Brooklyn and her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, have just returned from a delightful trip to Dharma, where the construction of their new home away from home is well underway, when a little black book arrives in the mail from Scotland. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and there’s no return address on the package. The day after the book arrives, Claire Quinn shows up at Brooklyn and Derek’s home. Brooklyn met Claire when the two women worked as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire’s expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.
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Claire reveals that during a recent trip to Scotland she discovered her beloved aunt was missing and her home had been ransacked. Among her aunt’s belongings, Claire found the receipt for the package that wound up with Brooklyn and Derek. Claire believes both her own life and her aunt’s are in danger and worries that her past may be coming back to haunt her.
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But just as Brooklyn and Derek begin to investigate, a man who Claire thinks was following her is found murdered, stabbed with a priceless jeweled dagger. With a death on their doorstep, Brooklyn and Derek page through the little black book, where they discover clues that will take them to the shadows of a medieval Scottish castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Under the watchful gaze of a mysterious laird and the irascible villagers who are suspicious of the strangers in their midst, Brooklyn and Derek must decode the secrets in Rebecca to keep their friend’s past from destroying their future….
Release Date: Jun 29, 2022
Series: Bibliophile Mystery
Book:Â 15
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â BerkleyÂ
Price: $13.99
Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone, owner of a security firm and former M16 operative, return home from vacation to find an unexpected package. There is no return address but inside is a book, but it’s been sent to Derek, not Brooklyn. Soon Claire Quinn, an acquaintance of Brooklyn’s and an antique weapons expert, arrives looking for her missing aunt who has disappeared from her home in Scotland. It seems Gwyneth Quinn was a former colleague of Derek’s and now he and Brooklyn need to find his old friend while figuring out who they can trust to avoid becoming the killer’s next target.
Little Black Book is the fifteenth book in the Bibliophile series. I’ve read a few of the prior books but not all, so I appreciated the background information on the main characters that was included in the first couple of chapters. What I really enjoyed about the earlier books in this series was the details given about Brooklyn’s book restoration work. There is some of that in this book, but not enough. The book Gwyneth sends to Derek plays an important part in the plot of the book, but I wish Brooklyn would have had more time to restore books.
The plot of the book is interesting if somewhat convoluted at times. The local politics in Scotland and all of the details about antique daggers that Claire shares with Brooklyn and Derek didn’t really appeal to me. However, it’s apparent the book was well-researched. The three end up traveling to Scotland to untimatel solve more than one murder and Gwyeth’s disappearance. I enjoyed seeing Derek and Brooklyn asking questions to get to the truth of the matter. I was surprised when the killer’s identity and motive was revealed, but the solution was a let down for me after a large build-up.
One other downside to the book for me is I find the characters hard to relate to. Few people can afford the best security staff for protection, have a neighbor who is an ex-CIA agent to assist on the case, as well as military helicopters and private jets at their disposal to help them in their investigation. Brooklyn has a unique background as someone who grew up with her parents and siblings on a commune in rural California. Brooklyn is intelligent and caring, but with her upbringing, I would expect her to be a little more down-to-earth. The book has some enjoyable parts. I especially liked the information one of Derek’s brothers shares about secret codes which provides important information in the search for Gwyneth. Fans of the series will enjoy the book, but I prefer the author’s Fixer-Upper series.
~ Christine
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