The Bodies in the Library

The Bodies in the Library is first in the new First Edition Library Mystery series from Marty Wingate. It’s set in Bath, England, one of my favorite places on earth, and it’s a cozy involving books. What could be better? <br /><br />Hayley has landed her dream job as the curator of the First Edition library located in a swoon-worthy Georgian home. Hayley aims to modernize the library, but she is met with resistance. Someone ends up murdered in the library (of course!), and Hayley must find the killer to keep her job and everyone safe. <br /><br />The Bodies in the Library kept me guessing and was so much fun. Hayley is a charmer and I can’t wait to see what she’s up to in the next book. <br /><br />I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars → Hayley Burke is the new curator of The First Edition Society, a library dedicated to first editions from the Golden Age of Mysteries. How she got the job, I’m not sure, because she’s never read a mystery, which made me laugh. It’s a sweet position she doesn’t want to lose, but when a member of an Agatha Christie fanfic group is murdered at the library, Hayley’s future there is threatened — she allowed them in, after all.<br /><br />I loved the setting of Bath, England, and the gorgeous Georgian home that housed the precious books. The murder mystery is definitely Christie-inspired, with many quirky suspects. With her job at stake, as well as the survival of the society itself, I can understand why Hayley would want to launch her own investigation, or at least give the police a gently nudge here and there. I can’t resist a cozy mystery revolving around books, and this one was a quick, fun read. Now I need to catch up on my Christie.<br /><br /><i>Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1559409272i/27603763._SX540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><i>Many thanks to Berkley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review</i><br><br>3.5 stars<br><br>Even though this book was pretty cozy and mysterious, it ended up being a little lackluster. I think that was mainly because I kept hoping it would be Nancy Drew-esque(for some reason)<br><br><u> <b>So, what's this book about?</b> </u><br>Hayley Burke has landed a dream job. She is the new curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library. The library is kept at Middlebank House, a lovely Georgian home in Bath, England. Hayley lives on the premises and works with the finicky Glynis Woolgar, Lady Fowling's former secretary.<br><br>Mrs. Woolgar does not like Hayley's ideas to modernize The First Edition Society and bring in fresh blood. And she is not even aware of the fact that Hayley does not know the first thing about the Golden Age of Mysteries. Hayley is faking it till she makes it, and one of her plans to breathe new life into the Society is actually taking flight- -an Agatha Christie fan fiction writers group is paying dues to meet up at Middlebank House.<br><br>But when one of the group is found dead in the venerable stacks of the library, Hayley has to catch the killer to save the Society and her new job.<br><br>As I said earlier, I went into this really hoping for a very cozy mystery but it wasn't cozy. This wasn't a bad thing, it just wasn't what I expected.<br><br>I really, really enjoyed the fact that this book juggled the main plot along with a few subplots. That's something that's hard to do well but this book did it!<br><br>This novel hit all the right beats at the perfect speed in the perfect way. I could clearly identify each beat from the introduction to the climax which made me happy because I'm a writing nerd. <br><br>My only complaint would be that the book was, overall, slightly underwhelming.<br><br>Overall, I enjoyed this mystery novel. Even though it wasn't super cozy, it made up for that by hitting all the beats and juggling multiple plots! I recommend this one!<br><br>----------<br><br>Review to come!!<br><br>----------<br><br>First the first time, I am actually looking forward to a rainy day because I can just curl up and read this.<br><br>| <a href="https://Goodreads.com/tuckeralmengor" rel="noopener">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://tuckerthereader.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://Pinterest.com/tuckeralmengor" rel="nofollow noopener">Pinterest</a> | <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/tuckeralmengor" rel="nofollow noopener">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1JLAbHwaeQ5YwayF3UhjWw" rel="nofollow noopener">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://instagram.com/tuckeralmengor" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a>

The first book in a new cozy mystery series by Marty Wingate. The First Edition Library Mystery series features Hayley Burke, the new curator at Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library in Bath, England. The library is a mystery lovers dream, containing many Golden Age mysteries. Hayley is attempting to modernize the library, but she's hiding the fact that she doesn't know diddly about the mystery genre.<br /><br />The cast of characters is quirky and relatable. Hayley is a likable protagonist - smart, witty, and hard-working. After starting as curator, one of her actions was to open the library up to a group of Agatha Christie fan fiction writers. When one of the members of the group is found dead in the library, Hayley turns amateur sleuth to find the murderer. Hayley is concerned about the image of the library, and she wants to make sure the library's name is not smeared due to the murder.<br /><br />A charming new cozy mystery with entertaining characters and a lovely location. In addition to the mystery, there are some things going on in Hayley's personal life - she's got a daughter in college, an ex-husband, and a boyfriend. Hayley looks to be a fun amateur sleuth to follow along with in this series. A good read for fans of cozies, especially ones that feature books and libraries.<br /><br /><i>I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I just was not a fan of any of the characters really. The story took too long to pick up and it was more about the MCs personal life than anything. To be fair there was a mystery but it just didn't speak to me.

Hayley Burke, curator of a library devoted to the golden age of mysteries, has never read a mystery in her life. The compensation and benefit of living on the premises attract her to this dream job. Mrs. Woolgar, secretary to the library's founder Lady Georgiana Fowling, lives in the building also. Hayley tries to find ways to improve the library's visibility and invites a group of mystery writers to meet there. When a group member's body appears in the library after hours and after the group left, Hayley inserts herself into the police investigation to mitigate damage to the library and the writers' group. I never warmed to Hayley--perhaps because of her lack of affection for the mystery genre. I found the book easy to put down. The plot seemed convoluted. More insights into the police investigation and less of the amateur sleuth's attempts would improve the book.The library's cat Bunter was my favorite character. I received an advance review copy through GoodReads. While a review is encouraged, it was not required. (2.5 stars)

I have read most of Marty Wingate's books and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is one is no different. It is the first book in a new series, the First Edition Library series and full of funny scenes and quirky characters which brought smiles and amusement as I read. I personally like that it is set in Bath where many of Victorian romances take place. Of course there, is a cat, Bunter, tortoiseshell cat and a nephew, who feels the estate is rightfully his. Hayley has a long-time romance.<br /><br />Hayley Burke has her dream job she the curator at the First Edition Library and this library has the first edits of mysteries and has never read a mystery. She lives on the premise along with Mrs. Woolgar, the Secretary to Lady Gerorgiana Fowling. Her plans to bring the library to this century have disapproval of Mrs Woolgar. Hayley invited a group of fan-fiction writer who write stories from Agatha Christie books. One of these writers is found MURDERED in the library which brings the police into the story.<br />I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.<br /><br />Disclosure: Thanks to Berkley for a copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

At the end of September 2022, I attended a panel of mystery writers at the 67th PNWA Annual Writers Conference. One of the authors was MARTY WINGATE, author of the new cozy mystery series The First Edition Library Mysteries. The title of the book is THE BODIES IN THE LIBRARY. Marty had a copy of the book with her and the premise tickled my fancy so I bought a copy. It is a mystery set in the city of Bath in England. The time is now.<br /> The lead character is Hayley Burke, mid-forties, divorced, with a twenty-two-year-old single daughter in college. Ms. Burke is the newish curator of the Golden Age Mystery Writers Library of the First Edition Society. Her current love interest is Wyn Rundle, a London-based inventor/entrepreneur who places his business ahead of Hayley.<br /> The organization was established by Lady Georgiana Fowling to house her collection of mystery writers from the early Twentieth Century. Her Library houses two classes of mysteries – 300-plus rare first editions kept in a bank vault valued at 2,000 British Pounds per volume and around 5,000 books (valued at 200,000 British Pounds) in the Library of the Society located in her former house. As part of her compensation, Hayley has a small apartment in the Georgian town home called Middlebank where the Library is situated.<br /> Her boss is Mrs. Glynis Woolgar (around sixty) who is the Secretary of the First Edition Society and former confidant to the late Lady Georgiana. Mrs. Woolgar also lives in Middlebank. They have a cordial and almost friendly relationship. Their primary job is to keep the Society alive and thriving. To that end, Hayley comes up with a couple of plans.<br /> First up is allowing a group of five would be mystery writers to use the Library room every Wednesday night for critique sessions. Each is trying to rewrite an Agatha Christie mystery. There are 3 young women and 2 young men in the group. There are unresolved issues among them. One Thursday morning, after one of their sessions, the housekeeper, Pauline, finds a dead body in the Library. The house had been locked with an alarm set the night before. There were only a handful of people with the alarm code and house key. None of the writers were included in that group.<br /> All of the surviving members come under suspicion by the lead police officer, Detective Sergeant Ronald Hopgood. Another suspect is Charles Henry Dill, Lady Fowling’s only surviving relative, a nephew. He has harbored a grudge against the Society ever his aunt had died three years earlier and left the valuable book collection and house to the Society. He had tried to contest the will but had failed.<br /> Hayley’s second idea is for the Society to host a series of open-to-the-public seminars on the writers included in the collection and other subjects related to mysteries. Her idea is to collaborate with a local college through its literature department. That is how Hayley meets Professor Val Moffat, who is a widower with twin daughters aged twenty-four. He teaches a class in writing mysteries. Hayley was a 19th Century Literature major in college and has little to no knowledge of the mystery writers in Lady Fowling’s collection. Professor Moffat encourages her to start reading the books in the collection.<br /> With the murder, Hayley does start to read; first up is an Agatha Christie book. Burke wants to help the police solve the mystery. She starts her own investigation and reports her findings to DS Hopgood. Hayley begins to think like Miss Marple, Christie’s female amateur sleuth.<br /> What fun it is to follow Hayley as she tries to unravel the mystery without getting on the bad side of the suspects and the police. In the end, the guilty person was a surprise, one that I did not see coming. If you like “locked room” and/or cozy mysteries, this is for you. If you want to start reading this genre of mystery, it is a good starting point. I for one cannot wait to read the next two in the series. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! <br />GO! BUY! READ!<br />

<b>Audiobook Review </b><br /><br />The title caught my attention first echoing one of Agatha Christie's best, but then I spotted the series title and the blurb. I was already disposed to fall in love with this new mystery before I ever cracked the first page. First the title, then its set in a library focused on the golden age of British mystery which is in Bath, has a library cat, a murder, and the librarian/curator has never read a mystery? Couldn't pass it up.<br /><br />The Bodies in the Library started out slow, nearly pedantic, as it introduced Hayley, her situation, the library, the other characters in relation to Hayley including a casual love interest, a grown daughter, her divorce situation, the curmudgeonly trust secretary, the Agatha Christie Fan Fiction writing group, and then we eventually got to the murder.<br /><br />The opening chapters nearly doused my early enthusiasm as I waited for something to happen knowing I was reading a murder mystery. The victim being found as the body in the library finally got things rolling. Hayley was on thin ice letting the writing group use the library, but now her job is precariously in the balance if she doesn't get this murder solved and not blackening the library, the benefactress' good name and the board. Like many cozies, Hayley acknowledges the police's role in the investigation while taking on her own first-time amateur sleuthing after perusing a mystery for the first time.<br /><br />I was somewhat more into it with the investigation underway, but also had some nitpicking moments that drew me away. Hayley got in a snit with boyfriend Val over something I didn't see as that big of a deal. Not a fan of drama for drama's sake even if it was brief. I also found it tough to believe she majored in 17th century lit from the get go let alone by the end when it didn't come up much with her. Oddly, I found it easy to believe she was curating a book collection from the Golden Age of British Mystery and hadn't read a blessed one of them- my sense of humor kicked in. <br /><br />I was well-pleased that the lead character was middle-aged and something of an average person in looks and abilities. The issues with having to start over in a new job, a grown daughter off at university for the first time, and an annoying ex along with her antagonistic relationship with the quirky library board secretary added verisimilitude. Bunter the cat made me smile often and I loved how he inadvertently assisted Hayley on the case.<br /><br />The mystery had me stumped though there was no shortage of suspects or reasons. The victim was not a surprise. But, when the reveal came, I had to squint in confusion. It was one of those 'couldn't get there from here' moments because I don't think anyone could have seen that coming the way it was laid out. <br /><br />Fiona Hardingham was a stellar match for the book as its narrator. I thought she was great at all her voices, genders, and accents even though I pictured Hayley much younger at first based on the voice. It wasn't a kid voice, but just hadn't sounded middle-aged to me.<br /><br />So, I ended up being moderately engaged with this one and would like to keep going with the series now that the introductory book is out of the way and things are established. I'm curious if that wisp of ghostly Lady Fowling will be real or just the imagination and I do like the library and city setting for a promising new series with a strong narrator.<br /><br />My thanks to Penguin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good! It was a different type of main character than we usually see in cozies which was a fun change. Hayley was working with a Golden Age library collection, but she'd never read a mystery in her life. Usually our sleuths have overflowing piles of mysteries in their homes, lol. She did have an epiphany though--I don't want to spoil too much. <br /><br />For some reason, I picked the killer out fairly early, but finding out all the details and reasoning etc. was a fun ride, especially the showdown with the killer. I'm glad an online book club I'm in picked this book. I had my eye on borrowing it when it came out, but I never got around to doing that. I'm really anxious to find out when the next in the series will be out.