A review by theavidreaderandbibliophile
Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert

3.0

Booked for Death is the debut of A Book Lover’s B&B Mystery series. Charlotte Reed has been running Chapters for the last year since she inherited the bed-and-breakfast from her great-aunt, Isabella Harrington. I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions of Chapters with its extensive library (I want the library in this book). The author took the time to set the stage by giving us the background on Charlotte plus describing the bed-and-breakfast, the town and introducing us to secondary characters. I wish the author had given Charlotte more warmth and a little humor. Charlotte felt a little flat to me. Beaufort, North Carolina is a charming historic, harbor town with a variety of businesses. The two secondary characters are Alicia Simpson, the housekeep and cook, and Ellen Montgomery, the next-door neighbor with an interesting past. I connected more with Ellen than Charlotte. The mystery had some interesting components with multiple suspects and misdirection. Charlotte suspects all of her guests as well as a couple of locals who attended the party. There are good clues to help readers solve this whodunit. The secondary mystery of Charlotte’s great-aunt Isabella aroused my curiosity and had me speculating. I did find the pacing a little slow for my liking in the first half. I was glad there was more action later in the story. A little humor and quirkiness would have enhanced this cozy mystery. Booked for Death contains good writing with an interesting premise (who does not love a literary themed bed-and-breakfast). 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.