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Though many book lovers can appreciate the convenience of digital books, there’s still just something about a real, paper book: the feel of the pages, the smell of the paper. And in A Perfect Bind, the second Beloved Bookroom Mystery by author Dorothy St. James, a book-loving librarian risks her job—and maybe even her life—to save the library’s books.
The story finds librarian Tru Beckett trying to solve a pair of mysteries while keeping a very big secret. When the Cypress, South Carolina, public library went bookless, Tru stashed away some books and set up a secret bookroom in the library basement—a place where book lovers can come to read and research using actual books. Lately, though, someone has been vandalizing the bookroom overnight. If Tru told her boss or reported it to the police, she’d lose her job. But when someone is found murdered behind the library, she fears they could be connected.
Tru and her closest friends, café owner Tori and mystery novelist Flossie—along with the other keepers of the bookroom secret—decide to use their love of mystery novels to ask themselves “What would Miss Marple do?” and solve the crime themselves. If they don’t, they may have to give up their secret book lovers’ getaway. So they work together to dig for answers—whether the culprit is human (as Tru suspects) or supernatural (as one of the town’s historians insists).
Really, A Perfect Bind has all of the elements that you’d expect from a cozy mystery: a quaint small town (bonus points for being in the South), a cast of colorful characters, a bookish heroine with a group of loyal friends and a lovable pet, a hint of romantic possibilities—and, of course, foul play. There are some easygoing laughs, a few red herrings, and a surprise or two, too.
Still, it’s hard to believe that not only did Tru create a secret bookroom in the library basement but she’s also been able to keep it a secret from most of the town—including the library staff—especially when you consider how quickly word of everything else spreads through town. But perhaps that’s just a part of its small-town charms.
With its likable characters and its bookish mystery, A Perfect Bind may not be an entirely memorable cozy mystery, but it is an enjoyable one. And as you get to know the characters, you’ll be interested enough to keep an eye out for the next installment, to see what’s next for the residents of Cypress.
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