Murder Checks Out (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Victoria Gilbert

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639105205

Crooked Lane Books

272 Pages

$30.99; $18.99 Amazon

November 14, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants.  She's already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town's festivities.  With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate.

But when the chair of the festival committee is found as dead as Dickens's proverbial doornail at the town's ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene.  The clock is ticking down as Sheriff Brad Tucker is equally sure that Ethan is guilty.

It's beginning to look a lot like the murderer hasn't wrapped up his killing spree, and now, it might just be "lights out" on the holiday festivities -- and on Amy's life.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Muir is enjoying her life as a wife and mother, aside from the fact that it's keeping her so busy she's exhausted -- it's not easy being the mother of five-year-old twins, especially at Christmas, and double especially when they find out their grandmother Fiona, Amy's husband Richard's mother, is coming to spend the holiday with them.

When Amy visits her Aunt Lydia at Winterfest, she notices a steep snow-covered slope near where her aunt has her craft booth set up.  It's not until later when the sponsor, Wendy Blackstone, is found murdered that Amy really has her hands full.  She thought she was done with murder, but it seems that the spotlight is on her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, for the deed.  Now, she'll have to sift through suspects and clues to find the real killer -- and hope that she can do it before Christmas...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all.  I thought because of the time progression (stay with me) that I had missed one, but nope.  This one takes place five years after the last book, and now Amy's given birth and her twins are ruling her life.  There are several changes also, one in which how Amy treats Kurt (my favorite character) and I approve of that.  They've not only come to an understanding, they've become friends.  He's also the twins' godfather, and that shows how far Amy's come.  Good move.

When Ethan is accused of murder, Amy isn't happy.  People know he doesn't have the temperament to commit murder, but there's a problem that no one in the town can get past (and I won't reveal it here since this book is not yet published).  This only adds confusion to the investigation and makes Amy's personal investigation harder.  Not to mention her brother Scott hasn't yet arrived, so Amy is on her own.

Then Fiona arrives, and while Amy is apprehensive at first, things begin to change between them, and Amy comes to a greater understanding of Fiona as well.  I like how this has progressed, and how Amy has become softer since motherhood; she's no longer so judgmental of people, and it works so well in this book.

When the murderer is discovered, it was hidden well until nearly the last, and I found the reasons behind the murder believable and sad, and while murder is wrong, one can sympathize (to a point) but derangement is what it is.

All in all, I found this one of my most favorite books of the series, and I hope that they keep coming for a long time yet.  I read all of Ms. Gilbert's books and have yet to be disappointed.  She is a talented writer with an ability to create interesting storylines.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Checks-Ridge-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BVTPMT8S/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5805139460

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

Death In The Margins (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery Book 7)

Author:    Victoria Gilbert

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639101306

Crooked Lane Books

336 Pages

$13.99; $26.99 Amazon

December 6, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's early summer, and while Richard Muir and his dance partner, Karla, are preparing their new choreographic piece, Richard's wife, Amy, is gathering the dance's source materials.  Based on folktales and the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the production is set to premiere at an old cinema that has been converted into a theater.  But when dancer Meredith Fox -- Richard's former fiancée -- is found dead backstage, Amy is once again propelled into a murder case that threatens the careers and lives of those she loves.

After Amy teams up with Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and the sheriff's department to discover the killer, they find that there's no shortage of suspects.  Meredith's wealthy ex-husband, several fellow dancers, a romantically spurned accompanist, and others whom the talented but haughty dancer dismissed or betrayed over the years.

With Richard's and Karla's help, and information gleaned from locals who know a wealth of small-town secrets, Amy desperately tries to unveil the killer before the premiere.  But she's pursuing a ruthless murderer who's willing to kill again -- and who might just be waiting for Amy in the wings.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy and Richard Muir are settling nicely into married life, while Richard pursues a new dance choreographic piece based on their home -- the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Unfortunately, Richard has hired his ex, Meredith Fox, and she makes it known that she doesn't think anyone in the cast is up to her own abilities.  She heaps disdain and nasty remarks on anyone who happens to be within distance, and she's making new enemies right and left.  When she's paired to dance with sixteen-year-old Connor, she makes it known she won't do it.

But Richard insists, and Meredith resists.  Who is going to win?  In the end, it doesn't matter, as Amy finds Meredith dead in one of the rehearsal rooms, and now anyone who was in the theatre is a suspect.  Except for a few with solid alibis, of course.  But when the police arrest someone Amy and her friends and family know can't be the suspect, she's asked by Chief Deputy Brad Tucker to listen to conversations and see if she can uncover information that he can't.

This leads her into another investigation, whether she wants it or not, and finding more suspects who weren't seen anywhere near the crime scene.  Amy's entering the equestrian set and garden set, neither place interesting to her, but hoping to gain intel.  Fortunately, she also has Kurt Kendrick to help, an enigmatic art collector with a shady past.  While he's been helpful and generous to Amy, she still keeps him at arm's length.  But it will be an unlikely source that draws her to the killer...and with another unlikely source to keep her out of danger...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all.  I am not going to tell you too much more about the book, because I do not want to spoil it for anyone (indeed, I have basically only expanded on the blurb itself); but I will say that this book is written very well, and draws us into the mystery quickly.  As anyone who's read the other books, Meredith won't be missed, but still, as Amy states, no one deserves to die like that.  

Watching Amy gather her information is effective, with people giving up what they know easily to a woman who seems merely intrigued by the murder.  But then there is the killer who seemingly knows otherwise.  With a few red herrings thrown in for good measure, we work our way through the story looking for clues as much as our protagonist.

I still like Kurt the best of all the characters; he seems secretive and protective, and intelligent as well.  Amy should learn to give a little and not be so judgmental.  Regardless of his past, he has true feelings for her and her family, and is a good man.  But the other characters are great nonetheless, and they make the story definitely worth reading.  When it all comes together and the killer is revealed, the climax is almost the best part of the story.  I loved this and look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Margins-Ridge-Library-Mystery/dp/1639101306/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5008383495

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

Renewed for Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #6)

Author:    Victoria Gilbert

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN#:    9781643857862

Crooked Lane Books

352 Pages

$26.99; $13.99 Amazon

December 7, 2021

⭐⭐

August in Taylorsford, Virginia finds library director Amy Webber and her new husband, dancer Richard Muir, settling into married life -- and a new project.  Richard and his dance partner, Karla, are choreographing a suite based on folk music and folk tales, while Amy scours the library's resources to supply background information the dance's source material.  But the mellifluous music comes to a jarring halt when an unknown woman's body turns up in Zelda Shoemaker's backyard gazebo.

Chief Deputy Brad Tucker puts Zelda at the top of his suspect list, thanks to a blackmail letter he finds in the dead woman's pocket.  Zelda's best friend, Amy's aunt Lydia Talbot, begs Amy to use her research skills to clear Zelda's name.  But the task is confounded by Zelda's very out-of-character refusal to reveal why the victim might have blackmailed her.

Complicating matters further, Amy unearths records of a long-ago tragedy that casts doubt on Zelda's innocence.  She enlists hubby Richard, Aunt Lydia, art dealer Kurt Kendrick, Mayor Sunny Fields, and sundry other quirky townsfolk in a quest to exonerate Zelda.  But will revealing the truth end up forcing Zelda to spend the rest of her life behind bars?

Meanwhile, the killer is still out there.  Amy had better be fleet on her feet, because death is on her dance card, and her number may be up.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Muir (nee Webber) is settling into new married life with her husband, dancer Richard Muir.  Things seem to finally be going smoothly, and she's happy and content.  But then she finds out from her aunt Lydia, who lives next door, that Lydia's friend Zelda is in trouble, and insists that Amy and her husband take her to Zelda's instead of calling the police.  When they arrive, there is a dead body in Zelda's gazebo, and Zelda is nowhere to be found.  But when the woman is identified, it appears she may have been blackmailing Zelda.  But the only connection the two women have is a long-ago choir they were both in; one that Zelda dropped out of soon after winning the finals against a neighboring group.  To complicate things, it appears that a teenaged girl was killed in a car accident not long after, and Amy wants to know if this had anything to do with the competition.

Once found, Zelda won't talk about it and Lydia wants Amy to research who the woman was and why she was there.  But Amy soon finds herself in trouble, but refuses to quit.  Will she find a killer who seems to be targeting both Zelda and her?  Or will this be her final trip to the library?

Let me first say that I love Victoria Gilbert's books.  I have read all of them so far.  But this one sorely disappointed me, and I found it to be the weakest in the series.  Also, the formatting left out characters, so it was more difficult to read.  There were 'if', 'ff', and 'th' missing from many of the words in the Kindle edition.  I do not know if this has been fixed or not, but hopefully it has.

Saying that, the author needs to do her homework.  Peanut allergies didn't begin until the 90's.  In the time period mentioned, nearly everyone brought peanut butter/peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school.  They ate peanuts at ball games.  I know people that grew up in that era, and not one of them had ever heard of peanut allergies.  A little research would have verified this.  So I really didn't find the rest of the book too believable after this.  

 
Also, while others might not have mentioned it, no one really cares about Richard's dance troupe or his choreography.  Dance is something that is visual, and it is no different than a film.  Yes, you can read a screenplay, but it won't have the same effect as seeing the film on screen.  Dance really needs to be viewed in the same manner.  I found it tedious and it took away from the mystery and there was far too much of it.  It was almost as if we were reading about Richard's career instead of a murder.

As to the mystery itself, it suffered because of all the talk about Richard's dancing.  Where was Zelda in the beginning of the book?  We read about her, but didn't learn anything until the latter half of the book.  By then, it didn't matter.  I had already lost interest because of what I mentioned above.  I also didn't care for the author subtly throwing in her personal views, as this is supposed to be a novel, not a book on political science.  I read to relax and unwind from the world, not have it follow me in my leisure time.  

What I would like to have seen is Richard actually helping Amy in her investigations.  Yes, I realize he thinks his dancing is so important, but it would be nice to see him be the one to rescue her once in a while.  My favorite character is still Kurt; he's mysterious and has a dark past, but is there when you need him.

In the end, there was quite a bit going on in the climax, and yes, it was filled with action, so it had that redeeming quality going for it.  But it was not tension-filled nor too exciting, although it did make sense of everything coming before it.  Ms. Gilbert is a very talented author and I have always enjoyed her books, and the fact that she can bring words to life.  Unfortunately, that didn't occur in this latest mystery.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Renewed-Murder-Ridge-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08Y8CDGPH/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4399873923

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

A Deadly Edition (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #5)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #;  9781643854762
Crooked Lane Books
368 Pages
$26.00; $12.99 Amazon
December 8, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

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/

Bound for Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mystery Book 4)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:    Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781643852430
Crooked Lane Books
[Pages TBA]
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
January 7, 2020

⭐⭐⭐

Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor.  But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet.  Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm.  But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields -- and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.

With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not yet" to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend's family.  Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit.  As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead.   But if Amy can't find whoever killed these "flower children," someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Webber is the director of the Taylorsford Public Library, and her employee Sunny is also her best friend.  When the county has to do some digging on Sunny's grandparents' farm, they find human remains.  Amy is asked by the grandparents to contact former members of their long-ago commune and let them know that the authorities might be coming by to question them.  Her grandfather says as how he just wants to give them a heads-up, so Amy agrees.

But the remains turn out to be those of a young black man who disappeared after supposedly going to California.  But if that's the case, why was he here?  And why didn't he let anyone know he was returning?  She also has the interest of an investigative reporter dogging her every steps, the current mayor's wife trying to sabotage Sunny's campaign by spreading rumors, and no time to plan her wedding.  Amy knows she'll have to keep things on the down low if she doesn't want to be underground...

I really don't know what to think about this book.  The idea of someone being murdered many years ago, someone who lived in a commune, was interesting.  Now present day, they find his body and people who were in the commune at the same time are being killed off.

But I began to wonder why Amy was being targeted.  She never found out anything from any of them that could be used as evidence, all of it was about Jeremy Adams, the dead man, and peoples' reactions and relationships to him.   She wasn't learning anything earth-shattering; nothing that could help the murder investigation.

Below are spoilers which I've hidden so please read them at your own risk:

It still bothers me - after three previous books - that Amy doesn't mind Kurt protecting her and her family, but treats him like a criminal, when he's long left those days behind him and become a wealthy and respected art collector who's refined and treats people well. She's decided it's fine to keep secrets from the police but then tells Kurt that if he doesn't spill the beans, as it were, she's going to the police herself. It's not her story to tell. That's the best way I can put it. She's awfully judgmental about Kurt and his past, but doesn't want to hear it when someone from the commune tells her that Sunny's grandparents probably tried hard drugs. I fully expected her to put her hands over her ears and say, "lalalalala" any minute. Hypocrite, much? She preaches 'do as I say, not as I do.'

She also has no business judging Kurt for his past when she gives P.J. and Carol (the grandparents) a pass for theirs. He's done NOTHING to harm her, and has even helped and protected her. She makes it difficult to like her. Amy actually says of Carol and P.J.: "...knowing P.J. and Carol, I can imagine them covering up an accidental death if they thought they were protecting a friend or the commune." But then continues to look at Kurt askance and with suspicion every time he opens his mouth. All this shows is that Amy is a judgmental, holier-than-thou prig. How can anyone find her likable after this?

IT would also be nice if there were more local color than just Lydia's garden. We have plenty of details on the color of peoples' eyes, but what does that matter in the long run? We didn't even find out what month it was until 81% of the book was gone. I would have liked to have learned more of the surrounding area or the town itself.

In the end, it wasn't a bad book, but we pretty much knew who the murderer was from the beginning, just because of certain things that were said, and I won't say any more than that except to say it was a decent enough cozy; just not enough to draw me into the story.

FYI, Amy saying 'wine is the best medicine' tells me that she might have an addiction problem of her own. Drinking doesn't solve problems; it just temporarily masks them. The problems will still be there when you sober up. In fact, the only thing anyone did for enjoyment was drink. Surely there's more they can do in town than just go to dance recitals and drink; but on the other hand, the local liquor store owner must be a millionaire. Just sayin'

https://www.amazon.com/Bound-Murder-Ridge-Library-Mystery/dp/1643852434/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2982394254

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

Shelved Under Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #2)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683315957; 9781683319207
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$18.35; $10.99; $7.80 Amazon
July 10, 2018

✮✮

October in Taylorsford, Virginia means it's leaf peeping season, with bright colorful foliage and a delightful fresh crew of tourists attending the annual Heritage Festival which celebrates local history and arts and crafts.  Library director Amy Webber, though, is slightly dreading having to spend two days running a yard sale fundraiser for her library.  But during these preparations, when she and her assistant Sunny stumble across a dead body, Amy finds a real reason to be worried.

The body belonged to a renowned artist who was murdered with her own palette knife.  A search of the artist's studio uncovers a cache of forged paintings, and when the sheriff's chief deputy Brad Tucker realizes Amy is skilled in art history research, she's recruited to aid the investigation.  It doesn't seem to be an easy task, but when the state's art expert uncovers a possible connection between Amy's deceased uncle and the murder case, Amy must champion her Aunt Lydia to clear her late husband's name.

That's when another killing shakes the quiet town, and danger sweeps in like an autumn wind.  Now, with her swoon-inducing neighbor Richard Muir, Amy must scour their resources to once again close the books on murder.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Webber is director of the library in Taylorsfod, Virgina.  She's preparing for their annual Heritage Festival, along with her employee Sunny and help from Amy's boyfriend Richard Muir.  On this day, Sunny has asked them to help with transporting art pieces from a local artist, since her own VW Bug isn't large enough.  But when they arrive at the artist's farm, Richard finds her dead.

But while it seems the reason for the murder is unclear, some paintings are discovered, and it appears they might be forgeries.  But things go from bad to worse when it also appears that Amy's late uncle might have been involved in those forgeries, and now Amy has to help her aunt clear her uncle's name...

This is the second book in the Blue Ridge Library mysteries, and I was looking forward to reading it because I've read the first and the third but somehow missed this one.  After reading it, I wish I would have just skipped it altogether.

The story starts out that an artist was murdered with a palette knife.  Now anyone who's ever been near an artist or knows anything about art knows that palette knives are flexible and bend easily.  They need to be, because they're for handling paint and scraping canvases (which you don't want to damage).  So the only way a person would die from one is if someone repeatedly poked you with it and you had a heart attack from the annoyance of telling them to stop.  It would have been better if the killer had forced the linseed oil down the artist's throat.

Now this might seem like a minor thing to be brushed away, but if you're not writing in a genre such as sci-fi or fantasy, the rule of thumb is: if it doesn't happen in real life, it shouldn't happen in a book.  Unfortunately, with just a tad bit of research, the author could have discovered this, but it seems that she figured no one would know or notice.  Someone did.

The second thing is, the killer was discovered immediately.  As in right away.  As in the minute they stepped onto the page.  It wasn't even remotely hidden.  Which, of course, isn't always a big deal, because honestly, it's the journey to figure out the motive and who else might be suspected of the murder.  But to tell the truth, this journey was arduous.  And painful.

Amy is not a nice person.  It's from little things to big things, and she's just not likable.  There's how she mentions that Zelda has dyed blonde hair.  Who cares?  Does she go around checking people out for what she considers flaws?  I suppose her aunt's white hair (at 64) is more attractive?  No, it will make her look older.  So why shouldn't Zelda dye her hair?  Honestly, Amy is pretentious, snobbish, selfish, and judgmental - and we'll get more into that later.

As to Sunny, "free spirit" usually translates to 'I don't want to grow up and be an adult and become a responsible human being.'  She's stringing Brad along, knowing he loves her (but won't cut him loose) and even tells Amy she can't fall in love with Brad.  He's just a convenience for her.  Not an admirable trait in any woman, and everything she says sounds like an excuse.

Oh, and FYI Amy - no one wears pantyhose anymore; I'm not even sure if they still sell it.  Also, text messages can easily be traced to the phone that sent them, so being anonymous isn't going to work in that aspect.

Richard is just too sappy for me.  He's constantly gushing over Amy like she's the world's most beautiful, talented, smartest, etc., woman, and that she could deign to lower herself to love him completely amazes him.  Really?  He doesn't act like a man so much about Amy as a love-struck teen under his first crush.  He also talks like one, calling her 'girl'.  He'll also offer her the moon, but she won't offer him anything in return.  Why do I say that?  Here's the selfish part: Amy knows Richard's a dancer, and he wants to dance with her, but she refuses (unless she's drunk enough).  Did she ever hear of taking a dance class?  Learning a few steps?  He'll help her at the library, but she won't learn to dance to make him happy.  Hence, selfish; and it certainly doesn't show that she loves him.

But the worst thing is she hates Kurt, and I can't figure out what he's ever done to hurt her.  She spills a secret to Richard about Kurt that was never meant to be told to him.  All because she hates Kurt.  She's a nasty piece of work.  Who made Amy judge, jury, and executioner?  She hates Kurt because of his possible 'shady deals' in the past that she doesn't know what they are but knows somehow he must have done something.

So what does she do?  She tries to find him guilty of conspiracy of murder, wants him in jail because of his past that she really knows nothing about ("they should charge him with something").  In fact, she spends all of her time trying to find Kurt guilty of something, anything that will get him arrested.  She's like one of those spinsters of yore who walked around town wearing black up to their necks, rimless glasses, and looking down their noses at everyone.  First, it's none of her business what Kurt's prior life (or present life, for that matter) is.  Secondly, it actually takes the fact of something Kurt says that makes her bend a little.  What a priggish woman.  And, to tell the truth, I was disappointed in the conversation.  Kurt was interesting before; in fact, he was the most interesting character in the book.  Now, not so much.

Aunt Lydia isn't blameless, either.  She'll forgive Mel almost instantaneously for Andrew, but still holds a grudge against Kurt - never even realizing that her husband was as much to blame?  The women in this family have a lot to learn about life - like if you hold on to the past you can't go forward with the future.

At any rate, since I already knew the murderer (instantaneously) it only took getting to the end of the book (by plodding through) to find the reasons why.  I felt the writing was very good, but Amy is just not the kind of woman you want to spend time with.  She's pleasant to her friends, but very nasty to people she doesn't like - as I stated before, even trying to put them in jail when she has no basis to do so.  Her sense of justice does not trump other peoples' lives.  So, as I stated, I've read three of these books, but after reading this one, I'm not sure I'll progress to the next.

https://www.amazon.com/Shelved-Under-Murder-Library-Mystery/dp/1683315952/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2823385975

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

Past Due for Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #3)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683318743
Crooked Lane Books
304 Pages
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
February 12, 2019

✮✮✮

Spring has sprung in quaint Taylorsford, Virginia, and the mayor has revived the town's long-defunct May Day celebration to boost tourism.  As part of the festivities, library director Amy Webber is helping to organize a research project and presentation by a local folklore expert.  All seems well at first - but spring takes on a sudden chill when a university student inexplicably vanishes during a bonfire.

The local police cast a wide net to find the missing woman, but in a shocking turn of events, Amy's swoon-worthy neighbor Richard Muir becomes a person of interest in the case.  Not only is Richard the woman's dance instructor, he also doesn't have an alibi for the night the student vanished - or at least not one he'll divulge, even to Amy.

When  the missing student is finally discovered lost in the mountains, with no memory of recent events - and a dead body lying nearby - an already disturbing mystery takes on a sinister new hue.  Blessed with her innate curiosity and a librarian's gift for research, Amy may be the only one who can learn the truth.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Webber lives in a small town in Virginia with her Aunt Lydia and works as director for their library.  She's got a romance going with her next-door neighbor Richard Muir who teaches dance at a nearby university.  But there's a problem - both her parents and Richard's are coming to visit the same weekend and now it seems the 'twain shall meet' and neither Amy nor Richard is looking to make it happen for their own various reasons.  There is also the fact that after a visit back home to his family not long ago, he's keeping secrets, and Amy wants to know why.

One night Amy is out with a group of people and sees a shadow in the nearby woods that looks a lot like her ex-boyfriend Charles, with whom she had a massive blowup that caused her to leave her previous job at the university.  When she gets closer she realizes it certainly is him, and asks him why he's there.  It turns out that he'd recently moved to the area to live with his girlfriend Marlis, who was killed not too long ago by a hit-and-run driver, and while Amy feels sorrow for his loss, she feels nothing else for him.

When asked her feelings regarding Charles by Professor Mona Raymond, she lets her know that all between her and Charles is in the past.  But later Mona confronts her about something she believes Charles may have stolen, and Amy has no idea what she's talking about and hopes to stay out of it.  At the same time, a student goes missing and it seems that Richard may have been one of the last people to see her; he naturally becomes a suspect in the disappearance.

There is also the fact that the elusive Kurt, one-time resident of Taylorsford who has now returned quite wealthy though perhaps achieving that wealth through not always proper means, has invited Amy to visit an elderly resident of the mountains who has tales of long ago along with a legend of the mountain fairies.  Jumping at the chance Amy goes along, but even this visit leads to more questions about the history of the area, including the disappearance of two young women in 1879.

Then the missing student appears along with Mona's body, but who committed the murder?  Fearing Richard might be poised to take the fall for the murder Amy decides to find out the identity of the real killer, not realizing that in doing so she could inadvertently lose her own life in the process...

While this book can be read as a stand alone, there are many references to the last book (which I have not read) and are not really explained.  I do think that if you're going to reference things from previous books that you should at least make a full explanation of why someone said or thought that.  It's like walking in on people in the middle of a conversation and then having them expect you to know what they're talking about.  This is not the way to get new readers, unless the author believes she's fine with the ones she already has.  However, it appears to all extents that one would be better served were one to read all three books in order to understand what is going on.

I liked the fact that once again as in the first book, there was a mystery-within-a-mystery, which is always fun to decipher, and I think Loie the kitten is adorable.  I enjoyed reading about the mountain fairies, and whether they'll real or not I think depends on whether people believe in magic within themselves; but that again is an individual thing.

However, as nuanced as it might have been, I did feel that the author was adding bits of her own personal opinions on how things should be in certain areas, and I don't think that this is the business of an author unless you're reading non-fiction.  I won't go into this as it wasn't directly thrown at the reader, but the clues are there for anyone who reads the book.

There was a nice suspenseful couple of chapters toward the end when Amy was getting closer to finding out the truth, and that was definitely worth reading; although I felt the book was slow in the beginning for various reasons and didn't pick up until over half the book was done.  At that point we finally get to the gist of the matter and everything started to come together nicely.  All in all, not a bad book and one that would be nice to read on a quiet evening.

https://smile.amazon.com/Past-Due-Murder-Library-Mystery/dp/1683318749/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2548482305

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/

A Murder for the Books (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #1)

Author:  Victoria Gilbert
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; Digital Book; Audio Book
ISBN #:  9781683314394; 9781683316077
Crooked Lane Books
352 Pages
$18.35; $15.99; $7.99
December 12, 2017 (June 2018 Paperback)

✮✮

Fleeing a disastrous love affair, Amy Webber leaves her job as a university librarian to live with her aunt in a quiet, historic Virginia mountain town.  Soon enough, she lands a new gig managing the town's charming public library.  Busy trying to hold things together at work, the last thing Amy needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm is bound to lure her into trouble.

Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle and with it, the house's scandalous story.  Town folklore claims the house's original owner was poisoned by his wife, who vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial.  Richard implores Amy to help him clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved.  Amy is skeptical until their research implicates the town's leading families...even hers.

And now it's up to Amy and Richard to turn the page on the town's turbulent past.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Amy Webber moves to a quiet Virginia town to live with her aunt and work as a librarian after an embarrassing episode at nearby Clarion University.  When she meets her new neighbor Richard Muir, she's attracted to him but determined to stay away after her recent fiasco.  But that's easier said than done when Richard asks her help in solving a mystery - the truth as to whether Daniel Cooper was poisoned by his wife Eleanora back in 1925.  Although she was acquitted and left the area soon after, there are those who believe otherwise.  But his late great-uncle Paul believed she was innocent, and now Richard wants to find out if he was right.

When Amy and Richard find a library patron dead in the archive building, they can't imagine who would want to kill the old woman.  But when someone comes forward with a theory and that person is also killed, they know they're going down a path someone doesn't want them to.  But will they stop investigating, or will Amy be the one to take the final journey?...

The premise sounded interesting (I do love mysteries within mysteries) but I was barely in a few pages when I read Amy's description of her 'frail' aunt - who wears pearls, has white hair and needs a can for a leg injury.  She even mentions that at least her hearing is okay.  So how old is this decrepit woman?  64.  That's right.  This author believes 64 is elderly.  Personally, many women in their 60's are physically active, do sports, dye their hair, wear makeup, and don't. wear. pearls.  (That's just too much of a cliché for me).  In fact, I don't know anyone around that age who does.  Necklaces, sure; but not pearls.  I also don't know any who have hearing aids (although I'm sure some do).  She writes of her as if she's in her eighties.  She also says she has a second cousin who is 59 and has 'steel gray hair'.  It makes you wonder if she thinks once you hit 55 you need a rocking chair.  (While I know there are women who just decide to go au naturel when they start to turn gray, at 59 most probably wouldn't).

I also didn't feel that Amy had a strong enough reason to leave Clarion.  If a woman finds her boyfriend cheating - at an event they're attending together - it's to be forgiven if she reacts in the heat of the moment.  Even the recipient of the drink should have understood that, and censured Charles, not her.  It doesn't say much about the dean that he didn't, so maybe it was good that she left Clarion.  Who'd want to work there knowing this?  (I get she embarrassed the man, but they both should have been taken to the dean's office and the dean should have been upset with him, not her).

There were also no descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains or the area.  This book could have taken place anywhere and we wouldn't have known the difference.  There were no descriptions of the town, either.  We knew there was a library, a diner, and the description of her aunt's home, but that's about it.  Unfortunately, these things made the book feel flat for me.  The most interesting character in the book was Karl/Kurt, and we didn't find out a whole lot about him.

I knew who the murderer of Eleanora was almost immediately and why; I didn't feel that this was hidden at all, but then again maybe it wasn't supposed to be; the killer of Doris took me a bit longer.  I thought the reasons why were alright, but not real satisfying, and I didn't like the fact that the book left out details of things that should have been explained, and they never were.  (This, however, isn't specific to this author; I'm finding more and more authors are telling you something and then never following through on it).  Also, why even tell us the name of the former librarian if he's not even in the book?  This just seems superfluous to me.

In the end, I realize that this was a first-in-the-series book, and this is a new author, so I'm giving a pass on this one and hope that these things improve in the next.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Books-Ridge-Library-Mystery/dp/1683314395/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2545324059

More on Victoria Gilbert's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/victoria-gilbert/