Title:	Murder on the Poet’s Walk
	Author:	Ellery Adams
	Published:	September 27, 2022. Kensington Cozies
	No. of Pages:	354
	Cover Price:	$6.99 Kindle

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Cozy lovers who enjoy Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat series will welcome the eighth installment of the series, Murder on the Poet’s Walk where protagonist Jane Steward, who is the resort manager of a book-themed resort in Virginia called Storyton Hall, is in charge of a conference for poets who are vying for a lucrative contract with a greeting card company. Unfortunately, Jane discovers the body of a woman floating in a small boat, who is identified as the frontrunner in the competition. Jane, an amateur sleuth, begins to investigate with the help of the local police department who knows that Jane has the ability to help them solve the murder. Shortly after the murder, Jane’s twin sons discover another body, and he is identified as the top contender after the first murder. Jane has several friends who are helping her with the mystery, as well as relatives who live at the resort.

While Adams does a good job of developing the main characters, most who are likeable, there are too many, and it isn’t easy to keep track of all of them. It gets even harder as the supporting characters who are guests at the conference are introduced, and while there is some intrigue among them, and there are several who are suspected, it gets to be too much. Adams shows off her knowledge of classic poetry, and of famous authors, it makes the novel drag, and some of the wordy parts (and there are many) get absolutely boring.

The storyline is good, and there are twists and turns; most readers will want Jane, et al to solve the mystery without losing their lives. There are some dangerous scenarios that will keep readers’ interest, and the end and the murderer isn’t discovered until the end.

Fans of Ellery Adams may enjoy this book, although she includes too many literary references that even bore this English major. Adams also writes other series which are personally preferable.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.