Review: Shelved Under Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery #2) by Victoria Gilbert
Source: Hardcopy courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. Thank you!
Publication: July 10, 2018 by Crooked Lane Books
Book Description:

October in Taylorsford, Virginia means it’s leaf peeping season, with bright colorful foliage and a delightful fresh crew of tourists attending the annual Heritage Festival which celebrates local history and arts and crafts. Library director Amy Webber, though, is slightly dreading having to spend two days running a yard sale fundraiser for her library. But during these preparations, when she and her assistant Sunny stumble across a dead body, Amy finds a real reason to be worried.

The body belonged to a renowned artist who was murdered with her own pallet knife. A search of the artist’s studio uncovers a cache of forged paintings, and when the sheriff’s chief deputy Brad Tucker realizes Amy is skilled in art history research, she’s recruited to aid the investigation. It doesn’t seem to be an easy task, but when the state’s art expert uncovers a possible connection between Amy’s deceased uncle and the murder case, Amy must champion her Aunt Lydia to clear her late husband’s name.

That’s when another killing shakes the quiet town, and danger sweeps in like an autumn wind. Now, with her swoon-inducing neighbor Richard Muir, Amy must scour their resources to once again close the books on murder in Shelved Under Murder, the charming second installment in Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries, perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Miranda James.

Shelved Under Murder is the strong sophomore entry in Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, which is proving itself to be an intelligent and thoroughly pleasurable and engrossing cozy mystery series. Balancing thrills with warm, delightful characters, light romance and small-town dynamics, Shelved Under Murder is a great read.

The central mystery in Shelved Under Murder focuses on the death of a popular and acclaimed local artist- whose body happens to be discovered by our protagonist, library director/librarian Amy Webber and her boyfriend, professional dancer and choreographer Richard Muir. As the investigation- headed by chief deputy Brad Tucker, the current boyfriend of Amy’s library colleague Sunny- begins, what first appears as a puzzling but possibly uncomplicated homicide then turns into a rather thorny deep dive into the high stakes world of counterfeit art and forgeries. In book one, we learned that Amy’s Aunt Lydia, a prominent and much-respected figure in their town, had lost her husband years before in a car accident. Her late husband, Andrew Talbot, had himself been a local artist, though never as successful as Lydia and art dealer and former family friend Kurt Kendrick had thought he should have been. As the present-day murder investigation into the local artist continues and an art expert is flown into town, a new leads turn up: one of which might be involving Aunt Lydia’s deceased husband and his possible knowledge of a counterfeit art circle in Blue Ridge. Shelved Under Murder has, arguably, a less shocking or surprising murderer (or murders…!) at the center of the story than in A Murder for the Books; however, Gilbert raises the stakes by weaving in fascinating layers to Amy and Lydia’s family history and how Andrew Talbot’s art connections while alive still thrum in present-day Blue Ridge. It is absolutely worth noting as well that Amy continues to be a capable and lovely protagonist, and she, along neighbor-now-boyfriend Richard (also deeply likeable), make for a delightful team, both as a romantic couple and as amateur sleuths.

Overall, a strong second entry in a series I am already thoroughly fond of and charmed by; well-written, engaging, with lovely and charismatic characters at its core. As mentioned above, while there is perhaps a less startling murder mystery at the center of this story than in the series opener, there are deeper elements examined in Amy and Richard’s relationship, as well as with Aunt Lydia and Kurt and their respective love for Amy’s deceased uncle- all of which are terrifically explored. Readers interested in looking into this series, I would recommend starting with book one, A Murder for the Books. I am looking forward to book three in the series, Past Due for Murder, coming out in early 2019!

Extras: Discussion Questions for book clubs via the author’s website!

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Crooked Lane Book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.