Librarian Amy Webber must archive overdue crimes and deadly rumors before a killer strikes again in this charming series debut Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and … lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble.
Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families… including her own.
When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries.
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There is nothing like finding a new series. When I came across A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert, it looked like a winner before I even opened the first page. I’m a sucker for books set in a library, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one.
A Murder for the Books is the first book in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series. Amy Webber is settling into life in her new town managing the local public library. Fleeing a failed romance, Amy is hoping for some peace and quiet, when murder strikes right inside the walls of her library! Now not only is there a killer on the lose, but Amy’s handsome new neighbor wants her help bringing light to a town historical mystery. Can she find a killer and solve a decade old crime?
Here are my reasons to read this book.
A Complex Main Character
Amy is a great protagonist. She is strong and determined, yet insecure in the fact that she doesn’t have the perfect body or style. But that doesn’t stop her from being an independent woman who is determined to help and support her friends and community.
A Great Mystery
Sometimes cozy mysteries are so full of character and location descriptions the mystery seems like an afterthought. Not in A Murder for the Books. The mystery is detailed and well thought out. It kept me guessing and I love the way things took awhile to play out – I was very invested in figuring out the resolution by the end!
Dysfunctional Family Fun
Complex family dynamics are always entertaining and Amy’s family has a lot of personalities. Some we get to know well in this book, some come into the pages just enough to give us a taste as to the fun and adventure they can provide in future installments.
For a page turning mystery that will keep you enamored and entertained pick up a copy of A Murder for the Books. This is a series I will be continuing to follow for sure. I can’t wait to see what adventures Amy has coming her way in the future!
https://cozyexperience.com/reasons-read-murder-books/
I loved the idea of someone working in a library and having mysteries to solve.
This is such a great start to the Blue Ridge Library series! The characters are well fleshed out, the setting is perfect for me–small town –, there is a dash of romance, but the best is the mystery. The twin mysteries, one from the past and one from the present, are fast paced and one is very suspenseful. I enjoyed everything about this read and am excited to read the next in this series.
I LOVED IT! I didn’t read it in one sitting but I read it in one day! The story just sucked me in and I was hooked. The whole mystery from the past was a little bit easy to figure out but OMG the last few chapters… it was like if you bother me while I’m reading you are in so much trouble. I have found another new to me author and I am finding everything I can by her to read.
Good cozy mystery with interesting characters and a nice setting.
New to me author and I was totally hooked immediately. A long ago mystery that is somehow linked to current events and then another mystery from the past that might be connected to it all. It was exciting to watch Amy and Richard and friends connect all the dots by finding different clues, especially using library references. Wonderful characters in a charming setting. Plenty of suspects and while I did guess at some of the answers, it was great seeing it all come together. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
Saccharine to the extreme. Very unrealistic characters.
DNF. This reallty should be classified as a romatic novel instead of a cozy. I stopped reading it in the first few chapters because I got tired of the constant references to the bodily attributes of the male love interest. If you like that kind of book, this story might appeal to you.
I put down the book several times and it took me about 4 days to finish, so while I thought the mystery was nicely complicated, this book isn’t one I’d recommend right off the bat. The characters have potential though I thought the romance between Amy and Richard was a bit forced. However, I’m going to read Shelved Under Murder (bk. 2).
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was just an OK cozy mystery for me. Amy lives with her aunt in the Blue Ridge Mountains and works at the local public library. When a body is found in the Archives she sets out to solve the murder. Her new neighbor is also interested in solving a historical mystery. The book started off strong and I really liked the contemporary and the historical mysteries. Since this is the first book in the series a lot of characters are introduced. I liked the characters and the southern setting. The mystery however was weak, it was very easy to solve and the solution did not make sense. The romance overshadowed it. Since I liked the characters and setting I will read the next book. It was a quick easy read.
*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What a great start to a new series. Any is the director of the very small library in a small town in Virginia near some mountains. This introduces a library element to the story before the murder even happens which is right up my alley since I work in one too. It as enjoyable getting to the characters while being taken on the tipsy turvy ride of the murder investigation. There were lots of little things mentioned along the way that helped lead the way to a finale that my guess was far from. Excellent writing with some great new characters all set to make you want to read some more. If you enjoy cozy mysteries you really have to try this one. I really enjoyed it so it gets 4/5 stars.
A Murder for the Books is Victoria Gilbert’s debut into the very popular cozy mystery genre, and it was a pleasure for this reader to settle in and try and solve the mystery, mysteries actually – both old and new, along with our protagonist, librarian Amy. Nicely written and a little bit of a shock at the end, I’ll definitely continue reading this series. Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries!
After a catastrophic love affair, librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She busies herself with managing the local public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and an overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble and a murder she has to solve.
Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door to Amy from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider who vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Richard determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, beseeches Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families… including her own.
When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest.
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Series: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery – Book 1
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Career
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
A Murder for the Books is a well written highly entertaining book with memorable and remarkable characters. This book is the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries. Ms. Gilbert is a talented and creative writer. Her writing is fluid and offers enough detail to keep the reader wanting more.
Characters, Amy and Aunt Lydia, are spunky, intriguing and well rounded, with just enough desecration to be unforgettable and captivating. Between the two they create an atmosphere of love and fun as well as general interest. Lydia is perhaps the most interesting character in this book. It will be interesting to see what part she will play in the next book in the series due out in July 2018.
Other characters such as Richard and Sunny and perfect and could easily have a series of their own. Richard is a loving, warm, vibrant romantic lead, and Sunny is a ray of well… sunshine. Both characters add to the enjoyment of this book and help move the plot along.
The town of Taylorsville, Virginia is small but has a great impact on the story and the reader. It is a place anyone would feel at home in and yet feel like an outsider. It’s one of those places where a new resident will always wonder if they will ever really be accepted by those who have lived there generation after generation. It is a great backdrop for this series.
The story is part mystery, part romance with a sprinkling of small town life. Throughout the book the reader is captivated by the secrets of the past and the link between the future and the past. It makes the reader wonder about their own hometown and what may be hidden or simply not talked about. There are always things in the past that influence our present and future, but how often do they lead to murder?
Overall A Murder for the Books is a fun easy-to-read book. The pace is not always fast, at times it forces the reader to slow down and take in every word. The reveal of the killer for many will be a bit too long. In many ways it is startling and yet not implausible. I recommend this book to those who enjoy small-town secrets with big city corruption, and a budding romance that could easily end in disaster.