In this new addition to the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, newly married library director, Amy Webber Muir, puts on her sleuthing hat to help her Aunt Lydia's best friend Zelda when she finds herself in a bad spot. When Zelda calls Lydia in distress, Lydia, Amy, and hubby Richard rush to Zelda's home to find Zelda and the body of a woman, dead in her gazebo, apparently shot by her deceased husband's gun. Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and company decide that all clues point to Zelda as the killer, so Amy sets out to prove her innocent. All seems to stem from an incident or two from when the women were in high school chorus. Two high schools in neighboring counties tied for the state title fifty years ago and several girls had some tiffs that left bad feelings. But enough to kill over? The fifty anniversary is being celebrated in a festival in Taylorsford. Richard, a dance professor and professional, is helping with the judging. This story has all the features that I have come to expect in this series: danger, lots of clues and suspects, suspense, Amy sticking her neck out, frustrating Richard, and a surprise killer. There is that newlywed air in the Muir home that adds some romance to the story. A great new story for cozy mystery lovers with an interesting cast of recurring characters set in a lovely setting.
I received a complimentary ARC from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

Amy and Richard are settling down in their new life as a married couple and Richard has a new project to choreograph a suite based on local folklore. It will be a great draw for the town of Taylorsford, VA. Amy, in her position as library director, sets out to find background information. What nobody is ready for is a dead body found in Zelda's backyard gazebo and Zelda refusing to help clear herself of the suspicion of murder. Soon enough two mysteries have to be dealt with - the current one and one dating back fifty years to high school. The dead woman was blackmailing Zelda so there is enough of a motive to point to Zelda as the killer. But if it's not Zelda then it will take the combined efforts of family and friends to find the answers leading to the killer.
The mystery was complex and I just went along with it, not trying to guess the killers identity. There were plenty of twist and turns to keep me engaged to the very end. The usual cast of well developed characters and a great pair of cats are present, making for a satisfying reading escape.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Library director Amy Webber is assisting her husband, dancer Richard Muir, on a new project. Richard and his partner, Karla, are choreographing a suite based on folk music and folk tales, while Amy searches the library's resources to supply background information on the dance's source material. But the music comes to a halt when a woman's body turns up in Zelda Shoemaker's backyard gazebo. Chief Deputy Brad Tucker puts Zelda at the top of his suspect list when he finds a blackmail letter in the dead woman's pocket. Zelda's best friend, Amy's aunt Lydia Talbot, begs Amy to use her investigative skills to clear Zelda's name. But the task is made more difficult by Zelda's who refuses to reveal why the victim might have blackmailed her. To complicate matters, Amy unearths records of a past tragedy that casts doubt on Zelda's innocence. She enlists her friends to help exonerate Zelda. But will revealing the truth end up forcing Zelda to spend the rest of her life behind bars?
This was a complicated puzzle, and a fun cozy mystery. The plot had many different elements to confound the reader. The characters are intelligent, and fun to read about. The library setting is a great hub of information perfect for our intrepid sleuth. And the romantic subplot rounded out a wonderful story. The ending was satisfying and put a smile on my face. I received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Renewed for Murder will keep you guessing as you follow the clues. The characters will draw you into their lifes as they decide to spill the secrets that they've held for fifty years.

I really enjoyed this book and connecting again to Amy, her husband and Aunt Lydia. Zelda's strange behavior in the face of a murder victim being found in her back yard creates havoc for Amy whom Aunt Lydia has enlisted to find out the truth of what happened so that Zelda can be cleared. It is hard to find the truth out when the main suspect, Zelda, is not even trying to help herself. Another great story in this series. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Webber Muir and her husband of 6 months, Richard, are settling in when a woman is shot in Zelda's garden. When Zelda becomes the police's prime suspect, her best friend and Amy's aunt Lydia ask Amy to try to clear Zelda. It soon appears that everything goes back to an incident when Lydia and Zelda were high school students and there was a school chorus competition. It came out that Zelda's boyfriend was also dating someone at the nearby high school, and the boy who was highly allergic to nuts was given a peanut cupcake and almost died. The murdered woman, was the other girlfriend.

When Amy begins doing research on the past, not only does Zelda not help her with information, Amy also begins to get threatening notes telling her to stop. There is a scary confrontation near the end, when the killer wants to get even with several participants in the activities many years ago as well as those investigating the murder. This is a very good read with interesting characters.

Book 6 in this series and once again Librarian Amy Webber finds herself in a life threatening situation after she attempts to clear a friend of accusations of murder.

All the gang is here from the earlier books - husband Richard, Aunt Lydia, Sunny, Kurt, two cunning cats and more. When a body is found in Lydia's friend Zelda's garden and Zelda is charged with the murder Amy is determined to find the real murderer and begins her investigations.

The mystery is extremely convoluted and maybe goes on a little too long. I know I eventually stopped trying to solve it myself and just went with the flow. The resolution was to my mind a little far fetched. However it was all well written, the characters are good and the relationship between Amy and Richard is sweet. I liked the cats too - a very smart pair of felines.

This is the sixth installment of the Blue Ridge Library. This is one of my favorite series. Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the free advanced reader’s copy.

Amy and Richard are settling into married life. However, problems arise when Amy’s aunt’s friend Zelda finds a dead body in her back garden. Everyone thinks that Zelda is the likely killer. Amy knows that Zelda cannot be the killer. Suspicions arise connected with members of a high school singing competition 30 years ago. Amy uses her position as a community library to help the police gather information on the different suspects.

We get to know more about the community of Taylorsford, Virginia. Some of the action was set during the early 1970s. We learn more about Aunt Sophia, Zelda and Walt and how the world has changed.

I highly recommend this series. It is well-written and well plotted. While I was suspicious when the killer entered the book, I was surprised, in a good way, with the reveal. I gave this book 5 stars. I don’t often give five stars to cozy mysteries, even though they are my preferred genre. I am looking forward to more in this series. I need to go back and read the first books in this series.

Amy and Richard are finally married! Yay! Not so yay- the fact that Aunt Lydia's BFF Zelda found a body in her backyard. And, Chief Deputy Brad Tucker thinks she did it. But why? Well, Lydia and Amy don't think she did and Amy sets out to use her research librarian skills to prove it. Turns out, there's an old issue hanging around out there. I liked how the dual time line was incorporated into this latest in a series I liked most of all for the characters. The town of Taylorsford and its citizens are a diverse and entertaining band and Amy, well, she's smart and focused. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier ones- this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

Amy Webber Muir gets caught up in another murder investigation after a woman is found shot to death in Zelda Shoemaker's backyard. Zelda was being blackmailed by the victim, and she is automatically the number one suspect. When Zelda refuses to discuss the murder or her past history with the woman, Amy's aunt enlists her help to clear her best friend's name. Amy uses her research skills to look into Zelda's past. She also looks into a high school chorus competition that took place fifty years earlier. It was a reunion of the chorus group that brought the victim back to town, and it seems there are a number of people who might have killed her to keep their secrets in the past.

RENEWED FOR MURDER is the sixth book in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series. I have read the other five books, and am familiar with the characters and the series. I found RENEWED FOR DEATH lacking in excitement and intrigue. The plot dragged, and I had a hard time getting into the story. Considering the suspect is Amy's close friend, it took Amy a long time to really put in the time and effort to do go about proving Zelda did not commit the crime. Despite the urgency to help Zelda, there was a definite lack of urgency to do anything. Even Zelda didn't seem too concerned with proving her innocence. There were a number of suspects, and the identity of the killer kept me guessing until the end—mainly because the actual killer is never considered a suspect, has no real reason to be considered a suspect, and has a flimsy motive. Overall, the book adds to the series and keeps the storyline moving.

I'm always ready for a visit with librarian Amy Webber and her friends. When Zelda, Amy's hard-working library volunteer is accused of murder, the whole town is shocked and Amy is determined to prove her innocence.

I love cozies that have several mysteries in them and not only does Amy have to solve Zelda's situation, but an earlier event , which took place 50 years ago, is also a mystery - with so many secrets to be be uncovered. It's also fun to see Amy and Richard married, her Aunt's romance, the mysterious Kurt and Amy's best friend Sunny , help to solve the mystery.

An enjoyable mystery you'll want to make sure you plan time to read because you won't want to put it down!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another interesting whodunit from author Victoria Gilbert. I enjoyed seeing all the characters from the earlier books in the series. I was happy to see main amateur sleuth Taylorsford Library Director Amy Webber happily married to Richard Muir. The investigation of the murder was interesting.

3.5 stars

This pleasant enough series features small town librarian Amy Webber, recently married to dancer/choreographer Richard Muir. Amy's aunt's best friend is arrested for murder after a body is found in her back yard. And Zelda, the friend, is clearly keeping secrets about how much she knows.

The mystery traces back fifty years to the victim's and Zelda's high school days and involves a not terribly believable set of dramatic teenage events. The setting and characters are nicely drawn even though the cooing newlyweds get a bit tiresome. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this sixth installment in the Blue Ridge Library series. The murder and mystery appear to be related to a time 50 years prior in the lives of some of the supporting charcters. This aspect was a great way to show more of the connections and history between Amy, Richard and their families and friends, as well as build the current day story. There were many possible killers and motives, and I was guessing until late in the book. Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance review copy!

When police find Claudia Everhart dead in a library volunteer’s garden, Aunt Lydia prevails on her niece, Librarian Amy Muir, to investigate. In the sixth Blue Ridge Library Mystery, Amy sets out to clear Zelda Shoemaker, one of Lydia’s closest friends.

Victoria Gilbert creates entertaining mysteries that involve her well-developed cast of returning characters in the Taylorsford community. This engaging entry includes the essential elements of a cozy mystery – red herrings, complex relationships, and a good pace. Both loyal fans and newcomers will find this read a rewarding visit.

Amy Webber is settling into married life with dancer Richard Muir and hoping to be out of the detective business. But when her most consistent volunteer, who is also her Aunt Lydia's best friend, is accused of murder, Amy has to get involved.

Zelda seems like an unlikely murderer but circumstantial evidence and Zelda's reluctance to answer questions, leads to her arrest. Amy has to use all of her skills as a librarian to find out who murdered Claudia Everhart and clear Zelda.

Amy's research leads to a choir festival fifty years earlier. Zelda, Claudia, and some others were all participants. Their competing choirs are reprising their roles at an Arts Festival hosted by Marty Stover who is the current Arts Director at Leeland High School. Amy's husband Richard is also involved in the Arts Festival since he's judging some of the dancing.

With Zelda refusing to talk, Amy falls back on old newspaper clippings from the Library's archives, old yearbooks kept at the High School, and interviews with those who are old enough to remember to events around that long-ago choir contest. She uncovers all sorts of things from a quarterback with a peanut allergy who was dating Zelda and Claudia at the same time to a car accident that claimed the life of another of the choir members.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery. I liked Amy and Richard's relationship. I also liked the way Amy tries to keep out of danger while still helping the Sheriff's Department with their investigations.

This is the sixth in a series but stands alone quite well.

I would like to thank NetGalley for a eARC.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend to anybody who loves cozy mysteries. This is the sixth book in the Blue Ridge Mystery series. Victoria Gilbert did an amazing job in writing this story. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In the continuation of this series, library director Amy and her new husband encounter another mystery when a woman is murdered in a friend's backyard. The friend is implicated in the murder, but Amy works to try to prove her innocence. I've read several of the books in this series, and found this one a bit less interesting than previous books. The plot line is rather thin and the identity of the murderer is rather obvious in the writing. Also, the interactions between Amy and her husband are a bit over-done and seem to take away from the main story. It's an average cozy mystery, but I've read better episodes in this series.

Solid read. Amy and Richard are still enjoying their domestic bliss when they stumble over another body. I like all the clues as Amy noses around. I try to figure out who the culprit is before the truth is revealed. I like the setting and all the library stuff. Keep writing this series to scoop up clues, Ms. Gilbert.

Here is another fun and entertaining cozy. Amy and Richard are newlyweds. The town is hosting a musical program. Members of long-ago choirs are back and repeating there performance winning numbers. In the midst of this, a body is found in the backyard of a library volunteer and friend of Amy's Aunt Lydia, Zelda. All clues seem to point to Zelda, but Amy knows it can't be her.

This starts off a fun cozy. Who are these people and can grudges from 50 years ago really be the reason for murder? Amy will find out.

This is an engaging read. Fun twists and turns are in the story. The characters are great and story easy-to-read and is a nice chance to relax.