Tru Beckett is the assistant librarian in her small town. She’s always loved books, so when the town manager comes up with a plan to turn the library into a bookless “technology center,” she does the only thing she can think to do. She saves as many books as she can to set up in a secret bookroom in the library’s basement. She and her friends are almost done with their book rescue mission when the town manager is murdered, killed under a shelf of DVDs in the main library. The police are looking at Tru as a suspect, certain she is hiding something from them. But in order to keep her secret, and the books, safe, True has to find the real killer. Can she do it?

As a book lover, I immediately sympathized with Tru in her quest to save the books, and I love how that secret added an extra layer to her motivation to solve the murder. A couple of times, I thought the plot was slowing down, but then something would happen to jump start it again. The result was a book I never wanted to put down. I loved how everything came together at the end. The characters were all strong, even a couple who only had a few scenes. This is a strong, fun debut, and I can’t wait to visit Tru again.

I love libraries and reading so I thought that I would really like the main character, Trudell Becket, and the storyline. Instead I have mixed feelings. I am not sure how to explain what leaves me feeling unsettled.
The book opens like there is a heist going on. Trudell's friend, Tori brings a previously unknown man to the stealing of the library books. Charlie helps them with moving the books but who will he turn out to be? Can Trudell trust Tori anymore when Tori has been hiding big happenings from her?
Did the 80 year old librarian kill Diggur or was it Anne, the new emerging technologies library assistant. The police focus on Trudell.
Jace, the new police detective, grew up in the town and humiliated Trudell back in the day. Now he is playing good cop, bad cop in the way he treats her.
Once I got into the story, I did want to know how it was going to end and stayed up to finish, but I still feel unsettled about the characters, the secrets and the outcome of the mystery.
I did like it so I'll give it 3 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the book prior to release.

Although not a book I would purchase in my professional role, it is one that I will be recommending in my personal life! Thank you so much for allowing me to have access to the digital arc!

The Broken Spine is the first installment in author Dorothy St. James Beloved Bookroom Mystery series. Trudell Beckett of Cypress, South Carolina, is a book loving assistant librarian who loves her job at the library among the books, or "friends," as she likes to refer to them. But Mayor Goodvale and town manager Duggar Hargrove and new Library IT tech Anne Lowery have a new plan to push their poor town into the future. They want to create a modern, bookless library. They plan on removing all the books and purchasing tablets for the patrons to check out.

They'll have a cafe, a maker space with 3D printers and such, as well as recording studios. But the books have to go. Not many other people are happy about this and Trudell decides to take matters into her own hands by smuggling some of the books down to the basement to start her own secret library in the library's old panic room. She and her friends Flossie and Tori Green, along with Charlie Newcastle who moved to town to open a book store, decide that they are going to open a secretive library of their own where people love love actual books, and not just e readers, can come and find a book they want to read.

Things get side tracked a bit when Hargrove is found dead, and Trudell is one of the primary suspects. To make matters worse, Trudell is surprised to discover that the lead detective, Jace Bailey, the one who humiliated her in high school and took a scholarship away that she worked her ass off in order to receive, is back in town. While the investigation into Hargrove's death proceeds, Trudell decides that she will also open a mobile library for those who have a hard time getting to the library, and just want to hold an honest to goodness book in their hands. Truth be told, there are bookless libraries around this country now, especially in Texas.

A bookless library typically uses the space that would have once been used for books to offer public computers, e-readers and other technology used to consume and produce digital media. Over the last decade, driven by changes in scholarly communication, several major research libraries have successfully become bookless. To me, books are the heart of any library. It's what keeps me busy reading and keeping my mind off the real world. In this world, the library and its books helped Trudell get through some difficult times growing up. As a cat lover, I also loved Dewey, the cat who seems to have the ability to communicate better than some of the human characters.

The Broken Spine
By Dorothy St. James
Berkley
January 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

For librarian Trudell Becket, the unthinkable is about to happen. Her beloved library in Cypress, South Carolina is about to go “bookless,” meaning that their entire physical book collection will be chucked out as they go digital and high tech. Leading the push to embrace e-books and databases is the new town manager Duggar Hargrove, who has little regard or patience for Tru’s appreciation of what he sees as obsolete. So while Tru doesn’t exactly shed a tear when Duggar is crushed to death by DVD shelves, she knows that an intensive investigation could threaten to reveal everything she has planned for the future. Unknown to the mayor and officials who have ordered all of the library books to be discarded and destroyed, Tru has been smuggling a curated collection to the basement, where she and her besties intend to run a literal underground library bookroom. Using low-tech card catalogs and manual checkouts, Tru and her friends hope to preserve the honor of her profession and cater to those who feel ignored by the mobile, Wi-Fi generation.

Nearly as threatening as the investigation that could expose her unauthorized library is the investigator leading the case. Detective Jace Bailey shattered Tru’s heart and nearly got her flunked out back in high school, and he seems to have no remorse or intention of apologizing. While she is led to a clue linked to The Maltese Falcon, Tru feels much more comfortable following the lessons she learned from her beloved Nancy Drew mysteries. In order to prevent her bookroom from being discovered and to protect her heart, Tru will have to use all skills as a librarian and mystery reader to catch the killer in the library. And if the culprit happens to be the IT tech responsible for digitalizing and making the entire collection electronic, all the better.

This first in the series will undoubtedly appeal to book readers and library lovers, as it highlights the charm and value found in holding a physical book. It’s not just for nostalgic reasons that Tru creates her secret bookroom, as she rightly sees it as a community space and sanctuary for those not comfortable with computers and mobile devices. Tru’s place in the community as their librarian and neighbor is naturally and smoothly developed, with her ready to lead her own bookroom under the shushing, judgmental head librarian aboveground. Librarians will of course see Tru as a leader for the times, secret superheroes doing all they can to educate, entertain, and comfort patrons. A cat named Dewey only further pushes this book to the top of every cozy reader’s booklist for the year.

The Broken Spine is the first book in the new Beloved Bookroom Mystery series by Dorothy St. James. The premise is completely captivating and I was excited to read about Trudell and the upcoming changes her town's library. Tru is determined to vocalize her displeasure with the new format and doing so puts her in the crosshairs of Cypress's finest. Her sleuthing and trying to figure out who committed murder inside the library also puts her in the crosshairs of some not-so-desirables, too.

The thought of a bookless library terrifies me and I spent a good portion of the first few chapters completely anxious and reading in complete disbelief. I was horrified that anyone would think a bookless library is a good idea. While not a new concept (after doing some research on the topic), it's new to me and I would never support a bookless public library. I love my print books way too much. I have an e-reader (which is how I read The Broken Spine) so I'm not against the use of technology, I just don't think bookless libraries are the way to go - much too post-apocalyptic/dystopian. I totally understand Tru's reaction to the new library concept. Please understand I'm a Gen Xer and, while completely computer literate, I'm still old school in many, many ways.

Tru's passion causes her to make some silly mistakes and decisions, and sometimes her character seems juvenile in her actions and responses. Fortunately, Tru has helpful friends in Tori and and I enjoyed their interactions. Her reaction to Jace's return home to Cypress is extremely bothersome to her and I understand her feelings. What I didn't understand is the resolution to her conflict. I didn't find it to be resolved satisfactorily. For something that plagued her for so long, the engagement between her and Jace regarding said treatment fell short for me. I didn't expect there to be a long drawn out drama session but the quick resolution didn't sit well with me. This was just a small portion of the book, however, and didn't spoil the book overall. This was just an observation on my part.

I found the book to be well-written and fast-paced. I was engaged from the very beginning. There are a lot of potential suspects and I had fun trying to figure out who committed the crime. I was totally blindsided. The murderer was someone on my list at the beginning but one I crossed off until closer to the reveal. The reason was staggering and I couldn't believe what I read. I look forward to seeing Tru's next shenanigans.

I was provided a copy of the book to read.

I did enjoy this book but it did drag in some parts. The characters were good but I just wasn’t connected to them like I would have liked. I will pick up the next book in the series because in the second book you are more likely to see growth with the characters. Now I kind of guessed the killer in about the middle of the book but that isn’t a deal breaker for me. I have a friend who would love this book and I can’t wait to recommend this book to her. I will also be picking up more of Dorothy St. James series in the future.

I was excited to read this book, as the premise sounded like a fun new take on popular tropes in this genre: library-cat-love/hate romance-secret book protector protagonist. I wasn't disappointed since I knew what I'd be expecting, having read this author's other series (Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries), and similar series such as Ellery Adams' Book Retreat series, Eva Gates' Lighthouse Library series, and Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers.

The unique spin on this series is the shift from tangible books to digital, which of course is quite relevant for what is happening in society right now with everything going virtual as a result of COVID. I could completely relate to the main character's resistance, as it was mine too at first. It's always a challenge to let go of the familiar and step out into the unknown/ try new things. However, that doesn't mean that technology or "newness" is always bad - sometimes it's for the best. And there are both good and bad things about pretty much anything. Tomato/ Tomahto.

I was really reminded of Fiddler on the Roof when I read this book - so many people trying desperately to hang on to old traditions. Unfortunately, I didn't see much growth in the characters over the course of the book. Instead, they stayed pretty true to stereotypes (but I'm holding out hope for more maturation as the series continues). And I didn't find Tru's love interest, Jace, to be likeable. Girl can do better!

However, that being said, there was some fun humor, snappy writing, and awesome scenes with Dewey Decimal! With all cozies, it's to be expected that you'll have to suspend some disbelief at how everything comes together in the end. It's definitely a cute read and I'd recommend it to cozy lovers. A light, enjoyable read with sweet characters, comic relief, and a happy ending where justice is served .....well, honestly, what can be better than that?!!!

This is the first of a new cozy series. It covers all of the bases with small town, library, possible love interest detective, cat and best friend brigade. Maybe somewhat formulaic but still entertaining. Good plot and lots of good characters. Looking forward to seeing this series develop.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

The Broken Spine is the first book in a new library cozy series by Dorothy St. James. Due out 19th Jan 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a small-town library murder mystery cozy complete with cat. I found the characters formulaic and "trope-y" and the plotting predictable (down to the does-he-doesn't-he handsome detective slow-burn love interest and over the top denouement). It was, however, an engaging pleasant read and honestly there are reasons why cozy readers like me love their cat-library-cozies. There were some problematic plot issues (like the town-wide conspiracy to stay silent about the library-in-exile which is in the SAME PHYSICAL BUILDING as the new "improved" electronic library and media center upstairs). There was altogether too much pearl clutching school-marm-ish shushing and Victorian rigidity in the characterizations of the librarians and quite a lot of unnecessary antagonism between the "we hate books" library of the future and the "we hate electronics" library of the past. I'm all for the "can't we all get along" majority in the middle and I have yet to see even the most fervent lover of e-readers who thinks paper books are a thing of the past. Furthermore I've yet to see even the most hidebound bibliophile react with hatred to e-music, film, and media collections. The characterizations were predictable and two dimensional (down to the brightly dyed purple stripe in the young female tech-guru's hair).

One of the major (really *the* major) plot device(s) is so beyond the bounds of possibility that it just never really achieved liftoff for me. No spoilers, but it's the main impetus for the first murder and all subsequent plot action.

I do recommend the book to readers who are especially fond of small-town librarian cat cozies, but understand that there are some major issues going in and bring a hefty suspension of disbelief to the party.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A wonderful new library themed cozy mystery - The Broken Spine is one to check out! ;) the storyline of the bookless library is haunting enough for THIS librarian, but the reason why the library is going bookless had me hooked and reading to the end!

This didn't work for me, unfortunately. I found the plot to be fairly over the top while also being quite predictable. I also didn't like any of the characters, who all felt quite "tropey" and often jumped to conclusions or took actions that seemed completely out of character or just did not make sense. I also felt the writing left quite a bit to be desired, particularly in terms of explaining things that, in my mind, absolutely did not need an explanation. Overall, this was really not my cup of tea, but big fans of cozy mysteries perhaps may enjoy this more.

Thank you to Berkley (Penguin Random House) for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Broken Spine comes out this coming Tuesday, January 19.

The Broken Spine is the 1st in a new cozy mystery series called A Beloved Bookroom Mystery. Trudell Becket is an assistant librarian in small Cypress, South Carolina. When the person responsible for a complete technological overhaul of the town library is murdered, Tru is at the top of the list of suspects. So Tru and her best friends—Tori and Flossie—set out to solve the mystery.

If you like cozy mysteries, this could be the start of a cute new series. It seems like a lot of the first books in a cozy series start with a book like this—lots of setting and character development to set the stage for future books in the series. I liked the characters enough to check out the next one when it comes along!

Dorothy St. James has launched a new series with The Broken Spine. The series is called A Beloved Bookworm Mystery. What a fun, new storyline! Trudell Becket is the assistant librarian in Cypress, SC. The new town manager has convinced the mayor and council to convert the library into a bookless one, an all digital one with computers and tablets. All the newer books would be sent to third-party reseller companies. The older books were to go to the local landfill. Tru needed a plan. She needed to save some of the books so she set up a secret library in the basement of the soon-to-be bookless library above. Then the town manager was murdered and Tru became a suspect. I really like how Tru and her friends investigate and search for clues to the identity of the real killer. Along the way Tru adopts a homeless cat who ends up being a hero. This was a fun read. I look forward to more books in this series.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Broken Spine is the first book in the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series by Dorothy St. James.

I’m a fan of the Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series by the author so I was excited when I heard about this series. The premise sounded interesting, but I was disappointed.

Trudell is the Assistant Librarian and at one point mentions she’s been out of high school 15 years. That would make her in her 30s, but she seems immature. The supporting female characters are one-dimensional. Charlie and Jace were a little better. I loved the cat, Dewey.

There was a lot of jumping to conclusions about who the murderer was and then trying to find evidence to support it rather than investigating.

I’ll give the next book a try because I like the author’s other series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Broken Spine is a good start to a new cozy mystery series, featuring a small-town librarian in South Carolina. Tru (short for Trudell) is dismayed by the town’s plan to update the public library to be a completely bookless library. Of course, since this is a cozy mystery, trouble ensues, someone dies, and Tru is one of the main suspects, due to her vocal opposition to the plan to send all the library’s books to a landfill. There is a stray cat, an old high school nemesis turned detective, and an assortment of locals who liven up the action. I’m a fan of cozy mysteries for light reading in between more substantial books and this one fits the bill. Libraries are my happy place, so I’m a bit biased. It will be interesting to see how the author follows up with additional books, to see if this series has staying power or not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

A bookless library? That could be the start of a horror story, not a cozy mystery! Yet in this first in a new series, the town of Cypress, South Carolina is sending most of their books to the landfill. Only certain select books will be sold, and the rest are destined for the **gasp** landfill! This novel combines unique, book-loving librarians and a new generation who prefers computers, tablets, and e-readers. The mystery is creative and a challenge to solve. Many of the characters embody the gentility and propriety, not to mention humor, of the South.

Tru is the assistant librarian in Cypress. The town manager, Duggar, is leading the way into the 21st century. He claims that being the on cutting edge of digital materials and the technologies he and Mayor Goodvale have been drawing to town will make it the Silicon Valley of the South. The books are boxed up, awaiting to be hauled to the landfill, and each box indicates what is inside. Tru, a book lover who is appalled at the loss of these treasures, including rare and first editions and local historical documents, decides to break the rules. She, her best friend Tori, Tori’s new boyfriend Charlie, and older friend Flossie, choose the most important of the library’s collection, including beloved early editions of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series. They will house the secret collection in what was once a WWII bomb shelter in the basement of the library. Only book lovers who could be trusted with the secret will be invited to visit. Tru will share books by hand with those who couldn’t be trusted to keep the secret.

Anne has been hired as the technology specialist for the library. She is from California’s Silicon Valley and loves the paperless world. Mrs. Farnsworth, head librarian, at age 79 has worked at the library over 50 years and has seen many changes. Despite her aversion to destroying books, she won’t break the rules to do anything about the books other than to allow Charlie, who is opening a used book store, to take those tomes he feels he can sell.

The morning after Tru and her friends have moved the rescued classics to the secret library, she hears a huge crash from the main floor and hurries upstairs. She finds that a huge shelf of DVD’s fell over in the media room, and Duggar, the town manager, was dead underneath it.

Tru becomes the main suspect, with Anne pointing the finger at her – while Tru thinks that Anne could be behind the deed. The detective in charge of the case is Jace Bailey, bringing better high school memories. He doesn’t remember her at first, but Tru remembers Jace. She tutored him so he could remain on the football team, then he betrayed and humiliated her in front of the whole school. He remembers how she said that books were her best friends, and has no trouble believing her to be guilty.

The characters are an eclectic group of very well-defined people. I like Tru the best, and Flossie, the octogenarian. They are both dedicated enough to doing something about saving the valuable tomes of the library, and I quickly felt a kinship with them. Several people could have done the deed, including Tori, Charlie, Anne, and even Mrs. Farnsworth. The one thing that I found less than endearing about Tru, however, was her yearning, at her age, to be a modern-day Nancy Drew, her childhood hero. Dewey, after the Dewey Decimal System, was a stray cat who decided he wanted to be the library’s mascot, and Tru adopts the furry friend with very unusual markings.

While I didn’t know the correct motive, I did have an idea who killed the town manager. Other suspects looked interesting but none of them fit quite as well. There were surprises to be had, including why Duggar wanted the paperless library to begin with. I am looking forward to seeing the future of the secret library, and highly recommend this start of a new series!

Although it did not grab my attention, fans of cozy mysteries may enjoy it.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This cute small town mystery centers on the local library being threatened with losing all its books in favour of a digital-only revolution. Our heroine – and the books’/readers’ – is mild-mannered library assistant Trudell. She’s trying to capture a street cat and secretly saving books from the soon-to-be-dumpstered collection when the chief architect of the revolution meets an unscheduled end.

This is a fun book, quite light, and with some physically comic moments. There are several fascinating snippets about book history and construction sprinkled throughout. The main and secondary characters are likeable if a bit flat. The relevant clues seemed to me to jump off the page, but our intrepid heroine did not put one and one together, let alone two and two. The cat was a nice touch, leading to several cute moments and revealing the most humanizing aspect of the returning police detective’s personality.

Although it’s the first in a new series there doesn’t seem much reason for readers to root for these characters going forward.

The Broken Spine is the start of a new cozy mystery series featuring librarian Trudell Beckett. The leaders of Tru's small Southern town have decided to turn the library bookless and replace everything with computers and tablets to bring the town into the future. All of the library's print books are destined for the landfill. Tru is in the middle of an illicit book rescue operation when she discovers the body of the man responsible for the "bookless library" project, which immediately makes Tru seem to be the obvious suspect. She has to work with her friends to solve the mystery in order to clear her own name.

This book is a decent cozy mystery with some fun characters. At times the Southern-ness felt a little over the top, but I admit I don't have firsthand experience of living in small town in the South. As a librarian myself, the library focus probably made me like the story a bit more than I would have otherwise.