Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Audio CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #: 9780451477743; 9781974900749
Berkley Publishing
288 Pages
$20.00; $29.99; $12.99 Amazon
June 26, 2018
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Brooklyn has it all covered. She's triple-checked her wedding to-do list, and everything is on track for the upcoming ceremony with the love of her life, security expert Derek Stone.
Not everyone has been as lucky in love as Brooklyn. Her old college roommates Heather and Sara lost touch twelve years ago when Sara stole Heather's boyfriend. Brooklyn was caught in the middle and hasn't seen her former besties since their falling-out. When they both show up at her surprise bridal shower, Brooklyn is sure drama will ensue. But she's touched when the women seem willing to sort out their differences and gift her rare copies of The Three Musketeers and The Red Fairy Book.
Brooklyn's prewedding calm is shattered when one of her formerly feuding friends is found murdered and Brooklyn determines that one of the rare books is a forgery. She can't help but wonder if the victim played a part in this fraud, or if she was targeted because she discovered the scam. With a killer and con artist on the loose, Brooklyn and Derek - with the unsolicited help of their meddling mothers - must catch the culprit before their big day turns into a big mess.
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Brooklyn Wainwright is convinced she has everything ready for her wedding to Derek Stone in less than a week. After all, she needs to attend a librarians' conference and is even giving a mini-class on bookbinding, along with a tour of San Francisco's book-related attractions, so it's a good thing that her parents are entertaining Derek's family, who have flown in from England for the big day.
What she doesn't count on, however, is the fact that her mother and future mother-in-law Meg have a surprise bridal shower for her and invited her college roommates, Heather and Sara. The problem is that Sara stole Heather's boyfriend and ran off with him, and neither woman has been in contact with her since. In fact, Brooklyn, after failed attempts at contacting them both, finally gave up and now she's dreading the scene that's going to unfold.
After the initial shock by both women, Brooklyn's glad to see that they have, at least for the shower, managed to put their dislike of each other aside. And when they both give her treasured first edition books, she's doubly pleased. But when she decides to have some of her friends over to her apartment for a pizza party, she texts them, but they only state they'll try. The next day she's still unable to find Sara, and when Derek goes with her to the last place she was known to be - the conference center - they find Sara buried under a pile of books and decidedly dead.
But who did the deed? Brooklyn's afraid that Heather might be the culprit, but she hopes there's another answer. And that answer might just have been there watching her all along...
In this latest installment in the Bibliophile Mysteries, Ms. Carlisle does not disappoint. She gives us a tale of betrayal, revenge, and greed, and does it all admirably. We follow Brooklyn as she stays (mostly) calm about her upcoming wedding while trying to discover who killed her friend. She has her suspicions who murdered her, but proving it is another matter.
Then there's the problem with the books - one of which she discovers is a forgery, and she's sure it has something to do with Sara's demise. There is plenty of action within this tale, and a little bit of intrigue, too. There is also some humor, mostly centered around Brooklyn's Mom and Meg, who seem to think life is just a game to be enjoyed (while I loved their characters, I'm not really thrilled that Brooklyn's mom is enthralled with her daughter finding bodies; so much so that she points it out to anyone who will listen. Most mothers wouldn't want that kind of notoriety for their children).
However, that notwithstanding, this book was definitely in the plus category and I loved the characters. They are honest-to-goodness believable, and would definitely be stimulating company. As they say, never a dull moment in this family.
In the end, when the killer is discovered it doesn't come as much of a surprise; but it is very pleasing indeed to see everything that surrounds it - the action and reaction of those involved are not only expected, but delightful to experience. I truly enjoyed this book and the fact that this series has managed to maintain its integrity as far as series go. I loved it and look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Books-Bibliophile-Mystery-Carlisle/dp/045147774X/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2412026778
More on Kate Carlisle's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/kate-carlisle/
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