The Library Murders
Flora finds the body of an old friend of her late Aunt’s in the mobile library van. And a rare book was stolen. The police think it is an open and shut case but Flora doesn’t agree. Even though it is a small village, there are several suspects with a motive.
I like the writing style. It is a traditional cozy mystery set in a classic English village.

Abbeymead is having a Crime Conference gathering. Jack is helping the organizer, Basil Webb, Flora, who is engaged to Jack, has brought many books to sell at a stand inside the old schoolhouse, and Maud has brought the mobile library to the school play ground. A relative newcomer to town, Rose Lawson, is filling in at Flora's bookstore, All's Well. Flora has brought a birthday gift for Maud, her aunt's best friend, but when Flora enters the Mobile Library van, she sees Maud on the floor and a man with a bloody heavy book standing over her. The man is a long ago friend of Flora, Lowell Gracey!

Flora wants to protect her friend who claims he had just found the body and the book. However, Jack and Detective Ridley are sure that Gracey is the killer, and puts him in jail. Flora feels she needs to find another suspect. To make matters worse, a very valuable first edition book is missing from the mobile Library safe. It turns out that Webb who is running the conference may not be making as much money on it as he hoped, and his sister's husband needs money desperately to pay his debts. Another possible suspect to look into is one of the mystery writers talking at the conference, Wingrave. He is a very obnoxious man who is known to covet rare books. Lastly, Flora is a little wary about Rose.

The book is clever and there is another murder near the end of the book before the REAL murderer is discovered! I enjoy this series very much. I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC to read the book ahead of publication.

The Library Murders by Merryn Allingham is irritating and enjoyable in equal measure. I like Jack and Flora but they behave like teenagers sometimes which I fund very irritating. I love the setting of the series and I think Merryn Allingham creates and describes it beautifully. What I think she doesn't handle as well is giving a reason for Jack and Flora to get involved (interfere/hinder) police investigations. Flora, in particular, seems to think that it's her unassailable right to be part of them. This latest book in the series has a selection of interesting side-plots and I think it's a pity that they weren't explored more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy of The Library Murders.

The Library Murders follow Jack and Flora as they try to uncover the identity of the murderer who struck down the beloved librarian during a crime author seminar in their small English village.

This book was like Murder She Wrote meets Father Brown in all the best ways. The cast of characters provide for loads of entertainment and red herrings, keeping you guessing all along the way as to who the real killer is. I started this book with my morning coffee and didn't put it down until it was finished. It was so well written that I could not tear myself away from it except to grab snacks and more coffee.
I look forward to following the rest of the series, and especially excited to see how the relationship between Jack and Flora flourishes.

eARC thank you netgalley

Even though this book to me took forever to get to the plot twist it was so worth. Every page had me guessing but it also gave me that cozy and relaxed feeling you get when you read something so enjoyable. That you just are shocked at how good the book was written.

Nice to join the usual quirky characters in Abbeymead again. However we now have a bunch of new character's as suspects as the murder takes part at a writer's conference in Abbeymead. The mystery is full of the usual twists and turns and the new character's provide plenty of red herrings to keep guessing. Entertaining as always. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…
A rattling good detective tale with twists and turns aplenty. If you enjoy a well plotted police procedural with realistic characters and thrills galore then this is for you!

Flora and Jack are involved in an author seminar in their little community. Flora begins her time away from her shop by taking a gift to her local librarian. However, she soon discovers that the librarian has been murdered. As she and Jack are drawn into the investigation, quite willingly, they discover there are several suspects who may have murdered the librarian for a valuable first edition of Dickens' The Christmas Carol. However, as good detectives, they soon realize that everything is not as it appears. No open and shut case this time. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. I especially enjoyed the English countryside setting of the 1950's. There is sure to be a sequel as the marriage of Flora and Jack grows closer!

1958. A year of change for many, including Flora and Jack. Elvis is joining the army and the top song on the charts is "All I Have to Do Is Dream". Being involved in a murder mystery conference wasn't on either Flora or Jack's pre-wedding must-do list but, well, there they are. Oddly enough, Jack, a known mystery author, isn't involved, but is lending a hand as needed. Flora is busy with the sales booth outside the conference speaker's room selling books. They're making the best of the situation, even as murder intrudes.

I've really come to enjoy my time in Abbeymead with Flora and Jack. Flora maintains her independent streak, of course, and is late getting to the conference after deciding to drop off a gift to Maud, a friend running the book mobile at the conference. Unfortunately, she finds her old friend dead. Standing near her, with a bloody book in hand, is another old friend, this time from her college days. A rare and valuable copy of a book Maud was proudly showing off is missing. Jack arrives to see what's keeping Flora and notifies the police. And, that's where the story really begins.

I've come to like both Flora and Jack although, go figure, it took me longer to warm up to Flora than Jack. That may be due to Jack's steadfast devotion and support as well as the fact Flora seems to have mellowed a bit since finding some answers to her own family mysteries. They alternate narratives at times, so we get a first-hand look at what each is thinking and experiencing as the story progresses. Flora has a bit more to discover about family secrets, btw, though you're just going to have to read the book to find out what those secrets are. Why is she keeping it a secret from Jack, though? Will it cause a rift between them this close to the wedding?

As for the murder, there are plenty of suspects and viable red herrings. Maud didn't seem the type to have enemies but, well, that book was quite valuable. Could the money problems of the conference organizer have lead him to commit murder to steal the book? Or, uh-oh, how about Flora's temporary book store help? She was late that morning and came from the wrong direction, after all. And, there's that mysterious package. Did it contain the book? And, just to complicate things, why a second murder? Are the murders related? Did someone at the conference snap and commit murder? Will Flora or Jack....oh, never mind. Enough teasers. Read the book. You'll enjoy the characters and historical time setting. I mean, Jack's telephone is still a novelty and Flora rides her trusty bicycle everywhere, a sign of simpler times. Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for letting me have this sneak peek back into the times of Flora and Jack.

Flora and Jack become involved in another murder after the local mobile library is given a rare first edition book which goes missing. Exciting and fun with a cast of great characters.

Somewhat amazingly the small village of Abbeymead is about to host a writers conference featuring a number of popular authors. Both bookshop owner Flora Steele, and her crime novelist fiancé, Jack Carrington, are involved in the new event which, it's organiser hopes, will be the first of many. That success looks unlikely however, as just before the event begins, a body is found and a recently discovered, extremely rare, first edition disappears.

Flora and Jack once again find themselves working together to discover who brought murder back to their village and when a friend Flora has known since college becomes the main focus of the police investigation she knows they have to find the person responsible as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as it's not even clear why their victim was killed, that might not be an easy task.

Book eight in this great series takes place in the summer of 1958 with Flora and Jack's wedding plans on hold while they concentrate on the writers conference. I enjoyed the social history in this novel almost as much as the whodunnit elements which once again were excellent. This was almost a calm before the storm of major changes for some of the main protagonists, none of whom, it has to be said, looks to be hurtling confidently towards the next decade!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, but the opinions expressed are my own. This was another very good instalment of a high quality cosy crime series all of which are easily recommended.

This talented author has written a page turner. Realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. Secrets and red herrings add to the intrigue. The setting is part of the mystery. The title…library…books…murder…always catches the eye…books and more books… imagine going to the library…discover murder…curl upon front of a blazing warm fire…grab a cozy blanket…a cup of steaming herbal tea…spend an afternoon at the
Library…thanks Netgalley.