In this Bibliophile Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Books of a Feather, San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright stumbles through the looking glass in a tale of murder, rare books, and a quest for the perfect pie… rumors abound that the charming Courtyard shops across the street may be replaced by high-rise apartments. Their trendy neighborhood will be ruined unless Brooklyn and her fiancé, Derek Stone, can persuade the shopkeepers not to sell.
But with a rare edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland causing bad blood at the Brothers Bookshop and a string of petty vandalism making everyone nervous, Brooklyn and Derek feel like they’re attempting six impossible things before breakfast. Then the owner of the Rabbit Hole juice bar is felled by his own heavy shelves, and the local cobbler lies dead beside him. An accident . . . or something more sinister? Things get curiouser and curiouser when a second priceless copy of Alice is discovered. Will it stir up more trouble within the close-knit community?
As the Brits descend, Brooklyn learns they’re not so stuffy after all. Derek’s dad is won over with chocolate cream pie, and his psychic mum would kill to help Brooklyn solve this murder—before another victim takes a tumble.
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This was another library find. And yet another case of me starting a series somewhere other than the binging. Once Upon A Spine is book eleven in the Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle.
And I loved it so much.
So much.
It might be my favourite Cozy read of the year so far.
One of the biggest stand outs is the relationship Brooklyn, the main character, has with her fiance Derek. It’s lovely. I adored her and her fiance.
I LIVED for the side characters. Their families were a complete riot. Highly entertaining. I could’ve read a series on just their mothers.
Aside from, you know, the murder part, it’s a beautiful world Kate Carlisle has created. I enjoyed Brooklyn, her beau, and her little corner of San Francisco so much. I have to read the whole series now.
It made me laugh. The genuine love made me teary. And I’m dying for a slice of chocolate cream pie now.
This is definitely a highly recommended read for me.
Now that the renovations have been completed on the apartment, Brooklyn and Derek have more time to spend enjoying their little corner of the city. Brooklyn loves going to the local bookstore and seeing what treasures she can find and is enamored with a copy of Alice in Wonderland that owners Eddie and Terrance have displayed in their store. They also frequent the Rabbit Hole a health food store, with her wedding looming ahead Brooklyn wants to look and feel her best. One morning while running errands Brooklyn noticed something amiss at the Rabbit Hole, she finds the owner Rabbit hurt and another local store owner dead. Brooklyn wants to figure out what happened but with Derek’s parents coming to visit she’s nervous about what they will think of her and will she have the time. Derek’s parents surprise her, not only are they like her own parents Derek’s mother wants to be in on helping solve the mystery. While asking questions and searching for clues Brooklyn thinks there is a problem with the Alice and Wonderland book at the bookstore. Is the book in some way responsible for the murder? Why do so many people suddenly have copies of it? Follow along with Brooklyn as she works her way through the many twists and turns that this murder leads her on. Carlisle unquestionably knows how to weave a marvelous mystery together and I look forward to seeing what book Brooklyn works on next!
Brooklyn’s future in-laws are coming over from England for a visit and to meet her family which has her on edge. In addition, there are rumors that the cluster of shops across the street in the Courtyard may be for sale which will ruin the neighborhood. The book shop has a rare edition of Alice in Wonderland on display and the owners are fighting while someone is spraying the shops with graffiti. As if that wasn’t enough, Brooklyn finds the owner of the Rabbit Hole knocked out in his store with another body crushed under a toppled shelf. Can Brooklyn and Derek find the killer and survive the meeting of their parents?
I’ve really enjoyed this series and this book is no exception. The book’s well-written with wonderful characters, some of whom are a bit whacky. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and didn’t want to put the book down. I’m looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
Love this series. The locale plays an additional character. And her written characters are spot on. I would love to spend a day or two in their world. Can’t wait for the next installment. Wish that Hallmark would make a series of this series, as they have her renovation series.
Great book! I love this series. Great characters and a new story to keep things original every time!
I enjoyed this book as I do the whole series.
Brooklyn is kept busy between a murder mystery, visiting in-laws to be, her parents and vandalism. I enjoyed the characters, and hope that we get to see more of the in-laws. The shop keepers kept things lively, especially the bickering bookstore owners. The mystery was good, the ending a little chaotic which I actually found amusing. A very enjoyable read and I will continue on with the next in this series.
There is the bonus of some recipes in the back.
While the mystery fell a little flat for me this time, I really enjoyed meeting Derek’s parents in this installment of the Bibliophile Mysteries which more than made up for a less engaging mystery. I think I had a difficult time getting into this one because there were *so* many peripheral characters that I couldn’t connect with them enough to really care about them. And while I know to expect unrealistic situations from this genre of book, it felt more…awkward than some of the past Brooklyn adventures. I loved the atmosphere of The Courtyard, though, and I really hope we get to spend more time there in the future. All in all, this remains one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I’m already looking forward to book 12 which is coming out later this summer.
I simply love the thrill of discovery that comes with the stories in the Bibliophile Mysteries. As a book lover, the thought of finding a rare edition of one of my favorite books, well, it makes my toes wiggle. I’ll admit, I wasn’t excited about the treasured volume of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland like main character, Brooklyn Wainwright was. I have never liked that tale. But, I was wrapped up in Brooklyn’s excitement about it.
ONCE UPON A SPINE is another well written installment in the Bibliophile Mysteries. And it certainly shares something in common with the story of Alice, not everything it as it seems. This was a clever mystery that had my brain hopping around like a frantic rabbit, trying to guess the outcome.
More than just a mystery, ONCE UPON A SPINE introduced new characters to readers, Derek’s parents. I enjoyed the energy of the story when they were in the scene. They were simply delightful and fit in perfectly with the already established characters. I’m looking forward to their next appearance in the series.
As if all of that isn’t enough to entice you to read this book, wait until you see some of the sassy recipes included with names like Hot Buttered Rump Bites, and Perky Breast Nibbles. 😉
ONCE UPON A SPINE by Kate Carlisle
The Eleventh Bibliophile Mystery
Brooklyn Wainwright is a nervous wreck. Her future in-laws are coming to visit and she’s in a panic wondering if they’ll like her. Her anxiety level is increased as they will also be meeting her parents. How will Derek’s British family react to Brooklyn’s new agey mother? Easing her tension is the love she has not only for Derek, but their neighborhood with all the lovely shops and shopkeepers. Heck, the bookstore owners even let her touch their display only copy of a rare edition of ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. But all is not as lovely as it seems. As Brooklyn goes out for an early cup of coffee she discovers the door to the local market open and inside finds the store trashed, the shop owner lying on the floor, and a body under a huge shelving unit. Is it an accident or has Brooklyn stumbled upon a murder once more?
Kate Carlisle creates such wonderful ambiance in her bibliophile series. Vivid descriptions allow me to visualize myself exploring the Courtyard and all its charming shops, spending time trying on hats I can’t afford at Kitty’s hat shop, trying to make healthy food choices at The Rabbit Hole (though more likely making choices at Sweetie Pies), and spending lots of money at Brothers Bookshop.
One of my favorites parts of each bibliophile mystery is learning about the classic book it features. Like Brooklyn, I am a huge fan of Lewis Carroll and all things Alice and was excited to see that ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND was the book featured in ONCE UPON A SPINE. While I was thrilled to learn new facts, I was unfamiliar with the Suppressed ALICE, I was disappointed that more attention wasn’t given to the book. That being said, more details about it wouldn’t have moved the plot along so weren’t really necessary, but the book nerd in me still wanted more.
The mix of characters in ONCE UPON A SPINE is brilliant. The meeting of Brooklyn and Derek’s parents is a delight and it’s wonderful to see the trio of couples so compatible, especially compared to the romantic relationships between the other characters in the book.
ONCE UPON A SPINE is a fine entry in the Bibliophile Mystery series that celebrates relationships while providing an engaging well plotted mystery.
Once Upon A Spine is the eleventh book in the A Bibliophile Mystery series.
Another masterfully written book in this very enjoyable series. As with other books in this series, Brooklyn provides the reader with what it takes to repair damaged books and the how to make sheets of paper. Even though I may not understand everything that Brooklyn describes, I do value its addition to the story.
Brooklyn is both nervous and excited as she will soon meeting Derek’s parents for the first time. She is fearful that his mother won’t like her, or that his mother will be off by Brooklyn’s hippie style mother.
A day or two before the parents are to arrive, Brooklyn heads across the street to the Courtyard to get a cup of coffee at the Beanery, but she notices that the Rabbit Hole seems to be open, which is not normal. When she looks through the window she sees the store in disarray. Upon entering she finds a heavy steel shelve has toppled over, trapping Will Rabbitt, owner of the store and Joey, owner of a shoe repair shop. Will has survived the incident, but Joey wasn’t so lucky.
It appears that possibly the owners of the Brother Bookshop might be suspects. It seems that Terrence, one of the owner of the bookshop supposedly had a first edition copy of Alice In Wonderland given to him by Bonnie, the owner of the Courtyard. But he believes she stole back and gave it to Joey. Then she learns that both Bonnie and Kitty Barnes, owner of a hat shop at the Courtyard. Brooklyn’s mother and Derek’s mother couldn’t be happier to help their son and daughter as set off to catch a murderer.
Another well-told and plotted story from Ms. Carlisle and wonderful characters.
Delicious sounding recipes are also in the book.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this exciting series.
Kate Carlisle is one of my favorite authors and Once Upon a Spine did not disappoint. The relationship between Brooklyn and Derek is great. As far as her parents go, I adore them. They are one of the reasons I bought the entire series even though I just found out about it last year.
This was a great book. The story was very entertaining and I held my interest the entire time. The characters were likable and I cared about what happened to them. This is a series I will definitely continue.
When a shop owner is killed in a store across from Brooklyn’s home, she becomes involved in solving the mystery of who murdered him. Along the way, she spends a lot of time at Eddie and Terrence’s book store in the same building. There is a rare copy of Alice in Wonderland that is a part of the mystery. I loved the information the reader gets about rare books, and also about hand made paper. Little details like that make me happy.
Brooklyn and Derek are wonderful. It is so refreshing to see a couple who are in love and are supportive of each other. They are getting their parents together for the first time prior to their marriage. All of the parents were great and added some humor to the book. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good cozy mystery.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.