On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
A Fatal Booking: A Booklover’s B&B Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : June 7, 2022
Print length : 304 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-10 : 1643859145
ISBN-13 : 978-1643859149
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1643859156
ASIN : B09FNRCCRY
Victoria Gilbert’s third Booklover’s B&B Mystery, a treat for fans of Mary Daheim and Kate Carlisle, finds owner Charlotte Reed and her former spy neighbor, Ellen Montgomery, pitted against a tea-party poisoner.
Booklover Charlotte is delighted to welcome an eclectic group of guests to Chapters Bed and Breakfast for a book club retreat focused on fairy tales and classic children’s literature. But when one of the guests is poisoned at a Mad Hatter tea party, Charlotte realizes she’s fallen down a rather unpleasant rabbit hole
The victim – an opinionated busybody whose jewelry store sold original designs, along with some possibly “hot” merchandise – had plenty of enemies, spurring Charlotte and Ellen to offer their well-honed investigative skills to assist the local police. But as they delve deeper into each of the guest’s stories, they realize all of them had a motive, and the means, to close the book on the unfortunate victim.
Enlisting the aid of a few local residents, as well as their new ally, agent Gavin Howard, Charlotte and Ellen vow to reveal the truth, even if the path to any sort of happy ending is strewn with deadly danger.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Literary-themed Chapters Bed and Breakfast will be hosting a book club retreat headed by Lora Kane, an artist who went to school with B&B owner Charlotte Reed. Lora has elaborate plans for the retreat featuring classic children’s books and fairy tales, including a Mad Hatter Tea Party. It is there that one of the group appears to make enemies of all of the others and even someone from town, so it is not a surprise when she is later found dead in the garden.
As expected, Detective Amber Johnson is on the case, and Charlotte and her neighbor, with some very special skills, are ready to assist her in any way they can, especially because every member of the book club is on the suspect list. It’s “Curiouser and curiouser!”
Will Charlotte and Ellen do things in the “proper order” to catch the killer? Or will it be “Off with their heads!”
I really enjoy the characters Ms. Gilbert has created for this series. They are diverse and likable, smart and savvy. Charlotte is a wonderful protagonist. As a former English teacher, running the Literary B&B is a nice fit. She has a curious mind, which comes in handy when you are trying to solve a murder mystery. Former spy Ellen Montgomery is a great sleuthmate. This time, even Charlotte’s “friend” Gavin Howard offers his assistance. Alicia Simpson, housekeeper and cook at the B&B, has become a good friend, and she keeps the place running while Charlotte is following clues. Part-time chef Damien Carr helps out with the events, but is ready to help in any way. Same with Julie Rivera, who owns Bookwaves.
The mysteries in this story are very intriguing, with Lora and Charlotte being friends from school, and another member of the book club has some interesting connections as well. Clues are dropped liberally throughout the story. I was surprised that while Charlotte made some keen observations, she didn’t always factor them in when I expected. The case takes a dramatic turn when one of the top suspects disappears, and Ellen goes to a “meeting” on her own. Gavin and Charlotte go to find her and arrive just in time for everything to take a deadly turn, and for the real motive to emerge, and it’s a doozy.
A Fatal Booking is truly a complicated mystery with a suspenseful reveal, an exciting rescue, and a surprising ending. Since I was unable to read this book when it was released, I now know it was the final book in the series. The ending foretold future changes in Charlotte’s life, which would bring changes for others. Good changes, but it made more sense knowing the author was wrapping up and leaving her characters in good places.
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.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About the Author
Raised in a historic small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian. Now retired after over 30 years in the library field, she’s worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and university library director.
Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, and the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Victoria lives in North Carolina.
Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/victoriagilbertauthor
Find All of Victoria Gilbert’s Book HERE.
Thanks to the publisher I have 1 copy to give away!
I am giving away a Hardcover Copy!
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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.
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