I had high hopes for this one. In the end it was fine, but not quite as engaging as I had hoped it would be. I loved the idea of a cozy mystery with a protagonist who fell in between the spry ingenue and the frail little old lady that tends to be the more typical way these stories are set. Add in the quirky eccentric owner of a vast collection who is unexpectedly paired with a wry and very intelligent librarian and it certainly seemed like a recipe for success. Unfortunately I must confess that I found Cam more irritating than quirky and Jane much drier than I hoped she'd be. And the whole plot moved a little more slowly than I expected. Since I like my cozy mysteries very heavily character driven, that combination made this one less engaging to me personally.

it was a little bit boring tbh.

jane hunter is an elderly librarian who finds a job at cameron clewe's house, aircroft estate.
they have a particular interest in common, both of them enjoy mystery and detective stories.
on monday, her first working day after a fundraiser gala that took place on a sunday, she enters the library only to find a dead body on the floor.
clewe and hunter work together to find the murderer and in the process, they find clues that may solve new mysteries.

cam's character was intriguing but we didn't get to know him very well in this book, maybe in the future ones. at one point jane seemed like too much for me. she was irritating and too pushy but i guess that was the point.

it definitely had potential but imo i don't think they reached it.

My thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane for this arc to review.

Jane Hunter is a retired librarian hired by Cam Crewe to catalog his book collection when Cam s ex girlfriend Ashley is found dead on the property. Cam asks Jane and his secretary to assist him in finding out whodunit.

Loved this book. Easy cozy read. Shades of Miss Marple. I look forward to more with these characters.

This was an entertaining mystery set in NC. Jane Hunter is 60 and recently retired (forced into retirement by leadership changes apparently) at the university library that she had worked at for some time. She is not left with a huge retirement so as she seeks another job, she is given the opportunity to help Cameron Clewe catalog his huge collection of vintage mysteries and many other things in his mansion. Cam is a somewhat eccentric millionaire, only 33 years old and also a recluse: he never wants to leave his house. You get the impression that he is perhaps on the autism spectrum, but it is never confirmed.
Just as Jane begins her job, she walks into Cam's library and finds a dead body. It's the body of Cam's recent girlfriend who he broke up with recently. Needless to say, Cam is probably the number one suspect. As Cam uses his very considerable brains to try and solve the mystery, Jane becomes his sidekick and leg man [woman?].
This was an entertaining book but there were a number of things that I could pick at (including little things such as, if Jane sold her house and moved into a small apartment, why doesn't she have that many furnishings; what exactly happened to cause her to retire, etc.) but it doesn't interfere with enjoying the story.

I love Victoria Gilbert. First off she has the same last name as my Best Friends Maiden name. But seriously I love her mystery books. I have read all of the Books overseas B&B and loved them, also have read the Blue Ridge library Mysteries. You can't go wrong with anything that she writes and this is included with that. I loved the older main character. She is perfect for me as a character, I find myself looking for older main characters as I myself get older and this did not disappoint. Can't wait for the next installment.
I think that this is the best yet in the series. I am completely obsessed with this group of characters and would buy anything if they were in it by Martin Davis. I read half the book in one sitting or was so good and engrossing. Great Job!! Can't wait to see what lies ahead for the next installment.
I just reviewed A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert. #ACrypticClue #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I found this to be an easy read. The dialogue felt natural and the character reactions also felt natural, so in that sense, the book felt realistic. I was invested in the plot. However, at times, I felt that it was too fast-paced to follow along. It’s one of those books that I read in one sitting because I needed to know how it ended as fast as possible. The duo of Jane and Cam as a mystery-solving team is nicely set up for future books. That said, I felt like it was a fairly standard murder mystery in the way the clues were assembled and with the red herrings. It’s a solid mystery, though I would like to see how the characters are expanded on in future books.

A Cryptic Clue is a wonderful start to this delightful new cozy mystery series. Retired sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, a former university librarian, is hired by wealthy thirty-three year old Cameron Clewe, to inventory his rare books and artifacts. Before she gets much work done, Cam's ex-girlfriend is found murdered in the library. The victim, was an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, and Cam is the main suspect. Cam decides to investigate to clear his name, but with limited social skills, a little agoraphobia, and a great deal of anxiety, he will need some help. Jane decides to help him with his investigation. but wonders if he is really innocent? There are lots of suspects. the cook. the housekeeper, the victims own family, and an ex-boyfriend, among others. This book was fast paced and had a solid plot which I enjoyed immensely. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and to netgalley for providing me with this advance readers copy. I can't wait to read the next one!

I’m so glad I took a chance on reading an advance copy of this book as I hadn’t previously read the author’s previous books. I thought this was a great start to a series. There are several interesting characters, and, in addition to having a clever mystery in this installment, it set the stage for future books in the series. There were many twists and turns in this case, and I was surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author and recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary cozy mysteries.

“On the day I met Cameron Clewe, I thought I was changing job. I had no idea I was also changing my life”
“There’s a dead body in the library”
I absolutely loved this book !!! An entertaining mystery with some Miss Marple’s vibes that I really enjoyed !!!
Inspired by “A body in the library” this is the story of two very unconventional people finding themselves together, solving a mystery in the most unexpected circumstances… and I very much believe this is not gonna be the last time they do!!
I loved the way the story increased enthusiasm and excitement over the mystery and the solution to every doubts surrounding it. I completely devoured the book to the point that I literally could stop reading it. I felt caught in the narrative and intrigued by the plot and I really liked the characters’ dynamics too !!!
I’m very glad I had the chance to read this story and I truly hope this is just the beginning of an adventure for the author !!
“Suffering is individual, and not necessarily motivated by circumstances”
“Your suffering is real. Your pain is valid”

I had a hard time following this story. Unfortunately it did not want me wanting more. I had to stop and put it on my DNF list.

A Cryptic Clue is a classic cozy mystery, and a good mystery at that, one I didn't solve ahead of time. The writing was engaging, the protagonist strong, and the book was hard to put down once I got into it. Highly recommend this one and can't wait to read more of Gilbert's work!

When Jane is forced to retire from the library she finds a dream job organizing and cataloging a private mystery collection. When her boss's previous girlfriend is found murdered in the library he becomes suspect number 1. Can Jane and his administrative assistant clear him? Is he really innocent? Recently retired myself I found Jane a totally relatable character and whole her boss is eccentric he too appears to have some admirable qualities. This is the first in a series, part cozy mystery, part suspense and definitely an enjoyable read.
#ACrypticClue#NetGalley#CrookedLaneBooks

Clever story involving a retired librarian and an agoraphobic millionaire and their crime solving partnership

Interesting literary mystery. Would make a good young adult suggestion. In the cosy mystery category genre

I really enjoyed this story and I found Jane to be a very likeable character.
While doing a large inventory of thousands of books, Jane finds herself involved in a murder investigation.
I'm not sure how I felt about the other characters, a few seemed annoying in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

What a fabulous cover! This was a very enjoyable cozy read. I am recommending it to my mystery book club. I love that the female protagonist isn't a 30s pretty young thing. I couldn't put this form and found myself finishing it in a day. I loved it!

Looking for a second act, Jane hunter is hired to work on a young recluse’s rare book collection. No sooner does Jane start than she finds a body in the library, Cam’s ex. While Jane is loving her new job, the fact that her boss is the main suspect could mean the end of her newfound second act.

Cam claims his innocence and vows to clear his name, but he’s going to need Jane’s help. The question she has to really answer is whether this man she really doesn’t know yet is innocent. Can she help clear Cam’s name or did she just sign up to be the Devil’s accomplice?

I love all of Victoria Gilbert’s work and this new series has be doing a happy dance. She’s a wonderful writer and is on my list of authors whose work I follow. A new series from her is just icing on the proverbial cozy mystery cake! If you haven’t read any of Victoria’s work yet, you’re in for a treat!

This is a classic cosy - body in the library of a big country house, with housekeeper, chef, gardener and other staff, the odd weekend guest/hanger-on, so necessary to round out the cast. The characters of Jane and Cam provide a lovely complement to each other. I found Cam's social awkwardness rather endearing and I am sure there will be plenty of opportunity in future books for him to blossom. I received this book as an advance copy for review from the author via Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to @crookedlanebooks for the Read Now copy on @netgalley !

I curled up with this one this past weekend and loved the murder mystery who-done-it story. There are multiple motives leading to a variety of potential outcomes which keeps the reader guessing throughout!

With a retired librarian and an intelligent, wealthy heir working as amateur sleuths, Gilbert has set the foundation for an interesting series! These two characters provided an interesting dynamic and I would hope to see a few of the supporting characters again, too.

This felt like reading a book about the board game Clue, in that there was an abundance of suspicious characters moving around a possibly haunted house, and the reader is brought along as two amateur sleuths race to find out who the murderer is and whether they know them.

This was an easy read, that flowed well, with characters I would have liked to get to know a bit better, so I'm curious about a potential next book!

Oooh, this was a cozy read. I really enjoyed this one. I will recommend it to the mystery book club. This is one that people will grab based on the cover art alone and an awesome mystery!