Read or Alive: A Bookmobile Mystery

This is a fabulous third offering in A Bookmobile Mystery series! If I had not already read the first two, the gorgeous cover would have drawn me in before even seeing the description. I love seeing the bus, Rhett Butler, and Mr. Chaucer in full color. Springtime in Georgia sounds beautiful, and what book lover can resist a book fair? The regular characters are very likable, a wonderful age group, and three-dimensional. This complex mystery is excellent with an unexpected whodunit. Cleo Watkins, at 76, is still head librarian at the Catalpa Springs library. She frequently is found on the bookmobile, a repurposed school bus completely renovated by her grandson for an Eagle Scout project. Her protégé, Leanna, mans the library on any given day. Cleo and best friend Mary-Rose went to the book fair opening to see what bargains they might find among the rare, vintage, and used books. One of the first things they saw was a very expensive French copy of Gone With the Wind and the booth of Kitty Peavey, outfitted to look and sound like Marilyn Monroe. Before they left her booth, Cleo was stunned to see the cover of a book open in the trash can near Kitty’s stall with the custom-made bookplate that belonged to her cousin Dot. It matches the size of Dot’s prized movie edition of Gone With the Wind, found at an estate sale years ago. In the door of the facility marched Dot, yelling for Hunter Fox, a “book scout” who had taken some of her valuable books on the auspices of selling them on commission. She tried to contact him several times to cancel the deal, but he didn’t return her calls. He denied it, they argued loudly, and she told him he would be sorry. The next day, she has the misfortune for find the man dead in the alley while on her way to work. Cleo was taking Henry to his shop. Henry is her gentleman friend who owns Gilded Page Antiquarian & Rare Books. They saw Dot run into the street to flag them down, and she showed them her grisly find of only moments earlier. The police chief doesn’t appear to be one of the sharpest – or kindest – tools in the shed. His deputy and Cleo’s favorite neighbor, Gabby, also arrived. People heard Dot’s dispute with Fox the prior day, and she was immediately the prime suspect. When they found the murder weapon, one of his bookbinding tools, Henry became the suspect. Cleo is on the case. In this small town, she knows most of the residents, many of whom are her bookmobile patrons. It is amazing what her network of friends can find, including that Dot was not the only woman taken in by Mr. Fox. Dot, Henry, and Chloe were befriended by a dealer next to Ms. Peavey’s stall, Buddy Boone. He found one of Dot’s books at another seller’s stall and made sure it was returned to her. I love the humor, the antics of the pets, and Cleo’s unflagging loyalty to Henry and Dot despite the evidence. This mystery is well-plotted and executed. There are a couple red herrings that I kept veering towards despite a different possible suspect. The real whodunit was a surprise to me, as I had discounted the person more than once! All loose ends are tied up; the end is very satisfactory. I highly recommend this to lovers of well-written cozy mysteries, cats and dogs, libraries and bookstores, and Southern settings. From a thankful heart: I received an advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.