Author: Laura Gail Black
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643858265
Crooked Lane Books
304 Pages
$26.99; $13.99 Amazon
September 7, 2021
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The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town's beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn's peace of mind is shattered when the local library's Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot -- his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.
As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness -- the victim's dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases.
Alas, finding the killer won't be so easy, even though this is not Jenna's first murder investigation -- indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous -- the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests -- but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.
Now, Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one, before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna's demise.
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Jenna Quinn moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to the small town of Hokes Folly to help her uncle run his bookstore after she was accused (and acquitted) of a crime she didn't commit. But when she arrived she found her uncle dead and she had inherited everything. Now that her life is finally becoming normal again, she's renamed the bookstore to Twice Upon a Time and is staging a grand reopening, inviting only those who are clients and love rare books -- intending to later have the the reopening to the rest of the town.
When one of the guests arrives, a man she's done business with over the phone but never met, he brings along his dog Eddy. But Jenna notices the dog growls at another client and even though the situation is handled quickly, she wonders what is going on. But with other altercations between her guests, she just wants the night to end. And end it does -- until she and her employees see the man's dog run by her shop. When they catch the dog, they discover his master dead in his car, killed by one of a pair of bookends he won at the store. Now, Jenna's right in the middle of a murder investigation again, and her police detective Keith can't work the case because he's one of the witnesses.
Knowing that police detective Sutter hates her and will do anything to get her in jail, her only hope is the help of her friends and her boyfriend to try and solve the case. That is, unless the killer knows what she's doing...if so, she'll need to stay close to home or risk losing her life...
This is the second book in the series and I honestly think that it's even better than the first. Ms. Black has a real knack for creating characters that draw you into the story and make you part of the action. We don't need to be in Hokes Folly to become part of it; one can do that merely by the engaging characters and the descriptions of what is happening around them.
What I enjoyed the most was the interactions between Jenna, her friends, and Keith. She truly cares for people, and her heart is big enough to let one more in, who is a damaged soul like herself. It says a lot about her and about the quality of the writing.
The plot is indeed interesting -- when the man is killed, Jenna must sort through her guests and decide which one of them had the most motive to kill him. But when she discovers that the three she's chosen all had a motive, it makes it more difficult, and with no help from the police, she and her friends are left to figure out a killer. Then, when an attack is made to kill once again, Jenna's even more determined, knowing that time isn't on her side.
The climax is all one could hope for, with both danger and watching Jenna once again use her wits to try and outsmart a killer, hoping help will come in time. It's quite a scene, and leaves you feeling satisfied at the ending when the murderer is caught. When the ending comes, it gives you something to look forward to in the next book, and I will be one of the first readers. Highly recommended.
More on Laura Gail Black's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laura-gail-black/
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