A good cozy mystery set during Christmas. Wasn't sure what to expect but really enjoyed this one set in small town, with plenty of pets, kids and family. When an owner of a development company is thrown down the stairs and dies all eyes try to find out what happened. Amy turns to her library research and talks to people to find out the history of the company and helps the police find the killer. Good story and writing. Highly recommend.

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. genealogy, bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*

Amy Muir, librarian, amateur sleuth and mother of young children is dragged into solving the murder of an unpopular land developer as her brother-in-law Ethan is the chief suspect and has gone missing. The land development company has a history of shady and violent dealings. Murder Checks Out is an excellent cozy in a small town with the added flavor of Christmas and dancing engagements. Dig in and enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest, personal review. I enjoy a good cozy mystery and this did not disappoint! Amy is about to enjoy her children's first performance in the Nutcracker and the holiday season but everything is not going according to plan of course. Her mother in law decides to visit unexpectedly and of course, what is a holiday season without a body showing up? In between the chaos of everything going on, can she solve this mystery in time to stop someone she loves from going to jail or someone else becoming a victim?

I wasn’t aware this was a part of a series when I first got this. I did see that I could read it as a standalone so I went ahead. That being said I wouldn’t recommend reading this as a standalone as I felt like I was missing things.

"Murder checks out" is the 8th book. This is my first book in the series and a new author for me as I got it from Net Galley. Amy Muir is a very busy little bee. She is mixed up in a lot of things with her children being in the dance and she is being a librarian. A very exciting well written and enjoyable and relaxing read. It was very easy flowing book that it didn't matter that i haven't read the other books. I usually like to stat a book with the first one, I will try and go back and read the first books.
Thank You net gally for the book to be able to read.

Murder Checks Out is the 8th book in the Blue Ridge Library series, and although it can be read as a standalone book, you will miss out on the backstories and character development. This book takes place 5 years after the previous book. Amy and Richard are now parents of 5 YO twins. It is Christmas time and Richard and his crew are putting on The Nutcracker, with the twins performing as well as Richard playing Uncle Drosselmeyer. Richard's mother, who never saw him perform, is visiting and spending time with her grandchildren. With all this going on, there are developers in town as well as a group of environmental activists stirring things up. When one of the partners in the development company falls down stairs to her death, it seems to be an accident, but the autopsy shows she was murdered. Amy's brother-in-law, who was seen arguing with the woman, is suspected in her death, so Amy once again, finds herself investigating.

Amy is an excellent protagonist, one who has amazing research skills due to her job as a research librarian. She is able to ferret out information that leads her in her investigation. Looking into the company, she finds that they do not have a very good record with their developments. They have also been involved in some shady deals. There was a lot happening in this book with the Nutcracker being performed, dealing with Fiona, Richard's mother, although the visit went very well, preparing for Christmas with 5 year old twins, and trying to investigate the murder. I enjoyed the large part that Hugh played in this one. He is a shady character who was the adopted son of Richard's uncle. He is a softie inside for those he loves, but has a lot of contacts in the shady world. This story drew me in from the start and I enjoyed how the investigation played out. I had no idea who the culprit was, and the final showdown surprised me. I enjoyed this addition to the series and recommend it to those who enjoy a good cozy mystery.

In this 8th installment of the Blue Ridge Library series, Amy Muir is settled into her happy life as wife, mother of twins, and part time library director.

A lot is happening in her small town this holiday season. Her choreographer husband, along with their twins are dancing in a presentation of The Nutcracker and the town festival is in full swing. Then her mother-in-law, Fiona decides to visit.

Amy is balancing it all when the chair of the festival committee is found dead at the town’s ice rink. Unfortunately, Amy's brother-in-law, Ethan seems to be the main person of interest.

Now it's up to Amy and Fiona to identify the real killer

#MurderChecksOut

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Victoria Gilbert

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Princess Fuzzypants here: This is the second cozy I have read recently where the heroine gets into dangerous situations but uses common sense and her wits to avoid making things worse. As someone who gets frustrated with heroines who should be nominated for a Darwin Award, this is a truly satisfying turn.

Amy, husband Richard and their twins are getting ready for Christmas. The kids and Richard will be performing the Nutcracker on stage. His mother, with whom both he and Amy have a rocky relationship, is coming for an extended visit. The last thing they need is a murder that involves a family member. True, the victim was not a nice person and the killer had some justifiable reasons for wanting revenge. But murder is extreme and the perp is not going to be happy with just one. Can Amy keep her relative out of jail and help find the villain before others are hurt. It is Christmas and miracles can happen…in all sorts of ways.

Four purrs and two paws up.

I thought I had read more books by this author than I had but this is only my second read by the author. Despite that I fully enjoyed the book and don't feel as though I wasn't able to keep up with what is going on.
Amy Muir is the library director at the Blue Ridge Library in charming and beautiful North Carolina, mother of 5-year-old boy and girl twins, wife of a dance choreographer and her not so friendly mother-in-law is coming to stay for the holidays, and she's tasked for entertaining her. With the sugar cookie plate overflowing she now needs to return to her role as amateur detective when her brother-in-law is found to have been at the scene of a murder. She must avoid sliding down the slippery slope of exhaustion as she deals with the holidays, her extra responsibilities and helping to find the real perpetrator who did away with the chair of the festival committee which her twins are practicing for. I enjoyed the twins characters a lot. Children usually are always a bonus in books like this and they are here. The plot was entertaining and kept me guessing right til the end. The ballet aspect of the story was fun and entertaining and of course books about books, libraries and librarians are go to reads for me.

Pub Date 14 Nov 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Murder Checks Out...Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #8
Stars: 4 X 5
Author: Victoria Gilbert. @victoriagilbertauthor
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books @crookedlanebooks
Thank You @netgalley for this ARC

In the town of Taylorsville there is a library and Amy Muir is the Co-Director along with her best friend Sonny. For those who have read the first seven books, Amy is now married to Richard and they have twin girls, Nicky and Ella. Richard is a choreographer and dance teacher.

Taylorsville is hosting its first ever Winterfest. Taylorsville resident Wendy Blackstone is the chair of Winterfest. She is not a very popular person at the moment as her company Blackstone Properties has a new construction project planned that many of the townsfolk are opposed too. At the end of the first night of Winterfest Wendy is found dead.

Amy is very busy as she does have those fiver year old twins. She is also helping her husband with the yearly production of The Nutcracker all while working at the library. On top of all of that her mother-in-law Fiona has arrived for a holiday visit.
Amy loves being an amateur sleuth and. She is determines to find out who is responsible for Wendy’s murder. Amy also wonders is Wendy the start of a murder spree of just a one and done? There an only a few suspects and one of those is her brother-in-law which makes her even more determined to fine the killer and prove him innocent. The question is will she be successful?

The Blue Ridge Library Mystery series are sweet and a fun read. I also love a who done it with a bit of romance. This book is just as wonderful as the other books in this series.

#blueridgelibrarymystery #cozymystery #cozymysteries #holidayreads
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This is book 8 in the Blue Ridge Library series. Amy is busy at the library and getting the house ready for Christmas. Husband Richard is choreographing the Nutcracker at the local school and the twins are just excited that Santa is coming. The local town festival is in full swing and when the director is found dead Amy goes into sleuth mode to protect her brother in law, the prime suspect. Lots of reoccurring characters and a fresh mystery to solve. Can be read as a stand alone.

I feel like a missed a book with so much happening between the last book and this one, but it was a fun read nonetheless. Happy Richard's mom is changing for the better. Fun read and great ending. Can't wait for the next one!

Murder Checks Out is the eighth book in the Blue Ridge Library mystery series by Victoria Albert. This is one of my favorite series. Unlike in many cozy series, there is a big time jump between the last book and this book. Time has jumped forward 5 years. Amy and Richard now have 5 year old boy and girl twins. Richard and the twins are getting ready to present The Nutcracker. Into this chaos, Richard’s mother also shows up to spend Christmas with them.

After a festival meeting, the chair of the committee is found dead. Amy’s brother-in-law, Ethan, is implicated in the death. One thing I really like about this series is that it shows how research in archives done by investigators can help law enforcement solve cases.

I gave this book five stars. It is a great cozy set at Christmas time. I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy.

“ Murder Checks Out” by Victoria Gilbert the 8th instalment in the "Blue Ridge Library Mystery" series. I really enjoyed it. It’s not all snowflakes and sugarplums when murder crashes Taylorsford’s first Winterfest

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it almost straight through. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. I loved the friendship between Amy and her bff Sunny as well as the new relationship building between Amy and Fiona..

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Enjoyed this cozy. The mystery was good and the ending was fun. There were several good suspects and that kept me guessing. Liked this latest installment in a series both my husband and I like keeping up with.

I received a free copy of this book from the Author, Publisher, NetGalley for my honest review. This is book 8 in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. I enjoyed this book. This is a Christmas story and it was great to follow the characters in this series and see where they are at. It’s in a small town and a murder has happened. Amy has to fight to prove a family member is innocent. I recommend this book!

Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert is a Blue Ridge Library Mystery and we join Amy, her husband Richard, and various members of those she calls friends and family. It is Christmas time and Richard and their twins are busy at work on a new version of “The Nutcracker” to be presented as part of the festival taking place. Amy is not too involved but she goes along to support those who are. While she is there she sees a demonstration against a development begin considered and sees her brother-in-law arguing with one of the developers. The one who turns up dead the next day. Even the sheriff knew that Ethan was innocent but he had to follow the evidence. Then just as her brother Scott returned to support his husband, Ethan disappeared. It sure made him look guilty, but things didn’t add up. Amy responded by doing what she does best: research.

Amy is a regular forty-ish mom. She is a well-liked member of the community as is her husband who had pretty much stopped dancing but still teaches and does more choreography. Her twins are rambunctious five-year-olds but she and Richard work well together so although it is pandemonium much of the time, they manage. It doesn’t hurt that Amy’s aunt Lydia lives next door. The mystery was a good one and it was no wonder that Sheriff Brad suspected Ethan. But, Amy’s research paid off when she was able to help him solve the crime. This was a definite cozy read. I enjoyed it immensely.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC Of Murder Checks Out by Crooked Lane Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks #VictoriaGilbert #MurderChecksOut

Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert takes us back to Taylorsford, Virginia for the holidays and the town’s first Winterfest. I was a little confused when I began the story. In Renewed for Murder, Amy is married to her neighbor, Richard and she is the director of the Taylorford Public Library. Fast forward five years, Amy and Richard have a pair of energetic fraternal twins who will be appearing in Richard’s modern dance version of the Nutcracker (no ballerinas). Amy is co-director of the library with her best friend, Sunny (you will have to read the book to find out the other changes). For those new to the series, you may find yourself confused by the onslaught of characters and all the activities. I have read all the books, and I had trouble adjusting to the time jump. Amy’s life is full with the twins, work, the holidays, Winterfest, and the upcoming visit of her mother-in-law, Fiona. Just thinking about Amy’s schedule wore me out. The chair of Winterfest, Wendy Blackstone, is murdered and Amy’s brother-in-law, Ethan, is Brad Tucker’s prime suspect. Amy swaps out her Santa hat for a deerstalker cap and sets out to prove Ethan’s innocence. The crime can easily be solved. There is a tense reveal where all final puzzle pieces fall into place. We get to enjoy the holidays with Amy and her extended family. Murder Checks Out is a bustling book with spirited twins, a murdered committee chair, development disputes, a slew of suspects, and a happy holiday.