The Cass Neary books are always a little stressful! I appreciate the pop culture references which are more my speed than Taylor Swift but the books are always a little sad and depressing. There were a lot of deeply unsettling scenarios and the tone was predictable gritty. Very fast paced and readable though.

I love the cover of this book and I was intrigued by the synopsis. I didn't pay attention though that this is the 4th book in the series. While I believe there were some references and storylines talked about, it didn't hinder the book (at least that I can tell).

I loved how Hand incorporated photography - a hobby of mine that I'm always trying to perfect!

Confession time. I made a mistake when I requested this one for review. I had no idea it was the fourth book in a series! I simply read the summary and saw there was a search for an ancient book, rumored to have been rescued from the Library at Alexandria, believed to contain an otherworldly power. I decided to dive in to the book and see if it was necessary to read the previous books in the series and thought that I'd set this to the side if I got confused. There were a couple references to what I believe were probably earlier storylines but overall this novel stood well on its own. It was full of lots of great characters, especially the protagonist, forty-something photographer Cass Neary. Whew, was she messy! She was also determined to track down the stolen book no matter where it lead--even into some super scary places. I was literally holding my breath turning the pages toward the end of the book as she got closer and closer to the book and the people who had it in their possession. I really did like Cass so much that I'll be circling back around to read the other books in this series.

3.5 Stars

I'm a sucker for a hot pink cover, and after reading the interesting blurb, I was thrilled to be approved. Some of my favorite Insta bookstagrammers have been talking about this one recently, so I quickly dove in.

Cass is keeping a low profile as she tries to figure out her next move. Drinking too much, doing too many drugs, and concerned about a former flame, Quinn, she ducks into a bookstore and runs into one of her old friends who is about to conduct a sale of a rare, very important book. But the deal goes south when the buyer turns up dead with strange symbols on his forehead. What follows is a Da Vinci Code-esque mystery, Cass and a collection of motley characters with targets on their backs, searching for the stolen Book of Lamps and Banners.

So before I get too far ahead of myself, I will say that I didn't know this book was the fourth in a series when I started reading it. It can be incredibly hard to start in the middle of something, and I was concerned that too much would be lost with three previous books, but Hand does a great job of giving enough information about the past without dragging the plot with summaries. You get that Cass has had a difficult past, has made some tough choices, and is wanted. I'm sure reading her previous adventures would give her character more layered motivational understanding and a deeper investment in her success, but you do not need to have this knowledge to enjoy TBOLAB.

The mystery itself is fun. I enjoyed the kind of rough-and-tumble atmosphere with characters who aren't your typical scholar stereotype. Having read another book this year about the black market of book sales, I loved the attention Hand paid to counterfeit book details and the realm of rare book collecting. The search for the book and the underlying purpose of TBOLAB was also an interesting twist. I find coding fascinating, and Tindra's character gave an eclectic, sharp edge to what finding the book could do.

While some sections of this read a little dense and repetitive, I enjoyed the way the story unraveled and would definitely read the next installment in the series. Cass is a great character with a lot of potential. A little Lisbeth Salandar, a little Tom Hanks in professor mode, I think a lot of readers will have fun with this one.

Big thanks to Mulholland and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Couldn't get into it -- because I didn't realize it was the fourth book in a series. There's good stuff here and I think I might enjoy this if I ever manage to pick up the earlier books (I love a mystery plot that involves old tomes) but for now I just couldn't get a grip on it.

The fourth in this series is full of hard bitten characters all escaping traps of their own making.Cass wants out and hears of a book bound in skin that just might bring a price point that would insure a clear break for her and Quinn her boyfriend. The ending is a moment worth the price of the book.

I am not the reader for this book. While a mystery it became to mixed up for me. The romance between the character while giving a good " next book coming "ending. Never really became a romance. The search for the book lead in interesting twists.

Fourth in the Cass Neary series, of which I've only read the first. The plot is rather silly (an ancient book that everyone wants that can mess with your mind, shades of Dan Brown) and the frustratingly self-destructive photographer protagonist who never recovered from the punk 90s is a mix of smart, vulnerable, and annoying, On the positive side, it's extremely well written and has some interesting things to say about visual art, which is a recurring feature of her fiction.