Cranky Chamber of Commerce receptionist Betsy Dittmeyer is done reading people the riot act. After she’s crushed by a fallen bookcase, the next item to be read is her last will and testament—which is packed with surprises. It soon comes to light that Betsy was hiding volumes of dark secrets behind that perpetual frown of hers—and one of them just might have been a motive for murder.
While Tricia tries to help Angelica—the newly elected Chamber of Commerce president and Betsy’s boss—solve the mystery, she discovers a hidden chapter in her own family history that rocks her to her very core. And with her ex-husband and the chief of police vying for her affections, it’s doubly hard to focus on who might have buried Betsy in a tomb of tomes.
But as Tricia and Angelica try to read between the lines, they need to watch their step…and make sure the killer doesn’t catch them between the stacks.
My Thoughts :
I have been enjoying the Booktown Mysteries a lot and caught up pretty quick. However I came across the next in the series and found it is only available in expensive hardback or the equally expensive Kindle version. As I have pointed out before, I would much rather spend all that money on three or four books instead of getting just one hardback. Even if I love the series, I just can't spend that much money on a book that takes a couple of hours to read. So Book Clubbed, the eighth book in the series, went on my wishlist and I waited for someone else to get me a copy.
Book Clubbed was a Christmas present and once I had a copy of the book I really wanted to read it straight away. However being a huge Kindle reader it is really difficult to bother with paper and hard back books anymore and this one kept moving down on my pile. This month I am trying to get through some of my physical books and finally this once reached the top. It was a quick read and made for a delightful Sunday morning in bed reading.
Despite this book being a wonderful read there were a few little bits and pieces that annoyed me a little. Tricia's male attention seekers are really getting on my nerves. I can't believe she has two men after her and she isn't really that friendly/nice. Also the lack of clues to find the killer. There plot was there and there were some interesting twists but the big reveal came around real quick and only due to one item Tricia finds near the end of the book. So the reader has no chance to put it together as the story progresses. The other things that bugged me in this book were the Bob angle which was useless and silly. Also the constant take over of the whole town by NRA is really getting to be a little ridiculous.
You would think that with all this grievences that I would be ready to give this book a low rating and give up on the series altogether but there is still so much there that will keep me going back. Despite Tricia's sometimes icy personality I do actually admire her and love her snooping. Angelica bugs me quite a bit too but I also find her amusing. The other regular characters are also a reason to keep visiting Booktown as well as the general storyline. The continuing story has its attractions and I love my trips to Stoneham.
The ending this time around wasn't a very nice one as far as Tricia is concerned. She suffers a huge loss and I wonder why the author decided to leave her in that condition. Maybe it will become clear in the next installment. Another reason I will be going back for more.
A great series and one I have enjoyed each time. There will always be things that come along that I won't like or agree with but this series is solid and established enough to keep me going back for more. Well worth checking out!
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