Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

SERIES: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #3
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Crooked Lane Books
RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2019
PAGES: 304

Has a curse fallen on the small town of Taylorsford, Virginia? After a young woman goes missing during a spring bonfire, library director Amy Webber must wade through the web of lies only to find a truth that she may not want to untangle.

Spring has sprung in quaint Taylorsford, Virginia, and the mayor has revived the town’s long-defunct May Day celebration to boost tourism. As part of the festivities, library director Amy Webber is helping to organize a research project and presentation by a local folklore expert. All seems well at first―but spring takes on a sudden chill when a university student inexplicably vanishes during a bonfire.

The local police cast a wide net to find the missing woman, but in a shocking turn of events, Amy’s swoon-worthy neighbor Richard Muir becomes a person of interest in the case. Not only is Richard the woman’s dance instructor, he also doesn’t have an alibi for the night the student vanished―or at least not one he’ll divulge, even to Amy.

When the missing student is finally discovered lost in the mountains, with no memory of recent events―and a dead body lying nearby―an already disturbing mystery takes on a sinister new hue. Blessed with her innate curiosity and a librarian’s gift for research, Amy may be the only one who can learn the truth.

Other Books In This Series

The Blue Ridge Library Mysteries are just a step more layered than the average cozy, the various plot points a bit more angsty and the characters a bit less quirky. This one in particular definitely has some mature themes (while still remaining mostly clean).

There are a lot of subplots going on in this novel, and figuring out they all tie together (if at all) kept me guessing through most of the pages. I had some suspicions – some of which played out and some which didn’t – but I didn’t have a clear picture of what was going on until Amy nearly did. Not helping matters any is the fact that her swoony boyfriend Richard is acting suspiciously. Who can Amy trust??

I loved the Appalachian setting (it’s in my blood), the folklore, and the library too. Aunt Lydia continues to be a fave as well and – even though I don’t like cats – the one in this book is too adorable not to love.

Bottom Line: A perfect choice for bookworms who want to spice up their cozy collection a bit. The past missing persons case parallels the present one in many ways – at least as far as investigations go – and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to solve it with Amy.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

Raised in a historic small town in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Victoria’s first cozy mystery series, the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, garnered her a three-book deal with Crooked Lane Books, which has since been expanded to five books. The first two books in the series have been optioned by Sony Pictures Television, and the first three were or will be produced in audiobook by Tantor Media.

Victoria also just inked a 2-book deal with Crooked Lane for a new cozy series, the Booklovers B & B series, set in historic Beaufort, NC.

A member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel.

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