Victoria Gilbert's debut cozy mystery is an amazing start to a new series. Gilbert's writing is assured, and her plotting is masterful. Though the initial murder seems to be a random crime, librarian Amy Webber discovers that there is a web of crime and deceit underlying her peaceful small town. There are several different plot threads in the novel, and Gilbert does an excellent job of balancing them throughout before tying them together in a fantastic conclusion. The characters shine and the setting becomes an important character in the novel as well. I highly recommend this to all mystery lovers!

Amy Webber has returned to her home town after running away from her job as a college librarian after she found her boyfriend cheating on her in the library and created an embarrassing scene. Now she has to be content living with her aunt and working as the town librarian in the little town where she grew up. Life becomes a little more interesting when she discovers that a young dancer and choreographer, Richard Muir, has moved into the property next door that he inherited from his parents. Richard is interested in finding out more about local and family history and in particular a murder trial of a woman accused of poisoning her husband and recruits Amy to help him with his research. However, their research is temporarily put on hold when they discover a dead body in the library building where the town archives are stored.

A cross between a cosy mystery and a cold case investigation, Ms Gilbert skilfully manages to weave the current day murder mystery with both present day and historical events. Although Amy has sworn off men after her previous experience there is a nice romance brewing with Richard. There is a good supporting cast of characters in Amy's Aunt Lydia, her colleague Sunny, local police officer Brad and her noxious second cousin and town councillor Sylvia. Although there were several plot threads to juggle and tie together, the plot moves along at a good pace and the murderer took a while to be revealed as all the pieces, past and present were slotted into place.

Taylorsford in Virginia was a peaceful, quiet town with historic significance and when Amy Webber moved there to live with her Aunt Lydia after she’d had a fall, Amy fell in love with the place. Director of the local library, she also enjoyed her job – her love of books was well known. But when Amy had to venture to the archive room with a patron one day, she was shocked and horrified to find the body of a local identity lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

Richard Muir had recently renovated the old farmhouse next to Amy and her aunt. He’d inherited it from his great-uncle and as he was new to the town, decided to investigate the local history. He went to the library to do his research, where he met Amy – and was pleasantly surprised to discover she was also a researcher into the history of Taylorsford.

When another murder occurred, both Richard and Amy began their investigations in earnest. But was it putting them in terrible danger? After all, there was a murderer amongst them.

A Murder for the Books is the 1st in the Blue Ridge Library mysteries by Victoria Gilbert and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fast paced, the action and tension had me flying through the pages. The characters are well done – Aunt Lydia is exceptional; Sunny is as her name implies and Amy and Richard set the tone of the novel. I’m looking forward to book 2 in the hopefully not too distant future, and highly recommend A Murder for the Books for fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

Fleeing a love affair gone wrong, university librarian Amy Webber moves back to her old family home in Virginia. While living with her aunt, she works as the director of the local public library. When Richard Muir, a dancer, and choreographer, moves in next door, he asks Amy’s assistance on an old murder case. After circumstances about the investigation are unearthed, and a woman is found dead in the library’s archives, Amy wonders if the town is ready for another scandal.
A good mystery, in my eyes, is when I get so involved that I lose track of time reading. It was hard to get into this novel because the author seemed almost tentative. In the first couple of chapters, all Amy could do was clench and unclench her fingers. This repetition took me out of the story. Fortunately, the hesitation abated and I was able to enjoy a very well plotted whodunit with a wonderful surprise ending. I will look forward to Ms. Gilbert’s next mystery. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Formulaic mystery with a small town atmosphere and a refreshing romance.

Amy Webber has run back to her aunt's house in small town Taylorsford Virginia following a disastrous and public breakup with her boyfriend. Her job as a public library Director with only one employee, Sunny Fields, is fun but not high-paying. When a person is found murdered in the library's archives the game is afoot for Amy and Sunny. Amy also stumbles upon an old family secret and a possible town scandal.

I enjoyed the romantic aspect of Murder for the Books much more than the three mysteries within the plot. One problem with setting mysteries in small towns is that there are not enough suspects to make the mystery difficult to solve. Plus it seemed as though the debut author, Victoria Gilbert, tried to shove too many plots into one book. There were the three mysteries, romances for three couples in town, and even a potential ghost story within this short book. Hopefully, the next entry in the Blue Ridge Library series will limit its focus by including only one romance and mystery while also using the unique rural library setting much more.

While I was underwhelmed by the mystery plots, I totally enjoyed Amy and Richard's romance especially how the body issues were handled. Therefore, I recommend Murder for the Books more for romance readers than mystery ones. However, I will read the next book in the series, Shelved Under Murder, to see where the author leads the characters after its publication in July 10, 2018.

Thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy. Murder for the Books will be published on December 12, 2017.

This book combines a couple of mysteries, murders both contemporary and in the past. Overall, I found the plot enjoyable, although it was a bit challenging to keep track of all the players and how they were related to each other. I got a little impatient with the romantic elements; the heroine fell too hard too fast for the cute neighbor and didn't listen to her instincts that told her to slow down. But as another reviewer pointed out, at least this story didn't follow the usual cozy mystery cliche in that the heroine's love interest was NOT the sheriff, the detective, or the chief of police.

*** Spoiler alert ***








I was totally put off by the sudden end-of-book revelation that blamed several events on ... a ghost? Yes, there were a few mysterious events earlier in the book, but when a story is supposed to have paranormal elements, it really needs to be set up from the beginning. It was stipulated that some people had thought one of the houses might be haunted, but the alleged paranormal manifestations could have very easily been explained as naturally-occurring events. After all, older houses settle and creak and have drafts. And objects falling off shelves could easily be explained by seismic activity. Just ask anyone who lives in earthquake country. So the whole ghost revelation rang false to me.

A great start to a new series about a librarian who leaves a university position to rid herself of bad memories of a serious break-up as well as a faux-paus in her position to move in with her aunt in the small town at the edge of the Blue Ridge mountains. There she accepts the directorship of the local library and assists her aunt who has had some physical problems.

Sworn off men, Amy has a hard time resisting her new neighbor, Richard, who is a dancer and choreographer who teaches at the same university she left. When they get tangled up in a series of murders, they become more than friends.

The author did a wonderful job of developing the different personalities of her characters. It seemed some were strong and fully developed (Aunt Lydia, Richard) and others (Amy, Brad) became less rigid and more likeable as the book continued.

This is a fascinating look at a small town's problems and local history. I enjoyed the way Amy and Richard researched the time period and people involved, but was especially impressed at the way Richard's personal situation actually gave them clues that had been well hidden. I was compelled to read to the end as quickly as time allowed, and was not disappointed with the way the author resolved the old and new crimes!

I recommend this to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery! I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series!

Amy Webber leaves an embarrassing breakup behind to move in with her aunt and become the town librarian. When a charming new neighbor starts to investigate a years old mystery, Amy cannot help but help her new neighbor delve into the past and solve the mystery.
This book had many deep layers to it that made it beautifully unique and refreshing read. The characters were relatable and well written. The plot and mystery were engaging and kept me at the edge of my seat. Definitely a book worth reading again and again.

In need of a change of location and scenery, Amy moves in with her aunt in a small Virginia mountain town, where she finds a job as the manager of the local public library, complete with funding issues and eccentric patrons. When Amy and another new-to-town resident stumble across a body, and then another murder occurs, they investigate, in the hopes that it will help clear up a decades-old mystery as well.

I usually love books and books and libraries/librarians, so I'm not sure why this book was so hard for me to get into. None of the characters really grabbed my attention, and there were a lot of them in the book! It was hard to keep everyone straight, and that may have been some of the problem. The writing was good, although perhaps a bit too detailed at times, and the story seemed slow, even for a cozy. I'll probably read the next book in this series before deciding if I want to continue the series beyond that.

This is delightful new series that is set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Our protagonist Amy is managing the library and enjoying her new life with her Aunt in a lovely small town. She soon finds herself involved in a local murder and finds she has a ability to find clues. As the book progress the sleuth intensifies and Amy soon realizes this murder has many different layers.
I loved the fast paced story, the setting and local people. Each character added depth to the story. This is a fun new cozy series that will appeal to all book lovers and those who love a good sleuth. The protagonist is smart, fun and likable. All the elements are here for a promising new series. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review of this enjoyable book.

*I received this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

A good solid read. I loved the mystery aspect as well as the romance thread sprinkled through Gilbert’s writing. I love that the heroine is a researcher and a very factual minded one at that, not something you typically see in a romance story. The only holdback I had was that toward the ending it felt like things were jammed together to wrap the book up. There were a couple of different nuggets of information that didn’t help or hurt the story in my opinion, they were just there. All in all, it was a nice relaxing read that kept me entertained. It’s above average writing and the story line weaves between mystery and romance quite well!

When Amy, a librarian, finds herself in the middle of a suspicious murder in town, she also finds that she is attracted to her new neighbor who is a professional dancer. Amy lives with her aunt Lydia and the town is still talking about an age-old story from the 50s where the children of an orphanage were all poisoned. I found this to be a very entertaining mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author does a really good job of keeping the action going for pages and pages.

I obtained this book through Net Galley and have left an honest review.

This is the first in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and revolves around love weary librarian Amy Webber, her erstwhile friend Sunshine and her matchmaker maiden aunt with whom she lives. This mystery involves a long unsolved murder as well as a few local murders in this small town. A new neighbor, Richard Muir will become a good friend and maybe a love interest for Amy if she can get past her fears and move one. I enjoyed this first book in the series as he plot was well developed and the pace of the mystery and personal stories moved along naturally. The details of the mystery carried through and it wasn't a "dead giveaway" early on who the killer was, which is alway welcome. Let's see how book #2 further carries the reader along in the lives of Amy and friends.

This first in the 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.

I really enjoyed this book. the characters are likeable and sensible. The plit is excellent. It gets a bit slow in the middle but picks right up again. I would love to see Richard dame😁

This book was really fun to read - the characters were well developed and quite fun. particularly the romance. It was intriguing but not overly scary or suspenseful but I finished it quite quickly. I always love books about book lovers and this one was a good one. :) The historical aspects were also quite compelling.

I picked this one thinking that I'd already read one book in the series. And then discovered that it's a new series, but with a heroine with a backstory that's similar to the heroine's of Jenn McKinlay's library series and in some ways to Gethsemane Brown. But that's neither here nor there, unless you had the same moment as me!

Anyway, this is a perfectly fine murder mystery about a body found in a library archive and the old town secrets and cover-ups that come out as a result. This is also setting up running stories for a potential series (or at least, if it's not, then there's a lot of dangling threads!) and trying to establish characters. So quite a lot of heavy lifting going on and not always in the most subtle of ways. But as a first book in a series (and a debut novel too I think) it has enough promise that I'll be keeping my eyes open for the sequel.

Romance, murder, and a small town librarian

Can I start off by saying that Amy will resonate with anyone who has worked in a library in the last twenty years? If you have any experience with that, any fond (or exasperating memories), then this book is worth a look for that alone.

Once we are introduced to Amy’s work at the library, we are quickly introduced to the twin mysteries at the heart of the book: the murder of an elderly resident in the library archives and a decades-old murder that brings Amy in close contact with her handsome new neighbour. There’s a nice layering of the two (of course it all ends up connected) and while it starts out confusing it does tie together nicely at the end.

I enjoyed reading this book – it’s a solid cosy mystery with an interesting theme that actually helps solve the murder.

I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I have had some share of cosy-mystery books, altogether I am not a big fan of the genre. I found that with most of them I had to work too hard to suspend the disbelief muscle (Police is not capable to accomplish what a self-made sleuth without training, background or clue can do - YEAH, RIGHT!) and it much diminished the entertainment value.

I don't know exactly what attracted me to this book -possibly the cover & title & setting, I can't seem to resist book about books - and I was pleasantly surprised this time.

The story was both credible and entertaining. Maybe because the crimes that are investigated has roots in the past and the main character, Amy, has access to archived documents and her family turns out to be deeply involved both in past and present instances.

Also the setting of quirky town with close-knit community worked well. The plot was also very well-structured with hidden agendas, slowly growing-tension, emerging closet skeletons.
The romance between Amy and Richard was OK, but HEA was happening a bit too fast, even though they are a likeable couple.

Altogether a very pleasant read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

A Murder for the Books is the first book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series by Victoria Gilbert. It is currently scheduled for release on December 12 2017. 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.

A Murder for the Books is a mystery that both made me happy and frustrated me. As a librarian I was thrilled with the detailed view that was offered of Amy's librarian skills, and path to the career. Her commentary on search skills and research was on point; as was her facing down budget issues, patron issues, and condescending stereotypes. I was not thrilled with the comment "librarians are in demand" because I know far too many great librarians in several fields that have been searching for years for a full time library job- including those willing to move anywhere and are currently juggling multiple part time jobs just to make ends meet. It happen early in the book, and colored my read for a bit, but thankfully the writing style and story overcame that after a bit.

With that being said, I liked Amy for the most part. She is smart and independent, however her insecurity and body issues irked me. My biggest issue with her was her concern with how others viewed her, but I did like that for the most part she dressed how she wanted rather than always heeding those opinions. I think Richard was a good character, but I found him to be a bit too perfect. I enjoyed Amy's aunt and the quirkier residents of the town to be much more entertaining and interesting. To be perfectly honest, I will admit to expecting a bigger betrayal or twist, but did not see the full extent of the conclusion coming at all. There were just so many twists, and I liked that just when readers think everything is settled more pops up to take it to another level. I think at some point it might have gotten too complicated, but it kept me on my toes and turning pages well past my bedtime.

A Murder for the Books is a great start to a series, although I wonder who might be dead in subsequent books. I liked the characters, and the layers to the mystery, and solution. I think it might have gotten a little too twisty and complicated for readers looking for a more cozy read.