A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery, #1)

by Victoria Gilbert

Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble.

Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families... including her own.

When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries.

• ISBN10: 1683314409
• ISBN13: 9781683314400
• Publish Date: 12 December 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Crooked Lane Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[uktraveler]

Great story. As a librarian, this book was right up my alley. Easy read. Want to read more by Victoria Gilbert.

[MurderByDeath]

Solidly average.   I don't know if this is the author's first book or not, and I generally don't like having a go at the first time authors, but it certainly reads as though it is.  There's a LOT of potential here in the characters, the setting and the plotting, but no way was this really ready for prime time.  Gilbert's editors would have done better by her by holding her to higher standards.   The number one thing that ruins this book is the romance.  I'm not a fan of romance, it's true, but I've never minded a little side action in my mysteries; a bit of romantic/sexual tension, if done right, can ratchet-up a story's level of excitement.  Here, it was not done well.  At all.  Amy (the MC) and Richard are likeable separately, but together they're just a big old awkward mess.  Gilbert managed to make their attempts at flirting, and their sexual tension feel both middle-aged and adolescent at the same time.  I don't even know how that's possible, but she did it.  Both characters are in their mid-30's, so obviously, she's completely missed her target.  I actually found more sexual zing in the empty threats Amy's late-60's aunt made about hitting on Richard.  Relative to this, Amy's angst felt out of proportion to the background Gilbert gave her, and when Richard (a professional dancer and choreographer) tried to play sensitive, yet alpha, male, it was just painful.   Now sometimes failed romance can be overlooked; generally in a mystery it's a smaller proportion of the story.  But unfortunately here it was at least half the story, and it swamped what was an interesting and clever murder mystery plot.  This plot was very good and could have been even better had more attention been given to it.  I liked the characters too, and the setting was well drawn and perfect for cozy crime; the librarian details were a bit of reader catnip for me too.   There's a second book but I don't know if I can be enticed.  I don't like Amy and Richard together. (This is hilarious, by the way, on a personal level: our cats' veterinarians are a married couple named Richard and Amy. I've never even seen them in the same room together, and they're more believable to me as a couple that the two in this book.)   Maybe with time, the potential of the mystery plotting will overcome my aversion to the author's idea of romance.