Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018)
Hardcover: 300 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683315957
Digital: ASIN: B075QJHPR9
Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the second installment in A Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. It is October in Taylorsford, Virginia where Amy Webber, library director, is preparing for the annual Heritage Festival where the library hosts a yard sale table as a fundraiser. They have been busy gathering donations and Sunny Fields, Amy’s perky assistant, got a local artist to donate three paintings. Since Sunny drives a tiny car, Amy and her boyfriend, Richard agree to go with her to acquire and transport the works of art. They arrive to find the artist dead in her studio where she was stabbed with her own palette knife. Chief Deputy Brad Tucker arrive on the scene and his staff finds paintings in a hidden room. Amy, courtesy of her art history background, looks at the paintings and she discerns that they are expert forgeries. Hui “Hugh” Chen, an art expert, arrives in town and Aunt Lydia offers their guest room to him. He uncovers canvases belonging to Andrew Talbot, Aunt Lydia’s deceased husband, in the guest room closet that are replicas of renowned paintings. Had Andrew been involved in forging artwork? Amy delves into the murder and the world of art forgeries. She believes Kurt Kendrick is involved, but will Amy be able to prove he is complicit in the crime?
Shelved Under Murder can be read alone. The author summarizes A Murder for the Books and provides background on the main characters. The mystery is complex as it explores the world of art forgeries. Unfortunately, the killer might as well have a neon arrow flashing over his head. I wish the author had made it harder to pinpoint the guilty party. Amy is an interesting main character. She is an intelligent woman with diverse interests. I love the home she lives in with Aunt Lydia. The descriptions of the beautiful Victorian and the town allowed me to visualize the scenes. I enjoyed the scenes where Amy was researching the artwork. We get to learn about resources available. I also liked the scenes with Amy and Sunny interacting with the patrons and helping them with their research requests. Despite what some people may think, libraries along with their librarians hold an important place in our society (a valuable resource). Sunny adds lightness to the story with her cheerful personality and outlook on life. I did feel that there was too much romance in the book. I would have preferred less lovey dovey moments (dating, kissing, thinking about Richard, and more). Shelved Under Murder is nicely written, but I did feel the pace could have been peppier. The long-winded ending wrapped up the mystery and answered all the lingering questions about the crime. My rating for Shelved Under Murder is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Shelved Under Murder is an inviting cozy mystery with congenial characters, lovely setting and a stimulating whodunit. Shelved Under Murder is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indie Bound.
About the Author
Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. She has worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and library director. When not writing or reading, Victoria likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers, and is represented by Frances Black at Literary Council, NY, NY. Victoria lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats.
Author Links:
Website/blog: http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaGilbertMysteryAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGilbertauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/VictoriaGilbert
Thank you for stopping by today. In honor of the Great Escapes Shelved Under Murder Tour, the author is giving away a signed hard copy of Shelved Under Murder along with some swag. You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure to leave a comment on my blog for another entry and I hope you visit the author stops on the tour (schedule below). The next book in A Blue Ridge Library Mystery series is Past Due for Murder and it will be released on February 12, 2019. I hope you have a spellbinding day. Stay cool and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 9 – The Ninja Librarian - REVIEW, GUEST POST
July 9 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 10 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
July 10 – Curling Up by the Fire – REVIEW
July 10 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 11 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
July 11 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST
July 11 – Varietats – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
July 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 13 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 14 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
July 15 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW
July 15 – 3 Partners in Shopping Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW
July 16 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 16 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
July 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
July 17 – That's What She's Reading – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 17 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 18 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
July 18 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 19 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 19 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 19 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 20 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
July 20 – Island Confidential – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 20 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
Thanks so much for reviewing and for participating in the blog tour!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review on "Shelved Under Murder" by Victoria Gilbert and for being part of the book tour.
ReplyDeleteI would love the opportunity to read this fun book.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks for the review. I look forward to reading the book and having a new author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and chance to win!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy series set in libraries. Thank you for the chance to win.
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