Murder in the Locked Library

by Ellery James

As the construction finally begins for the upscale spa Jane Steward has wanted to add to Storyton Hall, her hopes are put on indefinite hold when her twin boys notice a skull dangling precariously from the backhoe’s bucket.   The timing of this discovery couldn’t be worse as participants for the Rare Book Conference will be checking in before the day is finished.  As it turns out, the conference is fortuitous when the discovery of a rare, historical book is discovered with the body.  Jane invites one of the participants to help with the investigation into the history and origin of the book but soon realizes her mistake when he ends up dead.

This is the fourth installment of the Book Retreat series.  The storyline is original and the main characters are easy to engage.  I enjoyed the overall mystery that James has laid out, however, there are references to characters within the storyline that are not covered with a backstory.  For a reader who is new to the series, I would advise you to pick up the first book before reading this.  I believe it would make the events within this volume clearer and help define the background and history of Storyton Hall and its inhabitants.  It is stated that Jane and her ‘employees’ are part of something bigger and very important, but it isn’t explained.   #MurderinTheLockedLibrary #netgalley

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Kensington Publishing

PUB DATE:  April 24, 2018

ISBN:  9781496715630

Genre:  Cozy Mystery