify had been cleared, opening the listing of potential suspects broad once more. However then I all of the sudden began to suspect them once more! This sort of playful pacing is mirrored within the very meta discussions of the native Homicide Thriller Membership, who argue over relatable issues like “Why, her presence on the backyard get together in Chapter 5 is clearly vital!”
I really like that Bitter Capsule serves up some great book-inside-a-book conversations with native e book golf equipment passionately declaring their favourite tropes about thriller novels. Reeves by some means wrote them to really feel common and dazzlingly related to the thriller of Dominic’s dying.
One significantly essential scene will depend on a random, handy coincidence, however a lot of the twists make me glad to advocate this e book to those that like candy and good cozy mysteries. Sometimes, too, Mavis or Gemma recount what simply occurred on the web page to a different character, regardless of us simply studying and studying about it, so some pages can really feel repetitive.
Readers ought to notice that the story consists of in depth descriptions of a girl being pressured to terminate a being pregnant, dialogue about poisoning by overdose, discussions referring to melancholy and nervousness on account of devastating debt, and dialogue about suicidal habits, as Dominic’s dying is assumed to be a suicide by overdosing on his prescription medication.
I’d extremely advocate you’re armed with a candy baked deal with and your favourite sizzling beverage, as a result of the one factor that may tempt you to place down this e book is the descriptions of the Bookworm café’s choices, which can simply drive you to go to your nearest bakery.
“A homicide had been dedicated, and the strategy was as straightforward as buying on-line!” The standard that shines brightest in Bitter Capsule is the best way we get a pleasant combine of contemporary expertise with timeless thriller traits. Followers of Hulu’s Solely Murders within the Constructing are a PERFECT match for this novel, brewed with an intergenerational detective duo and a balanced mix of time-honored knowledge and regarded perception from its older characters. I really like that the story entangles on a regular basis issues just like the store’s level of sale system getting an improve to the women of the Bookworm studying about bitcoin and the way one may buy unlawful objects on the darkish net.
Bitter Capsule is tough to place down, and its cozy spirit will linger with you lengthy after you’re completed studying it. I really feel as if I’ve discovered my new favourite bookshop. Solely caveat is that I’ll must open Bitter Capsule to go to it repeatedly.
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