Shelved Under Murder: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery

by Victoria Gilbert Narrated by Coleen Marlo

Overview

Autumn leaves aren't the only things falling in the historic Virginia village of Taylorsford-so are some cherished memories, and a few bodies.



October in Taylorsford, Virginia, means it's leaf peeping season, with bright colorful foliage and a delightful fresh crew of tourists attending the annual Heritage Festival which celebrates local history and arts and crafts. Library director Amy Webber, though, is slightly dreading having to spend two days running a yard sale fundraiser for her library. But during these preparations, when she and her assistant Sunny stumble across a dead body, Amy finds a real reason to be worried.



The body belonged to a renowned artist who was murdered with her own pallet knife. A search of the artist's studio uncovers a cache of forged paintings, and when the sheriff's chief deputy Brad Tucker realizes Amy is skilled in art history research, she's recruited to aid the investigation. It doesn't seem to be an easy task, but when the state's art expert uncovers a possible connection between Amy's deceased uncle and the murder case, Amy must champion her Aunt Lydia to clear her late husband's name.



That's when another killing shakes the quiet town, and danger sweeps in like an autumn wind. Now, with her swoon-inducing neighbor Richard Muir, Amy must scour their resources to once again close the books on murder.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/21/2018
In Gilbert’s agreeable sequel to 2017’s A Murder for the Books, Amy Weber, the director of the public library in Taylorsford, Va., is gearing up for the town’s annual heritage festival, which will feature a sale of items to benefit the library, including two paintings donated by local artist Rachel LeBlanc. Amy and her boyfriend, the devastatingly handsome and charming Richard Muir, drive over to Rachel’s farm to pick up the artwork. In Rachel’s barn studio, they find her lying dead on the floor. Within minutes of the arrival of Chief Deputy Brad Tucker and his team, police discover a hidden room in the barn filled with canvases: “Morisot, Monet, de Chirico, Cézanne,” according to Amy. Since Amy has an undergraduate degree in art history and is a good researcher, Brad asks Amy to lend a hand in the investigation. Art trafficking, small-town feuds, and another murder follow. Cozy fans will have fun, but seasoned mystery buffs will identify the killer too easily; Gilbert could use a few lessons in slipping clues seamlessly into the text. Agent: Frances Black, Literary Counsel. (July)

From the Publisher

Praise for Shelved Under Murder:
“The arts are well represented by the painters and Richard’s work as a choreographer, adding a new level of interest to this small-town cozy series.”
—Booklist

“Cozy fans will have fun.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Amy turns out to be as apt a student of art forgery as she is of everything book-related. Just the thing for readers whose pulses quicken when they read: ‘The way he looks at you sometimes…deserves an R-rating.’”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A real page turner peppered with a host of interesting behind-the-scenes glimpses of the high stakes world of fine art. Check it out.”
—Suspense Magazine

Praise for A Murder for the Books:
"Gilbert's series kickoff offers an intricate mystery, an interesting look at the past, and a clever and determined heroine."
—Kirkus Reviews

“This debut mystery and series launch by a former librarian is an intriguing cozy that combines historical tidbits, a taste of the supernatural, a budding romance, and humor. Fans of Miranda James and Jenn McKinlay will welcome a new librarian sleuth to the fold.”
—Library Journal

"Captivating...Cozy fans will look forward to seeing more of the appealing Amy."
—Publishers Weekly

“Nicely framed by details of library work and research.”
—Booklist

"As cozy mysteries go, this is one of the best."
—NY Journal of Books

“The perfect cozy mystery. The characters are interesting and can easily be seen as people you might know. The town sounds delightfully quirky with the beautiful setting of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series."
—Killer Nashville

"This book pulled me in from the first, humorous paragraph. Spunky librarian Amy will delight readers with her wit and research skills as she solves both modern day and historical murders. A captivating cast of secondary characters and a dollop of romance add spice to this promising debut. I can't wait for the next in the series."
—Laura DiSilverio, national bestselling and award-winning author of the Readaholics Book Club mysteries

“An intricately plotted library whodunit that both cozy readers and librarians will love!”
—Amanda Flower, Agatha Award-winning author of Assaulted Caramel

“Victoria Gilbert delivers an entertaining mystery with a sizzle of romance, a dash of history and a scintillating hint of the supernatural. Cozy readers will find all the right elements to curl up and have fun.”
—Victoria Abbott author of the award-winning Book Collector mysteries

"Small towns hide big secrets, and Taylorsford is no exception—a perfect cozy setting with eccentric locals, a handsome neighbor, and a wise, determined librarian who turns detective to solve a decades-old murder. Great fun!"
—Julia Buckley, author of the Writer's Apprentice mysteries

“Gilbert keeps readers wondering till the tale’s rewarding conclusion, one that they will not see coming and that will leave them wanting more from the author.”
—IndiePicks Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-04-16
Virginia librarian Amy Webber's love of books is upstaged by two other art forms, painting and dance, in her second cozy.The approach of Taylorsford's annual Heritage Festival promises a host of new experiences for Amy and her patrons, not all of them pleasant. Amy is apprehensive about sending Richard Muir, the dancer/choreographer/professor she met in her first brush with homicide (A Murder for the Books, 2017) off to New York, where he's suddenly needed to help Meredith Fox, the fiancee who ditched him, stage his dance Return. She's not eager to honor the request by Melody Riley, the new chair of the Taylorsford Friends of the Library, to ask her Aunt Lydia to donate some of the paintings by her long-dead husband, Andrew Talbot, for a yard-sale fundraiser. And she's not best pleased when her trip with Richard to pick up some paintings donated by better-known local artist Rachel LeBlanc ends with the discovery of the painter's corpse, stabbed with her own palette knife. Who could possibly have shattered the paradise of Taylorsford by committing such an outrage? A pillar of the community like gossipy ex-postmaster Zelda Shoemaker; a newcomer like Melody's son, Trey, who plans to reopen a shuttered winery; a missing party like Rachel's husband, artist/teacher Reese LeBlanc; or a confederate of the monstrous Quinn family, that notorious international gang of forgers? The hints of large-scale criminality are unconvincing, but Amy turns out to be as apt a student of art forgery as she is of everything book-related.Just the thing for readers whose pulses quicken when they read: "The way he looks at you sometimes…deserves an R-rating."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171244347
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/10/2018
Series:	Blue Ridge Library Mysteries , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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