Early Book Review: Bound for Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mystery) by Victoria Gilbert

Bound for Murder is the forth Blue Ridge Library Mystery by Victoria Gilbert. It is currently scheduled for release on January 7 2020. I do recommend reading the series in order, mainly for the personalities and relationships. However, I think a dedicated reader could catch up fairly quickly. 

Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields--and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental. With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not yet" to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend's family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can't find whoever killed these "flower children," someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.

Bound for Murder is a well written mystery with a good balance of character growth and sleuthing. I like that Amy is still growing and evolving- and getting more safety savvy as she researches and questions people. Her taking the precaution of having her keys or phone ready when in less than comfortable situations showed some real growth after the dangers she had faced in past books.  I enjoyed following the clues with her, even the side avenues the information took her down. I enjoyed just how interconnected the community is, and how  the clues took Amy and readers along a twisted path through the past. I liked that I learned some interesting details, not all relevant to the mystery, as Amy was researching, and I felt like it gave me a much better understanding of the big picture than I usually get in cozy mysteries. I will say that the culprit was not who I expected, but was tied into their story, which made everything so much more interesting as the danger and clues piled up towards the end of the book. I am looking forward to seeing this story continue, and will certainly keep reading this series.  

Bound for Murder is a solid continuation of the series, with continued growth for the characters and a mystery that kept me guessing. 

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