Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

In Gilbert’s agreeable sequel to 2017’s A Murder for the Books, Amy Weber, the director of the public library in Taylorsford, Va., is gearing up for the town’s annual heritage festival, which will feature a sale of items to benefit the library, including two paintings donated by local artist Rachel LeBlanc. Amy and her boyfriend, the devastatingly handsome and charming Richard Muir, drive over to Rachel’s farm to pick up the artwork. In Rachel’s barn studio, they find her lying dead on the floor. Within minutes of the arrival of Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and his team, police discover a hidden room in the barn filled with canvases: “Morisot, Monet, de Chirico, Cézanne,” according to Amy. Since Amy has an undergraduate degree in art history and is a good researcher, Brad asks Amy to lend a hand in the investigation. Art trafficking, small-town feuds, and another murder follow. Cozy fans will have fun, but seasoned mystery buffs will identify the killer too easily; Gilbert could use a few lessons in slipping clues seamlessly into the text. [em]Agent: Frances Black, Literary Counsel. (July) [/em]