CHECKED OUT by Elaine Viets

RIPPED FROM THE PAGES by Kate Carlisle

CHECKED OUT

Book 14 in the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries

by Elaine Viets

PI Helen Hawthorne goes undercover at a local library to find a painting and solve a murder in the national bestselling mystery series.

Wealthy socialite Elizabeth Cateman Kingsley has hired Helen to find a missing John Singer Sargent painting, owned by her late father. After his death, many of Davis Kingsley’s books were donated to the Flora Park Library, and his daughter suspects the small watercolor—worth a million dollars—was tucked away inside one of those dusty tomes. 
 
To search the stacks, Helen applies for a job as a library volunteer and discovers the library has a catalog of complaints—from a mischievous calico cat to the mysterious disappearance of various items that some of the staff are attributing to a ghost. Things only get worse when a dead body turns up in a parking lot. Now Helen is bound and determined to find the killer as well as the painting—before she’s taken out of circulation herself.

MY REVIEWS

For as much as I liked CATNAPPED, book 13 in the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries, I liked CHECKED OUT twice as much!

Husband and wife PI team Phil and Helen, are working on separate cases in this installment. Phil is searching for a missing necklace while Helen goes undercover as a librarian to find a missing water color, donated by mistake in a book to the library.

Author Elaine Viets has a wonderful writing style that flows so smoothly. She really knows how to draw the reader into her stories. Her mysteries are first rate and the humor she adds to her characters and situations only adds to the enjoyment of the books.

With suspects not being in short supply, I kept changing my mind over who the villain was. I’m proud to say I can sometimes guess who the “baddy” is, but I wasn’t even close with CHECKED OUT.

If you haven’t read any of the Dead-End Jobs Mysteries, I would suggest you check out CHECKED OUT. It will have you adding the rest of this series to your TBR shelves!

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RIPPED FROM THE PAGES

Book 10 in the Bibliophile Mysteries

by Kate Carlisle

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Book Stops Here—book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright visits California Wine Country where she uncovers murder and intrigue . . .
 
While Brooklyn has temporarily relocated to her parents’ place in Sonoma, she attends an excavation of the caves hidden deep under their commune. A room is unearthed, revealing artwork, rare books, cases of wine, a chest of jewelry . . . and a perfectly mummified body. A closer examination of the murdered man’s possessions reveals a valuable first edition of Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth containing a secret treasure map.
 Word of the explosive find draws in reporters, art appraisers, and questions.  After a new presence threatens the town’s peace, it’s clear that not all crime is buried in the past. So Brooklyn decides to do a little excavating of her own and solve the mystery of the treasure before anyone else is written off. . . 

MY REVIEW

RIPPED FROM THE PAGES was simply a wonderful book. Author Kate Carlisle has done another fantastic job of penning an edge of your comfy reading chair mystery. Brava!

I really enjoyed the excavation and discovery of the hidden room with all the amazing treasures including, but certainly not limited to, rare books. It’s the sort of place many of us would love to discover, with the exception of the body. Who am I kidding, that would be pretty exciting too, wouldn’t it? Ms. Carlisle’s descriptions of the room were so vivid I could see it as I read. It was so easy to picture myself in the center of it all. My mind began working right away on who the body was, how it got there, and who was responsible.

The characters in the series are so easy to connect to and are a lot of fun to read. As always, it was a delight to spend time with them. Brooklyn’s (the lead character) mom is a hoot. I thought my Mom could be ornery, but this lady is a real handful!

Filled with tons of twists and turns, this was a thrilling read that culminated in a satisfying reveal. If you’re a fan of the Bibliophile Mystery series, you are going to love this installment! If you haven’t read the series, you can start with this book and not feel too lost. It will however make you want to go back and start the series from the beginning.

If you’re looking for a great weekend read, you are going to want to pick up a copy of RIPPED FROM THE PAGES. 

Note from Lisa: The above reviews and photos are from my original reviews from the hardcover copies that were released in 2015.

Both of these great titles will be available in paperback 

Tuesday, May 3! 

Pre-order your copies today!

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