3.5 Stars

Shelved Under Murder is the second book in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, and is a fun and enjoyable read. The town is one of those places I would love to spend the day just walking around its streets, and having visited the Blue Ridge Mountain area several times, I know how beautiful it is in the fall. I definitely appreciated the author's descriptions of the area and could easily picture myself there, driving around, just enjoying what must be spectacular views.

In this book, the story picks up several months after the events in the first one and we see Amy still dating Richard and living with her quirky Aunt Lydia. Amy, as the director of the local library, is right in the middle of preparations for the annual Heritage Festival, sorting through donations and looking for bigger ticket items to sell, which is how she ends up in the midst of another murder investigation. Most of the characters were introduced in the first book, and honestly, there really wasn't much development with regards to the characters or their relationships. In fact, I was a bit disappointed with some of the interactions between some of the characters; I don't really care who gets together and who splits up, but at least be authentic in the personality departments when creating characters. And I found that characters either had to be good to be interesting or they came across as bad, there didn't seem to be that gray area in between that made characters more interesting. When Uncle Andrew at one point was coming across as somewhat naughty, he was so much more interesting to me as a person as he seemed so much more real; otherwise, he was put up on this pedestal and just seemed too perfect and perfect often equals boring. Besides, no one is perfect. Take Richard for example, so perfect in everything he does, he just seems boring. Maybe I'm just drawn to the badass kind of characters as I preferred Kurt over them all, so what does that say about me? I find him much more interesting, and he's got secrets I want to find out.

While the plot was interesting, it did center around the art world rather than the book world. I don't feel there was anything too thought-provoking in the art discussions but then, I've read many, many thriller books dealing with lost art and forgery over the years so I'd already picked up most of what was discussed in this book regarding that world, and I have a fascination with the lost artwork from World War II. I thought the discussions around what would drive an artist to do forgery much more interesting from a psychological perspective. And while there were some interesting plot twists, they were easy to spot but Amy was just so gullible sometimes; you'd think she would have learned her lesson in the first book. The author does have a way of making you feel like you are right there in the midst of things, and making you feel empathy for the characters so I did enjoy it when Amy got into her dilemnas and wondered how she would get out of them. And the author doesn't have any qualms to having her characters get hurt so you never know what is going to happen, which keeps you on edge throughout the events. I like that sense of not really knowing what is going to happen, even if you've already figured out the murderer and some of the other mysteries.

Shelved Under Murder was a fun addition to the series, but I don't necessarily feel it was as good as the first one. I do think there was some lack of important character development and some of the characters are a bit too perfect, they need some flaws or something to make them seem more real. Beware though, if you haven't read the first book, all of the answers are to be found in this book, something I am not very fond of, the murderer and some of the other details, and repeated several times. The reality of small-town life however, are very real in this book and I did find certain things very amusing; the rivalry in county fair baking contests, people always knowing your business, an overworked police force, the gossipy neighbours, and the other small things that make small-town living so much fun and interesting, something that definitely comes to life between these pages. While I thought the first book was slightly more enjoyable, I did enjoy it, and look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is published in 2019, Past Due for Murder. I do however, recommend you start with the first book in this series.

Taylorsford is preparing itself for the annual Heritage Festival, an arts and crafts spectacular. Art becomes the theme for the book, as the discovery of a dead artist seems to tie in with forgery rings and organised crime. Could it be that Amy’s late uncle, himself a struggling artist, might have been more connected to these events than anyone would wish?!

I’ve heard cosy mysteries like this described as ‘palate cleansers’ (or should that be ‘palette’, given the topic? ;)) and this is indeed just that. Light and easy to read, nothing too taxing on the brain, this was a sweet little romance with added murder. Urm…! 😉

I thought the story felt a little more assured than the previous book, or perhaps it was just that less setting up was required. We’re assumed to know who the main cast are, from the first book. Of course, this does mean that new players stand out like sore thumbs, and it was pretty obvious who was going to turn out to be the bad guys. The bigger mystery elements are more reveals about the main characters’ pasts, rather than the more obvious crime of the day.

Still, it served its purpose. I like that this series is a little less ‘fluffy’ than some cosy mysteries, but it’s still a bit heavy on the romance for my tastes. There’s also the merest hint of something supernatural, which I’m not sure about: I think the author needs to commit to including/explaining some of it, or leave it out. Ymmv, as they say!

If you have read the previous book in the series you won't have to worry about the spoiler at the beginning of this one. However, if you are new to this series, by all means, read them in order. This series is a great escape into the Blue Ridge area and the town of Taylorsford, Virginia. Amy is the town librarian who lives with her Aunt Lydia. When I saw that there was an art history theme, that was a draw for me. Amy is in the process of pulling together a library table for the Heritage Festival and her assistant, Sunny, has a connection to a local artist who has agreed to donate some paintings to the sale. Amy, her boyfriend Richard and Sunny set out to pick up the paintings but their plans go south when they discover the artist stabbed to death in her studio. Not only have they found her corpse, they uncover a hidden closet full of what appear to be stolen masterpieces. Do they really have a WWII history or are they very good forgeries? Because Amy majored in Art History and is on the scene, she is deputized to allow her to start researching the art in question. From there the past gets twisted up with the present - did her late uncle, an artist, have anything to do with those paintings...like forging?
This series is a nicely balanced cozy with well drawn characters, a satisfying mystery, great location and some romance thrown into the mix. I'm looking forward to the next entry in this series, Past Due for Murder, coming out in February, 2019.

This is the second of the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and continues with Amy Webber as the Library Director of the Taylorsford, Virginia library. The library is gearing up for the annual Heritage Festival. Amy is living with her Aunt Lydia and seeing Richard Muir, who was introduced as a romantic interest in book 1.

In conjunction with the upcoming festival, the library will assist in fundraising by offering local artist's canvases as well as discounted books. Unfortunately, when Amy and Sunny Fields, her assistant, travels out to the artist's home to pick up the promised donations, she finds the artist has been murdered and her husband in absentia. As Amy also studied art history, she is recruited to help in the investigation after they discover a hidden cache of forged paintings. Now starts a road rutted with misdirection, twists, and turns.

Most support characters were introduced in book 1 and are not developed more fully in this offering. Amy as a protagonist is not wholly sympathetic and the plot-driven story slowly unwinds.

The library and fundraising took a third chair behind the art history lesson, which quickly took over as the main focus. The subject of the art masters and the forgeries they've generated is an interesting discussion, as well as the formula for divining original artists, paints, and materials. Perhaps the storyline was just a bit too slow for me.

I was given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley through the blog tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for those who enjoy intelligent cozy mysteries without the recipes, women and amateur sleuths. 3.5/5 stars

This is the second in this series following Amy Webber as the Library Director in Taylorsford Virginia. It is October and Amy and Sunny (her library assistant and best friend) are getting ready for the Heritage Days Festival. Sunny has become friends with a local famous artist Rachel LeBlanc and Rachel has graciously agreed to donate a couple of paintings. The painting cannot fit in Sunny’s little VW bug so Amy and Richard tag along to help her get the paintings from Rachel’s farm and studio outside of town. Sunny heads to the house and Richard and Amy check out the barn and studio only to discover Rachel dead from a stab wound. The police arrive, they also find forgeries in the barn, and it looks like there is a link to an international forgery ring. The Chief Deputy Brad Tucker brings in an art specialist Hugh Chen to assist on the forgery case. Amy automatically assumes Kurt Kendrick is involved. Since Rachel’s paintings will not be available for the fundraiser, the chair of the Friends for the Library Mel Riley request Amy to ask her Aunt Lydia for some her Uncle Andrew’s paintings. Aunt Lydia does not like Mel because she blames her for her husband’s death. As the case begins to unfold it appears that there could be some linkage to Uncle Andrew and forgeries from several years ago. I had a hint who the bad guys were and I did like the new information on Kurt and will be interesting to see how his role plays out in future books. Amy and Richard’s relationship grows and lots of secondary characters to love (Walt and Zelda). Aunt Lydia also looks like she has a future love interest. Overall, a great story and I love this series. Anxiously awaiting the next one.

Amy and Richard stumble upon another body in the second novel in the Blue Ridge Library series, Shelved Under Murder.

Amy is the head librarian and Sunny is her assistant at the perpetually underfunded Blue Ridge library. Sunny convinces a local artist to donate three paintings to the library. While retrieving them, Amy and Richard find the artist, Rachel LeBlanc, stabbed to death in her artist’s studio. In the same studio are several art forgeries hidden in a secret closet.

The romantic relationships shine more than the mysteries in Shelved Under Murder. My biggest complaint is that there are no gray areas in the characters. They are either devils or saints. In addition, no one has much of a reason to be a villain other than for the love of money. With such shallow motives, this book receives 3 stars.

Be aware that Shelved Under Murder describes the conclusion of the first book, including the murderer’s name, multiple times so plan to read them in order.

Thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This is book 2 in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series. Even though this works well as a standalone, I recommend that you start with the first book. While there aren’t any gaping holes from missing information, I think this series is a good fit for cozy mystery fans and you’ll wish you had read the previous one if you don’t.

Although I knew who the murderer was before the great reveal, it always adds an extra layer of suspense when I know something the characters don’t. There were a few obvious clues that Amy, the main character, could have picked up but didn’t. The mystery was unraveled with a few extra revelations, and the characters experienced some growth from the circumstances and secrets that came to light. The ending was neatly wrapped up and there were a few additional surprises.

It was good to get in on the ground floor with the series, and if you like cozy mysteries, I recommend that you do too.

I realized while reading this book that I had become distracted more by my issues with the book rather than being interested in the mysteries to be solved. Those, the mysteries, were interesting though nothing new: art stolen or forged and people killed over it. In this area, Ms. Gilbert wrote a good story with chances that the villain wouldn't be guessed too soon. However, I really dislike the main character, Amy, and her body image issues. To make matters worse, Amy seems to wear clothes the wrong size as it is mentioned more than once about her pulling down a shirt that has rolled up or whatever. Oddly enough, despite this problem Amy and Richard, her brand new boyfriend, are in love and they joke with each other about marriage. Too much romance too soon! It has been 5 months! Amy supposedly was heart broken just before they met. I wish the story focused more on the mystery and less on the romance.

Despite the topics of leaf peeping, art forgeries, and death have been covered ad nauseam in other cozies and on television recently, I found this book well-crafted and entertaining.

The characters are not bland. Yes, I figured out who did it rather early on but I kept reading to see if I was correct and to be entertained. The book delivers.

This book is not dependent on the first so, go ahead and pick this up. Enjoy it.

Library director Amy Webber and her off-sider Sunny enjoyed their work at the library, but it was particularly busy in the lead up to the annual Heritage Festival. They needed to price all the donated books before the start of the festival, as well as prepare art and various other crafts. Sunny knew a local artist who had promised to donate a couple of her paintings, so when Sunny, Amy and her next door neighbour, Richard Muir headed out to the farm where the artist operated from, they had no idea it would be the beginning of another murder mystery – the second in only six months.

When Richard and Amy discovered the artist’s body, they were shocked to discover a hidden room filled with more paintings. Amy was suspicious as she recognized some of the work – her research into art history gave her a knowledge that would help in the investigation. Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and his small team of police officers were out of their depth. Taylorsford in Virginia didn’t have a big police force and as more strange events continued to occur, Brad was tearing his hair out – and grateful for Amy’s assistance.

But would they discover who the murderer was – and why she was killed? There was danger surrounding them as it soon became obvious that whoever it was would stop at nothing…

Shelved Under Murder is the 2nd in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series by Victoria Gilbert, and I was thoroughly entertained once again. A Murder for the Books is #1, which I loved – I can’t wait for the 3rd, which is Past Due for Murder, due to be released in 2019. Twists and turns, red herrings and loads of fun fill the pages in Shelved Under Murder, and I highly recommend the series.

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

When a renowned artist is found murdered, Amy Webber also discovers a cache of forged paintings. Her concerns are heightened as she thinks about her late uncle who also was an artist but struggled to sell his paintings. Could he have been involved in forgeries as well? An excellent mystery set in Virginia.

This book contains a lot of historical information about art forgeries. Full of drama and murder, the plot is a complicated one, however well written and very interesting. During preparations for a yard sale fundraiser for the library, the director Amy Webber stumbles across a dead body who was killed with her own pallet knife. Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

An engaging cozy mystery based in the art world and a library. Semi-satisfactory conclusion to the art theft/forgery. Some suspense and action, along with romance and dancing.

Shelved Under Murder was a wonderful addition to the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series with a fantastic mystery for our characters to solve.

For library director Amy Webber, October is all about the annual Heritage Festival and the library sale she runs as a fundraiser for the library. When Amy, her assistant Sunny, and Amy’s swoon-worthy boyfriend Richard go to pick up some paintings donated to the sale by a local artist they find the artist murdered instead. After some forged paintings are found, Amy is enlisted by the sheriff to help with the investigation due to her art history background. But when the investigation uncovers a connection to Amy’s family, Amy is in a race to find the truth before the killer strikes again.

Shelved Under Murder delivers a solid and interesting mystery with several twists I didn’t see coming. The part of the story centered around the forged paintings was my favorite part of the book and I enjoyed where that story line went. My only complaint about the mystery plot is that I had guessed the identity of the killer from their first scene in the book. I don’t know if it’s due to my reading a lot of mystery books or if their identity just wasn’t well hidden, but to me it was obvious who the killer was immediately upon their introduction.

Amy continues to be an enjoyable and relatable character that I connected with even more in this book than the first. Amy loves her job at the library and although she may not like some of the paperwork involved, she loves getting to interact with the patrons and helping them find what they’re looking for. The scenes where Amy is researching into the forged paintings were very well done and showed just how good Amy is at her job. Amy is quick-thinking and great at puzzling out problems which makes her an excellent main character for a cozy mystery series.

The side characters continue to be a fantastic bunch and I enjoy them quite a bit. Amy’s relationship with Richard is progressing nicely and I’m loving the direction those two are headed. I feel they complement each other very well and I like seeing them together. Amy’s Aunt Lydia along with Lydia’s friends Zelda and Walt continue to provide some great humorous moments. We also learn more about Kurt, the shady art dealer and old acquaintance of Lydia, who is quite an interesting character and I’m curious to see where things go with him in the future.

Despite my one small complaint about the mystery, Shelved Under Murder had everything I love about cozy mysteries and the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series is shaping up to be an amazing series. I can’t wait to see what the characters get up to next and would highly recommend this series.

Amy could not have imagined what would happen when she agreed to run the rummage sale during a festival in Taylorford, Virginia where she's in charge of the library. She finds the body of an artist and this leads to a whole string of issues involving forged paintings. Some of this cuts closer to home than she and her Aunt Lydia in particular would like. The characters are good, there's a light romance, the mystery keeps you guessing, and the setting is well done. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a thumbs up for cozy fans.

Set in a small town in Virginia, the main character, Amy, works at the local library. She is preparing a yard sale as a fundraiser for the library. Amy and two of her friends go to pick up a painting from a local artist and discover the artist has been killed, as well as forgeries. There are lots of suspects and many twists as Amy works to discover information about the forgeries, her uncle, and the murder.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a delightful cozy mystery series and I was thrilled to read this second in series for review. My opinions are my own. I highly recommend the first in series .
This was a OUTSTANDING mystery! The author has deftly integrated art forgery, WWII history and a fantastic mystery into this next in series. Wow this book captivated me from the beginning. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting.
In this next in series our protagonist and Library director Amy is preparing for a fundraiser and is thrilled to be offered for the Festival sale three paintings by renowned local artist Rachel LeBlanc. When Amy and her assistant Sunny go to collect the paintings, they find Rachel stabbed to death with her own knife. The stash of forged paintings found hidden in Rachel’s studio appear to be forged ! Amy has a degree in art history and from her knowledge she knows the paintings are forgeries ! The mystery deepens beyond the murder immediately..
Amy is friends with Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and asked to assist with the investigation . She soon finds out shocking information that her Aunt Lydia's husband may be linked to the murder and forgeries. Amy is determined to find out his involvement and clear his name .

The setting of Taylorsford, Virginia, is a charming quaint town and described by the author so sweetly picturesque. The supporting charcters are very friendly as this is a Southern small town. The Heritage Festival sounds like it would be a delight and a fun event. The library is described as a critical part of the community, loved by all and valuable in every way a library is. The Taylorsford library seems to have everything a book lover could possibly need and I love that the author includes the role of libraries into her books . She truly shows how libraries support a community and prove invaluable services. What is so enjoyable about this delightful series is all the details are done to perfection. How the author melds the sleuth, the charcters and the details so perfectly. You immediately want to book a flight to visit !

Amy Webber is a great protagonist and I look forward to further mysteries in the future of this series. She is smart, savvy and a book lover which makes her the perfect library director. The author has a love interest for Amy in the background that has the setting for building on the relationship in the future. it is not a center part of the book so it does not detract from the sleuth. All in all this is the prefect cozy read and I cannot wait for the next in series.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal review. A very enjoyable sleuth and a great cozy series. Well done to the author.

Jumping into a newly started series with book 2 isn't so bad. So, the cons are that I guessed who did it so I wasn't surprised and I figured out who the "connection" quickly as well. I also figured out who the thief was before the big reveal. The pros are so many more. Despite having figured it out, I wasn't absolutely sure of any of my guesses. I hope that if I go back and read book 1, I'll learn a little more about the feelings she gets and I also hope that more comes of that quirk in later books. Richard and Amy are a delightful couple and the way they interact is beautiful. I love the family dynamic between Amy and her aunt. The character development is fantastic!! Sunny is amazing and fun. You get pulled into this world and so invested in the characters and their experiences that its hard to put the book done and when you finish, you find yourself wanting to linger in their world just a little longer.
I can't wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Victoria Gilbert for the chance to read this wonderful book and share my opinions with others.

It's October in Taylorsford, Virginia and throngs of tourists are coming to the annual Heritage Festival. Library director Amy Webber is busy prepping for the yard sale fundraiser for her library. Renowned artist Rachel LeBlanc has agreed to donate some paintings for the sale. Amy and her assistant Sunny go to pick up the artwork and end up finding Rachel murdered in her studio with her own pallet knife. A cache of forged paintings is found by the police. Amy's background in art history research comes in handy so the police recruit her to help in the investigation. When the state’s art expert Hugh Chen finds a possible connection between Amy’s deceased uncle Andrew and the forged art, Amy helps her Aunt Lydia to clear her Andrew’s name.

This story was focused more on art, forgery and an elaborate theft ring than dealings in the library but was still a fun read.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the 2nd book in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, and another enjoyable read. Amy Webber is the library director in Taylorsford, Virginia and the library is getting ready for a two day yard sale to the benefit the library. While getting ready for the sale Amy and her assistant Sunny find a body. Once I started this book I could not stop reading it. It was a quick read that kept me guessing. I look forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book for all cozy mystery book lovers, you will not be disappointed.


I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.