Review
The Third Beloved Bookroom Mystery
Invited to speak at the exclusive Arete Society Book Club, librarian Trudell Becket knows the night will be a disaster, she just doesn't know how bad it will actually turn out to be. When she agreed to speak to the women about how she's circumventing the no book policy of the town's all electric library, Tru forgot that her boss was a member of the group. The boss who doesn't have an inkling about the secret real book library Tru runs. The excitement of her friend, Flossie, and the rudeness of the book club president have Tru in a state, but the biggest shock comes when she finds the club's president dead in the kitchen. Now her boyfriend's mother is the prime suspect, she's having doubts about Flossie's innocence, her father is missing, and robots have invaded the library!
The idea of a library without books and a book club that censures you for reading unapproved books is an anathema to me. Fortunately, Tru is of the same mind as are many of the citizens of Cypress. I love how "good girl", rule follower Tru continues to break the rules to share the joy of reading books, whatever the genre.
In the third Beloved Bookroom mystery we see elitism and literary snobbishness as well as cliques and the desire to belong. Duplicitous behavior makes for a confounding mystery that had me captivated. Subtle clues, and not so subtle ones, provide readers with many aha moments...which in one case led me to think I had it solved...and I did solve something, just not the main thing. Doubts about loved ones amp the anxiety while help from unexpected places eases the tension.
A BOOK CLUB TO DIE FOR is a delightful mystery that captures both the humor and pathos of technology and book clubs. The story and characters engaged me from the start and never let go. I absolutely love this series and can't wait to see what happens next!
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A Book Club to Die For (A Beloved Bookroom) by Dorothy St. James
About A Book Club to Die For
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Cypress, South Carolina
Berkley (November 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 304 pages
When a member of an exclusive book club is checked out, spunky librarian Trudell Becket must sort fact from fiction to solve the murder.
The Cypress Arete Society is one of the town’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. When assistant librarian Trudell Becket is invited to speak to the group about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public, her friend Flossie invites herself along. Flossie has been on the book club’s waiting list for five years, and she’s determined to find out why she’s never received an invitation to join.
But not long after Tru and Flossie arrive for the meeting, they’re shocked to find the club’s president, Rebecca White, dead in the kitchen. Rebecca was a former TV actress and local celebrity, but was not known for being patient or pleasant. She’d been particularly unkind to the book club’s host for the evening, who also happens to be the mother of Detective Jace Bailey, Tru’s boyfriend. And Rebecca had made it clear that she didn’t think Flossie was book club material.
With her boyfriend and one of her best friends wrapped up in a murder, Tru has to work fast to figure out who cut Rebecca’s story short before the killer takes another victim out of circulation....
About Dorothy St. James
Dorothy St. James is a former Folly Beach beach bum. She now lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with her family, slightly (OK, terribly) needy dogs, and the friendliest cat you’ll ever meet. Author of a dozen novels, Dorothy enjoys writing both cozy mysteries and romance.
Follow Dorothy Online:
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Website: www.dorothystjames.com
Purchase Links - Amazon - Penguin Random House - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound
I am just getting into "cozy" mysteries - sounds good!
ReplyDeleteLove cozy mysteries, I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and reviewing A BOOK CLUB TO DIE FOR! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
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