I  recieved a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I always love when a cozy mystery had a pet sidekick, especially when the pet has a great personality throughout the book. I love Rhett Butler the cat! Cleo carries Rhett on her shoulder like a parrot! I love it!

Is there a more tragic thought than a ruined library? At the start of the book, 75 year old Cleo is working hard trying to get her library fixed. When the libraries top supporter is murdered and her best friend is accused, she has a new goal. Cleo reminds me of Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote. (I love me some Jessica Fletcher)

It's a great cozy mystery. The mayor and sheriff are sexist, ageist and just plain horrible. I can only hope they won't be featured heavily in the next book.

I enjoyed the friendships between Cleo and Henry and his dog Mr. Chaucer. Bitsy and Leanna were also strong side characters. Can't wait for book #2.

I loved this book!!! Occasionally I'm in the mood for a good cozy mystery, and just seeing the cover and description of this one made me want to read it right away. I love libraries, books, and pets and I also love a good cozy with an elderly "detective" (I'm obsessed with Murder She Wrote, for example), so I couldn't wait to read this one. Nora Page sets a perfect tone and scene in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. Septuagenarian widower Cleo, along with her "not boyfriend" Henry and various assorted small town characters are charged with saving the library and solving two murders - while trying to stay safe themselves. This was one of those books that is a sheer pleasure to cuddle up with a blanket and a cup of coffee and read on a lazy afternoon. The end of the story actually surprised me, and I'm difficult to surprise (I usually figure out the "twist" within the first few chapters of a book), so it was very skillfully plotted, especially for a book of this genre. I literally can't wait to read the next book in the Bookmobile series - please hurry! :)

Delightful. Charming. Will purchase for my library and recommend to lots of our readers. Cozy mysteries are always a solid bet, and who wouldn't love the "appreciate and support your library" theme? The colorful side characters and are kindly drawn and feel like friends and acquaintances, along with the amusing menagerie of pets such as the dapperly dressed and aged pug, Mr. Chaucer.

I liked the book overall and the idea of the bookmobile and it's adventures. I would have preferred more detail and descriptions for the characters and background of the town.

I liked the idea of the book, a older woman driving the library bookmobile, but I just had a hard time getting into the story. Maybe there were just to many characters. But I might check out other books in the series.

Better off Read is the debut of the A Bookmobile Mystery series set in the small town of Catalpa Springs, Georgia and featuring seventy five year old librarian Cleo Watkins and her Persian cat Rhett Butler. A recent storm has severely damaged the local library and Cleo is working hard to get the monies for its repair, and her ancient school bus bookmobile "Words on Wheels" is sounding like it's about ready for a new engine.

Mayor Jebson Day doesn't want to see the town spend the money to fix the library, instead he has plans to knock down the building and develop a huge fishing pier that will attract professional fisherman from all over the world. The Mayor has the backing of local bank president Vernon Givens and between the two Cleo has a feeling the library is going to be doomed.

Desperate to save the library and bookmobile Cleo sets out to ask the eccentric library board member Buford Krandall for help. When she and her library assistant Leanna arrive at the Krandall estate they find the man dead in his library surrounded by library books. Krandall had been drilling in the local springs looking to bottle the waters and make a fortune, much to the dismay of his neighbor Mary-Rose Garland who relies on the natural springs for the pancakes and sweets she serves up at the Pancake Mill.

Mary-Rose is Cleo's best friend and when she tops the suspect list along with Cleo's grandson Ollie who had gotten involved with an environmental activist group determined to stop Krandall, Cleo sets out with the help of her "gentleman friend" Henry Lafayette and his pug, Mr. Chaucer to find the real killer.

A fun, fast paced read with plenty of suspects. A delightful group of characters and a cozy small town setting, cute animals including a family of skunks make for a great new series.

I received an advanced copy of Better Off Read from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

An ingeniously crafted tale with strong and amusing characters, lending a captivating interest of intrigue to the storyline. Although this book started a bit dreary, with the insensitive money grabbing jerk of a Mayor, it soon changed its tune, when things became quite interesting for Cleo and her cat Rhett with the murder of their town’s most cantankerous resident. When her grandson became a suspect in the second murder, Ms. Cleo decided to seek answers before her he was sent to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Her quest helps bring to light secrets that were decades old and which became the catalyst for the mini crime spree.

I loved this cozy mystery! It's got great characters, loads of charm, and a smart and relatable sleuth. I can't wait until the next one in the series.

After a storm damages the library in Catalpa Springs, seventy something librarian Cleo Watkins has to take to the roads with her bookmobile. It’s only supposed to be temporary, but the nasty mayor wants to shut down the library for good. Cleo hopes to get some help from a wealthy DIY benefactor, who likes how to build a bookcase books almost as much as how to get away with murder books. When he’s found dead, Cleo’s BFF Mary Rose is a prime suspect. Cleo won’t go down without a fight and sets out to prove her friend innocent by finding the real killer. Truly, the scariest part of this book is another library being threatened with closure. We need more Cleo’s out there to help defend our right to read!

Overall a fair book, but had trouble following the story at times. Not sure why, but a lot of characters, and action inter-playing at times, and made it hard to keep track of who was who. I liked Cleo, and liked Henry, but more details and descriptions on the characters would have made a stronger book in my case anyway. The snide cracks on the elderly got tiresome at times too. I can see the point for the story, but still got tiresome. Would recommend, but not as good as I expected.