Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews pits the librarian and bookseller of a small town against a murder. Marvey the librarian is determined to clear her book-seller friend’s name when a local author turns up dead in her store room during a book signing. The police want to wrap the case up quickly and think she’s the obvious suspect, but they can’t give a motive for why she would have done it.

Marvey digs in and enlists the help of her friends and fellow librarians to help. Throughout her investigation, she finds out that not everyone is what they seem at first, that small town gossip mills are often wrong, and to never rule anyone out at the beginning. I was a little disappointed that the library and research didn’t play into the story too much. They really relied on talking to townspeople at the beginning, and it was a mess of conflicting information for everyone. In the end, a vital piece of research turns the tide though.

The friendships and community (especially the library employees) really stood out in this book. The way everyone banded together to help really showcased how close they had become since Marvey moved into town. It was also a good introduction to the town and its residents. I think there is a lot of potential here for some great mysteries going forward.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**