Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn sleuths again when a pair of glass bookends puts an end to a librarian's life, in this second installment of Laura Gail Black's cozy series.
The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town's beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn's peace of mind is shattered when the local library's Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot--his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.
As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness--the victim's dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases.
Alas, finding the killer won't be so easy, even though this is not Jenna's first murder investigation--indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous--the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests--but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.
Now, Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one, before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna's demise.
I got this one off Netgalley awhile ago but it got buried on my Kindle thanks to all the Book Bingo books I added a few months ago. I'm sorry I waited so long to finish it, it was a great book!
The second book in the Antique Bookshop series has Jenna presiding over the grand re-opening of the antique/used bookstore she inherited from her uncle. All seems to go well until one guest - Linus Talbot, an antique book expert - has several run-ins with other guests during the party. As the evening draws to a close, Jenna finds Linus dead in his car in the parking lot, murdered with his antique bookends and the only witness is his dog, Eddy. With several suspects and almost no clues, can Jenna find the murderer?
I enjoyed the first book in this series and came to really like Jenna, Mason and Rita and Keith and the juicy plot in this one (gasp THE DRAMA! clutches pearls) as it wound its way among the suspects and unraveled all the clues - which were right there all along but in the end the culprit was still surprising. Just as in the first book, I suspected and then discarded a suspect or two, only to be surprised at the end. *sigh* Fooled me again!
Another great entry into what's shaping up to be a really great series and I'm looking forward to the next book.
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