Autumn books are here & just in time.
I recently read the first book of the series & enjoyed it very much, so I’m happy to get the ARC for the next instalment. The premise of a secret library is very appealing to me & the book has a clever way about it, it’s hard to describe. Almost like I can imagine the books being wonderful to adapt into a tv show or movie series. It’s very descriptive & rich. Tru is a fun heroine, wise & a huge book lover, so much that she’s risked her job to keep real books in the hands of readers. Her friends are the right amount of quirky & supportive with solving mysteries. The juxtaposition of people who like physical books to computers & ebooks is a perfect plot for a cozy series. I liked this mystery even more than the first one! It has the right amount of suspects & secrets to keep the reader entertained. I’m absolutely continuing on to book three when it releases.

Trudell Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from Cypress, South Carolina, can check out the printed word. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her "real job" upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn't steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.
A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He's heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, she is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

This is the second in a new series by the author. As a retired library director, I am always drawn to books about libraries and librarians. This book continues the premise on the first one with a new problem.....someone is breaking into the secret library and causing chaos. Tru and her friends are determined to find out who it is along with solving the murder. Are they connected?

Unfortunately, it was a grind getting to the end

I began this book with a lot of hope. The previous book, The Broken Spine, left me a somewhat fan of Tru’s, but something happened midway through this story. It became dull and stagnant. There wasn’t enough intrigue, witty dialogue, or curious characters compelling me to stay up late turning the pages, and I found myself scanning large sections.

By the end, there was a spark, but not enough for me to want to continue with this series.

Delightfully bookish and deliciously cozy.

Librarian Tru Beckett has built the secret book room of her dreams in the techy library she works in. But it isn't only bookworms visiting her book nook. A vandal keeps breaking in and wreaking havoc on the little book lover's sanctuary. Amidst rumors of poltergeists and paranormal activity, someone turns up dead behind the library, leaving Tru determined to catch another killer.

This series has such a great setting. I love Tru as a character, and I will happily continue reading along in this series. This book is truly a book for book lovers.

What a great second book in this were!
Trudell loves books, and the remake of the library has taken them all out. Sort of.
Trudell has a secret book room in the basement of the library, where some of the books that were to be dumped now have a new home.
It seems that the book room itself holds secrets.
A murder behind the library gets Tru involved.
Love the characters and especially Dewey the cat. An entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book.

Tru Beckett is a librarian without a library. Well, she's succeeded in building a clandestine book room within her library after it was turned into a bookless technology center, but she can't let anyone know she's secretly loaning out books to the small community, or else she'll lose her job. If juggling both jobs wasn't hard enough, some vandal seems determined to break into her book room, threatening the precarious balance Tru has tried so hard to keep in place. Tru keeps finding books strewn about and damaged, so when a patron tells her about how there have always been rumors floating around about a poltergeist that roams the library, Tru's first thought is to brush it off as a silly superstition. But then Tru discovers a body behind the library, and it's clear her perp isn't some ghost but someone made of flesh and bone, and it's up to her and her trusty sidekick, Dewey the cat, to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again.

I thought the first book in this series was so fun that I couldn't wait to dive into this, and it was just as good! Tru is an interesting character to follow. All she wants to do is protect her books, but she keeps getting roped into these murder cases. She's so clever and I like watching her ferret out all these clues to solve what's going on along with her cat (who is always so helpful in a pinch!). The two of them play off each other in such a fun way that sometimes you forget that one is an animal. I enjoyed seeing more of Tru's friends as they helped her with the case because their dynamic together is so great. I thought the mystery itself was fine, but like with the first book, I found it pretty easy to figure out who was behind everything. There were a few pacing issues, and some parts felt dragged out a bit too long for my taste, but overall, it was a cute read.

Another winner when assistant librarian Trudell and her friends search for who is breaking in to their secret book room in the library basement. Add the murder of a mechanic and the upcoming apple pie festival and this is a perfect taste of fall. Second in the series, neither should be missed.

A secret library!

Tru Beckett has been a librarian in Cypress, SC for a number of years. When the town counsel decided to get rid of all the books in the town library and make it a totally digital library Tru was devastated, especially because all the books were being sold or taken to the town dump. Tru saved some of the books destined for the dump and set up a secret book room in the basement of the library. In A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James Tru gets involved in solving the murder of a man found behind the library. I liked how Tru's friends, privy to the secret library, worked with her to solve the murder. I enjoyed the hints throughout the book that Tru might start dating Detective Jace Bailey. They are so cute together. This was a fun cozy mystery to read.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

If you love books and stories set in libraries, you'll like this book. It has a bit of small town antics thrown in (OK a lot of small town antics). At times I found it difficult to keep the characters straight. But the author always added enough description to help you remember who was who. The story is cute and enjoyable. While I didn't guess who the murderer was early on, the clues were there if you were paying attention. For me, the book seemed to drag at about 70 %. Perhaps I just tired of it. That is my problem not the author's. All in all it is a good read.

In the town of Cypress, South Carolina, the library has been converted to fully digital content. No physical books at all. Is this a horror story? This sounds like a terrifying situation. One of the librarians, Tru, has rescued as many books as she could and stores them in the basement of the library building. She is running her own lending library, but must keep it secret from the head librarian and the town's leaders.

A person is murdered behind the library, and vandals keep trashing the secret library. It is up to Tru and her bookish friends to solve the mystery. The book was fun to read and I liked the characters. I still can't wrap my head around an all digital library. Why can't you combine digital and physical books? I enjoyed the basic mystery and thought it was well written.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Assistant Librarian Trudell Becket becomes involved in a murder when someone finds a body behind her library. She is still running a secret library with the help of a few friends in the bomb shelter in the basement of the turn of the century Carnegie Library and it is being trashed while the library is closed. Is there a connection? A few new town characters are introduced and the enjoyable characters from the previous book help her this time as well. I do wish at age 37 Tru would stand up to her mother more, but she does move her romance forward and that is a nice way to end the story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Cypress Springs Library has gone totally digital! At the insistence of the town manager all books have been removed and replaced by computers, tablets and printers. Assistant Librarian and book lover, Tru Becket is brokenhearted at the loss to her library customers. and has set up a secret library in the basement. The secret book room is only open to select readers so when Tru finds the room vandalized on several occasions she and her friends are at a loss as to how someone has gained access to the library. When a town resident is found murdered in his truck behind the library with a library book beside his body, the police become involved and the Beloved Book Room is in danger of being exposed .Tru, Flossie and Tori run a parallel investigation unknown to the police.placing themselves and others in danger. There are multiple suspects with multiple motives.
While I enjoyed the book and it's exciting climax, I do wonder about a couple of things that jumped out as I read:
1. why doesn't the high-tech library have a high-tech security system?
2. since the town manager who pushed the digital library is no longer around, why haven't print materials been reintegrated into the library?
Perfect Bind (2nd in the series)is a bit muddled for my taste but it has fun characters, romance and a cat that save the day.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Penguin Group for sharing the book with me.

Did you ever finish a book in two days, that you couldn't put down, because you had to find out who did it? That was me while enjoying this read from Dorothy St. James.

Tonight, I miss my friends from the book. It crossed my mind that I could re-read it, right from the start. Slower this time, reading every single word. I might have found my newest favorite author. I love her leading character, Trudell Becket, not Trudy, as she'll remind you. She's Assistant Librarian in the South Carolina town where she grew up. There are two good-looking men interested in dating her and she doesn't sleep with either one. I love it. How refreshing.

My previous favorite author, Sue Grafton, has gone to the great publishing house in the sky. Their protagonists are similar in character. Both Trudell and Kindsey are independent women, working in their chosen fields. They dress for comfort, not following current trends. Men find them attractive, but it doesn't rattle them, they've got other things to think about. Told in the first person, I enjoyed the ride along.

Trudell has a lot going on. There's more than one mystery, more than one secret and more than a few interesting characters. I want to visit them in their little town and have lunch at the Sunshine Diner. I'd visit the library. The fact that there's something going on in the basement makes the visit even more compelling.

Libraries have made some drastic changes in the last few years concerning the question of printed materials. Libraries are busy drawing in younger patrons with gaming and Internet usage. Older patrons are finding crafty events. People come to the library for help in finding their way around the Internet.

The town of Cypress has decided to eliminate all books in favor of an ultra-modern library. This raises the question of the value of printed materials. Has electronic media replaced the need for books? Are books of value any longer? This story hits the topic straight on.

This new concept library doesn't sit well with those who love hard covers and paperbacks so Trudell devices a plan to keep those folks happy. Does this tie in with the dead body found behind the library? Is apple pie an issue? Can her cat, Dewey Decimal, provide assistance? A few likely suspects are evident since there's more going on in the town of Cypress than meets the eye.

If you can't tell by now, I recommend this book. If any of this resonates with you, enjoy yourself.

I received this book without charge in exchange for an honest review.

A PERFECT BIND is a delightful tale filled with greed, jealousy, and closely guarded secrets - and that's just the apple pie bakeoff.

What could be more small town than a (hidden) library, apple pie, and murder? Tru Beckett returns as a librarian fighting to make sure her neighbors have access to good books. When the town drunk is murdered outside of her forbidden library, can she figure out whodunit without revealing her own secret? With a loveable cast of characters and a many-layered mystery all tied up with a blue ribbon, A PERFECT BIND is sure to satisfy cozy readers.

Join our amateur detective librarian Tru when she sets out to solve a murder that occurred behind her library. But secrets will be uncovered and history will come to light.

I am so happy that I gave this second book in the series a try, I loved it.
When Tru Beckett had to deal with a “bookless” library, she decided to make a private room in the library basement, with only a few personally selected patrons.
Keeping the private library well, private, is an intimidating task, and Tru is trying her best to keep the library director distracted.
So far Tru has been successful, until someone discovers a dead body in the back lot.
Now Tru is frantic and and law enforcement is certain she’s hiding something.

This is a great story and I had a blast reading it. It’s well written and the mystery itself will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.
Perfect for a beach read, or simply sitting on the deck.
#APerfectBind #NetGalley

A Perfect Bind " the 2nd instalment in the "A Beloved Bookroom" Mystery series by Dorothy St. James . What a great follow up to book one, I just loved it! Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought...

I really enjoyed this story, throw in some local history from during prohibition, murder and Dewey the cat. What’s not to like!

The mystery moved at a good pace, was interesting and I thought well plotted. I love the characters living in Cypress South Carolina especially Tru and BFF Tori Green and mysterious bestselling author Flossie Finnegan-Baker. Even stern Mrs Farnsworth is growing on me, as well as Annie!

Overall I found it to be a very entertaining read and I’m looking forward to book three to find out what happens between Tru and her Detective as well as Dewey and the bookroom. I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

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

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Awesome cozy. Great setting and a well developed story line ❤️

Loved, loved, loved this book. It has books, mystery, romance, and a great cast of characters. I might like this book a bit more because it features librarians, but the storyline is a wonderful one. Tru, Jace, and the rest of them were fantastic to read. I didn't even guess who the murderer was. Can't wait till the next book in the series.