#Cozy Mystery Book Review: #Booked for Death by #Victoria Gilbert

Summary: Booked for Death (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert

A book lover's B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder--and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth.

Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader's paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It's the perfect literary retreat--until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.

The victim's daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.

Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt's name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer's death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer--or end up writing her own final chapter.

Book Review: Booked for Death (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert

When rare book dealer Lincoln Delamont is stabbed to death at a book event in Chapters B&B, fingers are pointed at owner Charlotte Reed, accusing her of the murder. With the help of her neighbor Charlotte sets out to find the real killer and clear her name, whilst trying to stay out of danger.

Booked for Death (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #1) by @Victoria Gilbert is about Charlotte Reid whose great-aunt Isabella left her Chapters B&B, which is set in a converted stately waterfront home. A mystery seems to be connected to how she acquired the very large sum of money to buy it. Some of this information has made it into the hands of rare book’s dealer and shady business man Lincoln Delamont who threatens to use it to ruin Chapter’s reputation. Charlotte now has motive for murder. This twist becomes an important part of the plot which I enjoyed a lot.

Main character Charlotte Reed is the ex high school teacher, now B&B owner. I’m quite impressed by the way she handles situations where tempers get heated in a large group of people. Her socially confident manner and no-nonsense attitude comes in handy when her establishment suddenly becomes a crime scene. She is easily my favorite character of this story.

Ellen Montgomery is ex film location scout, neighbor and friend who is assisting with the amateur sleuthing as well as helping with business matters. I find her a very important secondary character that seems very well developed and true to life. She stands out positively and I think the plot would not function without her.

Damien Carr is part time cook at Chapters who has a volatile temper which leads to difficult relationships to other people. He seems a rather unsympathetic character with plenty of tantrums that plenty of people can imagine capable of murder. He is my least favorite character of this story. However, he seems to function a bit better as the story progresses.

The part of the plot concerning the mystery of great-aunt Isabella’s life was my favorite part of this plot. Throughout the story there were interesting clues, but no definite answers until the end, so I kept wondering and waiting to know more. The mystery part definitely added extra excitement to the story for me.

When it came to solving the murder, quite a number of guests seemed to have motives, so it seemed hard for Charlotte to sift through it all to solve the case. I really enjoyed that the identity of the killer and the motive took me so completely by surprise.

Booked for Death (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #1) is the first work I have read by Victoria Gilbert. I look forward to installment #2 in the series.

Reading Booked for Death (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #1) by Victoria Gilbert was a new plot setting for me which made for an entertaining and thrilling as well as quick reading experience.

Fans of  Victoria Gilbert will love this work, as will readers of crime fiction.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this eARC, which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own. 

My rating: 4 stars / 5 because of the new and interesting plot and entertaining characters

Book Details (from Amazon)

Published by: Crooked Lane Books (June 9, 2020)
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Copyright: Vicki Lemp Weavil. All rights reserved
Book Cover illustration: Ben Perini
Language: English
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-307-9
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-328-4
ASIN: B07XX7PHTV

About The Author (from Goodreads)

Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountain, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. She holds a B.A. in Theatre, a M.A. in Library Science, a second M.A. in Liberal Studies, and is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.
When not writing or reading, she likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats.
Victoria is represented by Frances Black of Literary Counsel, NY, NY.



Find out more at her website: victoriagilbertmysteries.com