I have never been so happy to see a dead body in all of my reading life as I was when Tristram Cummins’ corpse was discovered in the library of Middlebank House, the home of the late Lady Georgiana Fowling’s First Edition Society.

Lady Georgiana Fowling died of natural causes – after all the woman was 92! – four years before this story begins. She was a collector of works written by the female authors of the Golden Age of Mystery, particularly Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marjorie Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and Josephine Tey, among others. Daphne du Maurier’s works are also included in the library, not because she wrote mysteries – not exactly – but because she was a personal favorite of the late Lady Fowling.

Lady Fowling may be dead, but the Board of the charitable society that inherited her house and its contents – along with Lady Fowling’s secretary and personal assistant, Mrs. Glynis Woolgar – seem determined to preserve the library, the house, and its contents like a fly trapped in amber. Even if that is far from what Lady Fowling would have ever desired.

Hayley Burke, the newly appointed curator of the library, is determined to move the Society and its Library into the 21st century. She sees her job as placing the Library as prominently on the list of Bath’s literary-related attractions, such as the nearby Jane Austen Centre, as can possibly be arranged as quickly as can be managed. Or can be gotten past the Board and the Society’s Secretary.

Even though Hayley doesn’t know a thing about the Golden Age of Mystery – she knows plenty about ways that a literary site can put itself on the map, having previously worked – albeit in a rather junior position – at the Jane Austen Centre which has done an excellent job of just that.

The discovery of a body in the Society’s library, the morning after a contentious meeting of a local writers’ group, seems a bit too much like it’s straight out of the pages of one of the Agatha Christie novels sitting on a nearby shelf, The Body in the Library.

Whether inspired by Christie or not, that discovery, and the police investigation that ensues, certainly does put the First Edition Society on the map and at the top of mind of a whole lot of people who would otherwise never have heard of the place – in spite of Hayley’s best efforts.

But it’s not the kind of attention either Hayler or the Society actually wants. Because with all of the amateur and professional sleuths on the premises, someone will eventually deduce that the one person who should be an expert, the curator herself, doesn’t have a clue.

Escape Rating B: As much as I usually enjoy this author – and I’m particularly loving her London Ladies’ Murder Club (starting with A Body on the Doorstep) these days – I remember that I bounced off of this particular book really hard but didn’t remember exactly why.

So when I hit a hard flail and bail last week, in conjunction with a 2-for-1 sale at Audible, I picked this up in audio out of a bit of desperation. I knew that whatever had made me set this book aside when it came out, it couldn’t possibly be the same thing that was driving me away from the book I had just stopped listening to – with extreme prejudice – in the present.

I started the audio of The Bodies in the Library and figured out pretty quickly what drove me away the first time. OMG but Hayley Burke begins this story as a complete and utter doormat, and her doormat persona has invaded every part of her life.

This story is told in the first person, so we’re inside Hayley’s head – and it’s kind of a boring place to be, quite possibly because it seems like there’s no spine holding it up. Her long-distance boyfriend, her adult daughter, and her repressive, stick-up-her-bum colleague all walk all over her at every turn.

I could rant, but I’ll refrain. The work parts of this exhibition of lack of backbone are the one part of Hayley’s situation that make sense, as these two women share both the job and the house and making an actual enemy out of her recalcitrant colleague is the recipe for a very quick job change that Hayley can’t afford to make.

Howsomever, on top of the more personal aspects of her spinelessness it drove me round the twist. At least until Trist, the leader of that writers’ group, is found dead on the floor of the library and the pace of the story picks up while Hayley picks up her big girl panties and finally starts dealing with her life as well as the mystery that has been literally dropped in her lap.

One of the more, let’s call it awkward, parts of Hayley’s character at the beginning is that she doesn’t merely have impostor syndrome – don’t we all on occasion – but that she IS an actual impostor. She’s not REALLY qualified for the well-compensated job she lucked into. Hayley knows nothing about the Golden Age of Mystery as she specialized in 19th century literature for her degree. For a lot of the story, we see her flailing about in an attempt to hide her lack of knowledge – what we don’t see is her actually rectifying that lack until after the body drops. It’s clear that her continuing forays into the world of Golden Age mystery is going to be part of her journey – and will hopefully induce readers to do the same – but early on I found myself wondering, repeatedly and OFTEN, why she didn’t just stream a whole lot of video because they’ve ALL been done. It wouldn’t have been the same as reading the books, but it would certainly have given her a leg up that she desperately needed.

Speaking of media, however, the audio was fine, and it certainly got me over the rough first third of the book that drove me away the first time around. So I’m glad I picked it up – even though once the story finally got started I got more than caught up in it enough to want to find out whodunnit a whole lot faster than audio would allow.

The advent of that body in the library (all due apologies to Agatha Christie because the cases aren’t much the same after all) turns out to be the making of both Hayley and the story as a whole, which is the reason I ended up at a ‘B’ grade in spite of the character’s and the story’s frustrating and glacially paced opening. By the end, the whole thing shows a LOT of promise, to the point where I’m sure I’ll pick up the next book in the series, Murder is a Must, the next time I’m in the mood for a very cozy and gentle mystery.

Or I want to see how the Library’s cat Bunter is doing with the new visitors that Hayley is hopefully bringing to the place!

AN Agatha Christie-esque mystery that when I asked for it was top of my tbr, I am now not reading this type of book and no longer wish to read it. I love the concept of the book however this book will be for fans of the cosy murder mystery especially for the autumnal season.

I recommend Marty Wingate to mystery readers all the time. There is something about her writing that is just welcoming, like you could just sink into it like a well worn couch. Her newest series is no exception—I’m glad to see her books in something other than e format.

First book in the First Editions Library series and it was an okay start to a series. Hayley has a job as curator for the first editions library society and she is in charge of the golden age mysteries but she knows nothing about mystery because she has never read any. She lets a group of writers use one of the rooms and then one of the writers is murdered and Hayley tries to figure out who killed the victim. Overall it was okay but I thought the part where she has a boyfriend but doesn't really have one since he is gone all the time, then starts liking this other guy so decides to break up with said boyfriend part of the story could have been left out it just didn't make sense, other than that I thought it was okay and had a decent mystery.

Hayley Burke has recently been hired as the curator of The First Edition library in Bath, England. She works along with Mrs. Woolgar to increase the visibility and use of the library. To this end, she allows a fan writing group to hold their weekly sessions there. After a couple of weeks one in the group ends up dead. Hayley works to find the killer because this brings the wrong type of publicity to the library.
Goodreads

The Bodies in the Library is a great cozy mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie. This start of the First Edition Library Mystery series finds our lead character, Hayley Burke, as she begins her new job as curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library. The library is housed in the lovely, Middlebank House, in Bath, England. Hayley lives on the premises along with her coworker, the curmudgeon Glynis Woolgar, Lady Fowling's former secretary.

Although Hayley does have an extensive background in English Literature she is lacking expertise in the specialty of the collection -the Golden Age of Mysteries. If you are like Hayley and unfamiliar, think Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Although I'm sure readers who are familiar with the Golden Age will get an extra kick out of the book, readers who are less familiar will still enjoy this classic cozy mystery. After a body is found in the library, the reader is taken along for the ride with Hayley as she figures out our mystery. Interesting side characters round out the cast and make for a great story. I know book two is planned and I can't wait to read it so I can catch up and hopefully learn more about them.

What immediately drew me into this story was Hayley herself. Although the setting is dreamy for a librarian like myself who loves mysteries, Hayley was a very sympathetic character. As we learned more of her backstory (elderly mother that she takes care of, an adult daughter that still relies on her and a very disappointing ex-husband) you understand why she NEEDS to keep her job and how important it is that she succeeds. I was rooting for her from the beginning and completely invested in her story.

The first book in Marty Wingate’s new cozy mystery series features Hayley Burke, who is just starting out in her role as curator of the First Edition Society Library in Bath, England. The late Lady Georgiana Fowling started the Society out of her love of the Golden Age of Mysteries and collected a vast number of first edition novels. While being curator of the Society is her dream job, Hayley isn’t exactly qualified, as she’s never actually read a mystery novel herself. As a way for the Society to be more visible and embraced in the community, Hayley allows the local Agatha Christie fan fiction writers to hold their meetings in the library. When the dead body of one of the members of the group winds up in the Society library, Hayley takes it upon herself to assist the police in capturing the culprit after finally reading a Christie novel and thinking about how Miss Marple would handle things.

The setting is lovely and historical, and the characters are interesting and fleshed-out, but this cozy mystery didn’t immediately draw me in. It took me quite a while to finish reading, even though I did mostly enjoy it. The plot was a little bit muddled, what with introducing all of the characters and setting up a romance for Hayley, so the actual mystery often felt like it took a back seat. But I do feel like this can be forgiven since it is the first book in the series. I hope that the next entry is more cohesive, and that Hayley has read some more mysteries by then!

I enjoyed this biblio mystery. Hayley is a curator of The First Edition Society in Bath that specializes in Women Mystery Authors of the Golden Age. This book focuses on Agatha Christie. When the local Agatha Christie fan fiction writer's group needs a place to meet she offers the library. Unfortunately one of the members is murdered and the body is left in the library. Hayley decides to become familiar with Agatha Christie books and act like Miss Marple and solve the murder. The mystery was good and there were enough suspects to make it interesting. The solution made sense. I really liked the library and the characters. I am looking for word to reading the next book. Enjoy starting this fun series.

A great option for a cozy reader, especially someone in the book profession. The main character has my dream job, minus the dead bodies.

Great start to this new series. I would love to walk through the library at the First Edition Society. So many fun references to Agatha Christie.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

This book is so much fun and definitely a cut above the typical cozy mystery in terms of writing, character, plot and pace. Haley, the very relatable heroine, has just accepted her dream job as curator of a private collection of books dedicated to women writers from the golden age of mystery -- Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and the like. The job is a bit out of her comfort level, partly due to lack of experience, but also due to the fact that she's never read any of these authors! But she is young and energetic and determined to breathe new life into the collection to attract a new generation of supporters. Just as she is getting her feet wet, there's a murder, and Haley is on the case. Recommend this to readers who enjoy the cozy mysteries, as well as to other mystery fans. It is outstanding.

I loved "The Bodies in the Library"! This was a rich cozy mystery with a delightful twist. The curator of the First Edition Library, which specializes in Golden Age detective fiction, has never read any of the mysteries that the collection is filled with. This was a December 2019 store pick in Sleuth of Baker Street's monthly newsletter. I also recommended the title in a holiday gift guide list, published on my crime fiction review blog.

SAdly didn't have the time to finish reading it (the loan from Netgalley was out of date for me), but I enjoyed the settings and characters !

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, this book is 100% for you! Hayley Burke has arrived at Middlebank to be the new curator for the First Edition Society. Lady Georgiana Fowling, the founder, built the library and dedicated it to first edition novels from the Golden Age of Mysteries. Hayley has no idea what shes gotten herself into, because shes never read a Christie novel. When a man ends up dead in the library she has to turn to the founders love of mysteries to piece the clues.

The characters are so diverse and intriguing. I enjoyed the character development of Hayley as she finds someone who understands her. As her love for Christie blossomed in the book, so did her connection with Middlebank. I had trouble connecting with the characters at first but they soon grabbed me. As a reader who loves Agatha Christie, I really enjoyed the mix of a cozy and traditional mystery! What would Agatha do??

I found the first few chapters rather slow going as I got to know the characters, there seemed to be too many for the plot. I did enjoy the ending and look forward to more from this writer on Hayley’s sleuthing.

Hayley Burke, the reluctant sleuth with a secret, is an enjoyable character.

There are genuinely funny moments and the dialogue is believable. The obligatory romance doesn't bog the plot down or annoy.

The references to Christie's work are delightful. Who can resist a heroine who asks, "What would Jane Marple do?".

I'm looking forward to more in this series. A familiar cast of characters and plot are given enough of a twist to feel fresh and I just had to know who really did it.

The Bodies in the Library was interesting cozy murder mystery that revolved around Hayley’s job as curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling’s First Edition Society at Lady Fowling’s Middlebank House, turned into library containing vast collection of first edition books by women authors from Golden Age of Mystery. It was about fanfiction, maintaining and respecting the legacy, secrets, conflicts, and friendship.

Book was first person narrative. Hayley’s voice was relatable, fun and so very British. Like her, I also haven’t read Christie, Slayers or Daphne books, and similarly I feel so bad for not reading them now. I could see how she felt when her position as curator was questioned.

Hayley’s expertise was 19th century literature. She never read mystery novels, knew nothing about Miss Marple and Poirot. She was lucky to have this job. With job, she was given accommodation in same premises, a grand and beautiful Georgian house. Mrs. Woolger, former secretary and caretaker of society, also lived and worked at Middlebank and didn’t know about Hayley’s lack of knowledge about the Golden Age of Mysteries. She didn’t like Hayleys’ ideas ways of running things. They didn’t see eye to eye. So, Hayley’s constant fear of being taken as fraud and losing her dream job was palpable.

She worked hard to fulfil her job and to spread word about the society, she invited fanfiction writers to society’s library for weekly meet up, but when one of the writer’s dead body was found in the library, that ended up in jeopardizing her job and Society’s reputation.

No clues and many suspects, I was curious to know how Hayley was going to find the murderer. What made the idea even more exciting was, she knew nothing about investigation until she read Christie’s Miss Marple book, The Body in the Library. It was fun to see her growing interest in mysteries and she did wonderful job in gathering clues. We could see how armature she was, not asking questions so subtly, taking risks and not keeping an open mind.

Hayley was great throughout the book. I liked her passion and ideas. Her efforts to keep her job safe. Her relationship with her mother was lovely. I also enjoyed Hayley and Mrs. Woolger contrasting nature in the book and how both could work together when it came to saving Society.

All characters, especially writers, were quirky and inetreting. Author did wonderful job with them. Their fanfiction ideas and stories were fun. It was entertaining to see them inquiring about murder. Each had lot of questions and advise for Sargent who was so frustrated within few days of murder. And did I tell you anything about that cat in the cover. All credit for discovering clues and mysterious things goes to him.

The romance in between murder mystery was sweet. Hayley’s conflicting emotions for Van Moffatt and Wyn Rundle added spice to story. Wyn was really exhausting and I wonder why she liked him in first place. Val was brilliant throughout the book. I didn’t appreciate Val’s behavior in first meeting. He looked a bit jealous but as I knew him more, I liked him better.

What I loved most in the book was modern day setting along with Golden age of Mystery. It created wonderful atmosphere. Description of Middlebank house, the First Edition Society, Bath was mesmerizing. It was interesting to know Lady Georgiana Fowling’s life and her passion. And book cannot be complete without Christie and other mystery writers’ characters.

Suspense was good. I couldn’t guess who the murderer was until last few chapters. And the motive was only cleared in last chapter. End was satisfying and lovely. I can’t wait to see what new mysteries awaits for Hayley in next books.

Why 4 stars-

Everything was perfect but that motive for murder ruined the fun.

Overall, it was promising first book in new series. Interesting writing, atmospheric setting, and cozy mystery makes this book perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and this genre.

Haley is the first curator of the First Edition Society in Bath, England and is working hard to make it a part of the literary community. Hosting a local writer’s group is her first success. Finding the leader of the group dead inside the locked building doesn’t help her cause. Great cast of characters for future books in this cozy series. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

What a great first in series! The Bodies in the Library exceeds the novels in this author’s previous series, and those are excellent – making this an absolute winner! The characters are very well-defined, the setting of a First Editions Library in an older British mansion in Bath, classic Agatha Christie mysteries, and the mystery itself make for an absorbing, wonderful read.

Hayley Burke has never read a mystery, yet she is now curator of the library at Middlebank, home of the First Editions Society. It was the passion and dream of the late Lady Georgiana Fowling, also an author of mystery fan fiction, to have this society and collection of books by women authors from the Golden Age of Mysteries for those who love mysteries as much as she did. It has taken three years to settle the estate, mostly due to Lady Fowler’s nephew, Charles Henry Dill. Dill inherited a huge sum of money, and still believes the home should also be his. That his aunt didn’t feel the same didn’t matter – just his desires.

On Wednesday evenings, a writer’s group of folks who are writing fan fiction meet in the library at Middlebank. When Hayley first assumed her new position, she saw a notice that they were looking for a place to meet, and she offered it, thinking that it would please the intentions of the founder. The group is a bit of a challenge, leaving chairs out of place and arguing loudly over their critiques of each other’s work. Mrs. Woolgar, who had been Lady Fowler’s dear friend and personal assistant for decades, disapproves of them and of Hayley.

Hayley makes plans for the future events at the society, including the hope of regular literary salons to meet to include lectures on 1930’s authors and writings, and local entertainment and culture. Adele, her close friend, board member, and the person who suggested her for this position, suggests she get a co-sponsor, perhaps from Bath College, to help with the lectures. Through this suggestion, Hayley meets Val Moffatt, a lecturer in genre fiction and creative writing. A widower, he is intelligent and charming with twin daughters about the same age as Hayley’s daughter.

Before they could get approval from the college or the board, however, a murder occurs that could change everything for the Society. Trist, the leader of the group of writers, is found on a Thursday morning, dead, in the library. Hayley had seen everyone, including Trist, leave last night, locked the door and set the alarm. There are only three people with keys and the alarm code: Mrs. Woolgar, Hayley, and Pauline, of the cleaning service that comes in weekly. Hayley and Mrs. Woolgar have apartments within the home and would have heard if the alarm went off during the night.

Police believe Trist had been murdered outside and identify what his head had hit. Who would have, or even could have, lugged his body inside without leaving any trail – and why inside the library rather than leave him at the post topper where he died?

Hayley’s mother introduces her to Agatha Christie’s novel, The Body in the Library, which is eerily similar to what Hayley has just experienced. She is enthralled with Miss Marple in the first mystery she reads. She wants to read more mysteries, and she wants to find who the murderer(s) could be – not only to save her job, but to get herself and Mrs. Woolgar off the suspect list.

I really like Hayley and her friend Adele. They are both strong, intelligent women who enjoy their chosen literature genres. Adele is the youngest of the five Society members, all of whom were close to Lady Fowler. We even get to know a bit about each person in Hayley’s well-rounded life, including her mum, her daughter Dinah, and Wyn, the guy who is more like an acquaintance than a boyfriend. I am impressed with how well I feel I got to know the characters in this first in series.

The mystery is even more impressive! This is actually the first time I’ve heard about fan fiction, and it sounds fascinating. I couldn’t imagine how exciting it would be to be curator of such an incredible collection and learn about Lady Fowling to see how she would best want her Society to proceed. The mystery is beyond challenging! I enjoyed watching the interactions with the mystery writers, the police, and Hayley, especially as Hayley went from “leaving it to the police” to helping the police with what she learns. There are a few good suspects, even some good motives – but the problem is still who would be able to get the body into the home, into the library. I highly recommend this awesome new mystery!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

The Bodies in the Library
A First Edition Library Mystery #1
Marty Wingate
Berkley Prime Crime, October 2019
ISBN 978-1-984-80410-5
Hardcover

Hayley Burke recently started her dream job as curator of a book collection focused on the women authors of the Golden Age, authors such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. The late Lady Georgiana Fowling’s personal assistant and now permanent The First Edition Society secretary, Glynis Woolgar, views Hailey with suspicion but she hasn’t figured out the curator’s big secret yet—while Hayley has experience with libraries and literature, she knows next to nothing about the Golden Age or, in fact, mysteries and detectives. The two women do NOT see eye to eye on how Hayley is running things, including hosting a fan fiction writing group in the library, and things certainly don’t get better when a body is found in their own locked room mystery. To get to the answers she needs before her position as curator implodes, Hayley reads her first mystery, The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie, and is soon assisting the police with their investigation, whether they want her help or not.

Marty Wingate has been one of my favorite traditional mystery authors for some time although I’ve been seriously remiss about writing reviews. With this new series, she has created an ambience of the very Golden Age mysteries the Society promotes but with a charming modern-day setting and the de rigueur sleuthing works really well. Kudos to the author for what looks to be a clever and appealing new series.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2019.