The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate

The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate ISBN-13: 9781984804105 Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Berkley Released: October 8, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Hayley Burke has landed a dream job. She is the new curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library. The library is kept at Middlebank House, a lovely Georgian home in Bath, England. Hayley lives on the premises and works with the finicky Glynis Woolgar, Lady Fowling's former secretary.

Mrs. Woolgar does not like Hayley's ideas to modernize The First Edition Society and bring in fresh blood. And she is not even aware of the fact that Hayley does not know the first thing about the Golden Age of Mysteries. Hayley is faking it till she makes it, and one of her plans to breathe new life into the Society is actually taking flight--an Agatha Christie fan fiction writers group is paying dues to meet up at Middlebank House. But when one of the group is found dead in the venerable stacks of the library, Hayley has to catch the killer to save the Society and her new job.


My Review:
The Bodies in the Library is a cozy mystery set in Bath, England. The heroine started out insecure and a push-over, but she transforms into a bolder, firmer heroine after reading her first mystery. Yup, she's never read a mystery and yet was made curator of a mystery novel society. Though she mentally complained about having nothing to do, she resisted actually reading the books she's supposed to be an expert on. But about halfway through, she finally read one, became a fan, and immediately tried her hand at solving the mystery.

To be honest, only the dry humor of the detectives and the encouraging best friend kept me interested until the heroine transformed into a sleuth. I liked that she appreciated when someone was concerned about her safety. She asked good questions, though she's still learning how to do so more subtly. This was a clue-based mystery, and I was able to guess whodunit before the reveal.

It's implied that a ghost helped the heroine, but I'm not sure how large of a role this ghost will play in future stories. There were no sex scenes. There was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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