The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle Narrator: Kimberly M. Wetherell
Series: Bibliophile Mystery #17
Published by Dreamscape Media on October 24, 2023
Source: Purchased
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Length: 9 hrs 10 mins
Pages: 336
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.
In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.
Once in Scotland, Brooklyn starts working on the mystery of the missing books but is soon distracted by all of the thumping and bumping noises she’s been hearing in the middle of the night. You’d think the Ghost of Christmas Past had taken up residence. But when one of the guests is poisoned and another is killed by an arrow through the heart, Brooklyn and Derek know this is not the work of any ghost. Now they must race to find a killer and a book thief before another murder occurs and their friends’ bright and happy future turns dark and deadly.
I’ve read a couple of the previous Bibliophile Mysteries and enjoyed them well enough, so since I’m a sucker for Christmas cozy, I picked up The Twelve Books of Christmas. This time around Brooklyn gets a call on Christmas Eve from her good friend Claire, who is in Scotland. Claire is preparing to marry Cameron, a castle laird, on New Year’s Day and wants Brooklyn and Derek to be there. So the couple, along with Brooklyn’s parents, fly to Scotland. Claire also hopes that while she’s there Brooklyn will help solve a mystery- a dozen Christmas-related books, some quite valuable, have gone missing from the castle library.
Of course, there’s trouble. Most of the women in town, including the castle’s new librarian, seem to be anti-Claire. Then, Brooklyn and Derek find a dead body in one of the castle’s closets. They, of course, have to investigate the murder in addition to the missing books – which may or may not be connected.
I enjoyed all the Christmas details, including the books, foods and decorations, even though the story takes place just after the holiday. The author did a good job of weaving in the Scottish traditions surrounding the New Year, too.
The mysteries themselves were fine, but not memorable. And part of the reveal was just a bit odd in my opinion.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job with all of the characters – there are a lot – and the accents. I think listening to the audio kept it moving along when in print it might been a bit slow in places.
About Kate Carlisle
New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle is a native Californian who worked in television production for many years before turning to writing. It was a lifelong fascination with the art and craft of bookbinding that led her to write the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder.
With the publication of A High-End Finish in November 2014, Kate launched the Fixer-Upper Mysteries featuring building contractor Shannon Hammer, who specializes in Victorian home renovation and repair.
Kate is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She is the proud recipient of the Golden Heart and Daphne du Maurier awards, and her first Bibliophile Mystery received a Best First Mystery nomination from RT Book Reviews. Kate loves to travel and read and drink good wine and watch other people cook.