Book Review: Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields--and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.  

With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not yet" to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend's family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can't find whoever killed these "flower children," someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.[summary via Amazon]

Anyone that knows me knows that I love "books about books" the best. My favourite cozy sub-genre is the mysteries set in bookstores and libraries. The bibliophile in me just loves to get an extra dose of biblio goodness within my cozy mystery!! One of my favourites in this sub-genre is the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries by Victoria Gilbert. In her latest mystery she packs a lot into 311 pages: a buried body (dating back to the 60s), a recent dead body and a mystery that even the greatest sleuths will have trouble untangling!!

Firstly, I loved that the mystery surrounded a cold case, that led to other unexplained deaths. As a long-time mystery reader I love to follow the threads between cases and hunt for clues, right alongside the sleuths and the police. Bound for Murder kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to untangle the mystery. I wasn't able to untangle it before Amy was, and this increased my enjoyment immensely. I love when I'm stumped!!! This is the mark of an extremely good mystery writer!

Secondly, I have nothing but praise for Victoria Gilbert stepping away from the usual cozy mystery trope of romantically pairing the sleuth with the police chief. In this case Amy is engaged to neighbour and dancer, Richard. I've really enjoyed watching their growing romance and now their wedding is almost upon us. They make such a beautiful couple, and I'm looking forward to many more adventures with them.

Bound for Murder is the fourth instalment in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and is one not to be missed. Victoria Gilbert delivers a intriguing mystery, that even the most experienced sleuths will have trouble untangling. More than just a mystery, Bound for Murder is another enjoyable trip to Taylorsford, catching up with all my favourite characters and activities, including Sunny and her bid to be Mayor of Taylorsford.

Book Review: A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

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 in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries.[summary via Amazon]

A Murder for the Books is the first book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and introduces the reader to Amy Webber, a librarian, who has moved in with her Aunt Lydia after a disastrous relationship. Life turns a little more adventurous for Amy and Lydia when a local is found murdered at the library. But who would want to kill the sweet Doris? With the help of the hunky new neighbour, Richard and her friend, Sunny, Amy is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I love books about books, especially when it comes to cozy mysteries. With lots of new series popping up over the last couple of years, I found that I  love exploring all the new fictional small towns that feature books about books - whether it be bookstores or libraries. As such, it's no wonder that I discovered the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and instantly fell in love too!

A Murder for the Books features a cold case that is linked to a modern day murder case, and I loved this change of pace, as most of my recent reads are just modern day murders. The mystery itself was very interesting and I had fun trying to link the new and old cases together, and unravel it before Amy and Richard did. 

Amy is a wonderful amateur sleuth, with an inquisitive mind for finding the truth and getting into trouble. Her love life is a little bit more complicated, and I like that she seems to have found a "good man" in Richard. I'm definitely going to enjoy seeing her relationship grow in future books. However, it is her Aunt Lydia that I may be paying more attention to. I'm sure Victoria Gilbert has something up her sleeve for Aunt Lydia and I can't wait to see what develops with her personal life.

I'm such a character-driven reader and I see a lot of potential with the characters in Blue Ridge, and I'm eager to find out what kind of adventures they go on next!!

A Murder for the Books is such a fantastic debut, and I'm glad there is a couple more books in this series for me to devour!