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 a wonderful addition to the Bibliophile series of books. Each book has been good, but this one is just an absolute delight with Brooklyn and Derek in Dharma with their families and friends. Both of their Mothers are a riot! There is a murder mystery to be solved and naturally Brooklyn gets involved to help solve it. This series has been so much fun to read and each book is better than the last. I love the descriptions of the work that Brooklyn does on the books that she refurbishes. Kate Carlisle is truly a gifted storyteller and I hope this series does not end any time soon!
I have enjoyed reading all of the Bibliophile mysteries and this latest one is no exception! Brooklyn and her husband, Derek, are excited about spending a couple of weeks in Dharma and participating in their first major book festival. They will be able to spend time with Brooklyn’s family as well as with Derek’s parents, who now own a second home in Dharma. Becky, Brooklyn’s mother, is in charge of the festival and has been doing a great job in spite of harassment from a town bully and dissenting members on her committee. She is shaken by the murder of two local men and an attempt on her own life, but she relies on Brooklyn and Derek to watch her back and keep her safe.
There is lots of excitement and unusual persons to keep one interested in the mystery and the story. It is a standalone story but it’s more fun to keep up with the previous ones, too.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
I always look forward to coming back to this series and learning what rare book is being featured. In this story, Little Women is staged as a musical which the festivalgoers enjoy seeing performed. This one was engaging and entertaining set during a book festival held in Dharma where Brooklyn’s family lives. I loved getting to know her mother more. There are many likeable characters as well as some not so nice where some unfortunate murders occurs. I really enjoy the bibliophile mystery series because it features books, the restoration of loved books, and of course the food and wine. Delicious recipes are shared at the back of the book. Thank you to the publisher for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Wonderful book! I love this series and love the character Brooklyn and her husband Derek and their families. I have fallen in love with the town of Dharma! Of course there are murders, but this time instead of Brooklyn finding the first body, her mom and mom in law find it! This story had a lot of twists and turns and I was totally shocked at the ending, finding out who the culprit was! I could not put the book down and had to get to the end! When the book ended I wished it still had more to give! I love this series! I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Love this whole series and this book is a great addition to this series
The Grim Reader has just become my new favorite in this series. It is fast-paced and for me, had numerous laugh out loud moments. I really enjoyed the humor that was woven through moments of the story. This is book #14 in the Bibliophile Mystery series, but it definitely stands on its own.
I am ready for more adventures with Brooklyn, Derek and the rest of their families!
I thought it was fun to have Brooklyn and Derek outside of their normal San Francisco sphere and spend this story in the wine country in Dharma. Brooklyn’s mom Becky is heading the committee for the town’s first book festival, highlighting the novel Little Women. Small town committees make for ample skirmishes which are perfect for a mystery. It’s been a strange year, so it was a welcome delight to be back with these familiar characters. I liked the sense of family their being in Dharma brings to the story and how many of my other favorite characters get cameos by attending the festival.
I could not believe I was about to read the 14th story written in this series! If I included the e-book only novella that was put out, it would be the 15th story. In this story, we see Derek and Brooklyn visiting Dharma for the first time in a while. They both seem to be very happy to be going. Why are they going? What is happening? Who are Shandi, Ryan, Banyan, and the others that we meet? What are their involvements in what is happening? We see a couple of murders happen in this story. Who is Steve Willoughby? What about Lawson Schmidt? Who ends up dead first? Why? I seriously dislike Banyan. I love Derek and Rebecca is a hoot! It was fun seeing Derek’s parents again! Meg as so much fun. There was a point in time when I thought as I was reading, “What if ________ did the murder(s)?” I won’t say if I was right or not, but I will say I was not terribly surprised at who, but I was very surprised at why! Enjoy the story, I certainly did. Miss Carlisle certainly did not disappoint!
The Grim Reader is the latest installment in Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series. I personally love this series. The recurring characters and the fresh storyline takes the reader on a journey through rare books, tasty food, good wine and murder.
Intrepid book conservator, Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek, an ex-MI-6 agent are back in Dharma to help kick off the first annual book festival featuring Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. When one of the festival committee members ends up dead it is up to Brooklyn and Derek to catch the killer before he or she strikes again.
This is a fun and suspenseful mystery with some yummy recipes. It would be an excellent selection for book clubs to try.
I love this series and this was another great addition. The married Brooklyn and Derek head to Dharma for a book festival that Brooklyn, the bookbinder, is enthusiastic about and a main participant. Once there, things start to happen and people start to die and her wonderful, quirky mother, is one of the ones at risk. Because it is a big event, many of her friends from San Francisco are there, as are Derek’s parents. They all join together to protect Rebecca and find the killer. Of course there is a book that is being restored in the mix, this time a lovely first edition Little Women, the book spotlighted in the festival. There are twists and turns, great people and happenings and Dharma is another fictional place I’d love to be real. I can’t wait for the next book and I’m glad I also love her other series, so I’ll have two to look forward to. If you like cozies, I’m pretty sure you’ll love this. Hunky, wonderful men, strong women and a truly unique cast of characters, fun start to finish.
love her books
This was a fun cozy mystery to read. This was the first book in this series that I have read but I don’t plan on it being my last. You don’t have to read the ones before this to figure out all the main characters. I loved Brooklyn and Derek and their families. The mystery is great and how they solve the murder is wonderful. I hope to read many more of these books. I received a copy of this book through Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
As one of Kate’s Raters, I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this fourteenth installment of Carlisle’s cozy Bibliophile Mystery series, book restoration expert Brooklyn and her husband, dashing security specialist, Derek are off to Dharma, her hometown, for a holiday of wine and words. Her unflagging mother, Rebecca, is taking charge of its inaugural book festival. The festival, actually Brooklyn’s long-time project, has finally come to fruition thanks to her mother’s thorough research and initiative.
With the whole town involved and excitement in the air, it is shaping up to be an event to remember with its fun booths. A musical performance of the official book of the festival, Alcott’s Little Women, will be the grand finish to the festivities. But, what’s a happy occasion without a buzzkill or two? And, what’s a bibliophile mystery without a murder?
Both Brooklyn and Derek come from large families that share a rare, enviable, congenial and harmonious relationship. To the extent that one of Brooklyn’s sisters is married to one of Derek’s brothers. Not only that, Derek’s parents bought a home in Dharma. Brooklyn and Derek’s friends and family have made appearances in previous books, but not all at once. It’s nice to see them all together. The moms Rebecca and Meg are two peas in a pod and effortlessly funny.
This was my favorite of the five books I’ve read in the series and that is saying a lot. Every book in this standalone series has a clever title and engaging plot. In this book, characters, both returning and new, were fun to re-visit and meet. The malcontents were insufferable, yet interesting. They usually are. Story, action, humor, romance, and, of course, delectable food…all made for a highly entertaining read. The culprit was not obvious. At least, not to me. Because of how this one ended, I even more eagerly await the next in the series.
This is a series that has been one of my favorites from the very first book. Here we are with #14 and it didn’t disappoint me. Brooklyn is a character I like spending time with and the settings are an added bonus. In this latest entry, she and her husband Derek are in Dharma, the small Northern California town she grew up in. Now the town, in the heart of wine country, is hosting a book festival. Brooklyn’s mother, Becky, is running the event and Brooklyn will be showing off her talents in bookbinding and doing book appraisals. The theme of the festival is Little Women and a stage performance.
If that wasn’t enough to keep her mother fully occupied, there is a not very nice man who is using less than above board means to acquire wineries in the area and turning once fine wine into box wine. At the same time, Becky and Derek’s mother, Meg, discover the treasurer of the festival dead and $70K in festival funds has gone poof. Brooklyn, Derek, along with family and friends set out to track down the money and the killer.
This works as a stand alone but if you are new to this series be prepared to get your hands on the rest of the series to catch up. The puzzle is always satisfying, the misdirection is very well done and the settings and the main characters always perfect.
My thanks to the publisher Berkley/Penguin and to Edelweiss for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book contains all my favorite things about this series. Brooklyn and Derek side by side through most of the story, both their parents, Dharma and best of all, besides the murders (that’s right plural murders), is the description of Brooklyn evaluating and repairing of old books. The book being repaired in this story is Little Women which comes with a major surprise near the end. I liked reading about how Derek springs into action a few time to save Brooklyn and/or her mom!
I really, really enjoyed this book!
I absolutely love this series and this book was fantastic. It takes place in Brooklyn’s hometown of Dharma, the commune-like area she grew up in. This town has grown to so much more and not just members of the fellowship live here anymore. The town is gearing up for a book festival. Unfortunately, one of the committee members is murdered and the funds are missing. Later, another man is murdered, who had been threatening Brooklyn’s mother. Derek and Brooklyn wonder if it has to do with the Little Women book she is restoring. I truly enjoyed spending virtual time in Dharma with Derek, Brooklyn, and their friends and family. This series is one I could just read over and over. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone are spending a couple of weeks in Dharma, relaxing, visiting family, and helping at the first annual Book Festival. When Becky, Brooklyn’s mom and head of the festival, is continually harassed and threatened by a local businessman/bully, Brooklyn and Derek are on high alert. Add into the mix a mysterious first edition of the festival’s theme book, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and you have The Grim Reader, the latest Bibliophile Mystery by author Kate Carlisle. Fun to read, with great character development, and a puzzling mystery! 5 stars!