The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate [Book Review]

The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Bodies in the Library

Author: Marty Wingate

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: October 8, 2019

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: First Edition Library Mystery #1

My Rating: 4/5

The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate

BOOK BLURB

Hayley Burke’s fresh start as the curator of The First Edition Society’s library in Bath, England, is about to take a rotten turn in this charming new mystery series from USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate.

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.

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.

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.


The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate

MY REVIEW

The Bodies in the Library is 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, especially since it contains many Golden Age mysteries. Hayley is attempting to modernize the library; however, she’s hiding the fact that she doesn’t know diddly about the mystery genre.

The cast of characters is quirky and relatable. In addition, 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.

In short, The Bodies in the Library is 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, and I’m looking forward to following along with in this series. A good read for fans of cozies, especially ones that feature books and libraries.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Bibliophile Mystery Series:
  1. The Bodies in the Library
  2. Murder Is a Must

2 thoughts on “The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate [Book Review]

  1. Nice review Darinda. I have read books from both her other series, but was not ready to start a new one. it sounds like this is different from her other two.

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