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4.0 

Madrigals and Mayhem

By Elizabeth Penney
Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

In Madrigals and Mayhem, the fourth in Elizabeth Penney's charming Cambridge Bookshop series, Molly Kimball finds that even the holidays can come with a healthy dose of mystery.

Molly is eager to experience her first English Christmas with family and friends now that she's adjusted to her move to Cambridge and her restoration of her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios. When local toyshop Pemberly’s Emporium reopens, Molly is excited to meet the new owner, Charlotte Pemberly, who is determined to make the toy store a success after unexpectedly becoming her grandfather Arthur’s sole heir.

Arthur's new wife Althea Winters and her unpleasant family loathe Charlotte for inheriting what they believe was theirs and have set their sights on a valuable Madame Alexander doll that's gone missing. When Althea's grandson is poisoned by cakes from Tea & Crumpets, Charlotte becomes the top suspect. Molly believes Charlotte was the intended victim and investigates the Pemberly’s home, only to discover that Arthur had been murdered.

To get closer to this treacherous family, Molly and her boyfriend Kieran go undercover by volunteering to act and sing for a madrigal dinner directed by Althea and her daughter at St. Hildegard’s College. Molly must help her new friend clear her name while searching for the missing doll and wrangling her own family during the chaotic holiday festivities at the bookshop.

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2 Reviews

4.0
“Elizabeth Penney’s Cambridge Bookshop cozy series is cemented as one of my favorite cozy series. The setting and characters are perfection and the mysteries are well crafted and plotted. This holiday timed installment was one I really enjoyed. I liked the new store opening near the bookshop and the characters that introduced to the series. The mystery of this one was intriguing and the Christmastime setting made it alot of fun. I hope this series continues for a good long time!”
“3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of Madrigals And Mayhem. Molly is happy running her family’s bookshop with her mother and great aunt. She meets Charlotte who is the new owner of the toy store when odd things start happening. Someone begins entering the toy store and rearranging things and leaving little gifts behind. Molly was hoping for an easy fun Christmas season with her family, friends, and boyfriend but instead she puts her detective skills to work again to help Charlotte. This is the fourth book in this series and I do recommend reading the other books before reading this one because you get a lot of background on the characters. This book was okay but I do feel like it could be over descriptive at times which made certain parts of the story drag on.”

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