I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

Jane is a retired librarian who starts working for a rich, attractive man (Cam Clewe) with a flawed personality at Aircroft. On one of the first days on the job however, she oversees Cam and his girlfriend, Ashley Allen have a heated argument. Fast-forward to the gala Cam is hosting and Ashley is found dead by Jane.

Jane is sent to look for clues to clear Cam's name while doubting Cam's innocence herself. No one in the book seems entirely innocent and Jane must piece together the puzzle before the murderer gets to her.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing and interested. I had no clue who the murderer was and I frequently was changing my guess just about every chapter.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was that the murderer seemed so unattached to the story. When they were revealed to be the murderer I was literally like, "who is this person." Although they were a part of the story, they weren't a very big part and I feel like it could've been a little better if the murderer was right in your face the whole time, but someone unexpected.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries especially the "Truly Devious" series. This book definitely is a perfect book to read for fans of that series.

Author Victoria Gilbert, brings readers the first book in a new mystery series. At a crossroads in her life, Jane Hunter has gotten herself a new job cataloguing a wealthy landowner's personal collection leaning on her many years of experience as a research librarian. She anticipates fascinating discoveries in a collection riddled with pivotal pieces of the Mystery genre's history. What she could not have expected however, was murder.

I received this book via NetGalley and I've been pondering on it for about a day now, wondering how I feel after the read. I requested this book based on the premise, having never read any of Victoria Gilbert's other cozy mysteries. I deeply enjoyed the character of Jane Hunter as she was a mature, experienced adult who demonstrated a sharp wit and clear self awareness.

I cannot say I had the same positive affection for Cameron Clewe, our other primary character and wealthy landowner. He just was not likeable for me despite numerable pointed comments about his lack of social skills and an attempted redemption arc regarding the struggle of his family life. It came off as trying to be reminiscent of Sherlock, the misunderstood genius with a mind only for puzzles however he did not quite demonstrate brilliance enough to convince this reader.

Cam's moment of triumph, his display of brilliance when he solves the mystery does bring me to my primary disappointment with this book. The reader is incapable of solving this mystery themselves. They can certainly make guesses, but the information that ties it all together is never shared with the reader. I will allow that because I did not care for Cameron as a character, I am guilty of speed reading through his scenes so may have missed a pivotal comment, but I am fairly confident the necessary key relationship is hidden from readers.

Despite that annoyance, this was a solid mystery and I will be on the watch for a second in the series!

Jane Hunter is starting a new job at 60, cataloging a large book collection for reclusive, 33-year-old, multi-millionaire Cam Clewe. But on her first day, before she can even get started, she finds a dead body in Cam’s library, the dead body of his ex-girlfriend, Ashley. With Cam as the prime suspect, the break-up was not amicable, he turns his puzzle solving mind to uncovering the real murderer with Jane’s help since his mild agoraphobia hinders his ability to get out and about to question the suspects. Soon it becomes apparent that there were many people who wanted Ashley dead and most had the opportunity to kill her.
I initially found it easier to like Cam with all his prickliness, he is obviously somewhere on the spectrum, than it was to like Jane. Her inner voice that seemed so cynical and suspicious to begin with was a bit off putting but a scene in which she connects, really connects, with Cam and his insecurities led me to like her a lot more. The mystery is well plotted and while I suspected who the murderer was it was not apparent until fairly close to the climax in which all was revealed. There are several mysteries within the book and only the murder is solved leaving plenty of questions to explore in future books. I look forward to more in this series. Recommended

This is just what I needed after reading too much horror and thrillers! I love the characters, the author's writing style and the overall vibe of the book. Although, there were some parts where it got a bit draggy but I think it had more to do with the ARC format on Kindle than with the actual writing. Apart from that, I absolutely love this book. The author absolutely captured the charm and suspense of classic mystery novels and successfully added it to make a contemporary cozy mystery. On top of that, Jane is such a likable character and I love her wisdom. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves cozy mysteries.

The premise of this story made me want to give this a read however none of the characters were really all that interesting. The mystery dragged on until I found myself skipping pages to the end. The setting was the only thing that I enjoyed.

I was literally hooked by chapter 5, and that’s early for me.

By chapter 9, I love the socially awkward characters and the stereotypes that are not true to their words and I love that it’s the “mansion on the hill…” type feel of a mystery. It’s really interesting and sort of thrilling too!! I’m dying to figure out the answers to this mystery!!

By chapter 28, I’m my interest is starting to wane because it’s starting to feel pretty unrealistic. The “questioning of witnesses” with people opening up this lives to complete strangers feel very over the top. I dunno anymore about this now. Hmmm….

Also the main character got snippy and made some nonsense conclusions throughout that got annoying. So I found myself wondering aloud whether or not I had chosen wisely, when deciding t9 read this book.

About 65% of the way through, there was a remark about the murder mystery, made by the author, that stated, “It was definitely a puzzle—one whose numerous pieces didn’t yet fit together to create a clear picture.” That’s how I felt at this point- confused, with so many characters introduced that I couldn’t keep them straight, and I hate that feeling. It’s like you had to do homework on the characters, flipping back and forth to remember who was related to whom, and that just made the reading feel like a chore. I sure was hoping that this story gets more interesting….

It did. I actually became more interesting as the story went on. I had the characters still mixed up in my mind. However; I liked the ending and it was a satisfying ending. There was a twist in several ways that made me feel like I am looking forward to the next book in this series. All in all- a nice read.

I did learn something interesting too, while reading this book that I hope is true. Apparently, per author Gilbert, “from the 1840s to the late 1980s, the acid in wood pulp–based paper caused print materials to deteriorate rapidly. It was a fact that saddened all librarians who dealt with printed materials created during that time period, since so many books and other documents often crumbled in their hands.” I was fascinated that it lasted so long- thru the 80’s? It’s just a fact 5gat I want to tuck away for later, if it is true.

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Gilbert, and Crooked Lane Books for supplying this advance reachers copy without charge in exchange for an honest review.

Cam Clewe and Jane Hunter join forces in this first book in a new series, as they try to find out who killed a party guest. Jane is a librarian who is cataloging Cam's library collection. However, part of her duties seem to be helping Cam clear his name as a potential killer of Ashley, his ex-girlfriend and a party guest at his estate. There are many suspects, since Ashley seemed to have accumulate quite a few enemies. Everything is solved at the end, with a promising lead into the next book in the series.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

When librarian Jane Hunter has to take early retirement she isn't best pleased, nor is she in a position to live on only her pension. Cameron Clew is a collector who needs an archivist at just the right time and soon the unlikely pair find their love of mystery fiction being put to real life use when Jane discovers a dead body in her new employer's library. Unfortunately the victim had close ties to more than one of those visiting Cam's home and so he and Jane join forces to try and discover the killer before they strike again.

This is a new protagonist for successful author, Victoria Gilbert, whose other series I have loved. Unfortunately, for me, this first book never gets going and I felt no engagement with either Jane or Cam. The investigation never seemed to have any urgency about it even in the final scenes. Usually I give first books the benefit of the doubt but this will need to significantly improve in book two, for that to happen.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I hope most of Ms Gilbert's fans will enjoy this but it wasn't for me unfortunately.

I always enjoy starting a brand new cozy mystery series, and this one has several strong assets like the décor (library) and the age difference between the two main characters, which is really unusual. Granted the plot was interesting, and the finale rather unexpected, but the pace was slightly disappointing. I’m hoping the next installments will be more steady from start to finish. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the dynamics between Cam and Jane will evolve.

DNF at 42%

Jane is a retired librarian who was hired by Cam, a wealthy collector, to sort through his extensive collection of books. I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this book, but I was having trouble with the pacing and I just could not get into it. Jane is a very boring character and even though the book is written from her perspective the author adds in extra thoughts that she has and it kept taking me out of the story every time because they just didn’t fit, and most of the time weren’t adding anything to the plot. Cam is just not a nice guy, definitely seems socially awkward and he’s also not really enjoyable to read about. There are a lot of different characters and none of them seem overly exciting or interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for my honest review!

A charming new series from the always-entertaining Victoria Gilbert. Librarian Jane Hunter is a force to be reckoned with, and I can't wait to see what mysteries she and her enigmatic boss Cameron Clewe investigate in the future.

A Cryptic Clue wasn't a bad read at all, although there were a few things in it that sort of ruin the enjoyment quite a bit.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the opportunity.

Release date: 11th of July 2023.

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It's almost always entertaining when I read books depicting older protagonists, and this time was no different. Having them in the center of the issue, while taking a proactive role to solve it was even better.

In A Cryptic Clue, that's exactly what happens when Jane's new work place becomes a murder scene and her new employer is one of the prime suspects. Seeing her try to gather information to help out, learning more about the estate itself and having her include her new found friends in all of this was very entertaining to me.

Alongside seeing her work with archiving, and learning more about the systems in place for this in libraries as well.

This mundane, or at least, almost mundane and slow going process was easily the best thing the book had going for it. I know it sounds a bit contradictory, but I would easily leave the book for days on end, and then come back without urgency to continue at my own pace alongside Jane. She's not a hot headed character either, which in turn makes all the time I spent with her quite pleasant.

If you noticed that I'm mainly mentioning the more unimportant aspects of A Cryptic Clue, then you'll be right. Because, when it comes to the mystery itself, the culprits and making me care about Cameron (the Clewe in the title of the series)... it leaves a bit to be desired.

For instance, Cam is written in a very unlikable way, and he remains as such throughout the book. I couldn't care less about his predicament, and having to come back to his seemingly ungrateful self was incredibly exhausting.

The mystery itself is okay, it just sort of goes away from a lot of the things that might help the reader solve it themselves (as a way of an extra activity I mean). Only for it to end up being continuously discussed and then solved, in one of the most underwhelming ways I've read about in recent memory.

Sort of a cosy mystery, but not really kind of thing.

To be fair, after finishing A Cryptic Clue, I feel like I can safely say that it's a stepping stone to much bigger things. Through Jane's investigation, a few mysteries ended up getting presented as well, without going anywhere and it's clear that they are for later books in the series. But, it's still a bit saddening that it ends up reflecting somewhat poorly on the efforts here.

I will admit that I'm very interested in those mysteries in comparison to this one, and that warrants a continuation of this series later on. In which, I hope to have a more favourable reaction in comparison to this one.

Final rating: 2.5/5

A Cryptic Clue is a great new cozy mystery series by Victoria Gilbert. I enjoy her Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and Book Lover's B&B series so I was looking forward to reading this. The characters are likable and have flaws that improve as the book progresses. It is original in many ways which is nice. Jane downsizes when her adult daughter moves away. She takes a job cataloging a book collection for Cameron (Cam), a wealthy recluse who is in his 30's. Jane's wisdom and life experiences help Cam come to terms with his family and some secrets. It definitely adds to the story and along with the mystery kept the story interesting. Cam allows his mansion to be used for a big gala. Cam's ex-girlfriend, Ashley is found dead the next morning. Cam is the prime suspect. Because Cam doesn't leave his house, he needs Jane and his assistant, Lauren to help him gather clues. There are several suspects. Jane has common sense and doesn't search for clues by herself. The personal discussion s between Jane and Cam are interesting plus Lauren's insights add to the story. It was a very enjoyable cozy mystery and I look forward to more books in the series! #ACrypticClue #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. This was such a fun, easy read for a cozy, old fashioned mystery, set in current day. I love all the little peaks into details that could be explored further into a series from this author.

This was a good book with a compelling plot, but that's it. Jane was a dull protagonist who I really couldn't bring myself to like, and the pacing was so slow it made me want to rip my hair out. The descriptions were excessive, and frankly annoying. I didn't feel the loss of ashley has any significance, which made the whole book seem kind of dull. other than the concerns mentioned above it was okay.

Jane is hired as an archivist for Cameron Clewe and his literary collection. Her first day on the job, she discovers the body of his ex-girlfriend. She and Cam team up to solve the murder before the police. This was okay, not bad, but one of those where random people are trying to solve a murder and digging into everything. I think it is going to be part of a series, and I would give it another try. 3 stars.

This is the first novel in a new cosy mystery series by Victoria Gilbert. It brings together retired librarian Jane Hunter and wealthy collector Cameron (Cam) Clewe as they try to solve the murder of Cam’s latest girlfriend.

Jane was hired by Cam to catalogue his latest acquisition – a collection of items related to classic mystery and detective authors – but is soon co-opted by him to investigate the murder. As number one suspect, Cam is anxious to clear his name so they set out to find the real murderer.

While the story line followed the classic cosy mystery format, I found the writing style stilted and formal. Cam came across as an unlikeable character and this distracted me from the plot.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Jane has been fired by multimillionaire and recluse Cameron to catalog his extensive collection of classic mysteries. Shortly thereafter a young woman is killed in Cam's library during a fundraiser. Cam decides to investigate and asks Jane to help. Meanwhile, Jane's landlord draws her into a cold case, also involving Cam's home. Delightful

What to say about this book?

First of all it was a bit slow at first. But what mystery isn't? We need to learn all of the players and get into the meat of the mystery. It did speed up half way through the book. Which was a definite positive!

I absolutely loved the characters of Cam and Jane and even the rest of the cast of characters. Cam reminded me so much of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Jane is the perfect compliment to Cam.

The mystery it self was filled with suspects and intrigue. And well worth the read.

I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. Only because it was so slow in the beginning that I am going with 3. Hopefully, if the series continues, the beginning of the next book will be a bit faster paced now that the main characters have been introduced.