A Murder for the Books (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert

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My Rating: 4 Stars

A nice, light cosy-mystery to read after a long day at work.

After finding her boyfriend cheating on her in the library where she works, Amy Webber decides to run for it. Returning to her hometown in Virginia, she is content to run the local library and forget all about men. That is until she meets her young, handsome next-door neighbour Richard Muir, a dancer and choreographer. When Richard shows interest in finding more information on an old murder case, Amy sets out to help him. Until, they find a dead body of the old Doris Virts, a regular library client, in the library archives. Instead of an old murder mystery, they investigate a modern one where the killer will do anything to stop them from finding out the truth.

This was my first novel written by Victoria Gilbert and it was both fun and relaxing mystery novel.

The plot is well thought and explored, mixing both the past and the present murder cases. Gilbert manages to weaver between them while keeping all the strings attached and the reader entertained. The story develops at a steady pace and the spark between the main characters keep things interesting all the way.

The characters are credible and very well developed. Amy is a good main character that is struggling to get over a bad relationship. It’s easy for the reader to get to know her and enjoy her company throughout the story. The secondary characters definitely bring something different to the table. Each one adds something to the story: colour, humour and depth. Amy’s aunt Lydia is a great supporting character and I enjoyed every bit of their interactions. The characters are very easy to get along with as the author gives them just enough depth to make them more real. At the same time, Gilbert does a great job in describing them and their individual interactions. She gives a clear image of both the setting and the characters themselves.

The style of writing is engaging and simple, which makes the book very easy to read. The descriptions are just enough to pull in the reader inside a painting with letters. It was hard to put it down and even harder to get out the story.

An enjoyable, quick read that I recommend to the fans of cosy-mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

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