[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Black Thorn in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Having Burton St. Claire in Fethering was a big deal for the small town. While it was a bitterly cold January evening outside the Fethering Library, it was cozy inside with the crowd of readers eager to hear about St. Claire’s bestselling book.
While the crowd was mostly mature female fans, there were others who were less impressed by the writer. There were questions about his skill as an author, hints at some self-published works St. Claire seemed reluctant to acknowledge, and of course whispers about his ex-wife and current wife. Not to mention rumors of his aggressive behavior with women and his indiscretions.
Still, it’s a shock when he’s found dead the next day in his car outside the library. Jude was the last person to see him. He had offered her a ride home, but had something… more in mind. She slapped him and walked home in the rain. Now, she’s a murder suspect.
Review
I was surprised to discover that this review copy was for a book that was originally released over a year ago. The paperback edition is releasing this month – and the cover absolutely caught my eye! While this is not a series I had ever read before, I love stories about books and book stores and libraries, so I picked this one up.
This is book 18 in the Fethering Mystery series. Coming in mid-series can be tricky with character relationships and history. In this case, the friendship and previously sleuthing by Jude and her neighbor Carole didn’t come across in this book well. Carole seems self-absorbed, cranky and pouty instead of acting like a real friend to Jude, especially early in the story.
The mystery is good, if infuriating. I don’t mind when the protagonist is a suspect, but when evidence is stacked against her, it makes me anxious. And Jude has quite a bit of hearsay and conjecture stacked against her. I was able to figure out the culprit but not the motive on my own. There were some nice twists thrown in.
On the mystery alone, I’d have rated this higher. But the writing style was a little wordy for my personal preferences. I was able to skim past several chunks of material that didn’t impact my understanding of the mystery. And I didn’t care for Jude or Carole. Characters are a big part of why I read, so when I don’t care for the main ones, it makes it harder to enjoy a book.
I think fans of the series will enjoy this one. As I said, the paperback cover is gorgeous. It will definitely catch your eye on a shelf. And the mystery is well constructed. If this series is new to you, I’d say try to start with an earlier book to get a better feel for the characters. Based on just this book, I won’t likely read more books from this series.