Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Murder From A to Z by VM Burns - 5 stars!


Nana Jo has volunteered her granddaughter, Jenna, to teach estate planning to retirees at Sam's bookshop. When elderly Alva Tarkington, accompanied by her niece, sits down for a consultation, Sam realizes the woman’s blinking is actually S.O.S. in Morse Code. The sisters get her alone, and Alva tells them that her life is in danger and she must change her will. Alva is found dead the next day. In between penning her latest historical mystery, Sam teams up with Nana Jo and the senior sleuths to search for motives. They soon learn not everyone is who they say they are, and someone is more than qualified to teach a class on cold-blooded murder.
This story is a great cozy mystery and a fun read. I love Sam because she's inquisitive, nosey, and loves her family and will do anything for them. Her grandmother Nana Jo and her friends are great side characters who always makes me smile with their antics. The best part of reading this series is there's always a mystery within a mystery. Sam is a writer and a bookshop owner, so the plot always has two mysteries in it. One of them is the main mystery for the book and the other one is the mystery that Sam writes to help her solve the main mystery. I love how she can sort out what's going on through her writing. And the plot always keeps me guessing until the very end. I will definitely read more from this wonderful author. Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.