I have enjoyed Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series very much, so I was shocked that it took me awhile to get into this book. I really struggled getting started with this book. I felt like you were jumping from character to character. It wasn’t until halfway through that I finally started to get into this book. Thomas did a fairly decent job with the development of the characters in this story. Hazel, Jonathan, Astrid, Sophie are all librarians that work at a small branch outside of Austin, Texas. You really got to know them and the secrets that could potentially get them into trouble. When during a murder mystery game at the library a patron is murdered, that is when things start to go sideways for our librarians. If you enjoy a mystery, then you will enjoy this book. Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC in Exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me. This was a great look at public library programming and work life in libraries, but it seemed as though anytime momentum began to build there was a flashback or shift in POV.. The book simply did not engage me and hold my attention.

Too many characters with too many flashbacks and complicated backstories. The many characters weren't coalescing into one group well either, in my opinion. Did not finish this book though I kept trying. I made it about 35% of the way and finally gave up. I wanted to like this book due to the description, but it was just too busy. I didn't feel engaged.

A group of four staff members from a local Austin public library branch have secrets and are caught up in a murder investigation due to their relationships with the two murder victims. As a public librarian, I found this book to be a fun read.

Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge....

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don’t always realize that their librarians are human, too.

This book was a delight to read. I haven't read any other books by Sherry Thomas, but this was a good first book for me to read by her. She have complex characters and a great mystery.