A fun easy cozy mystery. This is the fourth book in the series, and the first I've read, and had no trouble following the story. The main character is Amy, who is the library director in a small town. When human remains are found on her friend's property, she steps in to help do research for the police trying to solve the crime. The characters are well developed and there is a balance of humor and suspense, which is nice. Would recommend. A good book to curl up with on a rainy day.

Bound for Murder is the first book that I have read by Victoria Gilbert. This cozy mystery is set in Taylorsford, Virginia near the Blue Ridge Mountains and was very enjoyable.

The female protagonist, Amy Webber, is a library director in a small town. She loves research and has helped the police in the past. While this is the fourth book in the series it worked well as a standalone novel, although it may add to the enjoyment and understanding of the characters to read them in order.

Amy’s best friend, Sunny Fields, is running for mayor and was raised by her grandparents who run an organic farm, but in the 1960s it was a commune. When human remains are found on their property, both the police and Sunny’s grandparents enlist Amy’s help. Amy has research to do, people to talk with, and a mystery to solve while she plans her wedding to next door neighbor Richard and supports Sunny’s mayoral campaign.

The book is well-written with the right mix of humor and suspense. There are several potential suspects and enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The pacing is just right, but has more intense moments than a lot of cozy mysteries, which added to my enjoyment. The characters are well developed with a charming mix of personalities ranging from likable, intelligent, and independent to quirky to annoying to deceptive. There were several themes addressed within the book including library management, organic farming, county fairs, murder, grief, revenge, deception, wedding planning, drugs, communes and much more.

I recommend this book to readers that like a good mystery, and I look forward to reading other books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Victoria Gilbert for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well-written series with interesting plots and believable characters. I was first introduced to author Victoria Gilbert with the book, Shelved Under Murder, the second in A Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. The book was fun and entertaining and inspired me to read the rest in the series. Bound for Murder is a delightful mix of mystery and charm. I won’t summarize the plot here since you can read the book description yourself. What I will say is the story is well-developed and the ending is satisfying.

I love all the Blue Ridge Library mysteries and this one did not disappoint!! I believe this is the fourth book in the series and recommend reading them in order!!

Amy and Richard are trying to plan their wedding while her best friend, Sunny, is running for mayor. The only problem is when a skeleton pops up in her family history. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their field and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.

Amy is helping the police department gather research, the grands warn ex commune members, and trying to solve a murder. I love the characters and I absolutely love how the books are written. I cannot recommend this series highly enough!!

This is one of my favorite series. Amy is the head librarian when she finds out that a Skeleton is found on her coworkers grandparents farm. She sets out to find the murderer. If you haven't read this series I recommend you do.

When a skeleton is found on the organic farm Sunny’s grandparent’s run, times take them back to the 60s when the farm was a commune. With Sunny running for Mayor, there are some people looking to use this to discredit her and others looking to cover up the murder.

Luckily for Sunny her BFF and boss, Amy, has been working quietly with the police to help identify the bones, but soon she’s also speaking to old commune members and is smack dab in the middle of another murder investigation. When Amy receives several warnings, it’s time to let the police run with the investigation, but sometimes life has other ideas.

A great book to add to your new year reading list.

Bound For Murder by Victoria Gilbert is another captivating book in this series. I love this series and look forward to each new book.

I really admire Amy and Sunny because they are both likable, smart, independent and often too stubborn for their own good. Amy's fiance, Richard, is adorable but definitely a workaholic when it comes to dance. A cold case murder once again puts Amy in research mode for the police department and Sunny's grandparents ask for her help, too. Then another murder happens that might or might not be connected to the cold case which alarms the entire town. The story is well developed with limited suspects, twists and turns that kept Amy hunting for clues. The reveal was riveting for me and I was gripping my Kindle tightly while turning the pages.

I enjoyed returning to Taylorsford, Virginia for the fourth installment of the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. I'd been striking out lately on finding a smart, cozy mystery novel, and am very happy to have found one in Bound for Murder with it's layered mystery.

Review

I was really happily surprised by this find – it’s not the usual sort of crime I’d read, being not very gritty but also not the traditional cozy crime genre variety either. Instead it’s a lovely story, full of imagery and southern charm and a good dose of modern realism and social commentary too. The story runs along the lines of... what would you do if the metaphorical ‘skeleton in the closet’ was really a historic murder that could sink your friends political career? Amy Webber uses real investigatory skills – well, she is a Librarian – to put together a case to prove her friend’s innocence and along the way learns and gets more than she bargained for. I really liked the fact that this was real detection and inquiry, not just physical forensic. A welcome relief.

The only thing I didn’t love was the cover. The image is too fussy and the font doesn’t suit it.

This is a great series and each book just gets better and better.
Amy and Richard make a sweet couple without taking away that it is a mystery.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.