Saturday, November 16, 2024

Review - Little Black Book

Title:  Little Black Book 
Author:  Kate Carlisle
Series:  Bibliophile Mystery #15
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  Berkley Books
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of pages
:  374
Published:   July 13, 2021
My Rating

DESCRIPTION:

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is on the case when a rare edition of Rebecca leads to murder in this latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn has been happily settling into married life with her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, when a little black book arrives in the mail on a quiet Saturday afternoon. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and inside, Brooklyn finds a note from her old friend Claire Quinn, asking her to restore it to its former luster. The two women met while working as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire's expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.

The day after the book arrives, Claire shows up at Brooklyn and Derek's home--in disguise. She believes her life is in danger, and as soon as Derek sits her down and questions her, Claire reveals that in the last few weeks she has experienced two near-fatal attacks, along with weird notes left in her mailbox, hang-up phone calls, and one very scary car chase. She's afraid that her past is catching up to her. When Claire was only nine years old, she witnesed several men, one of whom was her father, planning a terrible crime. And now it seems that she's been followed, bringing the threats against her literally to Brooklyn's doorstep. Can Brooklyn page through the clues to keep her friend's past from destroying their future?


MY THOUGHTS:

Brooklyn Wainwright is a book restoration expert. She is now happily married and has found someone who truly understands her passion for solving murders. Along with new husband Derek Stone, they make an awesome team. In this latest book in the Bibliophile series, it’s Saturday morning, and a book that Brooklyn receives in the mail sets the plot for this story in motion. 

Brooklyn has received a very rare edition of Rebecca, with a note inside the cover. Her friend Claire Quinn asks her to use her expertise and to bring the book back to life. The two had met previously while filming a television show and they both share a love for rare and vintage books. 

Brooklyn was surprised when Claire arrives from across the pond in disguise as she feels her life is now in danger. Derek steps in and begins asking Claire some questions. As it turns out, Claire has recently experienced some near misses, and these were serious, because her life was at stake each time. Not only that, Claire had been receiving notes and phone calls that increased her sense of foreboding. 

Now that she is with Brooklyn and Derek, Claire hopes to find the answers she needs and be able to discover why someone apparently wants her dead. As it seems, the threats have followed her, and it just might be due to her possession of the book she sent Brooklyn.

Cozy mysteries are a passion of mine. Bringing in the love of books makes them even better. I have devoured this entire Bibliophile series and really enjoyed this installment as well. 

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle is a native Californian who worked in television production for many years before turning to writing. It was a lifelong fascination with the art and craft of bookbinding that led her to write the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder.

Her first book, Homicide in Hardcover, debuted in February 2010, followed by If Books Could Kill, The Lies That Bind, Murder Under Cover, One Book in the Grave, Peril in Paperback, A Cookbook Conspiracy, The Book Stops Here, Ripped from the Pages, Books of a Feather, Once Upon a Spine, Buried in Books and The Book Supremacy. She also wrote a Bibliophile e-novella, Pages of Sin, available in e-format only.

With the publication of A High-End Finish in November 2014, Kate launched the Fixer-Upper Mysteries featuring building contractor Shannon Hammer, who specializes in Victorian home renovation and repair. The series is set in Lighthouse Cove, a seemingly idyllic town with many dark secrets hiding under its floorboards. This Old Homicide, Crowned and Moldering, Deck the Hallways, Eaves of Destruction and A Wrench in the Works continue the series. Three of the Fixer-Upper Mysteries have been brought to the small screen by Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Kate's television credits include numerous game shows, music videos, concerts, and variety shows, including The Midnight Special, Solid Gold and The Gong Show. She traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show, most notably as a member of the girl group, The Whispers. They didn't sing, exactly, but spit water on the host of the show.

Kate also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that Kate spends most of her time writing in Southern California where she lives with her perfect hero husband.

Kate is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She is the proud recipient of the Golden Heart and Daphne du Maurier awards, and her first Bibliophile Mystery received a Best First Mystery nomination from RT Book Reviews. Kate loves to travel and read and drink good wine and watch other people cook.

Despite the appearance of overnight success, Kate's dream of publication took many, many years to fulfill. If you're wondering why, here's the real scoop.

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