Author: Laura Gail Black
Published: September 7th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Antique Bookshop Mystery #2
First Sentence: “How do you think it’s going?” I peeked out through the curtained doorway from the back room.
From the Publisher: The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town’s beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot–his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.
As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness–the victim’s dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases.
Alas, finding the killer won’t be so easy, even though this is not Jenna’s first murder investigation–indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous–the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests–but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.
Now, Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one, before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna’s demise. (Penquin)
My Opinion: Too many continuity and repetition issues for me to consider this a good book. I found myself bouncing back and forth between paragraphs questioning if the author, Laura Gail Black, had just said something different or hasn’t this been covered a couple of times already. Reading an advanced copy tends to have its issues, but these types of distractions, for me at least, tend to cause a lack of reading flow and leads me to wonder when it will happen again instead of being focused on what is coming next.
In my opinion, the second book in this series did not live up to the expectation laid out in For Whom the Books Tolls, the first book in this series.
From the Publisher: The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town’s beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot–his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.
As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness–the victim’s dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases.
Alas, finding the killer won’t be so easy, even though this is not Jenna’s first murder investigation–indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous–the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests–but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.
Now, Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one, before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna’s demise. (Penquin)
My Opinion: Too many continuity and repetition issues for me to consider this a good book. I found myself bouncing back and forth between paragraphs questioning if the author, Laura Gail Black, had just said something different or hasn’t this been covered a couple of times already. Reading an advanced copy tends to have its issues, but these types of distractions, for me at least, tend to cause a lack of reading flow and leads me to wonder when it will happen again instead of being focused on what is coming next.
In my opinion, the second book in this series did not live up to the expectation laid out in For Whom the Books Tolls, the first book in this series.
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