Bound for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert
About Bound for Murder
Bound for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Virginia
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (January 7, 2020)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1643852434
ISBN-13: 978-1643852430
Digital ASIN: B07QGNNNXP
Blue Ridge library director Amy Webber learns it wasn’t all peace and love among the “flower children” when a corpse is unearthed on the grounds of a 1960s commune.
Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber’s friend “Sunny” Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate’s closet. Sunny’s grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields–and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental.
With Sunny’s mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says “not yet” to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend’s family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can’t find whoever killed these “flower children,” someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Library Director Amy Webber finds herself in the middle of another murder mystery, this time one that happened sometime in the 1960s.
Amy’s friend Sunny Fields needs her help. A skeleton has been found on her grandparent’s farm. A farm with a colorful past. Her grandparents, Carol & P.J. Fields, ran a commune there back in the days of free love and enlightenment. The skeleton is soon identified as a member of the commune who was thought to have followed his dream and headed West. The investigation also shows the man had been murdered. With Sunny running for mayor she needs to get to the truth as soon as possible. Amy uses her stellar research skills to track down and meet with former members of the commune knowing any one of them could be the killer.
Sheriff Investigator Brad Tucker asked her to help with the case by doing a little research. He isn’t happy when she actually starts pursuing leads on her own. He tries to rein her in when she receives several warnings to back off on her snooping, including vandalism at the library but she doesn’t back down.
Amy is also getting pressure on the homefront to start planning her wedding especially from her future mother-in-law Fiona, who has some grand plans.
___
Again, Victoria Gilbert has her characters digging into the past and through that, we meet an eclectic group of former “hippies” all to catch a killer. In the guise of notifying them about the skeleton being found and “warning” them that the police may be contacting them as Sunny’s grandparents had asked, Amy gets up close and personal with the suspects. This approach was a nice twist. I really enjoyed the way Amy fulfilled her promise while still getting information.
All of Ms. Gilbert’s characters are well defined and easily visualized. The core character’s stories continue to evolve realistically. Amy is very dedicated to her job as is Richard when it comes to anything related to dance and movement. Sunny like Amy is very determined and independent. It is to see why they are friends and how well they work together. Fiona is over the top, turning her nose up at almost everything, but Amy and Richard are learning how to deal with her. I like that Sheriff Investigator Brad Tucker knows what a great resource he has in Amy and that he is realizing she just can’t help but to get involved in his cases.
The mystery this time was a tricky one because of the amount of time that has passed since the death, the age of the suspects, another murder, and twist upon twist upon twist. I truly thought I was on the right course to solving this mystery then suddenly there was a twist that turned all my theories inside out but got Amy on the right track. There was some edge of seat moments to raise our blood pressure as we got close to the end of the book. Nicely done Ms. Gilbert, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Bound for Murder
Read my review of Murder for the Books here.
Read my review of Shelved Under Murder here.
Read my review of Past Due For Murder here.
About Virginia Gilbert
Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. Victoria has worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and library director. When not writing or reading, she likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers and lives in North Carolina. This is her fourth Blue Ridge Library mystery.
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Praise for Bound for Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert
Victoria Gilbert writes entrancing and engrossing stories that pull you win and leave you wanting more!
~A Wytch’s Book Review Blog
Bound for Murder is the fourth book in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. I’ve read them all and they just keep getting better. Maybe it is because the characters feel like old friends.
~Diane Reviews Books
Bound for Murder is a charming cozy mystery with a dredging disaster, misplaced persons, a charismatic journalist, a hippie homicide, campaign commotion, and revealing research.
~The Avid Reader
Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert is an excellent story with a couple of murders that keep you guessing.
~Baroness’ Book Trove
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Can’t wait for the opportunity to read “Bound for Murder” by Victoria Gilbert. Lovely cover!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Bound for Murder sounds delightful! I’m eager to read one of Victoria Gilbert’s books since I have never read one. Last spring I enjoyed a cousins’ retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I’m fascinated with books set there.
Very nice cover. Love the books in the background.
What an intriguing book! A library director is an interesting choice for the main character. I look forward to reading this series. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a great book.