Once Upon A Spine (Bibliophile Mystery, #11)

by Kate Carlisle

[MurderByDeath]

Carlisle is also a romance writer and it's starting to show in this series.  I don't say that like it's a bad thing, but the focus of the books has definitely become the love between Brooklyn and Derek, and the strong family ties of both.  I like it, but it can sometimes get a little too sticky sweet, and completely unrealistic.  Say, for example, when both sets of in-laws come to stay for a week (meeting for the first time) and everyone stays together in the same apartment and gets along like a house on fire.  I won't say it's impossible, but definitely unrealistic.   The mystery was a tiny bit slapstick at the end.  I liked it; it worked for me, mostly because Carlisle was obviously having fun with it too and wasn't expecting high drama out of it.  Frankly, the fate of The Courtyard was screamingly obvious from the start, but that didn't bother me much either, it's a small thing and made no difference to the plot at all.   My favourite part of these books continues to be Brooklyn's work with books.  I love the moments where she talks about the books, their construction, and her work preserving or restoring them.  This time around, it was all about making your own paper and she made it sound so easy I am determined to try it myself this summer.  My only complaint is that at the end, rather than the recipes she included, I'd have rather had definite instructions on the paper making.   In general, this one didn't wow me, but I enjoyed it and I learned something new, so of course I'll be back for more.