Aunt Violet and her niece Hannah have a bookshop to run. But after a customer comes in asking for a rare book, Hannah takes a visit to the reading room of the British Library – a glorious domed building in the middle of the British Museum courtyard – to find out more.
Hannah has barely finished making her request when a man at one of the hundreds of desks slumps over his work. Within moments, it becomes clear he is dead, stabbed in broad daylight, in the middle of the reading room surrounded by oblivious academics.
The reading room is an exclusive space where no one can enter or leave without detection. Yet the initial investigation yields no weapon, no witnesses, and no apparent motive.
But then Aunt Violet discovers the victim had been researching the unearthing of a lost piece of Italian sculpture. And Hannah – despite her new husband’s firm insistence that she let the police do their job – finds herself unable to resist the temptation of investigating just one more murder.
I really need to go back to the beginning and read consistently. I completely forgot who Matilda was, and I was confused as to where Hannah’s new husband was and what he did for a living. However, the author did a good job of reintroducing those items as the story progressed.
I did not feel that the novel was written with a finale in mind. It felt more like it ended with a possibility of continuance. The warmth is still there, the coziness is still there. The characters are simply moving forward with their lives. I did not feel I was saying goodbye; I felt more like I was saying See you later.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
Comments
Post a Comment