Reserved for Murder: A Booklover's B&B Mystery

Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the 2nd book in A Book Lover’s B & Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not had the time to delve into Booked for Death. However, you would understand more about Isabella, Charlotte’s aunt who left her the house, if you read Booked for Death. I thought Reserved for Murder was well-written with good characters. I like that we get to know a little more Charlotte Reed and her aunt. Charlotte is a retired schoolteacher who now runs a literary themed bed and breakfast called Chapter’s. Each room features a different genre of books (romance and mystery for example). I love the descriptions of Chapter’s. I would love to own this home filled with books. In Reserved for Murder a bestselling author is coming to stay along with three fans who won a contest. There will be a special event as well. Unfortunately, one of the fans who is also president of the author’s fan club ends up dead. Charlotte, of course, is going to investigate. There are several suspects in this whodunit along with misdirection to keep readers off the trail of the real killer. I did find it a cinch to identify the guilty party. I can also guess the why based on the details provided. I like putting together the various pieces and arriving at the conclusion (like putting together a puzzle). The more I read, the more my suspicions were confirmed. There is a subplot involving Charlotte’s neighbor and her guest, Gavin. Personally, I do not feel the spy element adds anything to the story. It did not go with the rest of the book. There is, though, sparks between Gavin and Charlotte. There is a significant amount of dialogue in this story as they discuss the mystery and other events. I could have done with less talking and more action. I enjoyed Booked for Death more than I did Reserved for Murder. I thought this story moved along at a slower pace which is courtesy of the dialogue. I like that we get a glimpse into the world of publishing and fanfiction. Charlotte has a great circle of friends. They are a friendly bunch who are there for each other. Reserved for Murder is a literary cozy mystery with a weary writer, a frustrating fan, a circumspect spy, a mystifying murder, suspicious suspects, and an inquisitive inn owner.

This mystery is second in what is fast becoming another of my favorite “bookish” series. Included is a charming, Southern B & B with a fabulous library that offers literary events. The protagonist and her friends are three-dimensional folks that I enjoyed getting to know better, and the mysteries have just enough twists and turns to keep me entertained. It is written with excellence, and the characters are best defined through their realistic conversations and actions. Charlotte was an English teacher before inheriting Great-Aunt Isabella’s B & B, Chapters. A forty-something widow, she could start over after the loss of her beloved firefighter husband. A murder took place at one of the literary events after she began to manage Chapters. She worked hard to find whodunit with the help and encouragement of Ellen, her next-door neighbor and friend of Isabella. Ellen has secrets that Charlotte wishes the sweet lady hadn’t told her. Some of those secrets concern work that she and Isabella had done in their younger years. Ellen has a houseguest this week who she introduces as Gavin, the son of her cousin. When he starts paying too much attention to Chapters and two of their elderly neighbors, it seems that visiting family is not why Gavin is in town. The highlight of the week is Chapters’s special event. The famous romantic adventure novelist Amanda Nobel, her publicist Tony, and three fans who won the prize of spending a week with her are at Chapters. Amanda has published twelve of the time travel novels of a swashbuckling pirate that now has a TV series. Her stay has been kept under wraps so she can take a break from her book tour. The day after the only public event, Lisette, head of one of Amanda’s top fan clubs and author of many fan fiction stories using Amanda’s characters is found dead in the water (literally) near the docks. It looks like she was murdered. Other than her abrasive personality and her stalker ex-husband, a reason for her murder is not evident. Charlotte and Ellen were invaluable help to Detective Johnson last year. They told her anything they overheard from guests, and she asks them to do so again. After all, one of fans, the author, and her publicist have a week left at Chapters, one of whom could be a killer. The more they learn, however, the more suspects they find. Charlotte is braver – or maybe rasher – than I am! I didn’t get why she showed her hand when talking to a couple people. I’m not sure I could confront someone I thought was a killer as if they were a recalcitrant high school student. It worked for her, thankfully, and she and Ellen remain my favorite characters. This is an excellent cozy that invited me in on the first page, and I very much enjoyed it! Chapters, Isabella’s wonderful library, and her friends are such a great setting I would love to visit. There were a couple red herrings, then one tiny clue that helped show me the real whodunit despite almost overwhelming motives for others. No loose ends were left, and the end was very satisfying. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate well-written cozy mysteries, Southern hospitality, B and B’s and book centered events. From a thankful heart: I received an eARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my review.