A PAGE-TURNING COSY MYSTERY SET IN THE PICTURESQUE CITY OF YORK. PERFECT FOR FANS OF BETTY ROWLANDS, LJ ROSS AND FAITH MARTIN.It’s nearly Christmas in York, but it seems the season of goodwill hasn’t touched everyone… When DS Charlotte Banks is suspended from the police on suspicion of assaulting a suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop, librarian Kitt Harley and her friend Evie Bowes … Harley and her friend Evie Bowes refuse to believe she is guilty. But why is she being framed?
With Charlotte’s boss DI Malcolm Halloran unable to help, Evie decides to take matters into her own hands. Kitt takes little persuading to get involved too – after all, as well as Charlotte’s career to save, there are missing books to be found!
From the tightknit community of York’s booksellers, to the most gossipy bus route in the country, Kitt and Evie leave no stone unturned to get at the truth behind the burglary.
Then the discovery of a body raises the stakes even higher. For Evie, and now Kitt, this case is as personal as it gets. Can they catch the murderer in time to turn a bleak midwinter into something merry and bright?
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When DS Charlotte Banks is suspended from the police on suspicion of assaulting a suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop, librarian Kitt Harley and her friend Evie Bowes refuse to believe she is guilty. They are determined to find out why she is being framed. With Charlotte’s boss DI Malcolm Halloran unable to help, Evie decides to take matters into her own hands. Kitt takes little persuading to get involved. From the tightknit community of York’s booksellers, to the most gossipy bus route in the country, Kitt and Evie leave no stone unturned to get at the truth behind the burglary.
This is the second book in the series & again it is a very well written book that drew me in from the start, plenty of twists & turns & a budding romance all added to my enjoyment. Whilst Kitt isn’t my favourite character she is growing on me, I really like Evie & Mal & I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
England, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, theft, librarian, amateur-sleuth, friendship, procedural
Super twisty!
Kitt is a librarian with sleuthing tendencies, Evie is her best friend and her past is on her face, DI Halloran is Kitt’s interest, and DS Banks is in the frame. At first there was just a major theft, the murders came later. Extremely twisty plot and I don’t want to do spoilers. Just start with the publisher’s blurb and get drawn in! Enough background material is slipped in during the first twenty per cent that I was never lost. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Quercus Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Book title is misleading, just like the clues to the crime!
3.5-4stars
The last half of this story picked up momentum and actually kept my interest; the first half not so much. I found the initial crime involving an injured thief, a vilified woman police officer and some missing treasured first editions leading to investigation by the York police and amateur detectives Evie, Kitt and Grace slow going. Plus, where’s the body in the book title?!
Evie is an interesting character, having been facially scarred in the previous book (which I have not read) and accused of murdering her own boyfriend (though later exonerated). She is super sensitive to how others react to her disfiguring scars and unsettled by her previous run-in with the police. I liked that she acquired a new romantic interest and how that relationship is handled by the author. Kitt, her book-loving BFF, was less appealing to me: quite bossy and self-important. Kitt’s young colleague Grace, so eager to break into their circle of amateur sleuths, added pep and fun to the mix.
Ultimately there is plenty of action, with chases, false trails, morphing suspects and, yes, some murders, but I personally like a murder mystery with more punch at the beginning. I was tempted to just stop reading until I hit the halfway mark and things started popping.
Thanks to publisher Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.