A Tourist’s Guide to Murder

Burns’s lighthearted sixth Mystery Bookshop installment (after 2020’s Bookmarked for Murder) takes Samantha “Sam” Washington, the owner of a mystery bookshop in North Harbor, Mich., who’s about to publish her first cozy novel; her grandmother, Nona Jo; and Nona Jo’s friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to England for a mystery lovers’ tour. When the body of the tour company owner is found in their hotel the morning after their arrival, his death is hastily declared to be from natural causes. Their guide insists that the tour must go on, and soon the ladies are knocking back martinis, feasting on pub grub, and visiting Baker Street. Then a fellow tourist is murdered, and an obtuse Scotland Yard inspector casts suspicion on Sam and the Michigan retirees. Meanwhile, Sam works on her next book, and clues and motives pertaining to the real-life murder case are soon integrated into her fictional one, giving the reader two mysteries to solve. Colorful characters and just enough mystery trivia boost the fast-moving plot. Cozy fans are sure to have fun. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Feb.)