Author: Victoria Gilbert
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643855905
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$18.86; $13.99 Amazon
June 8, 2021
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Meeting your favorite author in the flesh can be the chance of a lifetime. But for one unlucky fan, her plum place in line at a book signing will lead to her untimely demise.
Beaufort, North Carolina, is home to Chapters Bed and Breakfast, owned and operated by former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed. The historic 18th-century inn draws in voracious readers from far and wide with its lovingly curated special events celebrating a host of genres and authors.
On this sunny July weekend, a visit by one of the biggest names in romantic fantasy attracts throngs of admirers to the quaint coastal village. That's not ideal, as the author retreated to Chapters to get away from it all for a while. No matter -- she'll appease her fans with a "Tea and Ta;k" meet and greet at the B&B celebrating her bestselling series (starring a devilishly dashing, time-traveling pirate), follow that up with a quick book signing at Bookwaves, the hip indie bookstore across town, and spend the remainder of the weekend in delightful repose.
But when the president of the reclusive writer's fan club is found dead in the harbor by the Beaufort docks -- done in by a blunt-force blow to the head -- it's up to Charlotte Reed, her neighbor Ellen, and Ellen's trusty Yorkshire terrier to sniff out the killer. Because if they can't, a spectacularly successful book series -- and it's author -- may come to a sudden, lethal conclusion.
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Charlotte Reed inherited Chapters, a book-themed B&B by the sea, from her late aunt Isabella. Charlotte's late husband died tragically, and it's here she retreated to, to ease her pain. She's come to love running a B&B, and even more surprise awaited her when she met her next-door neighbor, Ellen. Ellen's past intrigued her, and even more, Charlotte's quick mind and ability to piece things out quickly intrigued Ellen even more. So the septuagenarian and Charlotte became fast friends, never imagining that they would also become partners in solving crimes. But Ellen now has a visitor -- a cousin of sorts, although Charlotte is suspicious.
However, she can't worry about that when her latest guest is a hot romance author and has agreed to meet with three contest winners of her fan clubs. But when one of them is tragically killed, suddenly all eyes are on who might be the killer. The suspects are plenty -- from the author herself to a local professor who derided the series -- and Charlotte and Ellen certainly have their work cut out for them. Not to mention that Charlotte is determined to find out exactly who Gavin Howard, the cousin, really is, and why he's in town...
This is the second book in the series and I truly enjoyed it more than the first. Although the first set the scene by giving us background on Charlotte, her aunt, and Ellen, this book expands upon that and brings us deeper into the mysteries. It also gives us a nice mystery to sink our teeth into -- exactly who is Gavin, and who killed the fan club president?
As to Gavin, we are given bits and pieces throughout the book so that mystery is easier to solve; but it seems that the murder of the fan club president is more personal, and any one of several people could have been the murderer. What the question is, is who had the best motive?
I do like the fact that Charlotte and the police actually have a good relationship, and they aren't on her all the time by treating her as if she were below them. The police chief is an intelligent woman who treats Charlotte with respect, and realizes another intelligent woman when she sees her. As for Ellen, she respects Charlotte, and I like the fact that they test one another occasionally. It's quite appealing.
When the killer is discovered, it's a rather sad deal all around, but then, of course, things could have been different for them in other circumstances. All in all, the book was quite enjoyable, and I read it in one sitting, so that is telling in itself. Highly recommended.
More on Victoria Gilbert's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/
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