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Reviews

Library Lines

December 5, 2025

New Fiction

What She Saw by Mary Burton – Cold case reporter Sloane Grayson has come to a small mountain town in Virginia to solve a mystery.  Thirty years ago, her mother was one of four women who vanished during a music festival.  The event’s promoter was eventually convicted of their murders, and Sheriff CJ Taggart closed the case.  But for Sloane, it’s still open.  Because the bodies were never found.  With Taggart now long dead, Sloane must make do with questioning the victim’s families and the few remaining witnesses once again.  If they’re still willing to dredge up memories of a crime that made their town notorious.  As for the incarcerated killer, he has always maintained his innocence.  Sloane isn’t entirely convinced he’s lying.  Somewhere nearby, unmarked graves conceal the bones and secrets of the dead.  Sloane will do anything to find them and unearth the truth, even if that means playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with someone determined to stop her.

From Cradle to Grave by Rhys Bowen - Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch juggles life as a new mother, 34th in line for the British throne, and amateur sleuth in this latest Royal Spyness mystery by Rhys Bowen. Fed up with the strict nanny, Georgie travels to London in search of a replacement, only to find herself drawn into a series of suspicious deaths among her social circle. As more young men die under mysterious circumstances, Georgie suspects a serial killer may be at large—and fears her husband Darcy could be next. With her friend ZouZou urging her to investigate, Georgie must unravel the deadly mystery while also hunting for the perfect nanny. Will she solve the murders before it’s too late for Darcy?

The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan - On a frigid, windswept day in Scotland’s Western Isles, Eleanor Bruton’s body is discovered on the shore. To her family Eleanor was an ordinary middle-aged woman. She did flower arrangements and plumped kneeler cushions at church. Little did they know she was harboring a dark and all-consuming secret. A scrap of fraying embroidery that seems worthless at first glance. For over a century, two rival organizations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure the valuable artifact in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn. The Order of St. Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows to exercise control. And the Fellowship of the Larks, determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible…so long as their methods of doing so never come to light. When Dr. Anya Brown garners international attention for her translation of the cryptic Folio 9, she is handpicked by Diana Cornish, a professor and high-ranking member of the Fellowship, to join the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies in St. Andrews. Unbeknownst to Anya she’s been recruited at great personal danger to translate ancient texts that the Fellowship believes critical to their mission.  Meanwhile at Scotland Yard, Detective Constable Clio Spicer begins a private investigation into the death of Eleanor Bruton. As all the women grow further entangled in this ancient web, circumstances spin wildly out of control and their lives may be in grave danger.

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey – For three decades, Grace supported her husband Frank’s passion for books, despite not being a reader herself.  Since his passing, their shelves echo longingly, and Grace’s heartache has only grown.  When Grace’s grandson suggests joining Frank’s old book club to feel closer to him again, she reluctantly agrees.  Yet, upon arrival, Grace discovers this isn’t a typical book club: here, members settle in for an hour of reading…in silence.  Disappointed and confused by the lack of chatter, Grace flees.  But when fellow member, Annie, convinces her to stay, Grace is determined to ensure that neither Frank – nor his beloved book club – are forgotten.  And as she breathes new life into the group, Grace might just find this is where she truly belongs. Because this next chapter of her life could be the beginning of her tale.

 

Krista Law