Title: Booked for Death
Series: Booklover’s B&B Mystery
By: Victoria Gilbert
ISBN: 1643853074 (ISBN13: 9781643853079)
Website: victoriagilbertmysteries(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
A book lover’s B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder–and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth.
Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader’s paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It’s the perfect literary retreat–until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.
The victim’s daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.
Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt’s name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer’s death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer–or end up writing her own final chapter. (Goodreads)
Review:
Booked for Death was written by Victoria Gilbert and is the first book in the Booklover’s B&B Mystery
series. I must admit – I am fully entrenched in this series after this first book.
Chapters is a book themed B&B set in Beaufort, North Carolina. So of course, guests and locals alike can enjoy book club meetings as well as special events celebrating books and authors. Some authors even come and stay as a way to refresh their creative minds. What one does not expect when relaxing is a murder! So when one of the guests at Chapters is murdered during an event, Charlotte, her staff, and all of her other guests all become suspects. Charlotte teams up with her next-door neighbor to solve the murder.
The character development was very good. There is more than just the murder to solve. For one – there is getting to know the main character – Charlotte Reed. Charlotte is the owner of Chapters, as she inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Even though Isabella is dead – I found her character very interesting! Lots of potential murderers (not Isabelle of course), which Charlotte must sift through in order clear herself and one of her good friends. As an amateur sleuth, I found Charlotte did very well in that sifting.
I liked how one evening’s book discussion surrounding Josephine Tey’s book – Brat Farrar provided insight into what was happening at Chapters B&B.
Kelly Rowley, who’d kept her head bowed over her tightly clasped hands ever since I entered the room, murmured, “You’d be surprised what people will accept as the truth, if they really want to believe it.”
What a true sentiment and it really struck a chord with me.
There are numerous potential suspects and when I thought – “Ah Ha…this one is the murderer” – I was proven wrong and once again Charlotte was on to her next potential suspect. I, in fact, did not guess or figure out until the very end who the actual murderer was. And that is just the way I like my ‘whodunits’!
More details on the actual murderer and the journey to figure out whom this person is will be left for the next reader to figure out (aka – no spoilers J).
I must also say that I really like the cover of the book, but then I am a sucker for a dog or a cat on the cover of any cozy mystery J. I just felt like this would be a place I would love to stay at while on vacation!
So if you like well written cozy mysteries, then I suggest getting comfy and start with this delightful first book in the new series Booklover’s B&B Mystery written by Victoria Gilbert titled Booked for Death. You will enjoy the journey.
