Booked for Death (A Booklover's B&B Mystery #1). Victoria Gilbert. Crooked Lane Books (2020). 320 pages. Genre: Cozy Mystery
First Line: "A ship may bob, safe at harbor, but that doesn't mean it hasn't experienced the wide world - or won't again."
Summary: Charlotte Reed, a former high-school teacher, has recently inherited Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast from her great-aunt Isabella. Chapters is located along the water in Beaufort, North Carolina. The bed-and-breakfast is a booklover's paradise, equipped with great-aunt Isabella's library which includes several rare volumes and featuring special events celebrating books, authors and genres.
Chapters is offering a week long celebration of author Josephine Tey, who wrote mysteries during the Golden Age. One of the guests, Lincoln Delamont, a rare book dealer, claims that Isabella was a thief and insinuates that she purchased her rare book collection and Chapters with money that wasn't her own. He attempts to blackmail Charlotte by threatening to tarnish her family's reputation. Charlotte suspects he is after some of the books in her aunt's collection.
It turns out Mr. Delamont is not a well-liked man. He and his wife were heard arguing loudly the night before. It seems he is prone to desire the company of women he is not married to. He is at odds with his teenage daughter over many things. Some of the other guests are familiar with him and it is common knowledge that he is difficult to deal with. So, when he turns up stabbed to death later that evening, there are plenty of people who had a motive to kill him. But, who had opportunity? And who stands to gain the most by his death?
My thoughts: Chapters and the town of Beaufort are charming and filled with interesting characters. I enjoyed getting to know Charlotte, Alicia, the live-in housekeeper and cook at Chapters and Ellen, Charlotte's eccentric neighbor who knew great-aunt Isabella.
Charlotte is widowed and decided that the inheritance of Chapters would be a fresh start for her. Previously, she was a high school teacher. This comes in handy when dealing with teenagers and those who are acting like teenagers. Running an inn is completely new to her. She often relies on Alicia, who has worked at the inn for years, to help her understand the ins and outs of running the inn. Alicia is spunky and tells it like it is. She also worked for Isabella, so she knows the way things have been done.
Ellen makes a point of checking in with Charlotte and supporting and encouraging her in her new endeavor. She often invites her over for a drink on the porch or a walk with her Yorkie, Shandy. After the murder, everyone suspects everyone else. For Charlotte this includes Alicia and most of the guests staying at Chapters. The guests have been ordered to stay in town at the inn while the police conduct their investigation. Charlotte feels a little stressed to be possibly sharing her home with a murderer. She finds it helpful to be able to get away from the inn and bounce her ideas off of Ellen.
The mystery started out fairly straight forward. But as Charlotte began investigating, it became more complicated. There were lots of secrets and deception that had to be uncovered. One of the scenes toward the end felt like an Agatha Christie novel, with several suspects together in one room trying to solve the murder.
There were lots of references to books and authors which was delightful. Charlotte's best friend, Julie, owns a book shop in town which added to the bookish talk as well.
All in all this looks to be a great new cozy mystery series. I look forward to the next book.
Sounds like a good mystery. :)
ReplyDelete