For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black

 For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black

Book Summary

For Whom the Books Tolls by Laura Gail Black has Jenna Quinn retreating to Hokes Folly, North Carolina at the invitation of her uncle.  After what happened in Charlotte, Jenna needed an escape.  Jenna arrives in the middle of the night and heads straight to bed in the guest room.  She wakes up the next morning and goes looking for her uncle.  She finds Uncle Paul dead at the bottom of the spiral staircase that leads from the apartment to the bookshop.  Unfortunately, Detective Frank Sutter has pegged Jenna as the prime suspect because of what occurred in Charlotte.  When Detective Sutter learns that Jenna is the sole beneficiary of over a million dollars, he is even more determined to nail her for the crime.  Jenna decides to take matters into her own hands.  She makes friends with her new neighbor, Rita who wants to help Jenna prove her innocence.  Rita knows the players and who had a beef with Paul.  Jenna will need to work quickly if she does not want a repeat of what happened in Charlotte.

My Thoughts

For Whom the Books Tolls by Laura Gail Black is the debut of An Antique Bookshop Mystery series.  I enjoyed this new cozy mystery.  I thought it was well-written with steady pacing.  I loved the descriptions of the historic district of Hokes Folly, North Carolina.  There are charming shops with apartments above them.  I was envious of the bookshop filled with regular and antique books.  Jenna gets the glorious task of sorting through all the volumes and putting them into order.  I liked Jenna’s neighbor, Rita.  She is a lively character.  The whodunit was intriguing.  Jenna finding her uncle dead and becoming the prime suspect is a cliché, but I loved the bookshop so much that I overlooked it.  I was not a fan of Detective Frank Sutter.  I am tired of the truism of a nasty detective who becomes determined to pin the crime on the relative.  Detective Sutter’s partner, Detective Keith Logan was much nicer, and he is easy on the eyes.  There are a couple of suspects along with good clues and a red herring.  Jenna turns out to be a decent amateur sleuth. I liked that there was a complete wrap-up of the crime with an unexpected revelation or two.  We are not left with any lingering questions regarding the mystery.  I am looking forward to reading the next An Antique Bookshop Mystery.  For Whom the Books Tolls is an engaging cozy mystery with bibliophile lovers’ bookshop, a determined detective, a kindly neighbor, a dubious developer, and a resolute relative.

For Whom the Book Tolls is available from Amazon*.  Thank you for reading my review.  I am off to finish cleaning out one of the sheds on our property (we have too much stuff).  I found items in there leftover from a yard sale we had almost fifteen years ago.  Unfortunately, it looks like squirrels  used the box for a nest (yuck).  It is all heading for the trash.  Tomorrow I am sharing my thoughts on The Flame Within by Liz Harris.  It is the 2nd book in The Linford Series.  I hope that you have a rewarding day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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