San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright was hoping for a fun, relaxing weekend at a local book fair, but a murderer made other plans in the latest in this New York Times bestselling series.Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn’s mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition … charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she’s got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn’t enough, she and Meg—Derek’s mom—will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.
Brooklyn couldn’t be prouder of her mom’s do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn’s nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.
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The Grim Reader is the 14th book in the amazing Bibliophile series by Kate Carlisle and stars Brooklyn Wainwright and Derek Stone. Brooklyn is a book restoration expert and her new husband Derek is a security specialist. In this book, Dharma is having its first Book Festival and Brooklyn’s mom is in charge of it. Brooklyn is helping and has a booth so she and Derek are in town for the festival. Many of their friends and families either live in Dharma or are also visiting, including Derek’s parents. It adds some fun to revisit people and events from the other books in the series. Brooklyn’s mom, Becky, is dealing with some tension between the members of the festival committee and it gets worse when a member of the committee is murdered. Becky seems to be on the murderer’s radar as things keep happening. Brooklyn, Derek, their families, and friends all work together to keep Becky safe and find the killer. This book kept me guessing until the end! Very enjoyable! Another winner by Kate Carlisle! I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an honest review. #TheGrimReader #NetGalley #KateCarlisle #BerkleyPublishing
The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle is the 14th A Bibliophile Mystery. I have read each book in this entertaining series, but The Grim Reader can be read as a standalone (but, really, why would you want to). I have enjoyed following Brooklyn from the very beginning. Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder who specializes in rare books. She lives in San Francisco with her dashing husband, Derek Stone and their adorable cat, Charlie. Derek and Brooklyn are in Dharma, Brooklyn’s hometown, for the first annual Dharma Book Festival. This festival is featuring Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and will include a one-night performance of Little Women—the musical (it was performed on Broadway). Brooklyn’s mother, Becky Wainwright is co-chair of the festival committee and she has been having a difficult time with Jacob Banyan. Jacob has been acquiring wineries in the area by dubious means and turning their fine vintage into a box wine which has the other winery owners up in arms. Jacob threatens Becky more than once in an attempt to get his way. I like that all the women in the Wainwright family are strong and creative. Brooklyn is a spitfire just like her mother. The Grim Reader contains Kate Carlisle’s signature writing style which is engaging. The story is narrated by Brooklyn. I was quickly drawn into the book which moved along at a quick page. The mystery was intriguing with a murder or two, an attempt on Becky’s life, and missing money. While I narrowed in on my choice of killer early on, my interest did not wane. I kept turning the pages quickly so I could see how the whodunit would play out. The reveal scene was a delightful and creative. The dialogue is witty and provided me with many laughs. Brooklyn does a little book restoration in this story, but not as much as in other books. I missed Brooklyn doing a creative, unique paper project. Of course, Brooklyn is busy visiting family, preparing for the festival, keeping her mother safe, playing with Charlie, and repairing a first edition copy of Little Women. There are some delectable culinary delights in this book that will have your mouth watering. Thankfully, there are recipes at the end of the book. There are some great tidbits regarding Little Women in the book. The Grim Reader is a story that takes me on a journey into Brooklyn’s world that I was sad to see end. I cannot wait for the next A Bibliophile Mystery to come out next year. My favorite line comes from Brooklyn when she said, “Couldn’t we stumble across a poisoning once in a while.” Poor Brooklyn has an aversion to blood. One of Brooklyn’s other lines that had me laughing is, “So suck it up buttercup.” The Grim Reader is a compelling cozy mystery with a big bully, committee chaos, beaucoup blood, missing money, a bounty of books, and a fun festival.
THE GRIM READER by Kate Carlisle is the fourteenth book in the Bibliophile Mystery series. It’s the story of Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek during the events that happen at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival.
Being a book-restoration expert, Brooklyn is excited to return to her hometown for the book fair that her mother and the committee had so painstakingly organized. It’s an event she has dreamed of since she was a book loving child. Even with agreeing to be on the program and helping as much as she could, Brooklyn is also excited to relax, enjoy the fair herself and to get to visit with her family and friends on her trip to Dharma.
Almost immediately Brooklyn is faced with the rude, obnoxious and over-bearing Jacob Banyan who is trying to bully his way and his boxed wines into the book festival – even if it means threatening Brooklyn’s Mom, Rebecca – called Becky by most, to do so. When the threats seem to turn from verbal to physical, Brooklyn and Derek are determined more than ever to keep Becky safe and the festival proceeding as planned.
The mystery starts to unfold when one of the committee members turns up murdered bringing to light the fact of unauthorized withdrawals leaving the festival coffers empty and the appearance of a rare first edition copy of LITTLE WOMEN that’s given to Brooklyn to restore.
Will they be able to keep the festival on track after everyone has worked so tirelessly to make the event a success? When a second murder happens and the threats on Brooklyn’s Mom continue to escalate, will they be able to find out whodunit before harm comes to Becky or someone else? Does the copy of LITTLE WOMEN that was given to Brooklyn to restore play a part in the evil deeds in town or is it just a coincidence? Are Brooklyn, a book and murder all connected once again?
Love the way Kate Carlisle manages to bring us such amazing, page turning stories while at the same time gives us glimpses of the warm loving family Brooklyn has as well as the friends we have loved through this series. It’s like a family reunion that we are welcome to join where we are brought up to date of events in their lives that only add to the story at hand. It was enjoyable to get a better glimpse into Brooklyn’s past by seeing a more personal look how life is in Dharma and her parent’s lifestyle. It was a joy to see during the last chapter how there could be future books of Brooklyn and Derek in Dharma.
THE GRIM READER is an amazing, well–written cozy mystery that anyone that loves whodunits will love. Kate Carlisle creates a cast of characters that are not only colorful, but those that you will fall in love with and others you just shake your head at while adding them to your suspects list. The mystery takes a lot of twists and turns that will have you guessing and second guessing before the final reveal. Although 14th in the series, it is just as fresh and excited as each and every book in this series and can definitely be read as a standalone book. All in all, a fabulous book! One I greatly enjoyed and feel you would too. Can’t wait for the next book. I rate it at 5+ stars!
Brooklyn and her husband Derek are off to Dharma to not only visit family but Brooklyn is also go I g to be a part of the town’s first annual Book Festival. Brooklyn’s mom is in charge of the entire festival bringing in most of the town to be a part of it all. Brooklyn will have her own booth doing book appraisals, a fun craft for children and showing off her skills with book repair. When a local business man interrupts the meeting of the committee members working on the festival and threatens Brooklyn’s mom she is ready to jump in and defend. Her mom handles the situation admirably but it still leaves a bad taste in Brooklyn’s mouth. Things go from bad to worse When a committee member is murdered and it looks like he stole all the Festival’s funds. Brooklyn steps in to help her mom not only in investigating the man’s death but also financially so that the festival can go on. After her mom is almost run over she realizes that she must dig deeper before those she loves end up hurt or worse dead. Follow along as Brooklyn and Derek take the investigation into their own hands in hopes of finding out the identity of the killer before he harms anyone else!
Series: Bibliophile Mystery #14
Publication Date: 6/2/20
Number of Pages: 336
This is a wonderful series and this book just adds to it. It is well-written, well-plotted, and the characters – both main and supporting – are superb. You’d love to meet them all in person and become friends with them. Brooklyn Wainwright, a bookbinder and restoration expert and her drool-worthy, security expert husband, Derek Stone, have their mothers to protect as well as multiple murders to solve in this story.
It has long been a dream of Brooklyn’s to have a book festival in her hometown of Dharma, and her mother, Rebecca, has worked for the last two years to make that happen. The festival is within a few days of beginning when Brooklyn and Drake arrive from San Francisco where they now live. Brooklyn is bubbling with excitement and can hardly wait for it to begin. Yet, when they head into town to pick her mother up from a planning committee meeting, they witness a large, burly man harassing and threatening her. While Rebecca deals with him and doesn’t let him cow her, Brooklyn and Derek worry that it could lead to more. When more harassment occurs and a dead body is found in the committee room, they go into high gear to protect Rebecca.
Their chief suspect is the nasty businessman, Jacob Banyan, who continues to harass Rebecca. But, as more clues are discovered, more attempts on Rebecca’s life are made, and yet another body is discovered, they have more suspects than they know what to do with.
Is embezzlement at the bottom of crimes, or is it the first edition of Little Woman that Brooklyn is restoring – or is it something else altogether? You’ll just have to read this delightful mystery, meet all of the suspects, and figure it out for yourself. Can there be more than one perpetrator?
In addition to the crimes to solve, we get a delightful visit with both Brooklyn’s and Derek’s delightful families. Brooklyn’s parents are deadheads from the sixties who followed Guru Bob to the Sonoma Valley and set about creating their own community, Dharma. They are all now very wealthy and well-respected members of the community – even though Rebecca still gets into karma, chakra’s, spirit cleansing, etc. You’ll love them. If you get the chance, be sure to read the series from the beginning so you can get to know and learn to appreciate all of the cast of characters.
If you are looking for a delightful read, this is the one for you. Happy solving!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Did you know there’s a Little Women musical? Seriously, the things I learn from Brooklyn and Derek’s adventures, or is it misadventures, are amazing!
Honestly, I so wish Dharma was a real place! Granted, I don’t know that I’d want to go to dinner with Brooklyn unless she tried my food first, but the town and happenings seem amazing, and the mysteries are fabulous!
Love this series!! I am pulled into the town of Dharma. I love the characters as well. This is a charming town and a charming mystery!! Brooklyn wins again!!
Brooklyn and Derek are thrilled to be taking part in Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. Brooklyn’s mom, Rebecca (Becky) is chairing the committee and has Brooklyn helping out as well as hosting a booth. Becky has a lot going on but most things are going well until she’s threatened by a man and a committee member is killed. Can Brooklyn and Derek keep her mom safe and find a killer?
I’ve loved this series and this book is no exception. It’s well-written with wonderful characters, although there are some you won’t like. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and read the book in one sitting. You’ll really enjoy this book and the mystery will keep you guessing throughout. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
I had read The Grim Reader when it first came out last year, but it wasn’t until now that I realized I kept going back to it constantly. I knew then that I wanted to write about my feelings towards this book, no matter how late they are..
At the beginning of this book, while “breathing in the crisp fall air,” Derek says: “It’s good to be back in Dharma.” I echo his sentiment heartily!
I have followed Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries from the beginning, always savoring the subjects, the characters, the locales, and wanting more as soon as I finished one. The Grim Reader — number 14 in the list — has left me floating on the clouds, contented, and eager for more. But I want to stay in this one for now, in Dharma, that idyllic place that started as a community of people who followed their spiritual leader Avatar Robson Benedict — or Guru Bob, as they called him — to the wilds of Sonoma County and created the Fellowship for Spiritual Enlightenment and Higher Artistic Consciousness. The name sounds awe-inspiring and may give us the wrong impression, but it is made very clear in this story, and in all the previous books, that the Fellowship is not a cult or a secret society at all. The Fellowship members built Dharma, and part of their culture is to welcome everybody.
And this time they are having their first Book Festival, with Little Women as the theme. This provides a reason for everyone to be here — those who live there permanently and those who are part of the family and friends who visit often. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends — all those that we had followed in the previous books, and that we can now tell apart just by the way they act and speak. And they are all very special! Having them all gathered together in this enchanting town may be why I enjoyed The Grim Reader more than any of the 13 previous books. I liked them all a lot, but this one seems to be a sort of “culmination,” a tableau that reminds the reader that the characters are part of a family — a very special family, caring, loving, cheerful. They produce wine, so what else could they be?
As I went to the book festival, listened to parts of Little Women as a musical, tried to figure out who the villains were, and wondered how and when Brooklyn would find “her murders and help catch the muderers”, I found that these characters had almost become part of my own family — and I have to admit that I am in love with both Derek and Gabriel, but Brooklyn and Alex don’t mind, I am sure. Charlie the cat is also a welcome addition. So now it is four parents (Derek’s and Brooklyn’s), several sisters, brothers, in-laws, neighbors, and best friends — even the new policeman, an old friend who had gone to school with Brooklyn. And for those who have not read the previous books, Rebecca (Becky) and Jim’s sons and daughters are named after the location where they were either conceived or born, such as Brooklyn and her sisters China, Savannah, and London, plus brother Austin.
Kate Carlisle has taken me out of my sadness and isolation with this book, which has brought me happiness, love, and hope. Thank you, Ms. Carlisle, and send us more jewels like this one soon, please!
Another visit with my favorite bookbinder, her dreamy husband, and the rest of her wacky cohorts. I look forward to each and every installment.
What I liked about “The Grim Reader”:
The setting – I love the descriptions of the time spent in Dharma. They are so rich and vivid that I can picture the landscape and the charming town.
Derek – What can I say? ::shrug:: Is it possible to have a crush on a character in a book? ::smirk:: (Rhetorical question.) I just love the way Derek is written, the way he treats Brooklyn and their families. Plus he’s an international agent of mystery.
All the characters – Fourteen books into this series, we’ve acquired quite a collection of characters who have continued to make appearances. Most of them managed to show up in this book. It might have felt overwhelming except that they were already familiar and instead, it felt like a reunion.
The mystery – It was lively. It took a slightly different tone than normal. It was multi-layered but not out of the realm of figuring out the culprit and the motive.
What I didn’t care for:
Brooklyn’s demeanor – While I think it was intended for Brooklyn to be demonstrating protective qualities, she came across as more defensive and bitter, at least to me, which I found somewhat out-of-character and off-putting.
Minor inconsistencies – Such as a character present to start a scene that had seemingly vanished without a trace by the scene’s closing, or breakfast meal components that seemed to change, mid-chew. Nothing major that affected the plot or ruined the book. Just little things that grabbed at me, I guess proving that I pay attention while I read.
Overall, another good book in a series I adore. Already looking forward to whatever adventures lay ahead for Brooklyn and Derek in book fifteen!
The Grim Reader was another winner in the Bibliophile series from Kate Carlisle. I’ve loved this series from the moment I read the first book featuring Brooklyn Wainwright. I love books, so it isn’t surprising how much I love reading about a character that works with restoring books all day. Add in Brooklyn’s hunky husband Derek and all of her family in Dharma, and I was hooked from the very first page.
I love each new adventure with Brooklyn and Derek, and love even more when we get time with their families. I have mad love for their parents and their siblings. The town of Dharma is also another character in itself, and I wish it was real so I could visit it. Brooklyn is usually the one to find all the dead bodies in this series, and I loved the switch up where instead it was Brooklyn’s mom and Derek’s mom finding the dead body. Brooklyn is always protective of her friends and family, but I loved she was in overdrive mode to solve this murder since their moms were involved.
I can usually follow the trail a bit better than I did with The Grim Reader. I tend to figure out the who done it before Brooklyn and Derek announce it. Ms. Carlisle totally kept me guessing this time, and I loved it. Seriously, even knowing all the clues were there all along, I was still surprised. The Bibliophile books are my favorite cozy mystery series of books. I usually not only read, but listen to the audiobook from the library as well. Fourteen books into this series and I still check for the next book in the series several times a year. Fans of cozy mysteries should totally check this series out! I promise you won’t be disappointed at all!
Rating: 4 Stars (B)
Review copy provided by publisher
The Grim Reader does it again, sucking you in with it’s fun cast of characters, interesting storyline and detailed and fun information on Brooklyn’s job as a bookbinder. Once started, it’s impossible to put down.
Bibliophile Mystery Book 14 has Brooklyn and Derek returning to the town of Dharma for a book festival. A fictional town in California’s wine country that makes you wish you could visit!
There’s a book store of course and with the book festival coming up there is a rare first edition of LITTLE WOMEN which is in bad shape. Clyde, owner of the book store seeks out Brooklyn to restore it to its former glory. Some fun starts when a musical of LITTLE WOMEN is performed by the locals.
I enjoy the familiar characters in this series, Brooklyn’s craft for book restoration keeps my attention as well as the chemistry between Brooklyn & Derek. In this book a little twist..Brooklyn doesn’t stumble over the dead bodies. I can’t tell you who, you’ll have to read the book to find out, lol.
I found I was a little disappointed with the change in Brooklyn and Derek’s relationship- and not the usual spins and bits of mystery details as prior books in the series. At times I thought I was reading a romance not a mystery. Ms. Carlisle’s humor still prevails.
I loved that this story takes place at a festival. Just what you expect family and friends- past and present characters!
Some slow segments, but I didn’t loose interest in the story. Without question I’ll look forward to the next book in the series.
In Kate Carlisle’s latest, the Grim Reader, Brooklyn and Derek head to Dharma for a book festival and find more bodies than books. The mystery revolves around the book festival, Brooklyn and Derek’s families, and the small Sonoma wine town of Dharma.
In this latest installment of the Bibliophile Mysteries, we revisit the same great characters who make this series so engaging. This time Brooklyn’s Mom is in jeopardy, and the whole family comes together to keep her safe and find the killer. The insights into bookbinding are interesting as aways, and Carlisle paints a great picture of wine country.
A great cozy mystery with enough shady characters to keep you guessing until the end.
I loved this book. I enjoy the characters, the interactions and story. I love learning new about Brooklyn’s job.
I loved The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle! It was so nice to visit Dharma again with Brooklyn and Derek. And I was very happy that along with their parents and siblings, their neighbors from San Francisco made the trip to participate in Dharma’s first book fair. It was also nice to meet a few more residents of the quirky community.
The interactions between the various parties was very entertaining. As usual, bodies were found and a murder was solved satisfactorily.
I can’t wait for the next installment in the Bibliophile Mystery series!
I can’t believe this is the 14th book in the series!! I read two of Kate Carlisle’s series faithfully. I love the way she writes. Her characters are so rounded and consistent. This is time is no different.
It’s been a treat to watch Brooklyn and Derek’s relationship evolve over the course of the series. can’t wait to see what happens next!
There was nothing “grim” about this read for me; somehow KC makes murder fun, interesting and yes, intriguing as well! Number 14 shows no signs of the murder rate going down, in fact in may be going up
If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries than I suggest you give this series a try – start anywhere and you’ll find yourself on the hunt for more…enjoy!
This book is wonderfully written and the characters are very well thought out. I loved every minute of reading it!! It was a page turner and I could hardly put it down because I needed to know “who done it”! I loved the fact I couldn’t guess who the killer was until it was revealed at the end and that it was set at a Book Fair. I’ve never been to a Book Fair, but now I REALLY want to find one! I also love the relationship between Brooklyn and Derek and also with their families. Really…such a great, great book!!!!
In the latest installment of the Bibliophile mystery series, Brooklyn and Derek return to Dharma for the first annual book festival organized by Brooklyn’s mother, Rebecca. Looking forward to time with the family and the Little Women themed festival, they can’t imagine murder will disrupt their plans. As always, humor and mystery are expertly woven together to make The Grim Reader a thoroughly enjoyable read for any mystery lover. I love the relationships between all the returning characters that make it feel like returning to visit old friends. I highly recommend The Grim Reader, plus you get some great recipes.