Hayley Burke is excited about her new job as Curator of Lady
Georgiana Fowling’s First Edition in Bath, England.
The library is at Middlebank House where Hayley lives in a
small flat.
The library is home to first-edition mystery novels all written
by women during the Golden Age of Mystery. Hayley faces two
problems. The first is that she works with Glynis Woolgar
who is the former personal assistant to the late Lady Fowling.
Mrs. Woolgar is adamant in her opposition to Hayley’s
efforts to renew and update the library. The second is that
Hayley has never read any of the books.
Hayley launched an Agatha Christie fan-fiction writing group
and they meet at Middlebank. Mrs. Woolgar is upset about the
way they leave the furniture in disarray and Hayley is having
second, third and fourth thoughts about the group. Hayley
is working on a proposal to The First Edition Society. She
wants the Society to offer a series of literary salons. Evening
lectures on culture, and writing of the 1930s. Hayley is optimistic
that her plans can work and is hopeful that the Society will
flourish as it had before Lady Fowling’s death.
When a member of the fan-fiction writing group is murdered
in the library, Hayley is quick to realize that she must act
to save the library and keep her job. How? By becoming a sleuth
and learning how mysteries work so that she can catch the
killer.
What a pleasure to have read and to review this book. Any
book featuring a library, quirky characters, and an atmospheric
location is a book written for me. What a fantastic job Marty
Wingate has done with this debut of a new series.
Cozy mystery lovers will delight in this book. I will be looking
forward to the next in the series as the characters, relationships
and the library itself continue to evolve.
I love the paper used for the book jacket. There is a tactile
dimension to it which I found unique and made holding the
hardcover book more comfortable.
Reviewer
Notes: The author also writes the Potting Shed Mysteries
and the Birds of a Feather Mysteries |