Life as a library director has suited Amy Webber well. Her new boyfriend, the gorgeous Richard Muir, is attentive until suddenly he is not. When a teen goes missing from a library function, Amy sets out to find out what happened to her. When her former boyfriend arrives on the scene newly grieving the death of his girlfriend, Amy tries to be sympathetic, but she recalls his manipulative ways. When a folklore expert is found dead with the missing teen unconscious next to her, Amy tries to track down the killer. I like the development of Amy as a character and I look forward to others in this series

Past Due for Murder is the 3rd Blue Ridge Library mystery by Victoria Gilbert. This is one of those cozy mystery series that just gets better with each new book. I truly love all of the main characters, even the shadier ones like Kurt. This book has several unexpected twists for the main characters, some bad, but some are really good. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book to see what happens next. As for the murder mystery itself, it was well-written and left me guessing. There are a few other minor mysteries that play out in the book as well that I enjoyed, like the mountain lights and the fae. Being from northeast TN, I've heard about the mountain lights before. Of course, I've never heard it linked to faeries, but rather to spirits of Native Americans, which the author also mentions. So, it was fun to read a story involving a mystery that I grew up hearing about. If you've read one or both both books in this series before, you'll definitely enjoy this one. If you haven't read any of the books in this series yet, you can start with this book and not feel like you've missed too much (though I recommend starting with the first one and reading them all).

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

I am happy to scamper off with Amy on another mysterious adventure!

This one finds Perfect Richard (sorry, I'm not a huge fan of the guy. If I have one complaint about this series, it's that this guy is TOO perfect to be realistic. #shouldershrug) under suspicion as a student at his college is found next to a dead body with no memory of what happened. Incidentally, it also casts Chump Charles in the same suspicious light. What's Amy to do???

There are some fun elements in this story - mysterious mountain lights (aliens or fairies?), the possibility of long-lost hidden treasure, and a cold case from the 1800s of two missing girls - that keep the story moving and interesting.

Overall, this was another delightful addition to the Blue Ridge Library series.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series. The mystery is always an intricate puzzle with many twists along the way. I like the characters and how they have developed over the course of the series so far. It is always fun to see where Amy's research will lead. It was interesting to learn about the folklore of the mountains near Taylorsford and "meet" some of the older residents that live in the mountains. I would definitely recommend this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The 3rd installment does not disappoint. Amy and Sunny are helping with a folk story campout where local professor Mona is telling the kids about the Mountain Lights and an unsolved disappearance from 1879 where 2 girls disappeared and were lured by the fae people underground to dance for them. In the present day one of the students Lacey was supposed to show up and she is nowhere to be found. Richard her current boyfriend was her dance professor and she was seen leaving his office crying. Richard is out of town and acting strange to Amy. Richard is questioned when he returns to town. Amy’s ex-boyfriend Charles shows up at the event and gets into a huge fight with Mona but asks Amy if he can talk to her. Charles recently lost his girlfriend (the one he cheated on with Amy) to a hit and run several months earlier and is still dealing with the aftermath. Lacey appears almost 5 days after she disappeared and is next to Mona’s dead body and she is placed into coma as she has a severe head injury. This was a good read and I enjoyed that Kurt (aka Karl) introduced us to Mary and the stories from the mountains and Amy can never leave well enough alone once Richard is cleared. Lots of twists and turns and I liked how the book continued for a couple chapters after the murderer was revealed so we can see Richard reunite (friends only) with his former dance partner Karla. Richards parents were a bit of a disappointment so hopefully down the road that relationship can be repaired. Definitely recommend.

The 3rd installment does not disappoint. Amy and Sunny are helping with a folk story campout where local professor Mona is telling the kids about the Mountain Lights and an unsolved disappearance from 1879 where 2 girls disappeared and were lured by the fae people underground to dance for them. In the present day one of the students Lacey was supposed to show up and she is nowhere to be found. Richard her current boyfriend was her dance professor and she was seen leaving his office crying. Richard is out of town and acting strange to Amy. Richard is questioned when he returns to town. Amy’s ex-boyfriend Charles shows up at the event and gets into a huge fight with Mona but asks Amy if he can talk to her. Charles recently lost his girlfriend (the one he cheated on with Amy) to a hit and run several months earlier and is still dealing with the aftermath. Lacey appears almost 5 days after she disappeared and is next to Mona’s dead body and she is placed into coma as she has a severe head injury. This was a good read and I enjoyed that Kurt (aka Karl) introduced us to Mary and the stories from the mountains and Amy can never leave well enough alone once Richard is cleared. Lots of twists and turns and I liked how the book continued for a couple chapters after the murderer was revealed so we can see Richard reunite (friends only) with his former dance partner Karla. Richards parents were a bit of a disappointment so hopefully down the road that relationship can be repaired. Definitely recommend.

This was the first book that I have read by this author and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the take on small-town America where everyone is known and family history is well intermingled. I enjoyed the flow and style of writing and character development. Despite it not being the first book featuring this character, I did not feel that it spoiled my enjoyment of the tale. I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

First, the cover is very inviting. The town librarian finds herself involved in an investigation of a body discovered in the woods. Her boyfriend is questioned since he was one of the last people to speak to the deceased. He had also been acting strangely toward Amy. Both sets of parents meet for the first time and the situation become a bit tense. Eventually all is straightened out.

I keep on reading this series because I find it pretty good, only problem seems to me that the culprit has always a strong link to Amy and in a way it seems like "Murder she wrote" but as a matter of fact they are both cozy Mystery so I should not be so surprised....

Continuo a leggere questa serie perché non mi dispiace affatto, trovo solo leggermente problematico il fatto che il colpevole sia, anche questa volta quindi siamo a 3 su 3, collegato ad Amy, che sembra quasi la nipote della signora in giallo, soprattutto per la sfortuna che porta. Comunque, considerato che entrambe le serie sono considerate Cozy Mystery, non dovrei essere cosí sorpresa....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

They are going to have a May Day celebration in town to bring in the tourists. Amy is coordinating a folk tale event to share with the participants. When a college student disappears and the folk tale teller ends up dead, it turns into a murder investigation.

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 22nd.

The college student is in a coma and they aren't sure if there is brain damage or if she will remember anything. When Amy picks up on college gossip and finds out they are saying her boyfriend might have been having an affair with the student, she decides to get involved in the investigation. She doesn't believe that but she wants to check it out.

Her old boyfriend is trying to be friendly again but she won't let him in. Mona, the dead woman, said she had information on two men she's trying to get more folklore information from and she intends to blackmail it out of them if she can't get it any other way. Now she's dead. Was she the victim of a hunting accident or did one of them kill her?

There's more than one death before the end of the story and it gets very dangerous for Amy before it's over. It kept me reading.

A fun mystery series centered around a librarian in the Blue Ridge mountains. Amy has once again found herself dealing with a missing person, this time someone who was in the library and known to her through a connection through a research project. Her good friend Richard is a possible suspect, as the girl was one of his students. There seem to be so many currents of something else going on through this story, they keep you guessing and moving, and the plot is always thickening. A great contribution to what is sure to be a long-running series.

An excellent story. I haven't read the other books in the series, so I was a little lost with reference to past books, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. A solid mystery with engaging characters. Makes me want to read the rest of the series.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I fell in love with Ms Gilbert's previous two mysteries in this series earlier this year. Her writing is impeccable, with twists and turns you don't expect only to remember a supposedly one-off piece of dialogue before and go "Oh... OH!". Every little line and word has meaning, which is not something one can say often in any type of book.

A wonderful, fantastic addition to any library, and will certainly make any librarian smile with familiarity and grasp all readers with the plot, the characters, and the humor and drama of Taylorsford.

One would think that hosting a bonfire and storytelling session would be fun, even if you were in charge of refreshments. And it seems that having a professor of folklore in town as part of a grant could only be a positive thing for the library. But as readers learn, nothing is ever that simple. For Amy Webber, the director of the public library, there is plenty of trouble involved when one of the professor's students goes missing.

Then, while everyone in town is looking for the missing young woman, a dead body is discovered. Are there connections between the two incidents? Has the young woman also suffered foul play? Who could have killed the victim and why? As usual Amy and her research skills come in handy for the investigators, but that will also put her at risk if the murderer decides that she knows too much.

The plot keeps revealing new details and possible connections between the characters, making it hard to decide which of them could be the guilty party. In Amy's case, she is distracted by odd behavior from her boyfriend, the presence of a former boyfriend in town, and dealing with a research team that is looking into local history.

The description of small town life with all its complicated relationships and traditions is very believable. The characters are distinct and entertaining, and readers will return for further visits in Taylorsford feeling as though they are reuniting with old friends.

“Past Due for Murder” is obviously not the first book in this series, but it is the first one I read in the series. The story deals with a missing student, the demise of her instructor, and secrets being kept by several of the characters. I was hooked into the story by the third chapter. The only problem I encountered was my unfamiliarity with the characters, since I had not read the others that preceded this book. The author makes reference to events from previous novels and people who were involved in those events, and it took me some time to figure them out. I still enjoyed the book and will probably read others in the series.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I read the first in this series because I am a sucker for cozies about books, librarians, bookstores, etc., and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I saw the third installment on NetGalley, I grabbed it. I am a facebook friend with the author and told her I had just gotten the third one, and she advised me to read the second one first as they build on each other, and I did, so it took me a while to get to this one. The author introduces us again to Amy Webber, her dancer/choreographer boyfriend, Richard, and her library assistant Sunny, and continues to develops their characters so that you feel you know them. We also see a new side of Delbert and his family as they play an integral role in this story line. One of Richard's students disappears, and a local storyteller is murdered so Amy sets out to find out why. In the process, she encounters her ex-boyfriend who has come back to town and discovers that he is involved in the murder, too. I am thoroughly enjoying this series so far and am looking forward to the next one.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught.

There's a lot going on in Taylorsville, Virginia and Amy Webber is smack in the middle of it all, or so it seems. From helping patrons at library to learning learning more about the local history from elderly residents and collecting their stories, Amy is a busy girl. Add to that a visit from her parents, and her boyfriend's parents at the same time and she's got her hands full. But when a local student disappears and a professor is murdered, Amy finds herself trying to figure out who done it.

I really enjoy this series and this is by far my favorite one yet! While you can read this as a standalone, for those of us who enjoy the series, it's great to see the lives of the characters evolving and moving forward. It part of what keeps me coming back for the next installment. Speaking of which, I can't wait for the next entry in this series!

This is part of a series. I’ve never read the prior books, and I was able to follow this one just fine. There is enough backstory provided, and it doesn’t feel like an info dump.

Based on the title and cover, I expected the library to be a larger component in the story than it was, but I still enjoyed the story. There are numerous red herrings and twists, as well as an active pace, to keep the reader engaged (and playing the part of an amateur sleuth). The characters were relatable, and the ending is satisfying.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

IF you are looking for a good mystery book....here it is. I enjoyed every moment of this read. The characters were great and relatable. I highly recommend this book. Victoria Gilbert, thank you for this!!!!