Murder by the Bookend: 08/31/24

Murder by the Bookend by Laura Gail Black and Susan Boyce (Narrator) (2021) (August 2024) is the second book in the Antique Bookshop mystery series. Jenna Quinn is hosting a party at her bookshop in honor of her reopening the shop. After the party a local librarian is found murdered by one of the glass bookends he won at Jenna's event.

Here's another mystery with a shallow pool of suspects. The murderer can only be one of a half dozen people, all who were present at the party. From that list, there are three who get the most traction, so much so that some of Jenna's friends suggest that the murder was done in the fashion of Murder on the Orient Express (1934).

Much of the book is spent with the three obvious suspects, although it takes Jenna forever to realize it. One is loud and spoiled, and written as if they were an escapee from a Kate Carlisle mystery. The other is henpecked and trying to keep things under control. The final one plays the part of the grieving, jilted lover. All three of them are caricatures more than actual characters.

Ultimately the mystery is tied up in book thefts from the library. Jenna gets her friends involved in her sleuthing with the encouragement of her police officer boyfriend. Never before have I read a mystery where the amateur sleuth does nightly stakeouts.

Jenna, is the second main character after Goldy to get hit on the head multiple times in the course of solving a mystery. At least this time head injury results in bed rest, but it still didn't seem like a plausible scenario.

The final disappointment to this mystery was its climax. It's another mystery that only comes to an end because the murderer decides to go after the amateur sleuth. Although Jenna had some ideas she wasn't close to piecing together the clues. The murderer could have stuck with their plan and gotten away free and clear.

Three stars

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