[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
It’s time for the Taylorsford annual Heritage Festival, and librarian Amy Webber is hoping the library can have a successful fundraiser during the event. They’ve made arrangements to have several pieces of art from a local artist, Rachel LeBlanc, for sale. Ms. LeBlanc’s international reputation could help boost sales for the library.
When Amy and her boyfriend, Richard, go out to the LeBlanc’s to get the paintings, they find Rachel dead. Who would want to kill an artist? When the police find a stash of paintings that may be forgeries, it looks like the obvious motive.
All of the art news leaves Amy’s aunt, Lydia, thinking a lot of her deceased husband, Andrew, who was a painter. His work never caught on like he – and Lydia – always hoped. But it’s good enough to interest several of the locals.
When an art expert is brought in to help the police with the murder case, he is the perfect person to appreciate Andrew’s work. But an odd painting from Andrew’s collection raises forgery questions once more, and this time about Aunt Lydia’s beloved husband. Amy and Richard are drawn once again into a murder investigation. And they might not like what they find.
Review
This is book two in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, and it’s an excellent sequel to book one which I reviewed last year – and loved! The characters in this series are terrific. Amy and Richard are a solid and endearing couple. No love triangle here! The dynamic in Aunt Lydia’s marriage which is explored in this book was really interesting. The mysterious Kurt Kendrick is back, and we get a few more insights into his character as well. The author does a great job of developing these characters and relationships while still keeping the mystery front and center in the book.
And the mystery is good. There are lots of twists and hints throughout. I had to just read to the end to get the whys and whatfors to go with all of my suspicions.
I really enjoy this mystery series. Be sure to read these in order because this book shares details about the mystery in book one. If you don’t want a spoiler, read A Murder for the Books first. Book three will be out in early 2019 – Past Due for Murder – and I already having it on my reading list. This is a “keeper” series for me. I look forward to seeing what happens for Amy and Richard next.