Books of a Feather

Can you believe it is Wednesday already?  My daughter, Betsy came by the other day and was startled to see a raccoon in our bottle brush tree at the front of the house next to the front porch (it was about 4:30 p.m.). The raccoon was eating out of the bird feeders in the tree.  This raccoon has been in our yard since it was a baby and comes down to eat when I fill the feeders every afternoon. Here is a picture of my little furry friend.

  

Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle is the eleventh book in A Bibliophile Mystery series.  Brooklyn Wainwright and her fiancé, Derek Stone have returned to their renovated home in San Francisco.  Brooklyn is helping Genevieve Taylor with an inventory of Taylor’s Fine Books after the death of her father.  Brooklyn is amazed at the wonderful old novels (fourteen first editions so far) she is finding stashed around the store (and she gets to work on some of them).  The book has been the victim of robbery recently (someone is stealing the valuable books in her store).  Brooklyn heads home with the new books to restore to find her fiancé, Derek is entertaining a guest.  Crane is an old friend of Derek’s and is in town to talk to his black sheep brother, Bai.  Brooklyn and Derek will be attending a special event at the Covington Library and Museum and then ask Crane to attend with them.  The Covington is hosting an Audubon exhibit with Birds of America (a very big and beautiful book) on exhibit.  Brooklyn is approached by Jared Mulrooney at the exhibit.  Jared is the president of the Bay Area Birdwatchers Society.  He wants Brooklyn to restore a book.  Jared spilled wine all over a book owned by the birdwatcher’s society (it is normally kept in a glass case).  Brooklyn then meets up with Genevieve who asks Brooklyn to look at a very special novel.  It is wrapped and Genevieve asks her to wait until later to look at it (turns out to be a very valuable item).  Brooklyn goes looking for her friend later in the evening and discovers Jared Mulrooney dead (Brooklyn seems to attract dead bodies).  Who would want to kill Jared?  Does it have anything to do with the book he gave her to fix?  Brooklyn cannot help but investigate.  As if Brooklyn does not have enough on her plate, her parents show up for a surprise visit (that’s what happens when you let people know you have guest rooms).  As if that is not enough, they bring up a homeless man one night who they insist is an old friend (you just know this is going to take a bad turn).  The two couples go out to brunch the next morning and return to find the man dead in the apartment (and in Derek’s new robe).  Someone was trying to get into the safe where Brooklyn keeps the valuable books she is working on.  Which book are the thieves after?  They need to find the culprit before he returns.  Read Books of a Feather for another high flying adventure with Brooklyn and Derek (and their new kitten, Charlie). 

Books of a Feather is a delight.  It was nice to check in with Brooklyn Wainwright and Derek Stone (such great characters).  I liked Books of a Feather, but I found it a little superficial.  Some of the information was repeated in the book (they have not started planning the wedding yet, how handsome Derek is--many times, how they have renovated the apartment, etc.).  Books of a Feather is nicely written (good flow) and easy to read.  The mystery plays out during the course of the book. Not all the players are revealed until the end.  You can take a guess at the person behind the murders (since there are not many suspects, it is easily figured out).  I give Books of a Feather 4 out of 5 stars.  I want to see more character development (depth).  Books of a Feather can easily be read alone (but you will want to read the other novels in the series).  The author makes it a point to tell the reader about Brooklyn and her prior adventures (I have read each and every book in this series).  I will be reading the next book in the Bibliophile Mystery series because I like the characters, and I want to see how their story plays out.

The other books in A Bibliophile Mystery series are Homicide in Hardcover, If Books Could Kill, The Lies that Bind, Murder Under Cover, One Book in the Grave, Peril in Paperback, A Cookbook Conspiracy, The Book Stops Here, and Ripped from the Pages (click here to find them).  I received a complimentary copy of Books of Feather in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

Sorry I was so wordy today (sometimes it is hard to condense).  I am currently reading The Saddle Maker's Son by Kelly Irvin.  I hope everyone has had a pleasant day and may your evening be relaxing!  I am off to cook dinner and finish up a few things before relaxing.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader