FILE "M" FOR MURDER. . . .
Champion of the mystery section at a small-town Minnesota library, Karen Nash is about to embark on a dream trip to London-a literary tour inspired by every murderous intrigue, wily suspect, and ingenious crime found in the pages of the British mysteries that she devours. But she's clueless why the love of her mid-life, Dave, would dump her hours before takeoff-until she spies him at the airport with a young honey on his arm! She decides the best revenge (for now) is to get on that plane anyway . . . and entertain schemes for Dave's untimely demise while crossing the pond.
After touching ground in the hallowed homeland of Christie, Sayers, and Peters, she checks into a cozy B & B run by charming bibliophile Caldwell Perkins. Soon she's spilling tears in her pint at the corner pub, sharing her heartbreak saga with a stranger. That night, a B & B guest drops out of circulation-permanently. And when Dave and his cutie turn up in London, Karen realizes they are an assassin's target. With the meticulous attention to detail that makes her a killer librarian, Karen sleuths her way through her own real-life mystery-in which library science meets the art of murder.
Excellent first book in a new series. A very different style of cozy mystery that was a lot of fun from the first page. Totally non-formulaic, this story was a delightful departure from the standard and I devoured it nearly in one sitting.
Librarian Karen Nash is packed and ready to leave with her boyfriend for their first trip to London - only to be dumped literally hours before take-off. In a fit of defiance she decides to go anyway, only to discover she's sharing the plane with her now-ex and his new girlfriend. Arriving in London, one of her fellow B and B guests end up dead.
The blurb on the back of the book is misleading, leading one to think there's a lot of action afoot. In reality, this is a rather calm, relaxing mystery that unfolds in it's own time with a denouement that sneaks up on you and a climax to the story that's rather breathtaking.
I'm truly looking forward to the next book in this series, I can't wait to see what Ms. Kirwin does with the next plot.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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21 January, 2013:
Finished reading
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21 January, 2013:
Reviewed