Briar Creek Library director Lindsey Norris and her husband, Sully, are at a popular library conference in Chicago to hear book restoration specialist Brooklyn Wainwright give a keynote address. After the lecture, Lindsey looks under her seat and finds a tote bag containing a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, inscribed to Alfred Hitchcock. Brooklyn determines the novel is one of a kind and quite valuable, so Lindsey and Sully return the book to the conference director, not wanting to stir up any trouble.
But just hours after the pair boards the train back to Connecticut, rumors that the Highsmith novel has gone missing buzz amongst the passengers, and they soon find the conference director murdered in his private compartment. And worse—the murderer planted the book in Lindsey and Sully’s room next door, making them prime suspects. Now, they must uncover the murderer and bring them to the end of their line, before they find themselves booked for a crime they didn’t commit.
Release Date: Feb 13, 2024
Series: Â A Library Lover’s Mystery
Book:Â 14
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â BerkleyÂ
Price: $14.99
Lindsey Norris takes a break from her job at the Briar Creek Library in Connecticut to attend a library archivist conference in New York. Her husband Mike “Sully” Sullivan goes along with her and accompanies her to hear some of the speakers, including Brooklyn Wainwright, a book restoration specialist. (And the main character of author Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile series!) While listening to Brooklyn’s presentation, someone leaves a conference tote bag with a rare signed edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train under Lindsey’s chair. Lindsey turns the book over to the conference director and then she and Sully get on a train to return home. Many of the conference organizers and attendees are also on the train when a killer strikes, and Lindsey and Sully become suspects in the murder!
Fatal First Edition is part of a long-running series, but still works well as a standalone. The book conference is interesting, especially the cameo appearance from Brooklyn Wainwright, but then the murder mystery gets off to a slow start for me. Since so many new characters from the conference are the witnesses and suspects, I wasn’t that invested in the outcome. However, when a snowstorm hits Briar Creek, the tension increases and the case becomes more personal for Lindsey. The story becomes much more engaging at this point and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. The resolution was dramatic and someone over-complicated, but still entertaining.
Lindsey doesn’t spend as much time in the library in this book. However her friends and co-workers, known as the “crafternooners” because they frequently get together to discuss books, snack, and do a craft, still play an important role in the story. Lindsey’s best friend Beth and the rest of the group really step in for Lindsey in a big way when she is facing a tough situation. The group eventually gets to have their fun get-together, discussing the book Strangers on a Train. The back of the book includes everything you need if you want to hold your own event including discussion questions for the Patricia Highsmith classic, instructions for a craft, and a couple of recipes for snacks. This is a fun feature of this interesting, cozy mystery.
~ Christine
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