For Whom The Book Tolls
Trouble follows Jenna Quinn wherever she goes. Fleeing some unsavory doings in her hometown of Charlotte, Jenna accepts her uncle’s gracious invitation to stay with him in small-town Hokes Folly, NC. In exchange, she’ll help him out in his antiquarian bookstore. But soon after she arrives, Jenna finds her uncle’s body crumpled at the base of the staircase between his apartment and the bookstore.
Before the tragedy even sinks in, Jenna learns that she’s inherited almost everything her uncle owned: the bookstore and apartment, as well as his not-so-meager savings and the payout from a life insurance policy…which adds up to more than a million dollars. This is all news to Jenna, bad news, once the police get wind of her windfall. An ill wind, indeed, as a second murder cements Jenna’s status as the prime suspect in both deaths.
Jenna can hit the road again, taking her chances that she can elude trouble along the way. Or she can stick it out in Hokes Folly, take over the bookstore, and try to sleuth out her uncle’s killer. On the one hand, she’s made some wonderful new friends, and she feels she can thrive in the genial small-town environment. On the other hand, trouble knows her address, and so does the killer, who is determined to write the final page of Jenna’s story.
Series: An Antique Bookshop Mystery – Book #1
Author: Laura Gail Black
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Bookshop
Publisher: Crooked Lane
Page Count: 316
Rating: 
In a new series, “An Antique Bookshop Mystery,” Laura Gail Black has created characters that aren’t your average cozy style. With a bookstore that is littered with books from top to bottom, books even in the sinks. In the first book of this series For Whom the Book Tolls, Jenna is as human as you can get with a fictional character. She isn’t perfect, far from it, she has a bad attitude a lot of the time, trust issues, and seems to be mired in a pity party, and she has a past that ranks a ten for bad. Readers will either love or hate Jenna; there is no in-between.
Jenna needs a fresh start, and her uncle provides her with the opportunity to begin life again and shed the excess baggage. The problem is, her uncle ends up dead on the bookstore floor the first night Jenna is in town. Now she is a suspect in his killing, and she sets out to prove that she isn’t a murderer, now or ever. Other suspects range in age and occupation; some are more prevalent than others. Motives can be elusive at times, but eventually, the killer is found.
Unfortunately, it was too easy to figure out the killer’s identity, which is my biggest complaint about this book. Characters have plenty of room for growth, and hopefully, more background for Jenna will be forthcoming in the next addition. The evidence isn’t hard to follow; the twists are few but meaningful. For Whom the Book Tolls is well written, easy to follow, and fast-paced. There is action, but it needed more. The bookstore was described well; I wouldn’t mind spending time there as soon as it’s cleaned up properly. I look forward to the next installment in this series and seeing how far Jenna has come since she found her uncle’s body.
Delightful bookstore or library book cozies readers will enjoy include Nora Page’s heartwarming “A Bookmobile Mystery” or Essie Lang’s incredible “A Castle Bookshop Mystery”.
Laura Gail Black writes cozy mysteries on the beautiful shores of Lake Marion in South Carolina, where she lives with her husband and four rescue dogs. She began collecting antique books when she worked in a used an antique bookstore in college. Today, Laura’s bookshelves contain many antique books, some of which are close to 200 years old. When not writing or playing with her dogs, Laura creates her own jewelry, crochets, cross-stitches, spends time on the water with her husband, and enjoys all things tea.
Contact Laura: laura@lauragailblack.com
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