Little Black Book by Kate Carlisle
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Bibliophile Mystery #15
Publication Date: 6/29/21
Period: Contemporary
Number of Pages: 384
** 5-Stars **

The action, intrigue, and adventure begins with the first word on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last word on the last page in this wonderfully well-written book. Expert bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright and her handsome, hunky, international security expert husband take us through San Francisco, to Dharma in the wine country, and all the way to the shores of Loch Ness in Scotland with murder and mayhem following all the way. Be sure to choose your most comfortable reading chair and have all of your snacks, drinks, etc. nearby because you won’t want to put the book down once you start reading.

Brooklyn and Derek have just returned home from a short vacation in Dharma where they are building a nice vacation home near both sets of parents. They are relaxed and ready to get back to work the next day – until Derek brings all of their mail back from their neighbor’s apartment. There is a package – and both are sure the package contains a book – but it is addressed to Derek and not Brooklyn. Uh-Oh. Just after they open the package and discover that it does indeed contain a book – a rare and valuable copy of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca – the entry buzzer sounds. Oh! No! All of their adventures seem to revolve around a rare book – and now they have one – and there is a stranger at their door.

Their caller was Claire Quinn who had worked with Brooklyn on several episodes of the antique show, This Old Attic, and she was inquiring about a package they may have received from her aunt in Scotland. Claire is in danger! Her home has been broken into, her aunt is missing, and Claire is sure someone is stalking her. The adventure really begins in earnest with the discovery of a body in Brooklyn and Derek’s garage and it continues with more bodies as they retreat to Dharma to elude the villains – and then on to the lovely Scottish village of Oddlochen on the shores of Loch Ness.

Where is Claire’s aunt Gwyneth? Is she still alive? What do these villains want with Claire? What does the book have to do with anything? Who is the villain behind it all? Is it the handsome laird of the castle? Is it the equally handsome estate manager? Is it some of Claire’s father’s old associates? Is it the mob to whom the laird’s father owed money? Is it aunt Gwyneth’s nasty antiques competitor? So many suspects! What is the treasure they are seeking and can their copy of Rebecca tell them the answer?

This author never fails to write an interesting and exciting book. The characters are unique, interesting, likable, and you’d love to meet them all. It was lovely to see that we had a full contingent of recurrent characters with Gabriel, Dalton, Robin, Robson, and Brooklyn’s parents. We also met a couple of characters I’d love to see in future books as well. Claire was really interesting and I liked her a lot, so I’d love to see her featured in future books. Since there was a hint of a budding romance for her, I’d love to see that come to fruition in a future book – maybe while working on yet another adventure with Brooklyn and Derek.

I can definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author. I hope you’ll give it a read and love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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