It’s been five years and Amy and Richard are the parents of twins who will be making their debut in the Nut Cracker with their father, Richard. With he holidays off to a fabulous start, Murder pays a visit to Taylorsford when a real estate developer is found murdered.

With her brother in law as the prime suspect, Amy and her Mother in law team up to figure out who really did the woman in. As Amy uses her research skills, she finds that there are more than a few people who have reason to want the developer and her team stopped once and for call. Now to prove it before disaster strikes again in the small, cozy town.

I was a little surprised that this series jumped from the last book to having five year old twins…but it worked well and made for a good story. The eight book in this series, it is the perfect way to move past early motherhood and get Amy back into her sleuthing ways. Looking forward to more in the series.

"Murder Checks Out (Blue Ridge Library #8)" by Victoria Gilbert is a great Christmas Holiday themed cozy mystery. It was a bit heavier on the cozy than the mystery this time around. Also, having only read the first 3 books in the series so far, I was a bit thrown by some details that probably wouldn't have phased me if I'd been fully caught up.

Despite both of those factors I still enjoyed the book. The mystery was well done. I only kinda went "ha, Ha!" To the reveal of the murder.

The Christmas theme will also get you in the Christmas feels. I particularly liked that both kids were in and wanted to be in the "Nutcracker" performance that was a key part to the story. I know it's kinda that family's thing but I could see one or both going "aw dad! Do we have to!?"

Small town librarian solves crimes
Amy Muir has a knack for seeing the whole picture, with the added bonus of a variety of friends with varied information. As a librarian she has access to old info as well as new, and friends of a certain age to flesh out what she finds.
One step ahead of her police friends, she feeds them all she finds to aid in an arrest and draws unwanted attention to herself.
Nicely plotted cozy with a variety of characters and situations. Add a loving family and it’s a winner. I highly recommend.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

#MurderChecksOut #NetGalley is a page turning whodunit that will have you wishing for snow, ice skating and hot chocolate.
Amy and her husband Richard, and their 5 year old twins seem extremely busy this holiday season.
The children are excited to be part of The Nutcracker, and Amy has her hands full juggling everything around.
An unexpected visit from her mother in law has her picking up the pace, but everything gets put on hold when another murder victim turns up, and Amy's brother in law is the main suspect.
I enjoy this series and Fiona, Amy's mother in law turned out to be a very likable character.
I'm happy to recommend this book and series to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

This talented author has written a cozy mystery that is a page turner. Realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. Solving a murder is not easily accomplished. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.