Booked for Death: A Book Lover’s B&B Mystery by Victoria Gilbert #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @VGilbertauthor @crookedlanebks

Booked for Death: A Book Lover’s B&B Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert

Note – Release Date for Booked for Death has been moved to August 11 due to the COVID 19 Pandemic but you can pre-order the book today here. 

About Booked for Death 

Booked for Death: A Book Lover’s B&B Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (August 11, 2020)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1643853074
ISBN-13: 978-1643853079
Digital ASIN: B07XX7PHTV

From the critically acclaimed author of SIBA Okra Pick A Murder for the Books, Victoria Gilbert embarks with a new series for perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Juliet Blackwell.

 

A book lover’s B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder–and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth.

 

Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader’s paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It’s the perfect literary retreat–until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.

 

The victim’s daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.

 

Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt’s name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer’s death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer–or end up writing her own final chapter.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Charlotte Reed’s life has changed this past year. She recently lost her husband and then inherited Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast when her great-aunt Isabella passed away. Death crosses her path again when one of her guests, a rare book dealer is killed during a week-long event celebrating Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey. Charlotte is taken aback when the daughter of the victim tries to pin the murder on her. Having no idea what the young woman is talking about Charlotte vows to vows to clear her name. Her elderly neighbor and close friend of her great aunt lends her a hand before the book on Charlotte’s new life ends abruptly short.

This series is off to an awesome start. It is so much more than first meets the eye!

First, Charlotte Reed is a very strong protagonist and we have just scratched her surface. Along with neighbor Ellen Montgomery, they make a great team. We also meet Alicia Simpson, housekeeper and cook that came with the place, she and Charlotte are still finding their way working and living together. Damian Carr is a chef that helps out while guests are in residence. The guests for the week include the newly deceased book dealer Lincoln Delamont who bought his wife Jennifer and daughter Tara, businessman Todd Rowley and his younger wife Kelly. Also taking part in the events are elderly sisters Bernadette and Ophelia Sandberg and Pete Nelson and his wife Sandra who run a local cafe. Bookstore owner Julie Rivera rounds out the group. All the characters develop nicely for the first book in a series. The author has left plenty of room for growth for the recurring characters.

For me, this book had a slow build which is a good thing. I was able to get to know the characters and their interactions helped me with my own amateur sleuthing.  I liked that some special events continued to take place so that Charlotte had a chance to see her suspects together to gauge their actions and reactions and that in the end even the police got involved and thought this was a good idea. Of course, they really had no choice.

I love the theme of literary B&B and I believe the author has given this one a nice twist that sets this series apart from similar ones in this genre.

Booked for Death was well-written, well-plotted, and excellently executed. As a big fan of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, I can’t say I am surprised. She is an incredible storyteller. I can’t wait to see what she dreams up for Charlotte and Ellen next!

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

P.S. Thank you, Victoria for the shout out to Great Escapes Book Tours and me in your book acknowledgments!
We appreciate it and love helping you promote your books! 

About Victoria 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.

Author Links:    Website/blog       Facebook author page      Twitter         Goodreads      Instagram    YouTube  

Purchase Links:

Amazon     B&N    Kobo    Indie Bound   
Also by Victoria Gilbert

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Great Escapes Praise for Booked for Death: A Book Lover’s B&B Mystery
by Victoria Gilbert

Ms. Gilbert serves up a nicely balanced cozy mystery, with a plausible reason for Charlotte’s involvement. There’s also a side plot involving Great-Aunt Isabella’s mysterious past, and just enough description to make the setting (Beaufort, South Carolina) seem real, without overdoing it.
~The Bookwyrm’s Hoard

Booked for Death is a delight for literary lovers with a conniving victim, a surplus of suspects, a distraught daughter, costume chaos, a mysterious family member, and beloved books.
~The Avid Reader

Booked for Death is a delightful tale with both the setting of a golden-age mystery and the plot of one too. The pacing is also spot on for armchair detectives who want to race to discover whodunit before Detective Johnson or even Charlotte herself.
~Diane Reviews Books

TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. 
June 8 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – REVIEW
June 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 9 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
June 9 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 10 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
June 11 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
June 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
June 12 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
June 12 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 13 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST
June 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
June 14 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 15 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW
June 15 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
June 15 – Brianne’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 16 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
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June 16 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST
June 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
June 17 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 18 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
June 18 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 19 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW
June 19 – Sapphyria’s Books – REVIEW
June 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 20 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
June 21 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
June 21 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

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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.”