Sarah Can't Stop Reading

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the arc of Murder Checks Out, book eight in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries by Victoria Gilbert . I just love this series so much and have read every entry! 

It’s Christmas time in Taylorsford, North Carolina and we’re back with library director Amy Muir. Five years have passed in the series timeline so now Amy and her husband have five-year-old twins! Needless to say, Amy has her hands full. She is sharing the directorship of the library with her friend Sunny, parenting her twins and helping her husband Richard, who is choreographing a revised version of The Nutcracker as part of the town’s holiday festivities. 

Unfortunately, the chair of the festival committee and local developer Wendy Blackstone is found dead at the town’s ice rink. The police believe Amy’s brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, is the number one suspect. Amy is determined to uncover the real villain and as she investigates she finds many potential suspects! 

What a strong mystery! I’ve always enjoyed reading about Amy’s adventures–she’s a strong woman, with wonderful research and people skills that make her a perfect sleuth. I loved the addition of the kiddos–that seems unusual in cozy mysteries and it worked well here. Gilbert adds such great cozy details to her writing that I feel like I’m actually in Taylorsford. I especially enjoyed the Christmas details. This is an excellent addition to the series and would work perfectly as a stand alone for the reader looking for a Christmas themed cozy mystery.