Murder is Binding

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett (Berkley Prime Crime Mystery, 2008)(A Booktown Mystery)

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

Book #1 in the Booktown Mystery Series

Review: Meet Tricia Miles, her cat Mrs. Marple, her employee Ginny, and the town of Stoneham New Hampshire. The series is called Booktown because of an idea Bob Kelly, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, had to bring income to the town by making downtown a small village of bookstores. When a neighboring bookstore owner is murdered, Tricia is harassed by the local cop - a woman who it seems is a rival for the affections of one of ladies' man and insurance agent. The cop has all but decided that Tricia is guilty. Tricia, and her visiting sister, Angelica, must find the killer before she's arrested for murder.