The Library Murders
by Merry Allingham

What it’s about?

Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…

It’s a sunny morning in Abbeymead as Flora cycles through the village and knocks on the door of the local library, planning to deliver a gift to librarian Maud Frobisher to mark her retirement. But Flora is shocked when she finds Maud slumped in the corner, and even more startled when she recognises the man holding the murder weapon – an enormous hardback book.

Flora’s known Lowell Gracey since her college days, but what is he doing working for Maud and now the main suspect in her murder? Suspicion mounts when Flora and Jack discover that Lowell is heavily in debt, and that a priceless rare first edition has recently gone missing, but Lowell is adamant that he’s innocent, and Flora believes him.

The pair are once more drawn into an investigation, but who would kill a beloved librarian?Perhaps Rose Lawson, a mysterious newcomer to Abbeymead known to be in dire financial straits? Or pompous bestselling author Felix Wingrave, who rumours say would do anything to get his hands on a valuable book for his collection?

Then the village is rocked by the discovery of a second body. Flora and Jack realise a vital clue lies in the pages of a novel – but the plot is thickening and the killer is closing in…

Flora and Jack are determined to solve this fiendish case by the book – but will this be the end of their story?

What I think:

The Flora Steele series is an auto-read for me so I was delighted to be invited to be a part of the blog tour for the 8th adventure featuring Flora and Jack.

This time, they are back in Abbeymead and more  trouble is heading to the village.

Jack is helping to organise a crime writing festival bringing authors and visitors to the village. All is going well with a range of events and Flora’s pop up book stall selling well.

Maud Frobisher, local librarian, is set to retire. When Flora pops into the mobile library to give her a sentimental retirement gift, she is shocked to find Maud dead and her friend Lowell holding the murder weapon. Lowell swears he is innocent.

When it’s revealed that a rare first edition of A Christmas Carol is missing the pool of suspects increases.

Conference organiser Basil is desperate for success and struggling to pay his bills.

Best-selling writer, Felix Wingrave, collects rare books and would love to add the Dickens to his collection.

Lowell was next in line for Maud’s job.

But are any of these really motive enough to kill?

As usual, Jack and Flora use their local knowledge to get to the truth of what has happened and unravel a very tangled web.

They are also trying to plan a wedding and plan for their own future.

This is a gentle cosy mystery, with lots of period charm and loveable characters.

I’m looking forward to their next adventure!

About the author:

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

https://merrynallingham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
https://twitter.com/merrynwrites

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Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CLRWF1ZXsocial

Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and for my gifted digital copy of The Library Murders.