A Murder for the Books

Gilbert, Victoria. A Murder for the Books. New York: Crooked Lane Books, 2017.

A messy break-up prompted Amy Webber to leave her job at a university library, accepting the position as director of a small town library where her aunt resides. The missing Doris Virts turns up dead in the library's archives. Amy meets dance instructor Richard Muir who purchased the home next to hers. The two begin researching his home's history. A lot of old family skeletons begin to rattle. This first installment felt more like a romance novel than a mystery. Some characters, such as Brad,the lead official investigator, needed more development--and needed to be utilized more in the novel. There were some issues with the plot. For example, a cell phone was confiscated by a "bad person" but in a scene shortly afterwards, the owner was using it once again without an opportunity to get it back. Still the book showed some promise. Those likely to be recurring characters are mostly likeable. One character still has a mystery about him which could become fodder for a future plot. As is the case with most cozy mysteries, readers need to suspend believability for some parts of the narrative. Fun read with a likeable setting. The review is based on an advance electronic copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.