Weekly Reader: Murder Through An Open Door (A Book Magic Mystery) by Melissa Bourbon; Cozy Mystery/Fantasy Has More Than a Touch of Celtic Magic

 

Weekly Reader: Murder Through An Open Door (A Book Magic Mystery) by Melissa Bourbon; Cozy Mystery/Fantasy Has More Than a Touch of Celtic Magic

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Many Bookworms would probably love to have the gift of bibliomancy. Some may have even used it. Bibliomancy is an art of divination in which someone reads a random passage from a book. Sometimes the bibliomancer asks a question, then flips open a page at random. A passage or a sentence stands out as an answer to their question. Many have used the Bible, but any book can be used: a book of poems, a favorite childhood novel, anything that has a personal connection to the diviner.

Like any other oracular ability, bibliomancy could be magical but could also be a matter of synchronicity or coincidence. After all, if someone is in a quandary, they are likely to look for connections everywhere, even grafting solutions to anything. However, if you believe in such things, it can be comforting to know that a love of reading can be a sign from a caring universe. Maybe even from books themselves that reciprocate that love to their Readers.

Bibliomancy is a talent that is inherited by the family of Pippin Lane Hawthorne, the co-protagonist of Melissa Bourbon's Book Magic Mystery series and its first novel Murder Through An Open Door. Pippin is the proprietor of the Sea Captain's Inn and uses bibliomancy to solve mysteries, like the murder of Connell Foley, an out of towner who was found dead in the local bookshop, The Open Door. His body was found surrounded by classic books like Treasure Island and Captain Blood. 

Using a love of reading and an acceptance of signs from the Universe, Pippin uses books like her childhood favorite, The Secret Garden, to find hints about the motive towards this mysterious death and what it has to do with her.  Foley specifically said that he wanted to speak with her but didn't get the chance before he shuffled off this mortal coil.

Bibliomancy is not the only inherited trait that is handed down within her family. Both she and her twin brother and the series other protagonist, Grey are the latest generation that has a family curse hanging over their heads. Their mother's family, The Lanes have been cursed since their times living in Roman occupied Ireland in which the women are destined to die in childbirth and the men to be killed at sea. This curse seems to even carry over to family by marriage as their father perished at sea and their aunt by marriage succumbed after delivering twin daughters. 

Even when they think that they have it beat, the Lanes are still play things to Fate's whims. Pippin and Grey's mother discovered this when after she delivered the twins unscathed, she passed away giving birth to a younger son who died with her.

Pippin and Grey are doing everything they can to end the curse or at least defy it. Grey has left the inn to take up woodworking and is becoming interested in sea travel to Pippin's fear. Pippin herself has stirrings for bookshop owner and Medieval Studies expert, Jamie but is concerned about what this means for her future.

The Lane Hawthornes have been looking for answers about the roots of their curse and how to end it. They may have found some potential solutions in some mysterious visitors that know about the curse or their family history more than they do. 

One with that kind of knowledge might have been Connell Foley. Could that knowledge have been what he was going to tell Pippin and also the reason for his murder?

Murder Through An Open Door is that perfect blend of cozy mystery and gentle supernatural fantasy. The setting is Devil's Cove, North Carolina and is one of those charming small towns that primarily exist in the cozy mystery subgenre. It's a place where window shopping and weekend strolls were meant for. A town filled with shops that boast cutesy names like the Once Upon a Time Clock Shop, The Bed Head Salon, and the Devil's Brew Cafe. 

The type of town where murders might be present but issues like income inequality, systemic racism, and political division don't exist unless the plot calls for them. In some ways, that makes the settings of cozy mystery as fanciful as Epic Fantasy, but also makes them lovely to visit at least through the pages of a book. The fictional settings sparkle in ways that real life counterparts may not always.

Even the fantastic elements have elements of old world charm. Despite having a huge body count, the Lane family curse seems to come out of Celtic lore. The Lanes are connected to the ancient Irish gods like Manann, Dadga, and The Morrigan. The backstory behind the curse is just as fascinating, sometimes more so, than the action in front of us. However, the curse is not insurmountable and while fatal, Pippin and Grey are not overcome by the curse. They try to live their lives in spite of and find ways around and ultimately end it.

There are many tangled webs that weave their way into the overall mystery including long lost family members and a conspiracy of treasure hunters that are affiliated with the Lane Family Curse, Connell Foley's murder, or both of the above. 

The connections are everywhere almost like they are a part of the curse or a means to end it. While the mystery has resolution, the curse does not. It becomes clear that this will be a continuing plot throughout the rest of the series leaving that resolution for a later, perhaps the final, volume. 

You don't need Pippin's bibliomancy abilities to tell you this is a charming first volume in a hopefully brilliant series.