"Reading Between the Crimes" By Kate Young: Review/Giveaway

Review by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

There is a body; the murder was committed in the Library and the weapon was the Candlestick. Unfortunately, the candlestick has disappeared, the crime occurred during the charity fundraising dinner Lyla Moody’s mother was hosting in their home, and this was definitely not a game. The “Mr. Body” of this very real scenario is Leonard Richardson, the much older husband of Sweet Mountain’s new librarian Harper. The young woman is also a new member of their Jane Doe Book Club, where Lyla and her friends drink wine and discuss a mystery book, with their latest selection being Agatha Christie’s Crooked House. When Harper becomes the primary suspect of Lyla’s ex-boyfriend Police Chief Quinn Daniels and Lyla’s mother protectively champions the librarian, the Jane Does secondary occupation kicks in. Not only is Lyla dating Georgia Bureau of Investigations special agent Brad Jones, she works for her retired detective uncle as the receptionist and trainee at Cousins Investigative Services, Inc.

---

➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

---

Image Source Crooked Lane

Along with her best friends Melanie Smart and Amelia Klein, Lyla begins looking into the motives behind Leonard’s death. Their investigation is complicated by the appearance of a familiar but disconcerting visiting author, one who intrigues Lyla but alarms her family. While her uncle adamantly orders her away from investigation, her mother’s odd attachment to Harper prevents Lyla from staying uninvolved. An attack on Lyla that sends her to the hospital only escalates the need for a quick resolution, especially when some of those secrets threatening to emerge involve her own family.

This second in the series features a budding investigator just starting to rise out of the amateur status. Their embrace of Agatha Christie and mystery books keep the themes very much in the cozy corner, even if Lyla’s Gran prefers to attend book club meetings more for the food than for the discussions. As the Georgia town prepares for their Octoberfest Pub Crawl, Lyla and her friends focus on tracking down the clues that lead back to past secrets and identities. A suspenseful conclusion is more threatening and dire than one might expect, but it proves to be both satisfying and realistic. Lyla’s growth from a true-crime fanatic into an effective investigator continues at a fun and brisk pace, with mixed feelings of support from assorted family members. An extremely surprising reveal adds layers to Lyla’s own life within her beloved town, with the resulting fallout dealt with compassionately and in an extraordinarily healthy manner. The connection between fictional mysteries and “real” murders continues to entertain in this series of Southern charm and fall celebrations.  

To enter to win a copy of Reading Between the Crimes, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "between,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 23, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. You can also click here. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

 Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.