#FlashbackFriday – Read or Alive: A Bookmobile Mystery by Nora Page #Review / #Giveaway @crookedlanebooks

On Flashback Fridays, I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released which have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.

Read or Alive: A Bookmobile Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Georgia
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 7, 2020
Hardcover
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643853015
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643853017
Kindle
Print length ‏ : ‎ 317 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643853222
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07WJF4FP5
Audio Book ASIN B082WMYSX7
Audio CD
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1094136239
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1094136233

Wrongful accusations have librarian Cleo Watkins and her loved ones booked for trouble.

It’s springtime and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo’s gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. However, trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming locals out of prized books.

Among the conned is Cleo’s cousin, Dot, who handed over a signed, first edition of Gone With the Wind. With no proof the scout took the valuable book, Dot is at a loss. And when the deceitful man is found murdered the very next morning, Dot becomes a prime suspect. To Cleo’s dismay, so is Henry. The scene of the crime is behind Henry’s shop and his bookbinding tool is the murder weapon. As evidence stacks up against Henry, the police aren’t alone in questioning his innocence. Even friends and family ask Cleo how well she truly knows her gentleman friend.

Although books are at the heart of the crimes, Cleo feels dizzyingly out of her depths. Someone is setting up the people she holds dearest. With the authorities on the wrong trail, Cleo has no choice but to catalog the evidence herself. Along with her trusty bookmobile cat Rhett Butler, it will be up to Cleo to book the real killer for good.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The Georgia Antiquarian Book Society’s fair is being held in Catalpa Springs this year thanks to septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins’s gentleman friend, antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. Cleo is excited to attend the event with her best friend, Mary Rose, to support Henry, and hopes to add some new old books to her collection.

When Cleo steps up to the first booth, she notices a book that looks like one belonging to her cousin Dot. A few steps further, she sees pages with pictures that have been cut from books that also look like Dot’s. Cleo learns that a shifty book scout has been in town, encouraging people to give their rare books to him to sell for top dollar. Turns out Dot did just that, but she has no proof.

The literary con man is found the next morning dead in an alley near Henry’s shop; one of his bookbinding tools appears to be the murder weapon, making him a top suspect, right along with Dot. Sadly, members of the community, including some of Cleo’s friends, believe Henry is responsible for the death. If they don’t know he is innocent, how is she ever going to convince the police that Henry is not a killer?

Librarian Cleo knows books, but can she find the proof to clear Dot and Henry and get the book thrown at the real killer? She sets out with her Persian cat, Rhett Butler, in her beloved bookmobile to try.

Crimes have again come to Catalpa Springs, and Cleo Watkins is on the case. The active 76-year-old librarian is a smart, witty, and charming woman who loves her job, especially traveling around in her bookmobile, an old school bus, transformed by her grandson as his Eagle Scout project. She is sweet on Henry Lafayette, who loves books just as much as she does. Her cousin, Dot, is in a bit of a pickle, which led her to make a poor decision. Mary Rose has been Cleo’s best friend “since infancy”. She owns the local Pancake Mill, but she’s right by Cleo’s side to help her in any investigation. Cleo’s favorite neighbor is Deputy Gabby Honeywell. Cleo would rather deal with her every day of the week, instead of Chief Silas Culpepper. He jumps to conclusions, takes the easy way out, falls for a pretty face, and is not a fan of Cleo. Wanda is Cleo’s rude, nosy, gossipy neighbor who needs to have her garden clippers taken away. Over the course of the 3 books in this series, these characters have become people I would love to hang out with, sans Silas Culpepper and Wanda.

Ms. Page doesn’t just create fabulous human characters. Rhett Butler is a fluffy Persian feline who expresses himself with numerous faces, loves treats and belly rubs, and rides with Cleo in the bookmobile in hopes of more treats and belly rubs. He is also a pretty good judge of character. Mr. Chaucer is Henry’s elderly fawn pug, who is very intuitive of people’s feelings and needs. He is also a fan of belly rubs and treats. Like Rhett with Cleo, Mr. Chaucer is never far from Henry’s side. They love their playdates together.

Who knew a bunch of rare book enthusiasts would bring so much trouble to town? The author has plotted out a marvelous mystery with some unlikable characters. Cleo and Mary Rose both picked up on a problem right away, but they needed proof. Then, the fox in the henhouse, Hunter Fox, was killed, and the tables were turned to protect their own. I love how Cleo investigates. She knows everyone in town is talking about the murder, so she uses her bookmobile route to not only deliver books but also give a little information to get a little back in return. Golden Acres nursing home is always a good place to start, because if those seniors don’t have information, they know where to get it. I had a delightful time tooling around with Cleo and Rhett.

I hate that this third book in the series is the last book in the series.  Read or Alive had me loving these characters even more than I already did. Catalpa Springs is filled with eclectic residents ripe for more mysteries. At least we know for Cleo that, “books would never break her heart, and neither would Henry Lafayette”. This was a Perfect Escape, entertaining and fun. I enjoyed the whole series, so if you missed this series when it was first released, like me, I hope you will give the Bookmobile Mysteries a try.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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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.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.