Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #; 9781643854762
Crooked Lane Books
368 Pages
$26.00; $12.99 Amazon
December 8, 2020
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Planning a wedding can be murder -- sometimes literally. At a party celebrating their upcoming nuptials, Taylorsford, Virginia library director Amy Webber and her fiancé Richard Muir discover the body of art dealer Oscar Selvaggio -- a bitter rival of their host, Kurt Kendrick.
Both had been in a heated battle to purchase a rare illustrated volume created by William Morris's Kelmscott Press, so suspicion immediately falls upon Kurt. Amy knows that Kurt has a closet-full of skeletons from his past -- but she can't believe he's guilty of murder.
Amidst an avalanche of wedding preparations, Amy begins an investigation with the help of her aunt Lydia Talbot and the new mayor of Taylorsford, Sunshine "Sunny" Fields. Much to Lydia's dismany, her boyfriend, art expert Hugh Chen, becomes convinced of Kurt's guilt and launches an investigation of his own. As the case hits painfully close to home, the stakes become impossibly high -- and the danger all too real.
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Amy Webber and Richard Muir are finally getting married. Planning a wedding can be stressful, but on this evening they're just going to enjoy themselves. Kurt Kendrick, the enigmatic man who's become their friend, is hosting an engagement party at his home. Unfortunately, an unannounced person has shown up at Kurt's door, and since Kurt knows him, Oscar Selvaggio has become a guest, but not a very nice one.
It seems both Kurt and Oscar are vying to purchase a rare book from William Morris's Kelmscott Press, and although Amy can tell there is tension between them, she also sees other things which look suspicious, but tries not to be too distrustful because of the reason she's there. But when Selvaggio is found dead, and she later learns that he was poisoned, she wonders if the things she saw could be clues as to the murderer. While Kurt is high on the list, she refuses to believe that he killed Selvaggio. But that leaves a whole other set of suspects, and none of them are savory. Now Amy wants to find out who killed the man, and before her wedding...but will there ever be one?...
I have followed this series from the very first book, and I will tell you that while I wasn't impressed with that one, I am glad that I've stuck with this series. I've enjoyed spending time with Amy and her family and friends; and watched her relationship with her next-door-neighbor Richard grow into love. It's been an interesting journey, and I certainly hope it will continue.
I have always been fascinated with Kurt Kendrick, who has a checkered past, is also fiercely protective of those he cares for. He is now a wealthy art dealer (among other things), and it is this mysteriousness of his which has drawn me to him in every book.
In this one, it is things from his past that have come back to him, and Amy wants to know what is going on. She's also concerned with the fact that her younger brother Scott, whom she rarely sees, is now in attendance for her wedding, but still keeping secrets from her. Then there's her Aunt Lydia's boyfriend Hugh, who still seems to be searching for evidence against Kurt about anything, and his new colleague Fred Nash, who seems to have taken up a liking for her best friend Sunny.
With so much swirling about her, it's a wonder she can keep anything quiet in her head. But Amy, being the intrepid person that she is, isn't going to give up trying to solve the puzzle, and I do like the fact that she's careful and doesn't run around accusing everyone she meets of murder. I also like that fact that Richard accepts Amy for the person she is and doesn't hound her to stay out of the investigation, but he does, as is expected, tells her to be careful and not put herself in danger.
With so many questions about the people who are around her, Amy has the need to know what's happening and is surprised at what she discovers but yet knows it isn't anything she can share easily; and I do like that this time out she's changing in her feelings toward Kurt (whom, as I've stated before, is the best character in the series).
When the murderer is discovered, the motive for the murder is discovered, and of course we have a climax that was to be expected, and worth reading all the while, especially for the intrigue. In the end, everything comes together flawlessly; it makes for a highly satisfying ending that makes us long for the next in the series. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Blue-Ridge-Library-Mystery/dp/1643854763/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3456363926
More on Victoria Gilbert's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/
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