A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert


 This is a new mystery series by a well-known author. I have been intrigued to read other novels by Victoria Gilbert since her Booklover’s B&B series.

Cameron (Cam) Clewe is a young, wealthy man who has hired retired librarian Jane Hunter to inventory and catalog his book and print collection. The weekend before Jane starts, however, a gala is thrown at Cam’s home, Aircroft. On Monday, Jane finds the body of Cam’s ex-girlfriend in the library. This leads Cam to ask for assistance in clearing his name.

I liked Cam Clewe. I liked that he is neurodivergent, and acutely aware of this fact. Though it still makes it hard for him to connect with people, I found him refreshing. I also liked that Jane recognized all of his differences and didn’t necessarily judge him. Obviously, there are moments that show the frustration of dealing with a neurodivergent person, however Jane never allowed her interactions to be dictated by that frustration. I can’t wait to see how they continue to interact in the next book.

I thought the mystery was well spread out. Plenty of suspects with plenty of motives. I will admit to suspecting the killer early. For me, it was a comment that was issued, but as the novel progressed, I kept thinking, “okay, that’s so-and-so’s motive, but what about this person?” I felt that it was an obvious gap that ultimately gave it away. The ending was decent. I felt it just kind of ended, though. It was very anticlimactic. 

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Comments