The Lies That Bind (Bibliophile Series #3)

feels like an amalgam of James Bond and Jessica Fletcher

The Executive Artistic Director of the Bay Area Books Arts Center (BABA), a b*tch on wheels; thinks so highly of book binder Brooklyn Wainwright she has her teach a class on the subject and restoring the BABA collection. No one likes Layla Fontaine, who stepped on bodies on her way to the top using lies, intimidation, and cheating as her means to success.

Somebody loathed Layla enough to kill her; no one, not even her niece Naomi, in BABA misses her though Layla brought in millions. Brooklyn wants to find out who killed Layla. With the help of security agent Derek, she investigates. They learn that Layla was the ringleader of a book fraud business and soon find the corpse of Mr. Soo who bought one of the phony tomes. When Brooklyn takes Derek to her hometown of Dhearm; they meet Gabriel a con artist who risked his life to save others. An unknown adversary wounds Gabriel. Brooklyn thinks all the deaths are connected, but Gabriel was not part of the fraud so Derek thinks his shooting is a coincidence. Soon the amateur will prove right, but hopefully not dead right.

The latest Bibliophile mystery (see if Books Could Kill) feels like an amalgam of James Bond and Jessica Fletcher and Brooklyn feels like a murder magnet who feels bound to investigate while the pros who surround her feel a need to protect her but not stifle her. Excitingly action-packed, The Lies that Bind amateur sleuth fans into a fast-paced read.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A BIBLIOPHILE MYSTERY

Brooklyn Wainwright is the master when it comes to restoring rare and antique books. In this third installment of the series, she is teaching a class on bookbinding at the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Book Arts, BABA. The director of the center is a real witch and has recently hired another teacher, a former classmate that Brooklyn absolutely hates, but Brooklyn loves what she does and loves to share it by teaching others, so she decides she can endure their presence for a few weeks.

Unfortunately the center is not the safest place to be, first the former classmate is assaulted in the hallway and then the director is found dead. Brooklyn starts to believe she is a dead body magnet as bodies seem to keep turning up wherever she is. The only good thing is that Derek Stone keeps turning up too and if things would just stop going wrong their passionate kisses could actually turn into a relationship. But first she must find out how Derek's relationship with the director is bound into the rest of the story, a story that leads to a murderer.

I LIKED IT!!!!
This was a brand new series for me and not only did I enjoy the mystery parts but I also learned a lot about bookbinding and restoring old and rare books.

It is not only the mystery that keeps the pages turning but you find yourself rooting for Derek and Brooklyn to finally get together. Time after time just when things look promising, a phone rings, someone knocks on the door, or another lead needs to be followed. Maybe that is why I didn't love this book, I was getting frustrated for them, but the good thing is that the next book, Murder Under Cover, will be out in May 2011, and while I know there will be a body or two, I am hoping that just maybe Brooklyn and Derek can actually go on an entire date, and maybe more, without any interruption.

The other characters in this series, especially Brooklyn's mom and dad, a couple of real life hippies, may make you laugh out loud. I really don't want to give too much away but if you are not familiar with this series start with Homicide in Hardcover, then If Books Could Kill and The Lies That Bind, each book builds on the last and each book is better than the one before.

To find out more about Kate Carlisle, the other books in the series, and more about Brooklyn's world be sure to check out Kate's Website.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free Obsidian, .a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great cozy

Good read. I am enjoying this series.

Highly Recommended

I recently discovered Kate Carlisle's great books. Brooklyn Wainwright is hilarious and anyone born in the 50's can relate to the Grateful Dead references... what a wonderful, creative series. Learning about book restoration and binding is fascinating along with a "great" historical book woven in with a mystery. I hope Kate Carlisle continues the series with more stories about Brooklyn.

Great fun, and educational too!

Brooklyn Wainwright really knows her stuff. Restoring rare books is her specialty, so when she's hired by San Francisco's prestigious Bay Area Book Arts to teach a class on bookbinding, she leaps at the chance. Perhaps a little too quickly.

Brooklyn is recovering from a recent brush with death and a recent almost love affair with international security expert Derek Stone. So one can't blame Brooklyn if her nerves are a little frayed. And when she realizes she's signed on to work for the boss from hell-BABA director Layla Fontaine-who will use every weapon in her well-endowed, female arsenal to get what she wants, well, Brooklyn is one unhappy girl.

She's even more unhappy when she finds Layla dead. Happily, by that time her would-be lover Derek is on the job, having been hired for protection by a guest faculty member. There are too many suspects and motives keep cropping up all over the place. The wonder is that Layla lived as long as she did. Then, another death happens. And one of Brooklyn's good friends, the mysterious Gabriel, is attacked. Brooklyn fears she has become some sort of magnet for death.

Who knew the book industry could be so dangerous?

In "The Lies That Bind", the third in the Bibliophile Mystery Series, Kate Carlisle weaves an intriguing tale with a fascinating peek into the behind-the-scenes world of rare books.

Great fun, and educational too!

Reviewed by Susan Santangelo, Author of "Retirement Can Be Murder" for Suspense Magazine

Spineless

Reviews Of Unusual Size - Re: Brooklyn Wainwright is teaching a bookbinding class and having lots of internal monologues about her feelings when a co-worker drops dead, another is assaulted and two dreamy men from her past appear. Are any of them connected? Will there be more murders? Did the people in her class pay to take it? Cause if they did, they've gotta be feeling ripped off. Outstanding: The art of bookbinding and repair is vividly detailed and more interesting that I would have guessed. The idea for the series and it's location - San Francisco, is pretty cool. Unacceptable: There was just so much time spent yammering on about how assorted people felt about other assorted people and how they were either annoying or sexalicious. The entire side trip to the Dharma Hippie commune felt tacked in and out of place. Summary: This was the first "Cozy Mystery" that I've read and while I can certainly see the appeal - it's a kind of light romance/ lighter mystery hybrid - it didn't hit the spot at all. Carlisle has an upbeat and easy writing style, yet it took me weeks to finally finish. 2/5 Notes: Although her Bibliophile series suffers from a bad case of clip-art painting, they're pretty appealing. The same can not be said for her romance covers, which are truly horrid.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Currently in Reading... but

I'm still in the process of reading this precious book, but I couldn't help BUT write a review for what I have read so far! It's completely enticing and grabs the reader's mind and heart before we even know what has happened. Before long, the whole mystery world would be talking about Kate Carlisle and her beloved heroine-Brooklyn Wainwright. Brooklyn is an awesome character-loving, caring, and vulnerable. Her intimate connections with Derek Stone also brings a hint of something else to the book. Also, she is such a rare and unique "strong" female character that the reader can't forget her! Her life with so many dead people may be a stress for her, but it succeeds in bringing humor and mystery to the story for us. Bon chance Kate Carlisle!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.