A cozy, Christmas- themed mystery with a good plot and plenty of seasonable touches. A quick, easy read.

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She’s already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town’s festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate. Then the chair of the festival committee is found as dead at the town’s ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene.

This is a great series, I have read them all so far, and I am a fan of Victoria Gilbert"s writing including her Book Lover's B&B Mystery series. Since the first book, the characters have changed and grown. I love books about books, libraries, and librarians as I was a librarian and was drawn to this series from the beginning. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the latest book is this series. Anyone who loves books will enjoy it.

Victoria Gilbert always takes murder seriously in her Blue Ridge Library mysteries. That doesn’t mean she can’t celebrate the Christmas season with “The Nutcracker”, Winterfest, Christmas trees, food, and family in Murder Checks Out.

It’s a busy holiday season for Taylorsford’s library director Amy Muir, with her five-year-old twins in her husband Richard’s production of “The Nutcracker”, and her mother-in-law coming to stay for a week. But, the town’s first Winterfest will kick off the celebrations. No one seems happy that Wendy Blackstone is the festival chair. She’s demanding. And, she’s unpopular in the community because her company is planning a new development in town. Wendy’s seen arguing with environmental advocates protesting the development. She slams Amy. Amy’s brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, owns the property that backs up to the planned site. He argues with her. When Wendy is found dead the next day, why is Ethan the primary suspect?

Amy disagrees with Sheriff Brad Tucker, so she capitalizes on one of her greatest assets, her research skills as a librarian. When she digs into Wendy’s past, she discovers two other communities who opposed Blackstone’s development. Amy finds family problems in Wendy’s past, as well as strange stories of deaths associated with other developments. The Environmental Advocates group of protestors also have a history with Blackstone. But, when Ethan disappears, everyone suspects he has a reason to run.

Murder Checks Out is another enjoyable mystery for fans of Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mysteries. Gilbert always gets small-town libraries right, with the volunteers and the interesting patrons. But, in this one, she also gets the spirit of Christmas right with family and atmosphere. It’s a charming mystery in a series that emphasizes community.

For whatever reason, I have jumped all around in this series. I’m always able to pick up the thread, but the five-year-old twins were a surprise. Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library Mystery series is peopled with a broad cast of characters. They’re all well-fleshed-out and developed as the series goes on. They are mostly likable or at least interesting. In Murder Checks Out, the 8th in the series, a very unlikable person is killed. Few would shed a tear over their demise, but some of our favorites are among the suspects. The story moves along quickly and includes plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.

Amy’s relationship with her mother-in-law begins to thaw in this book in the series, and it’s heartwarming to see Fiona’s relationship with her grandchildren develop. Murder Checks Out is a fun and engaging read. If you’ve read others in the series, you won’t be disappointed. If the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series is new to you, feel free to jump in here. It stands alone without backstory, and you can always backtrack to read the previous seven if you love it.

I received this advance copy of Murder Checks Out from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'It’s not all snowflakes and sugarplums when murder crashes Taylorsford’s first Winterfest'. How could a pass up a book with the first sentence in the blurb like this. And having read some of the books in this series (not all but I can say I will be trying to find them all and start again from book 1) I can say I once again enjoyed the writing of Victoria Gilbert.

Amy Muir, librarian and amateur detective is at it again in this is such lovely and fun book to read. The writing is seamless and it is so easy to read. The quick paced book has many suspects and a few twists and turns. I love that it is a bit of a festive read as this adds another layer to the book. Love the characters and enjoyed this entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I gave Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert 5 stars

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She’s already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town’s festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate.

But when the chair of the festival committee is found dead as Dickens' proverbial door-nail at the town’s ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene. The clock is ticking down as Sheriff Brad Tucker is equally sure that Ethan is guilty.

--------- REVIEW ---------

I have read all books in this series and this is the newest installment. I was a bit confused in the beginning because this book takes place several years after book number 7. Our main character, Amy, is now a mother of twins and life look different. At first, I was a bit hesitant because compared to the other books, this focus a lot on their family life and less on the mystery. However, since it is Christmas it was very festive reading about all the things they did together with the kids during the holiday. It was a very joyful and cozy read, and I can't wait to meet these new and old characters again in the upcoming book.

This book comes out Nov 14.

Thank you, Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvHnhIDrpBt/

Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert was a marvelous addition to her Blue Ridge Librarys cozy mystery series.
It was a little shocking to find the book has jumped five years in Amy and Richard's lives but it was great fun to meet their twins, Ella and Nicky.

A quickly paced plot with more than a few suspects that spanned years of Wendy Blackstone's development company's unsavory business practices, several twists that often left me questioning where Ms. Gilbert's deft writing was taking the reader, and a dramatic and sad reveal where all of the puzzle pieces snapped into place. I enjoyed catching up with all of the secondary characters and to finally get to know Fiona Muir after all these years. An intricate mystery with lots of moving parts that was enjoyable from beginning to end.

It was good to get back and spend time with the Blue Ridge library crew.Thank you to #NetGalley for a chance to read this early! I will say that the author did something at the start of this book that I found very disconcerting and it stayed with me all the way thru the book. Amy and Richard are preparing for Christmas and Richard's production of the Nutcracker, but not everyone is happy. A land development company is trying to buy up a large portion of the mountain, wipe out the trees and build a luxury community. The is coming dangerously close to Amy's brother-in-law's property. After Ethan argues with one of the developers, at a public event, she is found dead and Ethan has disappeared. Is he guilty, is he in trouble, who else had a motive to kill Wendy? Come along for a wild and Christmassy ride!

I've been following Amy Muir's story from the very beginning. I love Taylorsford and Amy's life there is idyllic (murder notwithstanding). The characters are interesting and unique and I love any book with a library setting. This book had the added bonus of being set at Christmas time, which is always fun.

I have to say, it made me really sad to open this book and find out that yes, Amy was newly pregnant at the end of book 7 in this series, and... now she has FIVE YEAR OLD twins. And we missed the entire thing! We missed her pregnancy, we missed her finding out she was having twins, we missed their birth, we missed their infancy, teething, first steps, first words, first day of school, everything. We missed it all. Five years of Amy's life, five early years of her marriage, and the first five years of her children's lives, gone. And I feel a bit cheated to be honest.

This series has gone through some growing pains. In the beginning there were some smaller mysteries embedded in the story and those would linger on after the murder was solved, which was a bit frustrating. Then later in the series there was a lot of James Bond secret agent stuff creeping in, which wasn't terrible but didn't feel appropriate for a cozy. Things have really calmed down and there are still some illusions to secret agent stuff but it's not front-and-center anymore. Despite the ups and downs, I'm definitely in this series for the long haul.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Book Title: Murder Checks Out
Series: Blue Ridge Library Mystery #8
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: November 14, 2023
My Rating: 🎅🎅🎅.4 Stars
Pages: 270

It has been a hot - hot month so a perfect time for a nice Christmas in July story ~ Plus I just love this cover!!

Amy Muir is pleased this holiday season that husband Richard, who is a dancer and their 5 year old twins _ Nicholas and Eleanor aha Nicky and Ella will be part of this Christmas season’s production of “The Nutcracker”.
Amy is busy as ever then gets a message that Fiona her mother-in-law wants to visit with them for a few day for an early Christmas as she and hubby will be going on a holiday cruise Christmas week. Thankfully as the librarian and Director of the local library Amy is used to juggling a lot of things and is able to keep things from crashing.
Now everything is on hold in Taylorsford as a real estate developer is found murdered. Adding to this trauma Amy's brother-in-law is the main suspect. Yikes!

I enjoyed this Plus the ending made me smile. 😊

About our author: Victoria Gilbert, was raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountain, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Want to thank NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 14, 2023.

Murder Checks Out is another great cozy mystery from Victoria Gilbert. Although # 8 in the Blue Ridge Library series - you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this book.

Library Director Amy must play detective again when the Winterfest she is in charge of for the first time is interrupted by murder. With a library to run and 5 year old twins Amy is quickly at wits end. When the director of the play her husband Richard is in turns up dead the heat is on to find the killer.

I liked this book enough that I will re-read it during the Christmas holiday season

3.5 stars

The mystery portion of this book wasn't hard to figure out which is the only slight criticism I have of this story. Other than that, it was a nice cozy story with many diverse characters. The storytelling itself is enjoyable, allowing me to immerse myself in the story and its characters easily. Overall, this was a good light read, perfect for my weekend.

Note: A big thank you to NetGalley for giving me a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great addition to the series. It was a great story. The characters and the setting were great. It kept you on the edge of your seat with questions on who did it or could it be this person.

So I have enjoyed this series since the beginning. When the twins were introduced, I thought I had missed a book, but it was just a jump in time. Amy seems to be juggling so many things when a murder happens that involves her brother-in-law as well as the dance recital. There are many suspects because the victim was a horrible person. There are plenty of twists to keep you interested and maybe a surprise at the end.

Amy & Richard now have 5 year old twins (fast forward much? She was barely expecting in the last story), as well as her brother having married. A murder, brother-in-law being accused, with lots of suspects. A fast paced story that is fine once you realize you did not miss a filler book or two. As always, drama at the end with the suspenseful "will Amy make it out alive" factor. Thanks to Ms Gilbert & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Relatable characters and has a great story line. This is also has a rich tapestry of suspense w motive and guilt. Looking forward to what the author has next if this is a series

I curled up in a rainy and summer day reading this book and it was just what I needed. This is the 8th book in the series but I've only read the 5th book and had no issues picking up and reading Murder checks out. The characters were great, especially the twins, I loved the stoey line too. This book had me interested and hooked from the beginning. There wasn't anything I disliked about this book. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC for my biggest review.

It's my first time reading this author's work but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got a little impatient at the start when the characters and the background was getting established. It seemed like too many characters but they all turned out to be the perfect fit for the set up. The way the author managed to keep everyone in suspicion was very good. I just felt that the way Amy obtained the information in her research could've been elaborated in detail and in a more justified manner. It felt like she relied on Google search and the townsfolk rumor to get her data. But overall it was a good read. Going with a 4 star.

I love this series and this holiday themed cozy is just what I needed. It was go perfect! It had me hooked from the beginning to the very end. I adore Amy's character and was so glad to get to be back with her! I can't wait for the next one!
I just reviewed Murder Checks Out by Victoria Gilbert. #MurderChecksOut #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

twins, family, family-dynamics, amateur-sleuth, friends, friendship, Virginia, dance-instructor, librarian, library, festivals, series, family-drama, friction, protests, research, Christmas-season, threats, developers, environmentalists, local-law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, suspense, suspicion, abduction*****

Library director Amy Muir, her dance instructor husband, five year old twins, and the rest of her friends and family are back! Including Aunt Zelda.
At first it looked like an accidental fall, but then forensics showed that the fall was secondary to ye olde blunt instrument. The victim in question was a particularly nasty and almost universally despised developer who also was threatening others on the festival committee. The local law is good, but when research is needed, a librarian is who you really need!
Another great mystery!
I requested and received an EARC copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!