Essie Lang Books In Order

Publication Order of Castle Bookshop Mystery Books

Essie Lang
Essie Lang is a former mystery bookstore owner and still enjoys reading all of the mysteries that she can get her hands on. She also loves choral singing, which is not so pleasant for Keesha (her Siamese kitty) who has to endure hours of Essie’s practicing.

Essie has been nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel and she’s also been nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada for Best Short Story under other pen names.

“Trouble on the Books” is the first novel in the “Castle Bookshop Mystery” series and was released in 2019. Shelby Cox (rookie bookstore owner) has to hit the books in order to learn the ropes before she loses a killer in the stacks.

Shelby never intended on becoming a bookseller, so when this former editor goes back to her hometown of Alexandria Bay, which is nestled right in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region, in order to take over her aunt’s bookstore, she’s got no idea what she should expect. But to her amazement, she finds that she now holds a fifty-percent share in Bayside Books, and will also be running the store’s second location in the majestic castle located on Blye Island, located just nearby.

However right when Shelby’s gearing up for the beginning of the tourist season, the Castle volunteer coordinator is discovered murdered in close by Grotto. Matthew Kessler (castle caretaker) is the prime suspect, however Shelby believes that this killing might be connected to an earlier era, when violence among the Prohibition era smugglers ran rampant in this region.

While Shelby launches an investigation of her own, Special Agent Zack Griffin (a handsome and unnerving man from the Coast Guard Investigation Services) attempts to quell her smuggling theory and protect her. However she is determined to summon all of her savvy as a book editor to plot this murder and track the killer down before he’s able to strike again.

Fans of the novel found this included a likable heroine, a rather intriguing mystery, and a cast filled with fun characters that they cannot wait to get to know a little bit better. There’s a spunky heroine living on her houseboat, a castle filled with books, a ghost legend, a curmudgeonly kitty, and murder, combining to make a pretty fun mystery. It’s for readers that enjoy a good mystery with some engaging characters, and revel in books or castles (or both) then you are sure to enjoy this novel. The murder is steeped in historical significance and there is a captivating setting.

“Death on the Page” is the second novel in the “Castle Bookshop Mystery” series and was released in 2020. Essie’s second “Castle Bookshop Mystery” novel is perfect for fans of Vicki Delany and Lorna Barrett. Shelby Cox sleuths the slaying of one true crime author that might have learned far too much about murder case that should have just remained shut.

There are one thousand stories in New York’s scenic Thousand Islands, and Shelby Cox (Bayside Books co-owner) stocks every single one of them. However the Blye Island bookseller’s life is much more about investigation than it is inventory, at least as of late. True crime author Savannah Page caps two successful signings at Bayside Books with a night in Blye Castle. She is there to research Joe Cabana, this colorful Prohibition-era mobster that owned the castle, up until he was discovered dead in the island Grotto.

However crime gets to be much too true for Savannah. Her body shows up the very next morning, in this secret passage right at the bottom of the stairs. The very last thing that Shelby wants to do is to sleuth another murder, however she is intrigued about how this killer could have possibly reached the island after hours.

She isn’t lacking suspects either. It could’ve been anybody from Liam Kennelly (Savannah’s fiance), who argued with her the evening before, to Matthew Kessler (island caretaker) who recently got cleared of his wife’s murder.

Can Shelby possibly elude the chief of police, keep regular store hours, and assemble the clues into a hard bound case without getting herself permanently shelved?

Shelby’s character is well developed, easy to like, and she’s a pretty outstanding sleuth; and Essie’s writing is such that reader experiences her emotions throughout. She also does a great job of pulling you into the setting and the rest of the characters. Her writing is so descriptive that you feel at home both in Blye Island and Alexandria Bay. The plot is engaging, well written, and keeps a pretty steady pace throughout.

“Deadly Chapter” is the third novel in the “Castle Bookshop Mystery” series and was released in 2021. Shelby Cox (Thousand Islands bookseller) has become caught between a deadly rock and a hardheaded newcomer.

Wake up on some houseboat, which is moored in scenic Alexandria Bay, New York. Ride the gentle waves to work at the quaint Bayside Books, a place where you spend your days dealing literature and conversation to the seasoned tourists and charming locals. All sounds pleasant, right? But Shelby Cox has already sleuthed two murders from Bayside Books’s home base on Blye Island, which is one of New York State’s famed Thousand Islands. This time around, mayhem is knocking right on Shelby’s waterside door as she finds this body lodged between the dock and the side of her houseboat, with his skull shattered.

This victim is not some local, however Shelby cannot shake this feeling that she has seen him before. Twice, in fact. Because this is how many times the guy has dropped into Bayside Books to ask about some enigmatic woman that lived on Blye Island many years ago. The last time? Just the day before he was found. However the poor guy was obviously killed someplace else, so who was it that brought him down to the bay, and why?

Some readers found they were unable to piece out who the killer was, all the way until the reveal. But you are intrigued right at the start, and you find yourself wanting to know how it ends, puzzled about each of the clues.