Better Off Read: A Bookmobile Mystery

Better Off Read by Nora Page is the first tale in A Bookmobile Mystery series. Cleo Watkins is the head librarian of the Catalpa Springs Public Library in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. Unfortunately, a storm recently downed a beautiful old tree right onto the library. Mayor Jeb Day does not wish to use city funds to revive the library (they have insurance). Instead, he wishes to make Catalpa Springs a fishing destination with a world class fishing pier and have a floating casino on Tallgrass River. Cleo still wants to get books out to public and starts taking out Words on Wheels, the bookmobile, out every day. Cleo has to stop by Krandall House with books ordered by the eccentric Buford Krandall who is in a feud with neighbor, Mary-Rose Garland. Cleo discovers the front door open, the library in a disarray and Buford dead. The evidence quickly mounts against Mary-Rose. Cleo knows her friend did not harm Buford and sets out to prove it with the help of her friends. Better Off Read is a humorous cozy with a fast pace. Cleo Watkins is seventy-five and determined to save her library. The mayor is determined Cleo will retire and repurpose the library. Cleo is a smart, spunky strong-minded woman who leads a busy life and has a lead foot when driving (I am amazed she has not had her license revoked). I appreciate her passion for books and helping others find the right books for them to read. There is a cast of quirky characters to accompany Cleo in Better Off Read. There is Ollie, her grandson who does not know what he wants to do with his life. Leanna who works part-time at the library (before the storm) and is going to college to get her degree in library science. Henry Lafayette who is smitten with Cleo and has a pub named Mr. Chaucer. Bitsy Givens is president of the Ladies League, married to the local bank president and puts up with her demanding mother-in-law. Let us not forget Rhett Butler, the library cat who accompanies Cleo on her rounds in Words on Wheels. While there are some interesting characters, I felt the author introduced too many of them. They just kept coming and it is difficult to keep them all straight. I wish the author had limited the number and focused on developing them (they seemed superficial). Catalpa Springs is a small Southern town in Georgia near the Florida border. There is Southern hospitality, plenty of food and gossip flows freely and quickly. There seemed to be one zany antic after another throughout Better Off Read (I just wanted them to stop). There is an amazing amount of dialogue in the story. The mystery had some good components, but it gets lost. I believe when the solution to the murder is revealed, some readers will be scratching their heads. The book has a satisfying ending that wraps up all the storylines. I felt that there was too much going on (I could not begin to describe it all). Better Off Read had a great premise, but the final product was dissatisfying. My rating for Better Off Read is 3 out of 5 stars.

Librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be quietened when the new, young mayor threatens to permanently close down her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, Georgia. She won’t allow her advanced age to stop her or murder. A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should worry about his plans. But too late she discovers him bludgeoned, and evidence points to her best friend, Mary-Rose Garland. Certain of Mary-Rose’s innocence, Cleo applies her librarian’s sleuthing skills to the case, assisted by friends, family, and the dapper antiquarian bookseller everyone keeps calling her boyfriend. Evidence stacks up. With lives and her library on the line, Cleo must shift into high gear to close the book on murder. -- Series: A Bookmobile Mystery Author: Nora Page Genre: Cozy Mystery/Career Publisher: Crooked Lane Books Publishing Date: May 8, 2018 Better Off Read, is a series debut by Nora Page. This book is filled with colorful characters, easy to dislike victims. The small town of Catalpa Springs is a wonderful look into small-town life. Mixed with the murder of a very unpopular man, this book has all the makings of a great new series that readers will love. Cleo isn’t your average main character or the average librarian. Her age gives her insights into everyday life and how to handle rash decisions by young social climbers who don’t know that libraries are for more than just reading books. Cleo is smart, talented and funny. She worries about her town and its residents to the point of sleeplessness. She is determined and stubborn with just enough gumption to keep hope alive. Cleo is passionate about the library and is almost at a loss on what to do when a bad storm destroys parts of the building and closes the doors until repairs can be made. Unfortunately, the new mayor thinks the library is a waste of money, and the budget should go towards his ideas to bring in tourists to the small community. Other characters are just as appealing as Cleo and enhance the story. Mary Rose is stubborn, at times downright rude and seems to forget her age when tromping through the thick brush or making plans to get even with an old adversary. This story is easy to read and flows nicely from one chapter to another. The evidence falls into place but never gives away the guilty party until the very end. Overall Better Off Read and the future series is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys main characters who have experience and knowledge on their side.