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    A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
    A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
    A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
    Audiobook11 hours

    A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

    Written by Victoria Gilbert

    Narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble.

    Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house's original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town's leading families . . . including her own.

    When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 17, 2018
    ISBN9781977380456
    A Murder for the Books: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
    Author

    Victoria Gilbert

    Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. A member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, she enjoys spending her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She currently resides with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats in North Carolina.

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    Reviews for A Murder for the Books

    3.5/5

    90 ratings18 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I tried to like it. But the narrator just gets worse and worse with the fake southern accent. I think I would have been able to finish it and maybe even like the book if I didn’t have to listen the narrator trying so hard to sound southern.

      I think I will just move on the next book that has a narrative change and see how that goes
    • 3/5
      A likeable ‘cozy murder mystery’ but it lacked something! The second half was the best, things happening with a bit more punch and with the mystery part getting convoluted it made for rapid reading to get to the facts. What was lacking? It’s hard to put my finger on it. Possibly the characterisation or the dialogue? At times the conversation didn’t sound realistic to me and although the characters were all believable, they just felt a little on the light side, lightly drawn, not a lot of depth if you know what I mean. I wanted to read through to the end and felt no desire to leave it unfinished. I’d call it a good holiday read.
    • 5/5
      Amy Webber has come home to a small mountain town to live with her aunt after a love affair went wrong. She is now the library director of the Carnegie public library which is underfunded and in need of repair. One day she takes a trip to the Archives and finds the body of a local resident with dementia. Doris Virts has been shot. Amy, being sensible with a strong sense of what she is good at, leaves the investigation to the local police. She's busy doing her kind of research helping her new neighbor Richard Muir investigate the history of his house. Local legends claim that the original owner was poisoned by his wife who was acquitted of the charges largely because of the efforts of Richard's great-uncle Paul who was a reporter and in love with Eleanora. However, Eleanora disappeared right after her acquittal in 1925 leaving a mystery behind her. Amy is attracted to Richard but is hesitant to start anything with another artistic type. Richard is a dancer and choreographer who is now teaching at Clarion. Besides the historical research she and Richard are doing, they also get involved in a more contemporary mystery regarding Richard's land which once held an orphanage that suffered a tragedy when the cook and some students died in 1956. Suspicions were that the cook mistakenly included some poisonous mushrooms in her cooking. There is still another contemporary issue. Town leaders are trying to sell some land for development despite various protests including one organized by Amy's best friend and library assistant Sunny. All of these plot threads come together as old family secrets and rivalries are discovered and another murder is committed. Amy even learns some secrets about her own family in the course of the investigation.I liked Amy and Richard's romance. I liked the way they worked together on their research. I thought that the town politics and relationships were well-done. There were a number of possible suspects but I will admit that I didn't pick the right one when I was trying to figure out the killer. But then neither did Amy which led to traumatic things happening to her.This was an engaging mystery with great characters and a nicely complex plot. There is even a possibility that ghosts are involved.
    • 4/5
      When her hunky new neighbor Richard Muir asks for library director Amy Webber’s help in solving a nearly century-old mystery, they come across a body in the library’s archive building. The body belongs to one of the library’s more eccentric patrons – an elderly woman who never hurt a soul. Can Richard and Amy team up to solve both the murder and the old mystery? Of course, they can. Amy’s Aunt Lydia, with whom Amy lives, likes Richard and thinks that Amy and he would make a great couple. Amy’s history with men is littered with bad judgment on her part. The mystery Richard is trying to solve involves a death by poisoning that happened back in the 1920s. The entire town is convinced that Eleanora Cooper killed her husband Daniel; she disappeared right after the trial that acquitted her was over -- and was never seen or heard from again. Richard’s great uncle, who was in love with Eleanora, was convinced she was not guilty and Richard hopes to prove him right. As it turns out, Amy’s great grandmother testified at Eleanora’s trial, and not for the defense. A Murder for the Books is a lovely mystery – and one set in a library. What more could a cozy reader ask for? I liked everything about it and hope there are many more in the series.
    • 2/5
      A Murder for the Books
      2 Stars

      Amy Webber, the new library director in the historic town of Taylorsford, Virginia, is struggling to run the charming library, which is short of funds yet long on eccentric patrons. The situation is made even more difficult when she, together with her handsome new neighbor, Richard Muir, discovers a body in the archives building. As Amy and Richard become embroiled in the investigation, questions arise regarding its connection to both of their families. Who would want to kill a batty old lady, and how is it connected to a decades-old murder case?

      Unfortunately, the slow-pacing, predictable plot and lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine make an otherwise interesting premise fall flat.

      The first half of the book focuses on introducing the excessively large cast of characters as well as several mystery threads that ultimately coalesce, but nevertheless require a chart to keep track. While these plotlines have potential, the details are provided in drips and drabs, and it is easy to lose interest. Moreover, the eventual explanations are overly convoluted, and the villains easy to guess due to the heavy foreshadowing. Finally, the inclusion of a paranormal element is completely out of place in an otherwise conventional cozy-mystery.

      Amy and Richard are both appealing characters, but their slow-burn romance is also disappointing. It starts out well with some sweet and endearing moments, but ultimately gets lost in all of the other threads.

      Overall, this is not a satisfying read and if I hadn't been reading it for a challenge, I would have DNF'd.
    • 4/5
      Well written for a first book. The characters & town are memorable and the plot was believable. I was not taken with the reader of the audio version.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book, but it’s boring!
    • 3/5
      Solidly average. I don't know if this is the author's first book or not, and I generally don't like having a go at the first time authors, but it certainly reads as though it is. There's a LOT of potential here in the characters, the setting and the plotting, but no way was this really ready for prime time. Gilbert's editors would have done better by her by holding her to higher standards. The number one thing that ruins this book is the romance. I'm not a fan of romance, it's true, but I've never minded a little side action in my mysteries; a bit of romantic/sexual tension, if done right, can ratchet-up a story's level of excitement. Here, it was not done well. At all. Amy (the MC) and Richard are likeable separately, but together they're just a big old awkward mess. Gilbert managed to make their attempts at flirting, and their sexual tension feel both middle-aged and adolescent at the same time. I don't even know how that's possible, but she did it. Both characters are in their mid-30's, so obviously, she's completely missed her target. I actually found more sexual zing in the empty threats Amy's late-60's aunt made about hitting on Richard. Relative to this, Amy's angst felt out of proportion to the background Gilbert gave her, and when Richard (a professional dancer and choreographer) tried to play sensitive, yet alpha, male, it was just painful. Now sometimes failed romance can be overlooked; generally in a mystery it's a smaller proportion of the story. But unfortunately here it was at least half the story, and it swamped what was an interesting and clever murder mystery plot. This plot was very good and could have been even better had more attention been given to it. I liked the characters too, and the setting was well drawn and perfect for cozy crime; the librarian details were a bit of reader catnip for me too. There's a second book but I don't know if I can be enticed. I don't like Amy and Richard together. (This is hilarious, by the way, on a personal level: our cats' veterinarians are a married couple named Richard and Amy. I've never even seen them in the same room together, and they're more believable to me as a couple that the two in this book.) Maybe with time, the potential of the mystery plotting will overcome my aversion to the author's idea of romance.
    • 3/5
      An interestingly plotted mystery, marred only by the disappointing cartoonish depiction of the villains. But there seems to be promise in this new author. She has been a librarian, and this background is vividly displayed in the descriptions of online searching and other details of libraries. This veracity gives a credibility to the atmosphere of the entire story.
    • 1/5
      Pearl-ruled this cozy mystery featuring a librarian who lives in a small town in Virginia who discovers a body in her library's archives. The writing is fine, if a bit clunky in spots and the plot moves a bit slowly. What made me set it aside was how much librarian work nitty-gritty is included in the text. While having a book set in a library written by a librarian is usually a pro, in this case the author libsplains way too much both to other characters and in her internal thoughts (for the benefit of the reader). I don't want to spend time reading a character's internal thought process about using quotation marks in a search to ensure more accurate results. I already know and I doubt the average reader cares. YMMV.
    • 4/5
      After a catastrophic love affair, librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She busies herself with managing the local public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and an overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble and a murder she has to solve.

      Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door to Amy from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider who vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Richard determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, beseeches Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families... including her own.

      When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest.
      --
      Series: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery - Book 1
      Author: Victoria Gilbert
      Genre: Cozy Mystery/Career
      Publisher: Crooked Lane Books


      A Murder for the Books is a well written highly entertaining book with memorable and remarkable characters. This book is the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries. Ms. Gilbert is a talented and creative writer. Her writing is fluid and offers enough detail to keep the reader wanting more.

      Characters, Amy and Aunt Lydia, are spunky, intriguing and well rounded, with just enough desecration to be unforgettable and captivating. Between the two they create an atmosphere of love and fun as well as general interest. Lydia is perhaps the most interesting character in this book. It will be interesting to see what part she will play in the next book in the series due out in July 2018.

      Other characters such as Richard and Sunny and perfect and could easily have a series of their own. Richard is a loving, warm, vibrant romantic lead, and Sunny is a ray of well… sunshine. Both characters add to the enjoyment of this book and help move the plot along.

      The town of Taylorsville, Virginia is small but has a great impact on the story and the reader. It is a place anyone would feel at home in and yet feel like an outsider. It’s one of those places where a new resident will always wonder if they will ever really be accepted by those who have lived there generation after generation. It is a great backdrop for this series.

      The story is part mystery, part romance with a sprinkling of small-town life. Throughout the book, the reader is captivated by the secrets of the past and the link between the future and the past. It makes the reader wonder about their own hometown and what may be hidden or simply not talked about. There are always things in the past that influence our present and future, but how often do they lead to murder?

      Overall A Murder for the Books is a fun easy-to-read book. The pace is not always fast, at times it forces the reader to slow down and take in every word. The reveal of the killer for many will be a bit too long. In many ways, it is startling and yet not implausible. I recommend this book to those who enjoy small-town secrets with big city corruption, and a budding romance that could easily end in disaster.


    • 2/5
      Amy Webber moves to a quiet Virginia town to live with her aunt and work as a librarian after an embarrassing episode at nearby Clarion University. When she meets her new neighbor Richard Muir, she's attracted to him but determined to stay away after her recent fiasco. But that's easier said than done when Richard asks her help in solving a mystery - the truth as to whether Daniel Cooper was poisoned by his wife Eleanora back in 1925. Although she was acquitted and left the area soon after, there are those who believe otherwise. But his late great-uncle Paul believed she was innocent, and now Richard wants to find out if he was right.When Amy and Richard find a library patron dead in the archive building, they can't imagine who would want to kill the old woman. But when someone comes forward with a theory and that person is also killed, they know they're going down a path someone doesn't want them to. But will they stop investigating, or will Amy be the one to take the final journey?...The premise sounded interesting (I do love mysteries within mysteries) but I was barely in a few pages when I read Amy's description of her 'frail' aunt - who wears pearls, has white hair and needs a can for a leg injury. She even mentions that at least her hearing is okay. So how old is this decrepit woman? 64. That's right. This author believes 64 is elderly. Personally, many women in their 60's are physically active, do sports, dye their hair, wear makeup, and don.t. wear. pearls. (That's just too much of a cliche for me). In fact, I don't know anyone around that age who does. Necklaces, sure; but not pearls. I also don't know any who have hearing aids (although I'm sure some do). She writes of her as if she's in her eighties. She also says she has a second cousin who is 59 and has 'steel gray hair'. It makes you wonder if she thinks once you hit 55 you need a rocking chair. (While I know there are women who just decide to go au naturel when they start to turn gray, at 59 most probably wouldn't).I also didn't feel that Amy had a strong enough reason to leave Clarion. If a woman finds her boyfriend cheating - at an event they're attending together - it's to be forgiven if she reacts in the heat of the moment. Even the recipient of the drink should have understood that, and censured Charles, not her. It doesn't say much about the dean that he didn't, so maybe it was good that she left Clarion. Who'd want to work there knowing this? (I get she embarrassed the man, but they both should have been taken to the dean's office and the dean should have been upset with him, not her).There were also no descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains or the area. This book could have taken place anywhere and we wouldn't have known the difference. There were no descriptions of the town, either. We knew there was a library, a diner, and the description of her aunt's home, but that's about it. Unfortunately, these things made the book feel flat for me. The most interesting character in the book was Karl/Kurt, and we didn't find out a whole lot about him.I knew who the murderer of Eleanora was almost immediately and why; I didn't feel that this was hidden at all, but then again maybe it wasn't supposed to be; the killer of Doris took me a bit longer. I thought the reasons why were alright, but not real satisfying, and I didn't like the fact that the book left out details of things that should have been explained, and they never were. (This, however, isn't specific to this author; I'm finding more and more authors are telling you something and then never following through on it). Also, why even tell us the name of the former librarian if he's not even in the book? This just seems superfluous to me.In the end, I realize that this was a first-in-the-series book, and this is a new author, so I'm giving a pass on this one and hope that these things improve in the next.
    • 4/5
      Not exactly how she planned her life, but nevertheless, Amy finds herself living with her elderly aunt and working at a small library. She left her job at a college library due to an unhappy event with her boyfriend, but her handsome new neighbor, Richard, will soon make her forget all about her former relationship. And if he doesn’t, then researching an old murder case that resulted in a courtroom acquittal but a popular condemnation might. And if that doesn’t, then finding a body of a patron in the archives will. This cozy will keep you turning pages, as Amy tried to determine what happened decades ago and how that factors into the current happenings. Delightful characters and a twisty plot will keep you reading, and while this is a cozy, there is enough grit in it to make it suspenseful.
    • 3/5
      Amy Webber leaves her job at Clarion University following a love affair gone terribly wrong. She’s living with her aunt in Taylorsford, a quiet historic Virginia town where she’s in charge of the local public library. Naturally, she’s sworn off relationships with the opposite sex.Richard Muir, her next-door neighbor, lives in a house inherited from his great-uncle, writer Paul Dassin. At one time, the house was the home of the long-missing Eleanora Cooper who, according to the town legend, poisoned her husband and vanished following the trial that acquitted her of the crime. However, Richard’s great-uncle believed Eleanora was innocent, and Richard is determined to prove him right. He’s decided to start his research in the library’s archives, which are housed in a small building behind the main library. Despite a missing key, Amy takes him back to the archive building where they discover a body . . . .
    • 3/5
      The town fathers of Amy Webber's new home need to wake up and smell the coffee. The town library is an original Carnegie library with serious-- and I mean serious-- roof issues. Since the building not only houses the library but the town's important documents dating back countless decades as well, many valuable items could be lost. I know-- just an average day in almost any library in this country, but since most of Amy's investigating consists of going through these old records, she's going to be out of a sleuthing job if something isn't done.I like what author Victoria Gilbert did with the character of Richard Muir. Throughout the book, he is described with words like graceful and elegant, words that we usually don't associate with men. By book's end, readers know that this character not only knows how to move on the dance floor, he's also funny, brave, caring, and sexy. Not bad, eh? Well... if you're a reader like me who doesn't really care for much romance in her mysteries, it can be. And that's what happened. Too much romance, not enough mystery. In fact, the mystery was rather easy to solve. Couple this with characters that I just didn't grow to care for and my reception to A Murder for the Books was luke-warm at best. However, if your pet peeves differ from mine, then your mileage will certainly vary.
    • 4/5
      This first in the Blue Ridge Library Series cozy shows great promise and Victoria Gilbert is an author I’ll be watching for, as to subsequent books.Our sleuth, Amy Webber, is a small town librarian who has moved in with her aunt after Amy’s love affair has gone bad. Amy teams up with her new neighbor, Richard Muir, a dancer, in investigating family and town history, as well as a murder. As a library mystery, of course there’s book talk but especially lots of research into the past to help solve the mystery and the historical questions.I love a good library mystery and this is one I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters and the concept are interesting and definitely offer something that could develop into a long-running series. I hope so, at least. Loved it and would recommend it to my friends and family who like cozies.
    • 3/5
      A messy break-up prompted Amy Webber to leave her job at a university library, accepting the position as director of a small town library where her aunt resides. The missing Doris Virts turns up dead in the library's archives. Amy meets dance instructor Richard Muir who purchased the home next to hers. The two begin researching his home's history. A lot of old family skeletons begin to rattle. This first installment felt more like a romance novel than a mystery. Some characters, such as Brad,the lead official investigator, needed more development--and needed to be utilized more in the novel. There were some issues with the plot. For example, a cell phone was confiscated by a "bad person" but in a scene shortly afterwards, the owner was using it once again without an opportunity to get it back. Still the book showed some promise. Those likely to be recurring characters are mostly likeable. One character still has a mystery about him which could become fodder for a future plot. As is the case with most cozy mysteries, readers need to suspend believability for some parts of the narrative. Fun read with a likeable setting. The review is based on an advance electronic copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      Amy Webber leaves her job as a University librarian after a unhappy love affair and moves in with her Aunt and takes over the local library. When she meets her new neighbor who is determined to clear the name of his great aunt of a murder that the town believes she committed even though she was acquitted, Amy joins forces with her neighbor and they research the past. A current murder seems to point to their investigation and the details toward the past.Interesting concept but not sure how this will develop into a series. Characters need some rounding out.