Review
The Second Beloved Bookroom Mystery
Secrets make life difficult, especially for honest librarian Tru Beckett. But she must keep the bookroom in the basement of the library a secret. Ever since her beloved library abolished real books, Tru made it her mission to save them. But as more and more people utilize the space and bring their friends, Tru is worried her secret will get out. A secret that is especially hard to keep from Detective Jace Bailey. A secret also hard to hide when vandals are breaking in creating a mess and destroying books. When Doris runs in declaring there's a dead body behind the library Tru is sure it couldn't have anything to do with her bookroom. Could it? Between dispelling rumors about her love life and fervor about the upcoming apple pie contest Tru will try to determine who is vandalizing their bookroom and perhaps who is a murderer as well.
While Tori's histrionics are a bit much, I love the characters here. They all have depth and so many shades of gray. While I don't like Anne and her ideas about technological superiority, we find some positive traits about her in the second Beloved Bookroom Mystery. The same can be said for the stern Mrs. Farnsworth who refuses to bow down to members of the community trying to ban library programs. Jace and Charlie are both irresistible and I can't help laughing at the rumors about Tru and Jace. The addition of a possible poltergeist is fantastic!
A PERFECT BIND is a perfect blend of books and murder. Local history and tradition add interest and fun and that dash of romance makes a great read even better.
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A Perfect Bind (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery) by Dorothy St. James
About A Perfect Bind
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Publisher: Berkley (September 28, 2021)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought...
Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her "real job" upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn't steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.
A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He's heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.
About Dorothy St. James
Dorothy St. James is the author of the White House Gardener Mysteries and the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries. She lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her sculptor husband. Dorothy is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sister’s in Crime (SInC). This is her second Beloved Bookroom Mystery.
Follow Dorothy Online:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dorothy.stjames
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dorothywrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dorothymcfalls
Website: www.dorothystjames.com
Purchase Links - Amazon - Penguin Random House - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound
The excerpt, title and review are really good and OH that book cover. It really calls to me and makes me want to read the book right away. Would love to read & review in print format
ReplyDeleteI look forward to getting to know the author and their books.
Hope I Win
Sounds so good would love to read and review,.. Happy Fall I hope that you get a lot of followers while on tour! peggy clayton
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