To be honest, I was just not impressed with this book. I had looked forward to reading all of the books in this series, but have since deleted them from my “to-be-read” list. The syrupy sweet and kissy kissy relationship was just irritating. It makes me sad to have lost interest in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Brooklyn and her husband Derek are settling in to married life when they receive a book in need of repair. Shortly after, a young woman arrives at their door saying she is being followed.. People start getting murdered and Brooklyn feels the answers may be found in Scotland. Adventure and weapons abound!

3.5 Stars

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone, owner of a security firm and former M16 operative, return home from vacation to find an unexpected package. There is no return address but inside is a book, but it’s been sent to Derek, not Brooklyn. Soon Claire Quinn, an acquaintance of Brooklyn’s and an antique weapons expert, arrives looking for her missing aunt who has disappeared from her home in Scotland. It seems Gwyneth Quinn was a former colleague of Derek’s and now he and Brooklyn need to find his old friend while figuring out who they can trust to avoid becoming the killer’s next target.

Little Black Book is the fifteenth book in the Bibliophile series. I’ve read a few of the prior books but not all, so I appreciated the background information on the main characters that was included in the first couple of chapters. What I really enjoyed about the earlier books in this series was the details given about Brooklyn’s book restoration work. There is some of that in this book, but not enough. The book Gwyneth sends to Derek plays an important part in the plot of the book, but I wish Brooklyn would have had more time to restore books.

The plot of the book is interesting if somewhat convoluted at times. The local politics in Scotland and all of the details about antique daggers that Claire shares with Brooklyn and Derek didn’t really appeal to me. However, it’s apparent the book was well-researched. The three end up traveling to Scotland to untimatel solve more than one murder and Gwyeth’s disappearance. I enjoyed seeing Derek and Brooklyn asking questions to get to the truth of the matter. I was surprised when the killer’s identity and motive was revealed, but the solution was a let down for me after a large build-up.

One other downside to the book for me is I find the characters hard to relate to. Few people can afford the best security staff for protection, have a neighbor who is an ex-CIA agent to assist on the case, as well as military helicopters and private jets at their disposal to help them in their investigation. Brooklyn has a unique background as someone who grew up with her parents and siblings on a commune in rural California. Brooklyn is intelligent and caring, but with her upbringing, I would expect her to be a little more down-to-earth. The book has some enjoyable parts. I especially liked the information one of Derek’s brothers shares about secret codes which provides important information in the search for Gwyneth. Fans of the series will enjoy the book, but I prefer the author’s Fixer-Upper series.

~ Christine

Little Black Book by Kate Carlisle is the 15th A Bibliophile Mystery. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading each book in this delightful series. I look forward to a new installment each year where I can go on an adventure with Derek and the feisty, intelligent Brooklyn. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is the featured book and I like how it ties into the story. I thought Little Black Book was well-written with developed, engaging characters. The characters are what keep me coming back. I love Brooklyn Wainwright and her dashing husband, Derek. They have good friends and a large, interesting family (especially the Stone brothers). There is great chemistry between Derek and Brooklyn. It is obvious how much they love each other. Even better, though, they respect each other. The mystery was multi-faceted and intriguing. I enjoyed following the clues and getting to journey to Scotland. There is plenty of action as well. I enjoyed learning about steganography. I like how Brooklyn’s skills play into the mystery. If it involves a book, Brooklyn is your gal. It is great that the author includes information on bookbinding, book restoration, and book art. Thanks to the vivid word imagery, I could envision the mobile Brooklyn is creating. There is some mild foul language (I would rather Brooklyn use creative phrases related to books) as well as repetition of details related to the mystery. Little Black Book became more engaging the further I got into it, and I was sad when my visit to this creative world ended. I look forward to Brooklyn’s next adventure. Little Black Book is a compelling whodunit with a bewildering black book, cryptic clues, a dangerous dagger, a bulky bad guy, an AWOL aunt, and a hunky hubby.

This was a fun seriously cozy read! While there are books involved it's not as bookish as the previous books I've read and while I do enjoy all the talk about antique and rare books it did make it a much faster read. This book focuses a bit more on Derek's unusual past when a colleague he hasn't had contact in quite awhile sends him a book and then her niece shows up with the news that the colleague is missing. What follows is a dash out of San Francisco to Scotland with a trip to Brooklyn's hometown of Dharma. There's some check ins with characters from previous books but not so much that it feels like it takes up unnecessary page time.

Claire is an interesting character and there are a few mysteries about her I'd like to see further explored. And of course Brooklyn and Derek are likable and entertaining. This book isn't perfect and suffers from the same flaws I've found in most of the books. The characters are just a little too perfect and there are more then a couple of coincidences. These might have kept me from absolutely loving this book but it did not interfere with my enjoyment. If you enjoy bookish cozies this is a fun series to pick up!

What I Loved:

Clair Quinn. Clair is a friend of Brooklyn’s that is an ancient weapons expert. She is a fiery redhead who faces her demons head on and who has a devotion to finding her missing aunt. I loved Clair’s adaptability and how she just accepted the dangers she faced to save her aunt. I also loved Clair’s ferocity with ancient axes and throwing knives. I hope this isn’t the last time we see Clair Quinn!

The Gothic Elements. I love love love gothics. New gothics, old gothics, give me a dark and stormy night and a creaking castle with hidden towers and the damsel heroine who finds love. Little Black Book starts with a murder over a book like every other Bibliophile mystery, but this one happens to be Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. When the murder brings Brooklyn, Clair, and Derek to Scotland, we get the drafty Scottish castle with views of the loch, a grimacing lord who may or may not be up to no good, and the trademark damsel… but don’t be surprised if this one saves herself in the end.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Mystery. I am all for a fun, implausible cozy mystery, but this one stretched the bounds a little bit for me. The murder mystery itself was fairly straightforward, but the plot with Clair’s missing Aunt Gwyn who Derek *happens* to know, and the decades long family feud was all a bit much. I was able to follow the threads of the plot until the end when pandemonium broke loose. However, the murder mystery on its face was still enjoyable to work through.

Brooklyn and Derek. This is a standard gripe for me at this point, but it remains – Brooklyn is obsessed with Derek. I get it, he is her husband, he is sexy, and he is all powerful / all knowing. But the two of them have this lovey dovey dynamic where the other can’t do anything wrong, and it is too much. Unfortunately, the “too good to be true” trope spills over into most of the characters, who are all incredibly good looking, the best in their fields, and don’t have a single personality flaw except being too good. Even for a cozy, this is a bit much.

Brooklyn Wainwright and Derek Stone have just returned from a trip to Dharma (the commune where she grew up). Brooklyn feels peaceful, doing what she loves (restoring an edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, when a package arrives from Oddlochen, Scotland addressed to Derek. With his background in high-level espionage, he often gets odd communications, but why has Gwyneth's Antiquities sent him a first-edition copy of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca?

Before long, Claire Quinn, an antique weapons expert who used to work with Brooklyn on "This Old Attic," shows up at their door in a state of extreme panic. She had just flown into San Francisco, straight from her missing aunt's ransacked apartment in Scotland. Why was she at her door? Did her aunt's disappearance have anything to do with the mysterious copy of Rebecca? Was Derek in any way connected to, or acquainted with, aunt Gwyneth? And is someone caring for Gwyneth's cat?

Yes, yes, yes. And yes.

This book takes the reader from San Francisco and Dharma (with a visit to the guru) to a castle in Scotland (which has a new Laird). There are grisly murders with ties to Scottish history, exhibitions of axe-throwing, and enough references and erudition about gothic romances to satisfy every reader who knows and loves the thrills of The Castle of Otranto, The Mistress of Mellyn, and Jane Eyre. The mysteries are deep, braided, and deadly, but these intrepid investigators (and their equally-sharp friends) are up to the task.

This may be the most satisfying entry in the series yet!
5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

Little Black Book: A Bibliophile Mystery
By Kate Carlisle
Berkley
June 29, 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

After spending 10 days with Brooklyn Wainwright’s loving and eccentric family in the wine country of Dharma, she and her new husband Derek Stone are excited to be back at their home in San Francisco. Waiting there for the couple is a British first edition of Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” mailed by Gwyneth Antiquities all the way from Oddlochen, Scotland. While this would be remarkable in itself, far more surprising that the tome has been sent not to book-restoration expert Brooklyn, but to security specialist and former spy Derek. That unexpected twist is quickly followed by the arrival of Clara Quinn, whom Brooklyn first met while working on the television show “This Old Attic.” An expert in antique weaponry, Clara has come to Derek seeking his help in locating her roaming aunt, Gwyneth Quinn. That Derek recognizes her name from his time with MI6 escalates the situation from a spontaneous vacation to something more alarming, especially since Clara has herself been the target of attempted break-ins. Clara’s fears are immediately validated when she and Brooklyn stumble over a body just minutes later, the victim being one of the men who attempted to con his way into Clara’s home.

Now fully believing that both Clara and Gwyneth are in danger, Brooklyn and Derek are able to combine their skills (and family members) to track down the missing aunt and protect them from the looming threats. After Brooklyn discovers methodical pencil marking in the valuable edition of “Rebecca,” help from Derek’s cryptologist brother and Google Translate lead them back to Oddlochen. Derek’s connections have them all whisking off to Scotland on a private jet, where they stay at the authentic Castle MacKinnon with their own wing. Suspicious housekeeping staff, irritable villagers, rumors of a treasure, and intrepid spy shenanigans all have Brooklyn, Derek, and Clara using their considerable and unique skills to follow the trail of clues left by a woman whose life may depend on it.

By this 15th of the series author Kate Carlisle has mastered the technique of blending together a cozy mystery and thrilling action. The mix of Da Vinci code puzzles and bantering dialogue continues to make this series so enthralling and fun, especially when favorite characters reappear as a reward to loyal readers who have long followed their exploits. An impending niece or nephew takes the couple back again for an all-too-brief visit to Dharma, where Clara is given further wise counsel from empathetic Guru Bob. Book lovers will appreciate the eerie connections to du Maurier’s famous gothic novel, while the setting near the Loch Ness will charm vicarious explorers. The complex clues, action fight scenes, and the unbeatable, enviable team of Brooklyn and Derek make this another exuberant entry in the book-celebratory mystery series.

The action, intrigue, and adventure begins with the first word on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last word on the last page in this wonderfully well-written book. Expert bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright and her handsome, hunky, international security expert husband take us through San Francisco, to Dharma in the wine country, and all the way to the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland with murder and mayhem following all the way. Be sure to choose your most comfortable reading chair and have all of your snacks, drinks, etc. nearby because you won’t want to put the book down once you start reading.

Brooklyn and Derek have just returned home from a short vacation in Dharma where they are building a nice vacation home near both sets of parents. They are relaxed and ready to get back to work the next day – until Derek brings all of their mail back from their neighbor’s apartment. There is a package – and both are sure the package contains a book – but it is addressed to Derek and not Brooklyn. Uh-Oh. Just after they open the package and discover that it does indeed contain a book – a rare and valuable copy of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca – the entry buzzer sounds. Oh! No! All of their adventures seem to revolve around a rare book – and now they have one – and there is a stranger at their door.

Their caller was Claire Quinn who had worked with Brooklyn on several episodes of the antique show, This Old Attic, and she was inquiring about a package they may have received from her aunt in Scotland. Claire is in danger! Her home has been broken into, her aunt is missing, and Claire is sure someone is stalking her. The adventure really begins in earnest with the discovery of a body in Brooklyn and Derek’s garage and it continues with more bodies as they retreat to Dharma to elude the villains – and then on to the lovely Scottish village of Oddlochen on the shores of Loch Ness.

Where is Claire’s aunt Gwyneth? Is she still alive? What do these villains want with Claire? What does the book have to do with anything? Who is the villain behind it all? Is it the handsome laird of the castle? Is it the equally handsome estate manager? Is it some of Claire’s father’s old associates? Is it the mob to whom the laird’s father owed money? Is it aunt Gwyneth’s nasty antiques competitor? So many suspects! What is the treasure they are seeking and can their copy of Rebecca tell them the answer?

This author never fails to write an interesting and exciting book. The characters are unique, interesting, likable, and you’d love to meet them all. It was lovely to see that we had a full contingent of recurrent characters with Gabriel, Dalton, Robin, Robson, and Brooklyn’s parents. We also met a couple of characters I’d love to see in future books as well. Claire was really interesting and I liked her a lot, so I’d love to see her featured in future books. Since there was a hint of a budding romance for her, I’d love to see that come to fruition in a future book – maybe while working on yet another adventure with Brooklyn and Derek.

I can definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author. I hope you’ll give it a read and love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Little Black Book by Kate Carlisle is the fifteenth book in the Bibliophile Mystery Series. This is the first one I've read in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm a long-time fan of Carlisle's Fixer-Upper Mysteries and would recommend this series to fellow mystery lovers. There were quite a few call backs in this book so I would recommend reading the series in order. Protagonist Brooklyn and her husband Derek have just returned home to San Francisco when a mysterious book arrives. This delivery brings trouble and a mystery when a friend of Brooklyn's shows up needing help finding her aunt. This duo is on the case and readers to Dharma and Scotland in a mystery you can really sink your teeth into!

Summary:

When Brooklyn and her husband, Derek, are sent a mysterious package they have no idea they're about to be involved with a missing persons case with a few murders thrown in the mix. Their crime fighting skills even take them to Scotland. And all of this involves the beloved gothic classic, Rebecca.



Book restoration expert Brooklyn and her husband, Derek, no sooner walk through the door of their San Francisco apartment then discover Derek's been sent a mysterious package. A mysterious book package, nonetheless. A black covered first edition, signed by the author herself, of Rebecca not only has been mailed to him, but becomes the source of much confusion. It doesn't take long for the plot to thicken with the arrival of Claire Quinn on their doorstep. Her beloved Aunt Gwyneth is missing and a mailing receipt shows the Stones' address. She's searching for information to her whereabouts.

And thus begins the latest mystery in the well loved Bibliophile mystery series by Kate Carlisle. This newest adventure not only brings Claire into the mix of characters, but also the several bad guys on her heels. Nicknamed Mr. peppermint and Fish Face, they're trying to retrieve the book and shut Claire up at the same time. Now, Brooklyn and Derek are trying to figure out how Rebecca plays into everything, but also are trying to keep Claire safe. Turns out Derek and Gwyneth worked together for M16, so dots begin to connect. But where is she? Why are people trying to kill Claire? And what does all of this have to do with the Rebecca book sent to Derek?

I enjoyed this book! More often than not, books in a long running book series start to suffer in content. Mysteries become thin and a smaller part of the story. I can honestly tell you, this isn't the case with the Bibliophile series. The action started right off the bat and continued to the end. I loved getting to know the new characters and was questioning if they were the bad guys throughout. I loved the connection between Derek and Gwyneth. The Scotland parts of the story was fascinating. Kate not only takes you there, but also brings it to life by giving you some of the history. I was glued and didn't want it to end.

Long standing fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy book 15. New readers of the book will enjoy it, as well. While there are a few references to past things, a first time series reader won't be confused by them. A great summer read for cozy mystery lovers.

Enjoyable edition in this ongoing series. This time we only have Derek be gorgeous a few times, and all the other men seem to be also, so not too repetitious. Brooklyn and Derek get home from Darma checking on their soon to be finished new construction home to find a package mailed to Derek, but its a rare edition of Rebecca. Almost immediately a woman that Brooklyn worked with on an antiques TV show as an expert on weapons, shows up at their apartment needing help to find her Aunt Gwyneth that actually worked in Derek's old professional life with him. Thus the trio is confronted with murder several times and it all seems to revolve around the book. Multiple locations, several murders, where it all gets tied up in Scotland, and several mysteries get answered. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an honest opinion.

I was thrilled to be approved for this book since I have tried many times before to get approved for this author’s books. Brooklyn and Derek just return to San Francisco when they’re on the move due to a black book delivered to Derek and a weapon’s expert named Claire. I love Derek. He is like James Bond when Pierce Brosnan had the role. I liked Claire the best. I loved how she wielded an axe and threw knives. The mystery part was decent. I did wonder if it was just going to be moving around and stumbling over bodies. I liked the history mentioned and,of course the books. I love that a Victoria Holt book is mentioned. She’s one of my favorite authors from 40 years ago.

Brooklyn and Derek are back in this 15th installment in this great series.
Brooklyn has a love for all books, so when a mysterious book arrives for her husband, Derek , it’s no surprise that Brooklyn has to figure out what it means.
With the addition of Claire Quinn in this book, I couldn’t read it fast enough.
There were so many twists and turns, and the mystery itself was ingenious. Even though I couldn’t put it down, I was sad for it to end.
I am eager to read the next book in this incredible series.

Brooklyn is mart and funny and great at solving mysteries. She is a character I would like to have as a friend. Her mysteries always center around a book because she repairs books as a book binder. I love books myself so I completely understand how someone could go to extreme lengths over a book. They should stop short of murder though but they never do and Brooklyn always brings them to justice.

Even if you're not a fan of so-called cozy mysteries - and generally speaking, that includes me - I implore you to try this series (as well as, for the record, this author's other "Fixer-Upper" series that's equally enjoyable). That's because, unlike virtually all the other cozies I've had the relative displeasure to read, her main characters are strong-willed but sensible, thoughtful and brilliant women who don't go off half cocked and instead actually contribute something substantial to their stories.

This is the fifteenth in this wonderful series about book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright, who's now married to Derek Stone, a gorgeous, almost super-human security expert (well, okay, that's pretty much standard in cozies, but this guy really is a peach). At her San Francisco workroom, a package arrives addressed to Derek marked only from "Gwyneth Antiquities" that contains a slightly damaged rare, author-signed copy of Rebecca but no instructions on what to do with it. Not long thereafter, they get a visit from Brooklyn's one-time acquaintance and antique weapons expert Claire Quinn, who Derek knows is related to the probable sender of the package and his former M-16 colleague Gwyneth Quinn. But while Claire knows her aunt sent some kind of package, she claims to have no idea what was in it. More to the point, she says her aunt has gone missing - and she's convinced somebody out there is out to get her as well.

That they might succeed is bolstered by the very recent trashing of Claire's apartment and her recount of at least two narrow misses on being killed. When pressed, the only reason she can think of is that as a child, she saw some men, including her now-missing-and-presumed-dead father, planning some kind of crime. When Claire temporarily moves in with Brooklyn and Derek, one of the bad guys shows up again but somehow eludes Derek, his security team and the local police. Strangely, that man soon turns up dead - murdered with an antique dagger. And when the three decide to visit Dharma, where Brooklyn's quirky communal mother lives, yet another of Claire's nefarious stalkers bites the dust in similar fashion.

Finally, enough is enough, and the three decide they're likely to find the answers they need in Scotland, where Claire used to live and from where her missing Aunt Gwyneth disappeared. They're invited to live in a real-life (though somewhat run-down) castle, where clues start piling up like turrets. Getting to the truth - and hopefully, finding Claire's aunt alive - takes a lot of speculation, wrong turns, near misses and puts Derek's security expertise to the test, but it all comes together in the end.

Except not quite. There are a couple of loose ends that I'm sure will follow Brooklyn and Derek to the next book and that's okay - some characters in this one made follow-up appearances here, after all. But the "real" ending, to me, elicited more of a "you've got to be kidding me" feeling than satisfaction. That's because lacking more explanation, what happened was for the most part implausible (I can't get more specific, but the lack of food and water plus perhaps the need for an invisible cargo-lugging 18-wheeler came to mind immediately). A few extra descriptive lines could have cleared all that up, but alas, they weren't there. Otherwise, though, it's another great series entry, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

Oh yes - the book includes recipes for a few of the treats Brooklyn and Derek enjoyed among the earlier pages. Too many ingredients for this cooking-phobic reader to want to try making, but they sure do sound yummy!

This is the latest thrilling installment in the series.
It grabbed me from the first page and did not let me go.
A great set of characters and a story that kept me interested right to the end.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

"Little Black Book" the 15th instalment in the "A Bibliophile Mystery” series by Kate Carlisle. I really enjoy these mysteries and how can you resist this cover. San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is on the case when a rare edition of Rebecca leads to murder in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

I loved this story from San Francisco to The shores of Loch Ness, Scotland. There were two mysteries to this story, I felt one being where was aunt Gwynn and the mystery in the black book and then the murder.

Overall the mystery was interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed.
Had the perfect amount of twists and turns to me guessing till the end.

I feel like some of the side characters are taking on some life changing events and I cant wait for the next book to see how things have progressed.

I was happy that recipes were included for 4 soups as well as cheese scones. Yummy

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been a big fan of this series for both the characters and the mysteries, but the last few books have fallen flat. I felt that there wasn't much to this book and I actually skimmed a fair amount. While this book was not my favorite, I would still recommend going back to the beginning of the series!

"San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is on the case when a rare edition of Rebecca leads to murder in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn and her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, have just returned from a delightful trip to Dharma, where the construction of their new home away from home is well underway, when a little black book arrives in the mail from Scotland. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and there’s no return address on the package. The day after the book arrives, Claire Quinn shows up at Brooklyn and Derek’s home. Brooklyn met Claire when the two women worked as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire’s expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.

Claire reveals that during a recent trip to Scotland she discovered her beloved aunt was missing and her home had been ransacked. Among her aunt’s belongings, Claire found the receipt for the package that wound up with Brooklyn and Derek. Claire believes both her own life and her aunt’s are in danger and worries that her past may be coming back to haunt her.

But just as Brooklyn and Derek begin to investigate, a man who Claire thinks was following her is found murdered, stabbed with a priceless jeweled dagger. With a death on their doorstep, Brooklyn and Derek page through the little black book, where they discover clues that will take them to the shadows of a medieval Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Under the watchful gaze of a mysterious laird and the irascible villagers who are suspicious of the strangers in their midst, Brooklyn and Derek must decode the secrets in Rebecca to keep their friend’s past from destroying their future...."

I don't care if I have to deal with murder if I get my hands on a rare edition of Rebecca!