Sleuthing spinster Librarian! Cleo!

<B>Pros....I rarely found anything I disliked here to be honest. </B>

The story was quite enjoyable, I loved the idea of Words on Wheels, a book mobile! That's smth I'd love to have!
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We deal with not only the crime at hand but Cleo's struggles as an ambitious woman tries to re vamp libraries into not-for-profit libraries! Cleo's insecurities and fears are so fleshed out that that you can feel her dispair as well as her determination to not lose her ground. <P>
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The mystery was neatly solved. I kept on changing the suspects in my head and never did land in the right one.
my second favourite part- the resolution of the mystery, the motives and logics of the culprit were clarified and let me tell youit's really clever!</p>

This was an engaging, fun cozy mystery of a spinster running a town library.

</I>Arc recieved from Netgalley and Publisher. </I>

A Southern Cozy mystery. It was funny in spots and a tad unreal. But, the book is not bad I am sure the cozy mystery reader will enjoy it. Thank you, NetGalley for advancing me a copy.

Small town head librarian Cleo Watkins captains the library’s book mobile, Words on Wheels, and is looking forward to the grand reopening of the library proper. What would make the grand reopening fantastic for her is to get back a forty year over due book. While she’s tried to recover the book from Dixie Huddleston for years, Dixie, who claims the book is her lucky charm and the secret to her success, just taunts Cleo and keeps the book.

When Dixie sees signs and omens, she believes death is coming for her, and promises to return the book to make amends. While Cleo isn’t counting on it, she does go to collect the book from Dixie, but what she finds is Dixie’s body. No book. With so many people Dixie wronged over the years, the list of suspects is broad...and Cleo is on the list! Whoever killed Dixie obviously knew her secrets, her attachment to to the book, and he fears…and Cleo is going to find out who did Dixie in.

Small town life provides a variety of characters, each is unique and provides a different view of the town, the victim, and library science. life. I did not see the murdered until the reveal, which makes this even more fun to read and try to figure out whodunit. An enjoyable read and series.

I absolutely loved this book. The story grabbed my attention from the beginning and I could not put it down.
I look forward to reading more in this charming series.

I received a copy of Read on Arrival from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the small town of Catalpa Springs, Georgia a vile woman has kept a library book for over 40 years.
She tries to mend her ways but dies.
Enter Cleo Watkins runner of a bookmobile who is basically trying to save her library from being turned into a...I'm not even sure what.
The character interactions are great even though the beginning seems to be people sniping at each other, the book does a lot of showing not telling in regards to character traits.
I really enjoyed this one and actually didn't guess the murderer!

I read this ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this book very much. While the second in a series, it is the first I've read and can be read as a stand-alone. Cleo Watkins is a 75 year old librarian, living in Catalpa, GA. She has a cat named Rhett and a gentleman caller named Henry. Surrounded by a group of friends and library customers, she is focused on the renovation and reopening of the town library. While that work is underway, she drives the Words on Wheels mobile library. The story opens with a newcomer, Belle Beauchamp, introducing the BOOK IT airstream trailer that somehow lacks actual books, enticing the library board chair to consider allowing Belle to accept a new position as the 'innovarion' librarian for the town - yikes! While Belle is a new nemesis for Cleo, a long-time one, Dixie Huddleston, is murdered by bees in her pantry and suddenly, the town is awash with suspicious poison pen messages and creepy happenings. A second murder occurs at the town library and Cleo finds herself trying to figure out who is the guilty party and why. A good cosy mystery addition. I love that Cleo is independent, smart, friendly and a great addition to amateur sleuths.

Read on Arrival is the second book in the new Bookmobile Mystery cozy series. 75-year old Cleo Watkins has been a librarian in Catalpa Springs, GA for decades. Her nemesis, Dixie Huddleston, checked out a book from the library 40 years earlier....and has refused to bring it back. At times she has offered to return it...but it has always been a trick. After decades of ridiculous behavior on Dixie's part, Cleo has had enough. She wishes Dixie would just go away. When the tiresome woman is found murdered, Cleo is shocked. She really did want the library's copy of Luck and Lore: Good Luck, Death Lore and Deadly Omens of the Deep South to be returned....but not over Dixie's dead body.

This is the first book I've read in this series. And, I really wanted to enjoy it as I love another popular cozy series with a bookmobile background theme.....but, I really had problems getting into this story. I didn't really connect with the characters or plot. The first few chapters involve a lot of squabbling between characters. I just found that hard to slog through. And the premise of a library allowing a patron to have an overdue book for 40 years.....that just doesn't happen. Long, long ago Dixie Huddleston would have paid the cost for replacing that book. Libraries are funded with public money and run by a board that reports to a city commisison or other government group. If someone checks out a book and refuses to return it....any library would either get the replacement price of that book or the physical book back...not allow their librarian to play a silly game of cat and mouse for four decades. Libraries have book replacement fees put into collections, added onto property taxes or other forced collection avenues....they even press theft charges if a patron absolutely refuses to return or pay for a book. Stealing library books can be a big deal. I found the plot premise of Dixie Huddleston getting by with stealing a book for decades silly. It kept me from losing myself in the story. A 40 year fight over a $10 book.... nah.

The rest of the plot was ok. The mystery moved at a nice pace. And the characters were ok. Cleo is an interesting character. After several decades as the head librarian, she is determined to protect the library and its patrons. But this series doesn't seem to be for me....not every story is for every reader. This one just doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. Middle of the road rating from me, as the writing style is pretty good and the setting/background is interesting and different. I just didn't enjoy this one. Other cozy enthusiasts might really love it. I hope so!! I'm passing on the rest of this series....moving on.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience

Great story! Gets better each time I read it. Wonderful characters. Looking forward to the next book.

I tired to like this book and it had some cute parts, special the pancake mill (what a cute idea!), but the mystery revolves around a fatal bee sting. I have family members with these kinds of allergies and I just can't get any entertainment from allergy fatalities. Other than that, the writing seemed a bit stilted and the concepts of librarianship a bit stereotyped. I didn't get very far, so feel free to discount my evaluation as a book that is just not my cup of tea.

Southern, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, seniors, librarian

If you like Southern cozies with seniors, a librarian, a cat, and a diabolical murder you will do the happy dance over this one! I almost gave up early over all the squabbling that comprised the backstory at the beginning, but that would have been a *criminal* mistake. All that mess really was essential to a very interesting and twisty tale full of red herrings and characters who truly are. The publisher's blurb is pretty good and there is no need for spoilers. Just don't let the very beginning cloud your judgment as there are real clues hidden there!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!