When her best hope of saving her storm-damaged library is found murdered, senior librarian Cleo Watkins hits the road in her bookmobile in search of justice.Septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be shushed when an upstart young mayor threatens to permanently shelve her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library … rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, Georgia.
However, Cleo soon rolls into trouble. A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should worry about his plans. She knows she should when she discovers him bludgeoned and evidence points to her best friend, Mary-Rose Garland.
Sure of Mary-Rose’s innocence, Cleo applies her librarian’s sleuthing skills to the case, assisted by friends, family, and the dapper antiquarian bookseller everyone keeps calling her boyfriend. Evidence stacks up, but a killer is overdue to strike again. With lives and her library on the line, Cleo must shift into high gear to close the book on murder in Better Off Read, the charming Bookmobile series debut by Nora Page.
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I really enjoyed this first book in a new cozy series. The book opens as Cleo, a senior librarian is working hard to save her small town library. The library was damaged in a storm so until repairs can be made she is running the library in a book mobile. The current mayor thinks the town would be better off if the library was bulldozed and replaced with a fancy new tourist building. On one her book deliveries she discovers the a body. When her best friend falls under suspicion she sets out to solve the murder. She is helped in her investigation by the owner of the local used bookstore and her eccentric family members. There are a lot of suspects and the solution made sense. I really liked the mystery, the characters and the southern small town setting. I am excited to read the next one already. Enjoy
A nice fun cozy mystery starring a quirky old lady librarian who can’t seem to keep out of trouble and is determined to protect those she cares most about. It has everything you can want in a cozy. It has small town rivalries, drama, secrets, a cast of characters you can love, and others you can love to hate. I also love that some of the animals play such important roles, just as important as some of the people.
Fun book. I really enjoyed reading this book. At first, it seemed too overly cozy even for a cozy mystery. But I soon got pulled into it because of the clever writing, the quirky characters and need to discover “who dun it.” I’m now a follower of the Bookmobile mysteries.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
In Better Off Read we meet Cleo Watkins. She is a Septuagenarian librarian trying to save her library after recent storm damage. While waiting on repairs she and her Persian cat Rhett Butler have pressed the library’s old bookmobile, Words on Wheels, into greater service to reach all her patrons. While delivering some questionable books to one of the library’s major benefactors, Buford Krandall, she finds him dead on the floor surrounded by books Cleo had delivered to him recently. She was really hoping he would help her convince the town’s mayor, Jebson Day, that the library was an important piece of the community. He has plans to shudder the library and invest the money to build an enormous fishing pier to draw professional fishermen to the area and she just can’t fathom her town without a library.
Cleo sees all the evidence and knows her grandson Ollie, and best friend, Mary-Rose Garland could be in trouble. She enlists the help of antiquarian bookseller Henry Lafayette and his pug, Mr. Chaucer to help her check out other suspects and find the real killer and get them booked and behind bars. And oh, she is also going to do everything she can to save her library too.
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I was a fan of Cleo Watkins before I had read the first quarter of the book. She is a smart spunky senior citizen with plenty of energy to do whatever she sets her mind to whether it be delivering books in the bookmobile, finding support to help her save her library, or tracking down a killer. Even when it looks like the murderer has set their sights on taking her down she doesn’t give up. It pushes her even more. She is driven to clear her grandson and her BFF. We meet several residents of Catalpa Springs as she travels around trying to hone in on who could have killed Buford. I enjoyed meeting her “gentleman friend” Henry. He is very supportive of her endeavors and a great help to her. His pug and Cleo’s cat also stole my heart quickly. All the characters were interesting but I think we just scratched the surface on their stories.
Ms. Page really twists things up in the plot of this mystery. My personal list of suspects was way off the mark. Following Cleo and her friends as they snoop out clues was fun and entertaining. At times it was laugh out loud funny. In the end, I was surprised by the conclusion of the story and that was absolutely great. The author had me fall for every little misdirection she had plotted.
Cleo Watkins is a treasure. Her passion for books just shines within these pages. She made this book a pure delight to read. Better Off Read is an excellent start for this series. I will be reading book two in this series, Read On Arrival soon.
Great Characters, interesting setting and a mystery that had me guessing and worried for some of the characters I’d formed an attachment to. I love, love, love books on wheels. Such a fun idea for a story with a great southern feel. I loved the main character, Cleo, and her southern charm. I will definitely be looking up other books in this series!
Great start to a series, quite enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to more mysteries to solve in Catalpa Springs, Georgia, along with feisty Cleo, the town’s librarian! A+
What a fun book. Cleo made me laugh until I cried from page 1. I loved her devotion to the library and the book bus and her almost uncontrollable curiosity. I heard once that in the South they don’t hide their crazies they put them out on the front porch for everyone to enjoy and this book did just that. Never did I see the killer or the victims coming and that is what made this book so good. I am very interested to see if Cleo and Henry start spending more time together. And maybe Ollie and Officer Gabby.
Cleo Watkins is a septuagenarian librarian that is hoping to save her storm-damaged library, but all hopes are lost when the primary beneficiary is found murdered. Unfortunately, Cleo’s best friend Mary-Rose and her grandson Ollie become the prime suspects.
Cleo takes to the road in her repurposed school bus turned bookmobile and is on a mission to stop the young mayor from permanently closing her beloved library and solve the murder.
The cast of characters in this book are delightful; 70 something Cleo is all heart, her best friend Mary-Rose is full of spunk, close friend Henry is a complete gentleman, and Rhett Butler (the cat) is full of cat mischief.
This was a fun cozy mystery to read and I do hope the author makes a series out of it.
Better Off Read by Nora Page is the first tale in A Bookmobile Mystery series. Cleo Watkins is the head librarian of the Catalpa Springs Public Library in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. Unfortunately, a storm recently downed a beautiful old tree right onto the library. Mayor Jeb Day does not wish to use city funds to revive the library (they have insurance). Instead, he wishes to make Catalpa Springs a fishing destination with a world class fishing pier and have a floating casino on Tallgrass River. Cleo still wants to get books out to public and starts taking out Words on Wheels, the bookmobile, out every day. Cleo has to stop by Krandall House with books ordered by the eccentric Buford Krandall who is in a feud with neighbor, Mary-Rose Garland. Cleo discovers the front door open, the library in a disarray and Buford dead. The evidence quickly mounts against Mary-Rose. Cleo knows her friend did not harm Buford and sets out to prove it with the help of her friends.
Better Off Read is a humorous cozy with a fast pace. Cleo Watkins is seventy-five and determined to save her library. The mayor is determined Cleo will retire and repurpose the library. Cleo is a smart, spunky strong-minded woman who leads a busy life and has a lead foot when driving (I am amazed she has not had her license revoked). I appreciate her passion for books and helping others find the right books for them to read. There is a cast of quirky characters to accompany Cleo in Better Off Read. There is Ollie, her grandson who does not know what he wants to do with his life. Leanna who works part-time at the library (before the storm) and is going to college to get her degree in library science. Henry Lafayette who is smitten with Cleo and has a pub named Mr. Chaucer. Bitsy Givens is president of the Ladies League, married to the local bank president and puts up with her demanding mother-in-law. Let us not forget Rhett Butler, the library cat who accompanies Cleo on her rounds in Words on Wheels. While there are some interesting characters, I felt the author introduced too many of them. They just kept coming and it is difficult to keep them all straight. I wish the author had limited the number and focused on developing them (they seemed superficial). Catalpa Springs is a small Southern town in Georgia near the Florida border. There is Southern hospitality, plenty of food and gossip flows freely and quickly. There seemed to be one zany antic after another throughout Better Off Read (I just wanted them to stop). There is an amazing amount of dialogue in the story. The mystery had some good components, but it gets lost. I believe when the solution to the murder is revealed, some readers will be scratching their heads. The book has a satisfying ending that wraps up all the storylines. I felt that there was too much going on (I could not begin to describe it all). Better Off Read had a great premise, but the final product was dissatisfying. My rating for Better Off Read is 3 out of 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book! Of course, what’s not to love about a library and murder?!
The characters were well developed and fun, quirky, strange, lovable…all of the things you would hope to find in a good book. The location of Catalpa Springs, GA was just the kind of place you would expect to find such delightful characters. They had me laughing and cringing and gasping in shock.
I loved Cleo’s Words on Wheels bookmobile! Made me want one for myself to toot around all of my books. The mystery kept you wondering until the very end…or at least it did me! While you were sure who was the culprit, you might have been surprised. Though there were plenty of other surprises to go along with the murder mystery.
Just a delightful cozy mystery and a fun read. I hope to read more books in this series. I’ve come to love Cleo and Henry and the menagerie of animals and characters that make up the town of Catalpa Springs!
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Hand me a book with a lovely Georgia setting, a few corrupt citizens aligned against some honest folks, and combine it all with an enticing mystery, and I’m happy! The protagonist is a young 75 year old librarian—Cleo—who is strong, capable, and fun! When the town’s new mayor gets it in his craw that they need a fishing pier and casino and he’ll just cut out the funds for Cleo’s precious library and Words on Wheels bookmobile to pay for them, she’s determined to show him how misguided his plans are.
Then her best friend, Mary-Rose and her eccentric neighbor, Buford, get into a dispute over the fresh spring water that runs between their properties and one of them suddenly croaks! Cleo puts her knack for sleuthing to test with the help of Henry—a nice bookstore owner—who’s enamoured of Cleo, and Gabby, a female police officer who’s also Cleo’s neighbor and friend. Rhett Butler, Cleo’s library cat, and Mr. Chaucer, Henry’s old pug, are usually along for all the excitement!
Author, Nora Page introduces readers to an outstanding cast of characters and a lively plot. I so enjoyed Cleo’s spirit and passion for books and her loyalty to her patrons. The story moves along swiftly—I didn’t want to put it down! I didn’t guess the killer’s identity or motive, so this is a great whoddunit that snared my attention. The Hummingbird Cake recipe included is similar to one my mother used to make.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.
This is a solid, delightful, and intriguing start of a new series, Bookmobile Mystery #1. Cleo and Rhett drew me in from the beginning, and kept my attention throughout. Cleo, best friend Mary-Rose, young deputy Gabby, and best guy Henry are memorable – especially since three of the four are seniors. Ahem. I love seeing more cozy mysteries with folks of a certain age, and Cleo is more active and brilliant than many younger folks. Especially Mayor Jeb Day, who keeps trying to send Cleo off to retire. The snappy dialog, descriptions of Catalpa Springs, and intriguing mystery are part of part of this delightful package. Rhett Butler, of course, is second only to the humans, as the orange Persian is quite a character himself.
The local library, where Cleo has worked for many years, was damaged by a falling tree during a recent storm. She now can only drive Words on Wheels, the re-purposed school bus/ book mobile. Rhett has his own special place to sit when Cleo speeds through the area. She makes deliveries regularly to Buford Krandall, a strong supporter of the library who rarely goes out during daylight hours. He has recently been reading many creepy true crime books. Never did it occur to the curmudgeon that he would end up being in his own true crime. Or at least his remains, for he has been murdered. There is a strange trail of clues, all of which lead to Cleo’s best friend Mary-Rose, then includes Cleo’s grandson Ollie. Cleo and close friend Henry are caught up in looking for clues to who the real bad guy might be.
Cleo, being a librarian and cat lover, is my favorite, then Henry, Leanna and Ollie. They represent some of the very best of their respective generations, and demonstrate how the 50 year gap can be bridged through mutual interests and that certain something available to those open to hearing new ideas from those on the other side of the bridge.
The mystery was definitely intriguing! I enjoyed watching Cleo and her friends working together, and how they managed to get in and out of places such as Miss Pawpaw’s home. The solutions to the mysteries, including a subsequent murder and challenges, are so interesting! The author shows that while sometimes we can anticipate who the bad guys might be, some of those thought to be bad guys are really our friends in disguise. In other words, there were surprises for this reader! This is an excellent start to a new series, and while looking forward to the next in series, I highly recommend this one!
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this e-arc from the publisher and NetGalley
Better Off Dead is the first book in A Bookmobile Mystery series.
From reading the synopsis of this book I was looking forward to reading about 75-year-old Cleo Watkins, her bookmobile, and her attempt to save the Catalpa Springs library that was damaged in a storm.
But I found that I was repeatedly putting the book down. Although the characters were interesting, I just couldn’t get into the story.
I might try the next book in the series.
Librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be quietened when the new, young mayor threatens to permanently close down her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, Georgia. She won’t allow her advanced age to stop her or murder.
A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should worry about his plans. But too late she discovers him bludgeoned, and evidence points to her best friend, Mary-Rose Garland.
Certain of Mary-Rose’s innocence, Cleo applies her librarian’s sleuthing skills to the case, assisted by friends, family, and the dapper antiquarian bookseller everyone keeps calling her boyfriend. Evidence stacks up. With lives and her library on the line, Cleo must shift into high gear to close the book on murder.
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Series: A Bookmobile Mystery
Author: Nora Page
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Career
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publishing Date: May 8, 2018
Better Off Read, is a series debut by Nora Page. This book is filled with colorful characters, easy to dislike victims. The small town of Catalpa Springs is a wonderful look into small-town life. Mixed with the murder of a very unpopular man, this book has all the makings of a great new series that readers will love.
Cleo isn’t your average main character or the average librarian. Her age gives her insights into everyday life and how to handle rash decisions by young social climbers who don’t know that libraries are for more than just reading books. Cleo is smart, talented and funny. She worries about her town and its residents to the point of sleeplessness. She is determined and stubborn with just enough gumption to keep hope alive.
Cleo is passionate about the library and is almost at a loss on what to do when a bad storm destroys parts of the building and closes the doors until repairs can be made. Unfortunately, the new mayor thinks the library is a waste of money, and the budget should go towards his ideas to bring in tourists to the small community.
Other characters are just as appealing as Cleo and enhance the story. Mary Rose is stubborn, at times downright rude and seems to forget her age when tromping through the thick brush or making plans to get even with an old adversary.
This story is easy to read and flows nicely from one chapter to another. The evidence falls into place but never gives away the guilty party until the very end. Overall Better Off Read and the future series is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys main characters who have experience and knowledge on their side.