It's springtime and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo's gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. However, trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming locals out of prized books.
Among the conned is Cleo's cousin, Dot, who handed over a signed, first edition of Gone With the Wind. With no proof the scout took the valuable book, Dot is at a loss. And when the deceitful man is found murdered the very next morning, Dot becomes a prime suspect. To Cleo's dismay, so is Henry. The scene of the crime is behind Henry's shop and his bookbinding tool is the murder weapon. As evidence stacks up against Henry, the police aren't alone in questioning his innocence. Even friends and family ask Cleo how well she truly knows her gentleman friend.
Although books are at the heart of the crimes, Cleo feels dizzyingly out of her depths. Someone is setting up the people she holds dearest. With the authorities on the wrong trail, Cleo has no choice but to catalog the evidence herself. Along with her trusty bookmobile cat Rhett Butler, it will be up to Cleo to book the real killer for good.[summary via Amazon]
It's time for another Bookmobile Mystery, with our favourite sleuthing duo, Cleo Watkins and her cat, Rhett Butler!!
Cleo and her friends are looking forward to the annual fair, sponsored by the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society. Like any bibliomaniac, Cleo can't wait to snag some deals and some new books. However things go awry when her cousin, Dot, is conned out her first edition of Gone with the Wind, by the slippery Hunter Fox. Cleo is determined to help her cousin get her book back. However, there is a twist in the plans when Hunter Fox turns up dead and the Chief of Police seems determined to peg the crime on Dot!
I really enjoyed the first Bookmobile, Better Off Read. Cleo brings a different flair to the world of "book-themed" cozy mysteries. She's older, but still determined to create new adventures, and she's someone that a lot of readers can relate to. For her human side-kicks, she has Henry (her "boyfriend") Ollie (her grandson), cousin Dot and friend Mary-Anne. Together they encourage each other to get involved in the sleuthing and it is a blast a minute!
Nora Page delivers a first class mystery, involving the world of book collecting. It involves the seedier side of book collecting, with Hunter Fox trying to swindle old ladies out of their beloved book treasures. I really enjoyed watching to mystery wind around on itself, as I tried to solve the mystery alongside Cleo and her friends.
Whether you're a seasoned reader of the Bookmobile mysteries, or new to the series, I highly encourage you to pick up Read or Alive. You'll be charmed by an enticing mystery and the residents of Catalpa Springs, and be wanting to come back for more!
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