Cozy mystery fans who want a good puzzle, a scene-stealing dog, and a location they’d happily visit will find all three.
Books often outlive the people who loved them, leaving someone else to decide where they go next. In Hazelton, Oregon, that someone is Bonne Année, known to everyone in the community as Annee. She runs a cozy bookstore and event space called The Literary Table out of her home with Oscar, her rabbit-chasing, box-sniffing Bernedoodle, by her side. Lately, Annee has been busy buying whole lots from shuttered shops and estate sales, rescuing first editions and treasured classics. Besides reselling, she organizes events themed around favorite books, and her Peter Rabbit tea and brunch is expected to be a hit. But a lively Easter egg hunt takes a dark turn when a woman is found dead during the festivities. The woman, Annee’s beloved assistant Esther, was a retired elementary-school teacher who was meticulous in everything she did. After a murder at her Thanksgiving table the previous year, Annee is no stranger to grief, and now that another friend has died under suspicious circumstances, she begins asking questions. The answers keep leading back to her recently acquired lots, specifically a Japanese tea house collection she hasn’t finished sorting. Could these things matter enough to kill for? If so, where does that leave Annee?
A heartwarming novel about the meaning found in a teacup, a battered picture book, or a grandmother’s letters, Books, Bunnies, and a Body embodies small-town charm. Vivid descriptions make Hazelton easy to picture, and the setting is immediately comfortable, with dear friends like Alejandro and Mackenzie making the town feel like home. Annee faces emotionally complex challenges audiences can relate to, including a missing mother, the deaths of close companions, and a community that hasn’t fully let go of old suspicions. Even in its saddest moments, the story is conveyed with a warm, gentle tone that keeps it from feeling depressing. The furry sidekick, Oscar, adds humor by guarding his yard with total commitment, sounding off at anything that moves. With place settings that hold a copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and a menu of Chinook salmon and strawberry pavlovas, Annee’s brunch has readers longing for an invitation. Each chapter opens with a French weather idiom and its translation, setting a tone that shifts from hopeful, with better weather after the rain, to ominous, with an impending storm that portends criminal activity. The book closes with tantalizing gluten- and nut-free recipes from The Literary Table, including a Basque cheesecake that “Serves 8, or 2 after a bad day.” Cozy mystery fans who want a good puzzle, a scene-stealing dog, and a location they’d happily visit will find all three in Books, Bunnies, and a Body, a small-town story with a big heart.
