A Deadly Edition: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

In Gilbert’s entertaining fifth Blue Ridge Library mystery (after Bound for Murder), Amy Webber, director of the Taylorsford, Va., public library, and her fiancé, choreographer Richard Muir, are looking forward to getting married, but the couple run into a snag. At a pre-wedding party hosted by well-to-do Kurt Kendrick at his elegant historic home, an unexpected guest shows up—art dealer Oscar Selvaggio, who’s in a battle with Kurt over which of them is going to obtain a Kelmscott illustrated Chaucer edition. When Amy and Richard later come across Oscar’s dead body on Kurt’s property, suspicion immediately falls on Kurt. However, the conniving Oscar made a lot of enemies over the years, so any number of others could have had a motive. Amy has her work cut out for her to catch the culprit before her nuptials. Lively small-town characters, a well-paced plot, and dollops of fascinating art history help make this a winner. Cozy fans will be eager to come back for more. Agent: Frances Black, Literary Counsel. (Dec.)