Sunday, October 3, 2021

Book Spotlight, #Review, & #Giveaway ~ A Perfect Bind (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery) by Dorothy St. James @DorothyWrites #CozyMystery

 

A Perfect Bind (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery) by Dorothy St. James

About A Perfect Bind:

 

A Perfect Bind (A Beloved Bookroom Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Publisher: ‎ Berkley (September 28, 2021)

Hardcover: ‎ 304 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 0593098609

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0593098608

Digital ASIN: ‎ B08SJLRBJN

Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought... 

Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her "real job" upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn't steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves. 

A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He's heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover. 

My Review:

I'm not going to lie - the idea of a bookless library still gives me anxiety. I love how Tru is still running the secret bookroom in the basement of the library. However, there is a new mystery brewing. A vandal continues to somehow obtain access to the bookroom and is making a mess. Nothing is ever missing but the room is ransacked and some minor damage occurs. Then the dead body is found behind the library. Tru now has to figure out if the death and vandalism are related, all while keeping the secret bookroom from being discovered.

Tru's passion for tangible books over electronic ones is admirable. Having to lie to those around her, including some she claims to care for, isn't so much. I understand her reasoning but lying to loved ones had me tipping over the edge in this book. As in book one, Tru makes some silly mistakes and judgment calls, but her character development greatly improved in book two.

I found the book to be well-written and fast-paced. I was engaged from the very beginning. There are a lot of potential suspects and I had fun trying to figure out who committed the crime. The murderer was someone on my list at the beginning, stayed on it for quite awhile, but one I crossed off. I was totally blindsided by the person involved and the reasoning. The reason was staggering and I couldn't believe what I read. I look forward to seeing Tru's next shenanigans.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating:

About Dorothy St. James:

Dorothy St. James is the author of the White House Gardener Mysteries and the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries. She lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her sculptor husband. Dorothy is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sister’s in Crime (SInC). This is her second Beloved Bookroom Mystery.

Follow Dorothy Online:



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