by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a signed copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

It hasn’t been long since Annie Murray and Fletcher Hughes became co-owners of an Agatha Christie-themed bookstore, and as the new business owners of the Secret Staircase they are attending the California Booksellers Convention in nearby Santa Clara. It’s a fantastic opportunity to network with their fellow booksellers, as well as meet new publishers and authors. One of the featured programs is also a presentation of the new wave of e-readers, several of which are not only intuitive but have their own virtual reality platform. It quickly becomes heated when the moderator, as well as the two presenters Andrew Fox and Victor Moore, begin talking over and arguing with one another about who has the best technology. When Andrew Fox drops dead while demonstrating his innovative headset, Annie immediately knows that it was more than an accident and guards the scene in order to help the arriving detective. Annie’s input is considered more valuable than the usual “amateur” detective since she and Fletcher are newly licensed private detectives with their own company, not to mention her having a degree in criminology and a high recommendation from her professor. What Annie and Fletcher soon learn is that Andrew Fox accrued a long list of enemies, ranging from the store owners he shafted to those whose tech he is accused of stealing.

At this point, Annie has fully embraced her new career as a private investigator, working with the police as advisors and using her unofficial status to infiltrate and cozy up to suspects. Annie is pretty brazen about her questioning, confident with her degree in criminology and secure that she has police backup. Ironically, now that she and Fletcher are full co-owners of the bookstore this installment has them away from the Secret Staircase and instead exploring the book convention. This allows for an engaging exploration of the book publishing business, with editors competing for authors, authors battling for publishers, publishers desperate to create buzz, and tech creators fighting to be the first on the market. This allows for an ample number of suspects, motives, and opportunities for murder, all of which has Annie shuffling her list of possibilities.

Lingering in the background is the murder that started it all, namely that of her best friend Scarlet. The trauma from the murder derailed Annie’s plans to become a criminologist, and only now has Annie allowed herself to resume that career and the investigation into Scarlet’s death. Annie now knows the who, she just needs to get the evidence to prove it. That involves an undercover operation that has Annie up close to the person she knows had Scarlet killed, a man who knows Annie’s intention and may be luring her into a trap. At least Annie’s boyfriend Liam has her back, and keeping her friends and the police informed will give her a layer of protection that makes the risk worth taking.

This new direction away from the bookstore is a fun introduction to what will be a new series, one focusing more on Fletcher and Annie’s private detection business than the daily running of a bookstore.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of A Body at the Book Fair, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “book fair” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 16, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.