Genre: Mystery
Paperback(LP); Mass Market Paperback; MP3 CD; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781410470409; 9780425257289; 9781452668871
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$26.99; $7.99; $22.04; $7.99 Amazon
January 28, 2014
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It's National Library Week, and the Athena Public Library is planning an exhibit to honor the centenary of famous novelist Electra Barnes Cartwright - creator of the beloved Veronica Thane series.
Charlie has a soft spot for Cartwright's girl detective stories (not to mention an extensive collection of her books!) When the author agrees to make a rare public appearance, the news of her whereabouts goes viral overnight, and series devotees and book collectors converge on Athena.
After all, it's rumored that Cartwright penned Veronica Thane stories that remain under wraps, and one rabid fan will stop at nothing - not even murder - to get hold of the rare books...
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When Charlie Harris discovers one of his favorite childhood writers - Electra Barnes Cartwright - is still alive and even lives nearby, he's excited to learn that not only will her works be featured in a library exhibit, but that she's agreed to attend. That is, until he learns that her daughter has told them she wants a fee for attending - something that wasn't discussed when he and the library director met with her.
But he also discovers that there are a group of rabid fans who plan on attending and are demanding that Ms. Cartwright sign their book collections, something a nearly one-hundred-year-old woman may not be capable of doing; and the fact that a small publisher has told everyone there are as yet five unpublished manuscripts that he's going to publish; manuscripts no one has ever heard of before now.
But as things get closer to the exhibit date, less and less starts adding up for Charlie; and soon someone he knows is murdered, and it has to do with the books. Then when he discovers a vital clue that will reveal everything, he needs to enlist help to prove the truth and uncover a murderer before someone else loses their life...
After reading the first five books in this series, I've decided that they're either hit or miss. Unfortunately, this one is a miss. After 72 pages, it still couldn't pull me in, and I slogged my way through the rest of it. For some reason, I just found it completely boring, and even the dialogue wasn't snappy enough to keep my attention.
Even the subplots weren't interesting this time out, including the "problem" his son Sean is having. For being a sharp-witted attorney, it seems when it comes to his personal life his brain power shuts down, and he can't figure out the right thing to do to solve it.
Then there's a bit of a continuity problem: Charlie mentions he's half the age of an almost centenarian, yet in the last book he's 51. Even though this isn't in the same category, it's still pretty odd - poor Diesel is now 36 pounds, when he started out he was 33, last book was 35. At this rate he'll be 50 pounds by the time the series ends (if it keeps going). Details matter.
The book just seemed so slow paced. The clues were there and easy to figure out, and there was nothing silent about this library. In fact, there was quite bit of noise at all times, so it was mis-titled, at the very least. (With the title, you would think perhaps a body was found in the library at midnight...when all is usually silent, but no).
Honestly, while I would have liked to have enjoyed this book, the conversations were so boring. It was like two people who live in a rest home talking about what they had for dinner the night before. I also couldn't get past the fact that no one could figure it out until almost the end. Truly? I won't say why so as not to spoil it for others, but if you've read it the reason should be pretty obvious.
https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Library-Cat-Stacks-Mystery/dp/0425257282/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2289315577
More on Miranda James's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/miranda-james/
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