Series: Flora Steele Mystery #8
Publisher: Bookouture
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CLRWF1ZXsocial
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200663367-the-library-murders
Publication Date: 20th Feb 2024
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
4 Stars
One Liner: A good mystery
Blurb:
Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…
It’s a sunny morning in Abbeymead as Flora cycles through the village and knocks on the door of the local library, planning to deliver a gift to librarian Maud Frobisher to mark her retirement. But Flora is shocked when she finds Maud slumped in the corner, and even more startled when she recognizes the man holding the murder weapon – an enormous hardback book.
Flora’s known Lowell Gracey since her college days, but what is he doing working for Maud and now the main suspect in her murder? Suspicion mounts when Flora and Jack discover that Lowell is heavily in debt and that a priceless rare first edition has recently gone missing, but Lowell is adamant that he’s innocent, and Flora believes him.
The pair are once more drawn into an investigation, but who would kill a beloved librarian? Perhaps Rose Lawson, a mysterious newcomer to Abbeymead, is known to be in dire financial straits? Or pompous bestselling author Felix Wingrave, who rumors say would do anything to get his hands on a valuable book for his collection?
Then, the village is rocked by the discovery of a second body. Flora and Jack realize a vital clue lies in the pages of a novel – but the plot is thickening, and the killer is closing in…
Flora and Jack are determined to solve this fiendish case by the book – but will this be the end of their story?
A completely page-turning and addictive cozy crime mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin, and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!
My Thoughts:
Flora Steele and Jack Carrington are back in action to solve yet another crime in Abbeymead.
Flora and Jack are busy helping Basil Webb to organize a crime Conference in the village. Despite their apprehensions, they hope the conference will bring enough people and sales. However, the last thing they expect is the death of Maud Frobisher, the retirement-ready librarian.
When Inspector Alan Ridley makes an immediate arrest, the sleuthing duo is not convinced. They decide to investigate on the side and soon find out that almost everyone seems to have a motive for murder. When another death rocks the village, Flora and Jack know they should act fast and catch the killer (without getting killed).
The story comes in Flora and Jack’s third-person POVs.
How did we reach the eighth book already? Flora and Jack are delightful characters, and you can’t help but root for them when they go sleuthing.
While the book still works as a standalone, it’ll be more enjoyable if you read at least the previous 2-3 books. The dynamics in their relationship will be easier to understand with some background knowledge.
The mystery is independent and decently done. The reveal makes sense, and we take a logical path to uncovering the secrets. Flora and Jack have some differences of opinion, but both have the same goal –dig up the truth and find the killer.
There’s a sub-track, which I thought would be complex. However, I like how it is sorted. This is a cozy mystery, after all. No point in complicating things more than necessary.
Young Charlie is fifteen now! Can you believe it? I miss his younger days, though I hope he’ll one day play a bigger role in solving a crime (pretty please).
The books in the series are small, compact, and steady-paced. This one is no different. I’d have liked it better if we got a little more detail about the crime conference and the authors who attended. While one of them gets space, there is no chance of character development.
As always, I love historical settings in my cozy mysteries. Abbeymead village in 1958 is old-school but with more touches of modernity than the locals would like to accept. Yet, we see a balanced narrative where the side characters are good but with some flaws, and the grumpy ones have some redeeming qualities.
To summarize, The Library Murders is a solid addition to the series and an entertaining read. There are a couple of leads for the next book, so I’m curious to see where it goes (and hopefully, no more delays for the wedding).
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheLibraryMurders
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Author Bio – Merryn Allingham
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion, and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas, and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cozy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
https://twitter.com/merrynwrites
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here: https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham
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This has been a pitstop on the blog tour by Bookouture (@bookouture). Thank you for stopping by!
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