A forgotten life. A mysterious murder. A secret library with all the answers…
In the tiny town of Remembrance, Oregon, Allison Rye guards of a library of memories. Her only job? Keep the library hidden. Because the magic books could be dangerous in the wrong hands, and the wrong hands are definitely interested.
But when a resident at her husband’s care facility is murdered—and a sweet old … husband’s care facility is murdered—and a sweet old lady is blamed—Allison finds herself drawn into the investigation. She knows something that police don’t, something she can’t reveal without becoming a murder suspect herself.
With her intrepid foster Yorkie to keep her from barking up the wrong tree, Allison sets out to find the killer on her own. But as she combs the enchanted library for the killer’s identity, she uncovers more questions than answers…and secrets deeper than she ever imagined.
First in a new series, Tomes & Terriers is a magical realism mystery that will change the way you think about memory and magic, fidelity and friendship.
Will Allison catch the culprit—or will she get lost in a forest of memories? Click the Buy Now button at the top and enter the world of Remembrance today.
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I devoured this book in one day, to the detriment of my entire to-do list. What an original concept. The characters are just like people you’d meet out and about, especially if you live in a small town like I do.
Plus, the story was beautiful, exploring the issues around memory and how much of what is uniquely a person is hinged on them remembering.
I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next one!
A memorable story where “happily-ever-after” isn’t always just around the corner. I love the main character; she is hopeful and compassionate and normal. She gets down sometimes (who wouldn’t in her shoes), but she always manages to crawl out of her funk, see above her setbacks, and keep moving forward with new goals and hope.
The idea of a “remembering library” is original and thought-provoking. I enjoyed this book so much; within minutes of finishing it, I purchased the next book in the series.
Very interesting cozy mystery about a town called Remembrance and the magical library has everyone’s memories. This book is like life that shows the good, bad and people with empathy.
Hillary Avis
Tomes and Terriers (A Magic Library Mystery Book 1)
Enjoyed the book
I enjoyed reading about the different characters in this book. I enjoyed reading about the foster pup. It was a bit sad in parts, and there was a murder to solve. I did not enjoy the cliffhanger at all.
I received the book as an arc, but went and purchased it for my library.
Remembrance is a small town in Oregon where the history includes a special remembrance tree with the special ability to record memories. When the tree died, the town made it into paper to store the memories in a magical but hidden library of which Allison is the new librarian. She is fostering a cute terrier named Pogo, and visits the Golden Garden care facility daily to see her husband, Paul, who lost his memory, inexplicably, two years ago. As she tries to help Paul remember her, their daughter and the Ryes and Shine bakery they owned together, she also winds up trying to figure out who may have killed one of the other residents. A fascinating mystery, with a slightly magical vibe and interesting characters! I received an ARC from the author and write this review voluntarily. But I’m anxiously awaiting the next book, Pages and Pyrenees, to continue the story!
The library with the memory books is a neat twist. There are a couple of mysteries going on in this story. It’s a bit slow-paced but interesting enough that I kept reading. The characters are good. One of the mysteries is resolved and it kept me guessing until near the end. I do hate that the book suddenly ended with a new loose end to solve and a carry over. Not quite a cliff-hanger, but definitely more than a tease. I turned a page and the book just ended, right in the middle of a scene. Grr! So I give it three stars and would normally have given it 4 for a decent story and very good editing.
Allison Rye is a foster pet person. She also is the wife of Paul, someone who doesn’t remember who she is. She foster’s a tiny Yorkie/Terrier that reminds her of the family’s pet Tiny and takes the dog to the care home where her husband now lives at. She has just sold the family business, a bakery, and now needs to find a different place to live. She is allowed to live in a small house in Remberance. She is allowed to stay there rent-free for three years then needs to pass it on to someone else…but this house holds special powers that she must keep a secret. Then someone at the care home is dead, the same place her husband lives at. The police think the room-mate killed the woman. But Allison knows differently. How can she let the police know without breaking the terms of her staying in the house? What is so magical about this house? You will need to read the book to find out. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
You know it’s a great book when you are so involved with what is happening with the characters that you want to pick up your own phone to call and talk! That’s how I felt the whole way through, and when I got to the end, oh boy! I was right there with Allison. I can’t not wait to see what happens in the next book!
What a wonderful new storyline. Such a lovely start to a new series which revolves around a magical library. Cannot wait to read more. I was given a free ARC by the author. My review is freely and honestly given
Wonderful book! Allison’s husband has suddenly lost many memories, including recognition of his wife, and is in a nursing home. When she steps in as the new guardian of the Remembrance Library, she suspects that someone has deliberately torn out pages of her husband’s memories. First and foremost, however, is trying to solve the death of another resident of the nursing home – blamed on the roommate, an elderly woman with mild dementia. A book with fascinating new ideas on how to solve a mystery, but you also feel the love Allison has for her husband. Her foster Yorkie Pogo plays a big role as well, and the writing is very good – pulls you right along. Be warned – there is a cliffhanger at the end, but I was so caught up in the book that I will gladly read the next, which promises to pull together a few important story threads.
I really enjoy Hillary Avis’ books. Allison needs to find a new place to live. Her husband completely lost his memory 2 years ago and she is determined to get his memories back. She has lost the bakery that was their life together. She finds a new home and this house holds all the memories of town. While getting used to her new position and the keeper of the library, she is also dragged into a murder. Then there is the mystery of Paul’s memory. This book is very well written and I was sad at the end because it meant a wait for the next book. Give this one a read.
What a great start to a series. You will be laughing but also feel sad. Paul goes for a walk and is returned by a friend not remembering anything, including his wife and daughter. Love the characters including the dogs. And of course you have some grump people and con artists. What a great cozy mystery.
I received this as an ARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.
This cozy mystery has great characters. Allison Rye and her husband owned a wonderful bakery in the small town of Remembrance and then out of the blue her husband looses his memory? So he goes to Golden Gardens, a senior care facility. Allison visits Paul (her husband) but he does not remember her. She also visits two ladies. The next day she finds out that one of the ladies has been stabbed to death and the roommate is the prime suspect. So Allison decides to find out who really killed the roommate because she doesn’t believe the sweet lady could have done it. Very interesting read with magic and it keeps you wanting to read to see what happens next. Looking forward to the next one.
What a marvelous book that leaves you with new questions along with some from this book. This series is so different as there is a secret the story revolves around more than the murder that happens. I am dying now to read the next book in this series and I am hoping it will help me figure out the answers that I couldn’t find in this first book.
Allison, whose husband doesn’t have his memories, becomes the keeper of the library of books filled with the memories of the people of Remembrance. A woman is murdered while another is accused of her murder. Allison tries to locate the book which details the memory of the murderer before her own murder is written in one of those books. Allison wants her husband to regain his memories of her and their life together. Can she find his memories among all of the books in the library?
Allison Rye had what she thought was the perfect life. The Ryes & Shine Bakery that had been in her husband, Paul’s, family for generations, a loving husband, a beautiful daughter who was studying to be a doctor ….. until one day she wakes up and Paul is missing. Sheriff Leroy Gauss finds him and returns him to the bakery. Paul has forgotten everything — his wife, his daughter, the bakery — Allison tried to make it work but she was forced she had to put Paul in Golden Gardens Memory Care. She had to sell the bakery and now had no where to go. When her friend, Myra Mitchell, the head nurse at Golden Gardens, offered to let her live in the “memory housne” on Rosemary Street, rent free. All she had to do was keep all of the secrets, not allow anyone to visit inside the house and find someone to take her place in three years. Little did Allison know that the house contained the memory of everyone in Remembrance. When Gertrude Winter is found dead at Golden Gardens and her roommate, Lillian Hale, is accused of her murder, Allison becomes involved in trying to prove her innocence.
This first book in this series has it all ….. great characters, dogs, some humor, some true life experiences, magic and mystery. I think Hillary Avis is off to a great start in this unique series. I received an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
Tomes & Terriers is a delightful cozy mystery that begins a new series. There are dogs, a magical library of memories, an older woman, Allison, as our super sleuth, her husband Paul who has lost 25 years of memories, Myra, the woman in charge at Golden Gardens where Paul is a resident and more. All these characters and more seem like old friends by the time you read to the end. When a body is discovered, is it murder, an accident, or something else? As the current guardian of the town’s memories, Allison has some “insider” knowledge about the event. There are clues and misdirections a plenty in this engaging book.
A thoroughly engrossing and thought-provoking read. A mystery with a heart and soul.
Memory plays such a critical role in the human experience. What if all of yours were kept in a library? And what happens when the pages are torn out?
Baker Paul suffers extreme memory loss overnight. Doctors are puzzled since he sows no sign of traumatic brain injury.
A new friend offers his wife Allison a chance to stay in free lodging and maybe find some forgotten memories
It’s a bittersweet gift that reveals some deficits in what Allison once saw as a precious treasure
Sunshine mixed with murder, deception and darkness
A new series I am going to love! Clever plot, lots of twists and turns filled with interesting quirky characters, makes this a really fun read! I was given a free ARC and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.