November 1, 2024
Retired librarian Gilbert (author of the "Blue Ridge Library Mystery," "Booklover's B&B Mystery," and "Hunter and Clewe" books) begins a new series featuring author and writing teacher Jen Dalton. When a colleague is found dead and a student goes missing, it is up to Jen and a cohort of friends to solve the case. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2024 Library Journal
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 1, 2024
A mystery writer must solve a real-life murder or face unpleasant consequences. In addition to writing mysteries, Jennifer Dalton is the director of the campus writing center at Clarion University. Heading to the library to do some research, she discovers a body fallen from the mezzanine with a C-minus paper nearby. Was it an accident, suicide, or was he pushed? Jenn decides to poke around after Mia Jackson, one of her favorite students, can't be found, and becomes the leading suspect in the death of the man, Professor Doug Barth, who'd just humiliated her in class over that C-minus assignment. The provost sends psychologist Zachary Flynn to see if Jenn needs counseling, but Jenn, who'd had a bad prior interaction with him, refuses his ministrations. Zach doesn't give up, though, and eventually Jenn, accepting his help with her trauma and her sleuthing, finds him more simpatico as they work together. Together with a few helpful friends, Jenn digs into Barth's past and present life and discovers more than one person who dislikes him, including his wife and several of his colleagues in the English department. When someone on campus pushes her to the ground and whispers a threat against her, Jenn realizes that her detective work is upsetting someone, very likely the killer. Despite more warnings, she refuses to waver and becomes even more determined when another Clarion faculty member is murdered. An appealing sleuth with an engaging love interest lights up this series debut.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2025
Gilbert kicks off a new series set next-door to her Blue Ridge Library mysteries (Murder Checks Out, 2023). Jenn Dalton is the director of the writing center at Clarion University and the author of a successful series of mysteries. While researching at the campus library, she discovers a body, Professor Douglas Barth, with a copy of a student's paper in his hand. That student, Mia, becomes the primary suspect. Jenn knows Mia well--she's a fellow genre-fiction writer whose work was snubbed by the literary-minded Barth--so she and two colleagues, tattooed university librarian Brianna and eagle-eyed cafeteria manager Christine, investigate. It turns out that a lot of people had reason to want Barth out of the picture--his wife, his mistress, and other members of the English department who want to move the curriculum in a more inclusive direction. To make matters worse, the annoyingly handsome campus psychologist, Zachary Flynn, insists on helping. Gilbert's first Campus Sleuth mystery is a satisfying cozy that will appeal to bibliophiles who like a hint of romance.
COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.