A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Jane Hunter has been laid off from her university librarian job, but the university's loss is Cam Clewe's gain. He has recently acquired some rare mystery novels and needs someone to catalog them so that researchers can have access to the collection. When Jane discovers a dead body on her first day of work she may be gaining more than a cataloging job.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2023; Crooked Lane Books; 978-1639102525
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); cozy mystery

I've read a few of Victoria Gilbert's Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and while I've enjoyed them, I think her new series Hunter & Clewe will be my favorite series. I really liked A Cryptic Clue. I would read large chunks of the novel without even realizing it.

Jane is in her early 60s though Cam is several decades younger. Cam inherited an estate (as well as considerable wealth) that is much like the real-life Biltmore Estate. These characters are great. Jane is down-to-earth with real-life experience. Cam has a more than few quirks - he has OCD and is agoraphobic to name a couple. They really work well together. There are a few secondary characters and they add an interesting dynamic. I think there is something suspicious about Cam's personal assistant Lauren.

There is the main mystery of the murder victim. It was a good way to get to know the characters but I thought it was wrapped up a little too suddenly at the end. There are a couple of mysteries involving Aircroft, the estate Cam owns, and Cam himself that I assume will be the overarching mysteries of this series. And I'm really looking forward to delving into them more in future books.

Buy A Cryptic Clue at Amazon

 

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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