Member Reviews
This is the second book I have read in this series and I enjoyed it as much as the first. Cleo is celebrating her 50 years at the Catalpa Springs, Georgia. She is still driving her bookmobile as they complete the renovations on the library. As she prepares to reopen the library she is determined to have the longest overdue book returned. When she visits the patron's home she stumbles across her body and becomes the prime suspect in her murder. With the help of her gentleman friend, Henry, and their pets they set out to solve the crime. In addition to the murder someone is leaving threatening notes in town. And a Library Board Member has hired a consultant who is convinced that books do not belong in a library. Cleo has her hands full trying to keep the town and library safe. I really enjoy the characters and the small town setting. The mystery was good with plenty of suspects. I like that Cleo and Henry work with local police. I look for word to reading the next book. Enjoy
I enjoy the Bookmobile Mystery series, but somehow missed book #2 along the way. I found the
audiobook on hoopla so decided it would be a good way to catch up. 75 year old librarian Cleo Watkins drives the local Bookmobile, a refurbished bus. For over forty years, Cleo has tried everything to get delinquent patron Dixie Huddleston to return the most overdue volume in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. When Dixie says she’ll finally return the book, Cleo is shocked. Dixie states that the book is no longer lucky and that she is going to die. Cleo and her gentleman friend, Henry Lafayette, head over to Dixie’s home to pick up the book, but instead they find her dead. Cleo suspects she was murdered. The police agree and list Cleo among the suspects. To clear her name and deliver justice, Cleo uses her librarian skills to investigate, with Henry and her trusty bookmobile cat, Rhett Butler, at her side. As threats appear around town, it seems the killer is targeting everyone... including Cleo and her bookmobile. Will they find the killer or will someone else end up dead?
This is the second book in the series, but I recommend reading them in order. Although the mystery is a standalone for this book, the story behind the bookmobile and the relationships between characters grow with each book. I like Cleo's character as she is a southern belle who expects good manners, honesty and integrity. Henry is a great sidekick. Although he doesn't play as big a role in this book as I would have thought, he is still an integral part of the story. If you enjoy a fun cozy mystery with quirky characters and a charming Southern setting, then you will enjoy this series.
Read on Arrival was the perfect cozy mystery. In this book, we have Cleo the septuagenarian librarian who believes in justice, manners and of course sweet tea. However, a mystery unfolds when a patron of the library has refused to return an overdue book until now. She says she has seen the signs and will be dying soon so she will finally return the book.
And, sure enough, her body is found dead and Cleo is one of the suspects. A delightful read that I will cherish for many years.
The main character should have been more concerned when Dixie brought back the book, that was legit the biggest sign of maybe suicide since Dixie was making sure they didn't have anything left undone when they go, that really made me go ugh. Bookmobiles thou, man i wish these were still big, i hate driving to my local library, it's not in the best part of town and too far. Overall the book was ok, not crazy good, but i didn't mind reading it, it wasn't too predictable and the characters were written well enough.
A delicious pie recipe and a genuinely delightful story! I loved the diversity in the characters involved in this world as well as the exceptionally well-written mystery. I also adored the true love of the written word and libraries as a thriving hub of the community as it touched a special place in my own heart. I have so much respect for how the multiple generations were so wonderfully entwined with one another in such believable and caring relationships. This is a terrific book for book clubs, especially if there’s a wide range of ages among the members.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Nora Page, and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this charming story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
This is the second book in A bookmobile mystery series. You can read them on their own or as a series. I recommend as a series.
Cleo has been trying to retrieve an overdue book for the library which is over 40 years overdue. Dixie, the person that took the book out knows that Cleo is trying to retrieve it and thinks it is a hoot that she can't. The book in question is a book about good luck and omens and Dixie will do everything it says to ensure that she has good luck. However it seems her good luck is coming to an end and she has been getting threats telling her so. She decides that she will finally return the book to the library so Cleo goes to her house to get it. Unfortunately when Cleo gets there not only is the book gone but Dixie is found dead !!!
I enjoyed the characters and the storyline.
You've got to love Cleo, and her wish that all books be returned puts her hot on the trail of Dixie. There is plenty of humor, could we call it a cozy-com? Good pacing and detecting lead to a satisfying conclusion.
A book about books! What more could I ask for? I love the bookmobile series and Cleo’s wonderful mobile library. Cleo and Henry, her friend, are a perfect couple. They both love books and enjoy spending time together with their pets…who also happen to get along even if one is a cat and the other a dog. I love the way they play and interactive together! And, of course, Cleo has to be drawn into a murder mystery which has you flipping through the pages quickly to see if she will discover who is guilty of murdering the town’s diva.
There are great clues, wonderful characters…those you love and those you despise, twists and turns. It’s just a fun book to pick up and read as you are curled up in your recliner on a warm summer evening. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Cleo is a librarian who could have retired years ago (she is 75 years old) but she loves her job and her library. She is approaching her 50th anniversary working at the library. She created a bookmobile named “Words on Wheels” made from an old school bus after the public library was damaged and closed almost for a months for renovation.
Cleo has always loved books. A childhood friend checked out a book 42 years earlier and never returned it mounting up hundred’s of dollars of fines. Dixie taunted Cleo with the book as Cleo wanted to “clear her books” and get the book back.
When Dixie is found murdered, there are lots of suspects including, for a time, Cleo.
The characters are described well and are easy to imagine. I did think that the character of Belle was a bit over the top. I can't imagine that anyone would take her ideas seriously.
The only fault I found was a description of the check out process from 42 years ago.
“[Cleo] checked the back inside cover, No checkout slip either. Dixie checked out Luck and Love when due dates were stamped on a card and tucked in a paper sleeve. The borrowers name was written in, too.”
At that time, there was a slip in the book that had the return date stamped on it and a pocket that held a card with information about the person who checked out the book and the due date. This card was retained by the library so they could see who had books that were overdue. When a book was returned, the card was replaced in the book for the next time it was checked out.
Of course there would be no checkout slip in the book even if it were the one Dixie had checked out! That’s how Cleo knew that Dixie had never returned the book! She had the slip in the library! A small point but as a retired librarian, the little things matter.
I did enjoy this book very much and look forward to reading the next book in this series.
While trying to get the library reopened after the tree destroyed parts of it, she tries to get back the book that Dixie checked out of the library 40 years ago but refuses to return. At the library the board has hired a consultant to help update the library. Belle believes the less books the better. Then a local murder also calls her attention.
Goodreads
This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.
Nora Page involves her bookmobile librarian in the death of a library user who has a very overdue book in Read on Arrival. Cleo has gone to the lady's home to pick up the book and finds the patron dead. Now she is a suspect in the murder. Meanwhile Cleo is fending off Belle, an enthusiast who wishes to remake the library into a modern technical spot lacking in books. Read how Cleo resolves her problems and solves the murder. Comfortable cozy.
Read on Arrival by Nora Page is part of the Bookmobile Mystery series. Cleo is an active senior librarian in a small town in Georgia. In addition to driving the town's bookmobile, she is preparing for the re-opening of the town library. Two things threaten to put a damper on the event. First she is trying to reclaim the library's only overdue book, which happens to be 40 years overdue. Second is the arrival of a neighboring town's bookmobile driver. This pretty, young driver has caught the eye of Cleo's library board president. The main problem being the young woman does not want books on the bookmobile. Throw in a murder and Cleo is fit to be tied. This is a fast-paced cozy with plenty going on, but everything ties together. It is a great addition to the series!
This is a cozy with a difference – mature characters on the whole, and a very original plot. The characters are wonderful, all eccentric in one way or another but genuine and caring. This encapsulates small town life for me – people accept each other for who they are and on the whole rub along fine, except when they decide rub each other out!
The atmosphere beautifully conjures up the deep South, or at least what I as a European imagine it to be. I can see the scenery, smell the scents. It’s all deliciously detailed.
Cleo is a gutsy and interesting heroine. She’s not perfect, and that makes her even more realistic, but you’d love her as a best friend. The requisite animals are integrated into the book, not just perfunctory add-ons as can happen with cozies.
So all in all, an entertaining and well written cozy mystery with a witty title. Definitely my favourite sort!
This is the first book that I have read by Nora Page and I enjoyed the story. I plan to go and look for the first book in this series. I found this story to be full of action and lots of possible suspects. I also enjoyed the southern setting and all the great characters. Definitely a fun and well-written cozy.
You cannot read this series and NOT fall in love with the septuagenarian, Cleo. She is a real hoot. I want to visit Catalpa Springs, GA and take a ride on the infamous bookmobile. I know I will be guaranteed to have a rollicking good time.
The Bookmobile Mystery series is a refreshing series as we see the world through a mature amateur sleuth. I have a tendency to stick with sleuth's who are are in their 40's or younger. I cannot wait to read more in this series. It is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. How can you can wrong: books, pancakes, and murder?
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Miss Cleo, librarian with 50 years experience and the captain of the Book It bookmobile is after the one that got away. Or rather the library book entitled Luck & Lore, that is being held hostage by Dixie Huddleston for 40 years not to mention that Dixie "stole" Cleo's birthday wish. Dixie swears that it is the root of her luck as well as the stolen birthday wish. All of a sudden Dixie decides she needs to make amends as her doom looms on the horizon. Well it looks like Dixie's luck has run out when she is found locked in her own pantry, murdered, death by bee sting. It looks like Miss Cleo is the main suspect, seems like everyone thinks she is obsessed with getting the MIA book back on the library shelf. So many suspects, better suspects than Ms. Cleo who is a true delight as a prim and proper bibliophile who is not about to let Belle Beauchamp and her shiny monstrosity of a disco bookless mobile, who is also a suspect.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this cozy mystery set in Georgia. The MC is the local librarian, Cleo, and near the beginning of the story there is a murder. Cleo sets out to try and help find who the murderer is. I guessed who it was right before Cleo did, so that's always fun for me to outwit the amateur sleuth. A fun read for a cozy mystery.
A really enjoyable cozy mystery with an original plot and some very original characters. Who would have ever thought that a 75 year old librarian could stir up so much drama! This book was so much fun to read! Nora Page has now hooked another reader on her series.
This was an okay addition to the bookmobile series but I felt this one's mystery was not as fun and didn't enjoy the character development as much. It still was an okay book and the author has published quite a few fantastic works but in my opinion this one was just mediocre. Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this opportunity.