This is a fun, cozy, who-done-it mystery.

Cleo Watkins is a woman in her 70s who has been the local librarian, spreading her passion for books for over 40 years. During those years Cleo has tried to recover a special library book, Luck and Lore, from local real estate broker, Dixie. Dixie insists the book has been her lucky token for her successful career and she has flaunted it under Cleo’s nose. But suddenly Dixie is experiencing death omens and she wants to return the book. When Cleo and her gentleman friend, Henry, goes to Dixie’s home to pick up the book. Instead of the book they find Dixie’s dead body in clearly suspicious circumstances.

Cleo has previous used her amateur skills to solve a local murder. It is natural that community members are coming to her for information and encouraging her to dig up clues. Even her neighbor, Gabby, a Deputy Sheriff, is willing to accept input from Cleo, although Gabby warns Cleo to stay safe. While Cleo continues to look for the missing library book and clues about the murder, she is also fighting attempts from a bouncy blonde who is flirting with the library board president while proposing modernization of the library, including Cleo’s beloved bookmobile.

This is a true, warm ‘cozy’ mystery. I enjoyed the elderly characters with their precious pets (cat for Cleo and dog for Henry). I also liked Cleo’s friendship with her neighbor, Deputy Sheriff, Gabby. The small community is full of lively characters and a list of possible suspects who had various motives for disliking and ultimately killing Dixie. The murder is creative and the ongoing death threats to other members of the community adds to the mystery.

The small-town setting is ‘cozy’ and the easy flowing writing is a clear fit for the cozy, who-done-it genre. I sort of wished I could have read this in the fall to fit with the cover which pulled me in. But, anytime of the year, it is a satisfactory read for the cozy mystery fan.

Source: NetGalley

I loved this book. I always wanted to see and go into a bookmobile. We do not have one in my city. So reading about it was fun. The main character Cleo is so relatable. I love her wittiness with others even though it’s all in her head. LOL. I did not guess who the killer was. This is a nice laid back cozy mystery. I highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced digital copy. This opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a cute little story of life in a small town and the large personalities that live there. Although there is murder in this book, it shows the aftermath of childhood bullying. Someone once said... they may or may not remember what you said or did but most certainly will remember how you made them feel!

This is the second book in the "Bookmobile Mystery Series" . i have read the first in series " Better Off Read' and found both books delightful. The writing is well crafted, both books have humor and a great sleuth. i love the savvy smart protagonist Cleo Watkins who is a proud fierce 75 ¾ and has no intention of retiring from her position as head librarian at Catalpa Springs Library. She stands up to narrow minded men on her city council and is proud of her long standing place in the community. This is a Southern town which is prone to gossip and has some lively fun charcters as all small Southern towns do.

Cleo has a wonderful eccentric bookmobile and enjoys bringing books to the residents of Catalpa Springs. She has a assistant Leanna and they are good friends. She has a resident cat in the bookmobile, Rhett who provides feline assistance and is a fun addition to this series. She and Leanna had solved a previous murder and Cleo had proven to be a smart protagonist.

When a resident name Dixie is found murdered and death threats appear Cleo takes on the investigation, A secondary mystery is included that has to do with a book checked out over 40 years ago.

This was a wonderful enjoyable cozy mystery series. Quirky characters,, the Southern charm and culture with humor intermixed throughout makes for a fantastic series with a well crafted. plot. Cleo is a delight and as a senior I so appreciate that Cleo is smart, savvy and a brave protagonist that does not suffer fools.

Nora Page has created such a enjoyable book series that I read each in this series from first page to the end. The sleuth kept me guessing throughout to a pleasing conclusion. The plot is well constructed and moves at a fast pace. I love everything about this series.

I will be looking out for the next book in the series to pre order. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this wonderful next in series. i hope this is a series that will continue for a long time. Very well done and highly recommended !

Book 2 in the Bookmobile Mystery series is great fun. I loved Cleo and the rest of the crew from Catalpa Springs. Cleo is feisty and loyal and protective of her friends and her library. After all, she has worked there for 50 years! The mystery was great - believable suspects and nice twists in the story. There's a great balance and interplay between the sleuthing/mystery elements and the other story developments. The pacing was great. And there's no love triangle or law enforcement love interest which was refreshing. I'll have to check out book one of this series.

I just loved this book! Cleo and Henry have got to be the most adorable couple, and Cleo is the most loyal and brave friend that anyone could want. The library's grand opening was coming soon when the library board president brought in a lady named Belle with crazy and outrageous ideas--like that books were clutter (this woman really bugged me, I was hoping she'd be offed or the perp lol). I'd say the author did her job well, because I could not stand Belle and her Airstream flashing-lights bookless-mobile. When the town diva and the patron with the longest overdue book was found dead in her home by Cleo and Henry, Cleo was one of the suspects. She did manage to get to the bottom of everything and restore her good name. I guessed the killer because of cleverly-placed clues by the author, but it was a lot of fun to see Cleo track the perp down. I have to hand it to Cleo, because she doesn't do anything alone, and she's very good about alerting the local deputy, who happens to be her neighbor, Gabby. I can't wait for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Cleo has been a librarian for nearly 50 years. She takes a bookmobile around her town and county while the library is undergoing renovation. For 30 years, Cleo has been trying to get a book called Luck and Lore back from Dixie, a brash woman who sells real estate in the county.
Dixie tells Cleo she will give back the book but when Cleo and Henry arrive at Dixie's house they find Dixie dead.
There is miss direction and much small town gossip that confuses the investigation. The reason behind the first murder ends up being rather sad.
The story is well written if drawn out a bit more than necessary. Cleo is an interesting and intelligent character and I love her friends Gabby and Mary-Rose.
Reading the first book in the series is not necessary to enjoy this book.

Read on Arrival by Nora Page takes us on a journey to Catalpa Springs, Georgia in November. Cleo Watkins preparing for the reopening of the library in three weeks when Mercer Whitty, president of the Library Board throws a wrench in the works. Belle Beauchamp arrives in her vintage airstream which she has transformed into BOOK IT!, a colorful bookmobile with gaming consoles, televisions, laptops and a couple of color coordinated books. Belle, who is not a librarian, promotes herself as an innovator who has great ideas to modernize Cleo’s library. Mercer, who is smitten, hires Belle as a consultant. Dixie Huddleston borrowed a book from the library forty years ago and has refused to return it (despite many attempts on Cleo’s part). Dixie drives up and claims she is ready to return the tardy tome because she has seen the signs that state she is dying and wishes to settle her affairs. Cleo and her beau, Henry Lafayette (best to take a witness in case Dixie pulls one of her tricks again) arrive at Dixie’s home the next morning to find the back door ajar and they smell smoke. They find Dixie dead in the pantry courtesy of the swarm of bees locked in with her. Chief Silas Culpepper arrives and puts Cleo at the top of the suspect list because of her long standing feud with Dixie over the library book. Cleo immediately sets out to clear her name plus find Dixie’s killer. As if there is not enough going on in their small town, citizens begin receiving death threats causing paranoia and panic. Cleo questions likely suspects and gathers clues trying to pinpoint the guilty party while trying to reign in Belle with her outlandish ideas. Cleo will need to keep her wits about her to thwart a killer and outwit Belle.

Read on Arrival is the second novel in A Bookmobile Mystery series. While it can be read alone, I believe it is best to indulge in Better Off Read first. Read on Arrival is nicely written with steady pacing and unique characters. Cleo Watkins is 75 ¾ and has no intention of retiring from her position as head librarian at Catalpa Springs Library. She has discovered she enjoys tootling about the countryside in her bookmobile-Words on Wheels. Cleo has Leanna, her assistant, to keep an eye on things at the library for her. There are a variety of quirky characters in the story ranging from Cleo’s gentleman friend, Henry to Deputy Gabby Honeywell to Rhett, the bookmobile’s Persian cat mascot. Catalpa Springs is a typical small Southern town where gossip spreads faster than maple syrup on a hot stack of pancakes and there are some unusual residents like Dixie. Humor is rampant throughout the story. It reminded me of the slapstick comedy reminiscent of I Love Lucy and The Three Stooges. There is plenty of activity in Read on Arrival with Dixie’s murder, death threats on coffin shapes items, Cleo investigating, and Belle trying to ruin the library. I did have to remind myself that this was a work of fiction (reality cannot be applied). Someone cannot get away with keeping a book checked out for 40 years today (twenty years ago, but not now). The situation with Belle is also unrealistic. Libraries do wish to attract readers, but they will not toss out their books to accomplish it (or rip off the covers because the colors do not match their color scheme). The mystery was straightforward, and I easily identified the killer (it was a piece of cake). There are pointed clues and a limited number of suspects. My favorite phrase from Read on Arrival is “don’t wake the slumbering human bed” from Rhett, the cat. Read on Arrival is a lighthearted, humorous cozy mystery with killer bees, death threats, a delinquent book, mimes, two dead bodies, a sleuthing librarian, an “innobrarian”, and a mascot named Rhett.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Many readers much younger than our protagonist wish they had her energy and verve. At 75, she runs the library including its rebuilding, drives the bookmobile, has an active social life, including a beau and is accompanied by her trusty cat. Her dance card is full without a scheming woman who is trying to schmooze the library out of Cleo’s control with some outrageous ideas. That could be a full time job just trying to minimize the damage. When she finds her life long nemesis, who has had a book for 40 years and loves to torment Cleo, dead in her pantry from bee stings, the town isn’t sure if Cleo is just the magnet for bad luck or guilty of murder.
This story is filled with over the top characters including the deceased’s son who goes around town dressed in his mime costume and of course Belle, the woman who wants rid the library of those nasty things called books. Amidst all the insanity, Cleo is well grounded. She is also pretty good at finding murderers. Sadly, she twigs to this one almost too late. There were a few moments when there was enough reason to suspect another character but I sussed out the killer from the very start.
It seems Dixie, the deceased, was a rotter to everyone who crossed her path from her own children to her supposed friends and colleagues. She stung so many people it is almost poetic justice that bees kill her. It seems what goes around, comes around. However nothing bogs down what turns out to be a light and easy read. It could be a great summer read. Just make sure there are no hives around.
Four purrs and two paws up.

Nice to see older characters living life to the fullest. Returning the library back to a restored condition becomes nearly impossible. Frustrating characters. Some get their comeuppance, others will be back another day to cause trouble, I'm sure. A surprise ending. Never would have guessed the culprit. A pleasant read.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Bookmobile mystery series, featuring Cleo Watkins, a 70-something librarian and driver of the bookmobile, Words on Wheels. Cleo had been working to have a 40-year overdue library book returned and also dealing with the inane ideas proposed by a kooky library consultant, backed by the library board, who wants to get rid of the books and make the library modern.

Oh yes, Cleo also deals with a murder, in a cozy, genteel Southern way.

While I've read the first in the series, readers could start the series with this book.

I love the supporting cast of characters, especially Cleo's best friend, her "gentleman friend" who runs the antiquarian bookstore in town, and her neighbor, a young police deputy. This is a terrific, dynamic, fun-filled cozy peopled with a quirky cast of characters.

Note, however, that with all the talk of pies and pancakes, you might find yourself craving those as you read this book.

Highly recommended!! I'm eager to read the next installments in this series.

It didn't take me long to to have two people on my list of who I wanted to show up as a murder victim. As soon as I met Dixie I knew she was not long for this book. Cleo isn't as focused on her, she just wants to get the very long overdue book back and to get Dixie out of her hair. For the past 40 years the woman had refused to return a library book, claiming it to be her lucky charm. Given that this is set in a very small town with a library housed in an old house, such things seem possible. Dixie enjoys playing her teasing games against Cleo, promising to return the book then making a fool out of Cleo. No wonder, when Dixie is found dead, done in by a swarm of bees in her pantry, more than a few people put Cleo on the list of suspects. Time for her to gather her friends together and start finding the real killer. Adding to the stress of the reopening of the library and finding a killer, Cleo and her assistant librarian, Leann, have to push back on the looming threat of their comfortable, traditional library becoming an almost bookless one. A new bookmobile has come to town.....without books! Not if Cleo has any say in the matter.
The two books in the series don't have to be read in order. The humor is strong and the mystery is well crafted. The characters are quirky and very small town Southern. Great for a quick weekend read.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

All Cleo Watkins wants is for her beloved library to re-open and to get her hands on the delinquent library book Dixie Huddleston has taunted her with for the last 40 years. When Dixie turns up dead in her pantry, and newcomer Belle sets her eye on completely restructuring the library, Cleo certainly has her hands full. A nice returning set of characters and the mystery was fun to solve. Senior sleuth + library + nice story = 5 stars!!!

Read on Arrival is the 2nd installment of the Bookmobile mystery series. Cleo Watkins is a 70 something librarian and driver of the bookmobile. Over the last 40 years she has been trying to get Dixie Huddleston to return an overdue book. She has said she would do it in the past but never did. She now tells Cleo she is going to return it and the reason is she feels the signs are there she is going to die. When Cleo and Henry show up at her house they find her dead. Cleo suspects murder and tells the police that but she never believed she would be a top suspect. In addition to this a new librarian wants to go bookless... what. The book moves at a good pace and is an enjoyable mystery. Cleo is a great character and I like that she is older.

Read on Arrival is the second book in this series, but the first one I've read. I really liked the book and have now bought the first one to read. Cleo is such an interesting character. The way she's written, I feel like I know her. I also love the bookmobile aspect of the series as my town recently started a bookmobile for kids, who might not otherwise get to the library to check out books. I was honestly stumped by the murder mystery. The author crafted, not just a well-written mystery, but characters I love getting to know. I can't wait to read the first book in the series, and I'll definitely read the next one.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own.

“Read on Arrival” by Nora Page is the second book in the ‘Bookmobile Mystery’ series and it was an excellent read. The first one in the series was ‘Better Off Read’, although I have yet to read it. I don’t think this hindered my enjoyment of this one in any way.

What highly entertaining mix of mystery and mayhem! This was a wonderful cozy mystery which was both lovely and enjoyable. It made perfect reading for me between other more intense novels. It was funny and quirky with a fantastic plot. The characters were very well drawn by Nora Page and I especially liked the protagonist, Cleo. She made a perfect amateur sleuth and I liked that she was an older character who showed that she was game for anything.

This book was a great package of fun and excitement and although it was quite long for a cozy, it was a perfect book to enjoy whilst relaxing on the sofa with a large mug of hot chocolate.

I really appreciated the clever writing from Nora Page in this novel which kept me intrigued right to the end. Whilst there was plenty of substance to this mystery and an abundance of red herrings to mislead the reader, there was a high comedic value, too.

With its great story and wonderful characters, I would recommend “Read on Arrival” to all cozy mystery lovers out there who are wanting an easy-to-read weekend read. If you prefer more humour than a mystery to your cozy reading then this would be a good choice.

I will be looking out for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my own request, from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Read on Arrival: A Bookmobile Mystery
By Nora Page
Crooked Lane
May 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Librarian Cleo Watkins is extremely protective of her “Words on Wheels” bookmobile, especially since the Catalpa Springs Library Board president Mercer Whitty seems to consider both of them outdated and overpriced. Cleo is justifiably threatened by his infatuation with Belle Beauchamp’s attention-grabbing BOOK IT! mobile library, as its noisy, carnival-like atmosphere overshadows all book-lending functionality. Perhaps that’s why Cleo decides to focus her attention on her White Whale of an overdue book, one that Dixie Huddleston has kept out of circulation since she borrowed it 45-years ago. For decades the real estate agent has taunted Cleo with the ever-accruing overdue fines, so she’s more doubtful than hopeful when Dixie once again promises its return. Cleo still can’t ignore the chance to finally have the book back where it belongs though, which explains why she happens to be the one who discovers Dixie dead, locked her in a closet and done in by a fatal bee sting and tampered medication.

Cleo and Dixie’s lifelong warfare was never a secret, placing Cleo high on the suspect list in the eyes of the town and the newly empathetic, seminar-trained police chief. Cleo’s not the only one to have conflicted with the manipulative, greedy, and cheating real estate though, she there’s numerous candidates as the killer. Dixie’s son plans to use his inheritance to start a school for mimes, her daughter feels triumphant that she won out by never apologizing before returning home, and a former client blames Dixie for a home filled with toxic mold poisoning. When paper coffins filled with dire bad luck threats spread paranoia and fear throughout Catalpa Springs, Cleo grows worried about the safety of herself and her friends. An attack on her bookmobile, trail of blackmail victims, and additional murder all spur Cleo into action and use her librarian-honed observation skills to track down both her missing book and a murderer.

Librarians and library aficionados will adore the septuagenarian biblio-professional and share Cleo’s horror at the thought of a library cataloging books not by Dewey Decimal but by color. A“bookmobile” filled with color-matched, but completely impractical and title-obliterating, book jackets? Community centers are one thing, party central sites are another. Cleo’s lucky enough to have friends who support her sentiments, including her young protégé Leanna ready to uphold the librarian cause, Cleo’s gentleman-friend Henry Lafayette, and his pug Mr. Chaucer. They bring out the softer side of a very serious Cleo, who adores her Persian cat Rhett Butler and somehow finds herself nearly adopting Dixie’s submissive best friend. Readers will be more than ready to rally for the cause to save the “Words on Wheels” bookmobile, especially if it means spending more time with the very practical, witty, and reluctantly empathetic librarian.

This seems like a fairly ordinary cozy mystery, but it's surprisingly good at keeping emotions up with the library business as well as other crimes. Great characters, good story and plot.

Read on arrival
My first book by thus author, though second in the series. I loved the quirky characters in this story, it made me smile oft times. The ongoing feud between the 75 year old main character and and her frenemy Dixie over the return of a book 40 years overdue was cleverly written. Till she went to her place to get the book back finally and found her dead. Cleo then started her investigation...

The plot of the book though bordering on ridiculous was still fun to read. The story moved well, it was still a slow read. Some of the humor was a bit silly to me in parts. Overall a good read.

I enjoyed this second novel in the Bookmobile Mystery series. The colorful and whimsical cover is inviting, and I appreciate having a variety of ages for the primary characters, especially being just past middle-aged. The characters are realistic and likable, and the mystery intriguing and challenging.

Cleo is head librarian at Catalpa Springs Library. At 75, her 50th anniversary of being the longest-serving “biblio-professional” in town is weeks away, sharing the library grand re-opening. It is undergoing renovations due to a downed tree earlier in the year. Cleo and her assistant Leanna oversee the renovations, and Cleo drives the repurposed school bus known as Words on Wheels, the library bookmobile, with her pal and library mascot, a gorgeous orange Persian, Rhett Butler. She loves delivering books to a halfway house, senior living communities, and places where folks simply get to the library during business hours.

Along comes Belle, with her bubble-headed ideas that are foreign to library lovers, but sound innovative to those without a clue. Mercer Whitty, president of the library board, is one who doesn’t have a clue. Belle drives the bookmobile from a neighboring town. Except for one little, tiny problem. The silver Airstream is towed by her red pickup truck and graced by her miniature pony, Lilliput. But There. Is. Only. One. Book. Propping a window open. Clean lines, sparkling counters, check. Books for children, non-fiction, community history, too messy. Mercer is enchanted by this fast-talking innovator who wants to consult at Cleo’s library to make it fun. Mercer will pay from his foundation to keep Belle in his library and life. Even when she wants to remove bookshelves and books. I have great empathy for Cleo!

If there is any other bane to her life, it is Dixie. Dixie checked out a book, “Come Home with Lady Luck” that she has refused to return or pay the overdue fines of 40-plus years. Dixie stopped by in a panic, convinced her luck had run out because of omens and signs, insisting that Cleo meet her to collect the book. Cleo took her gentleman friend Henry, but Dixie didn’t answer the door. Going around the porch, they smelled smoke, and dashed into her kitchen to find a fire on the stove. After putting that out, they try to find Dixie. She was locked into her pantry from the outside, with a threatening coffin note, Dixie dead on the floor with a room full of bees. Later it is discovered that her epi-pens had been tampered with. Dixie’s son and daughter in law were going to be kicked out of the cottage in back, so they were suspect. As is Cleo, whose determination to get the overdue book back was well-known. Dixie’s estranged daughter shows up, and her best friend, Pat, wants Cleo to help her find who killed Dixie.

The story was riveting, and I appreciate Cleo, best friend Mary-Rose, Leanna, and Henry. Seeing the ladies vie for attention, especially Belle with her ideas, led this reader to have sympathy for Cleo. The mystery was almost secondary! The author skillfully kept it at the forefront, and it was a true challenge. I followed a couple of the red herrings, but finally saw the light…only a couple beats ahead of Cleo. I highly recommend this surprising, funny, compelling read to those who appreciate well-written cozy mysteries, libraries, and … books!

From a thankful heart: I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest review.