The Last Draft by Agatha Frost
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Meet Ellie Swan… an introverted bookworm with a history degree stuck at a crossroads. After putting her degree to work in a TV studio’s historical continuity department for years, the studio merges with a giant streaming service and Ellie loses her dream job. She finds herself working in a coffee shop to make ends meet, and while waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along… she gets a phone call informing her that her dear Granny Maggie has broken her hip.

Leaving the city and her coffee shop job behind, Ellie returns to her quaint hometown of Meadowfield to care for her grandmother, but she finds more than just the family’s beloved bookshop, Meadowfield Books, in disarray. Granny Maggie’s hip was broken during a robbery gone wrong, and the thief—a relative of a deceased local author—is found dead. The item the thief stole? The local author’s final manuscript.

While juggling caring for her grandmother and running the failing bookshop, Ellie finds herself in a web of mystery and murder, as she encounters a cast of characters each with a motive for coveting the author’s final manuscript. Utilising her passion for history and her old community ties, Ellie untangles a series of clever clues and red herrings. From the financial desperation of the thief’s father to the secretive actions of a local historian and antique dealer, the plot thickens when another of the family is also found dead. With a knack for history and a heart for sleuthing, Ellie uncovers hidden truths, from coveted manuscripts to clandestine motives, but can Ellie’s keen insights and tenacity ensure justice is served? And will she find a renewed sense of purpose in her long-forgotten home?

To begin with, every true reader likes a book with a bookshop setting, especially a bookshop that really needs organizing and any other reason to touch every book. Top that off with a granny with a broken hip who needs help in said bookstore, and you have a cozy.

I liked this cozy’s characters and its setting. Granny, who has broken her hip, is the owner of the bookstore. She’s as feisty and cute as can be. Then you have Ellie, her granddaughter who has come to help Granny but has reasons of her own for coming back. Ellie is the amateur sleuth She’s the type that does what the cops ask her not to and forgets to tell them about things. Some of this type of storyline has gotten a little old to me. I’m never sure why an author thinks it’s necessary to create a storyline that has a sleuth who always thinks the cops are second-rate.

Nonetheless, it’s worth the read to see what continues to happen at Meadowfield Bookshop.