Charlotte Reed owner of Chapters, a B&B in Beaufort, NC, is hosting a book retreat for a book club. Sounds easy enough until one of the members (not totally liked by all) is found poisoned in the back garden. Would someone really kill over a book or was there another motive? Charlotte needs to find out why this happened in her home and bring the killer to light.

The characters at Chapters are fun, diverse but likeable. The mystery was entertaining. ( )

Hosting a book club retreat at her B&B should have been an ideal activity for Charlotte. Indeed, having a Mad Hatter tea party seemed like a lot fun. It was, until one of the guests was discovered near by, poisoned and dead. Now all the other guests are suspects, along with a few others. It seems impossible that one murdered person could have so many enemies! Charlotte and Ellen are on the case, putting themselves in danger in the process. Some strange things are happening at the B&B, putting Charlotte on high alert. The story starts out a bit slowly, as older characters are again introduced along with the new ones. The action picks up quickly towards the middle as some of the suspects jump to the head of the list. It’s a good mystery, intriguing and well written, especially the last 50 pages or so. There are some major changes in store for the characters at the end of story, which has me looking forward to the next book in the series. ( )

If you want to relax with a cozy mystery, then check out Victoria Gilbert’s A Fatal Booking. It’s even better if you’re relaxing on a beach or wishing that you were. It’s the third book in the Booklover’s B&B Mysteries series, but you don’t have to read the first two books to appreciate the third. I hadn’t read the first two books and enjoyed it as a standalone book. I am adding the first two books to my TBR.

Charlotte Reed runs Chapters, a bed and breakfast in Beaufort, NC that she inherited from her great-aunt Isabella Harrington. Charlotte taught high school until Charlotte’s husband died, and one of her fellow teachers, Lora Kane, has booked the entire B&B with her book club for a week to discuss children’s literature. Charlotte’s book club will be joining them for some book discussions, including a Hans Christian Anderson anthology including Lora’s illustrations.

All of the book club members are staying in the B&B except for Stacy, who lives 30 minutes away in New Bern. Charlotte and her housekeeper Alicia meet the guests and learn their guests dislike Stacy. When they meet her, they understand why. Soon after, Stacy’s body is found, and it appears she was poisoned with strychnine. Charlotte and her group of Irregulars try to find the murderer before other murders happen.

As a North Carolinian, I enjoyed seeing Beaufort highlighted as the setting. I cracked up that Gilbert included “bless your heart”. Many Southerners use that phrase as a replacement for the f-word.

Gilbert doesn’t give the run-of-the-mill strychnine case, choosing a poison that shows up less often in mystery stories. She also does an excellent job of providing legitimate reasons that so many suspects would have easy access to the poison. The plot resolution ties up the loose ends successfully, including a satisfying twist as the story approaches its climax.

A Fatal Booking is an entertaining cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading more cozies by Victoria Gilbert.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a review copy of the book. ( )

A Fatal Booking is the third book in the Booklovers B&B Mystery series by Victoria Gilbert.

A former teaching colleague of Charlotte’s, Lora Kane, has called and wants to reserve the B&B for her and her book club. Lora will be holding a Mad Hatter-themed tea party.

Charlotte notices tension between a few guests at the Mad Hatter tea party. Later, Charlotte is walking through her backyard and finds the body of Stacy Wilkins. It will be determined that Stacy died from cyanide poisoning. Charlotte, with her neighbor and former spy, Ellen. Charlotte will soon find that there is no shortage of possible suspects. A gentleman who rents boats would like to do whatever it takes to get Stacy and her boyfriend to pay for damages to a boat they rented. Zach, a member of the book club, had accused Stacy of taking advantage of his mother in Stacy’s handling of the sale of some family heirlooms. She also reportedly stole some of Lora’s jewelry designs.

I enjoy visiting Charlotte, the guests at her B&B, and her friends and neighbors. The story is well-written and plotted. There were enough twists and turns and red herrings that I was kept guessing until the end of the book as to who the killer was. The characters are interesting and believable.

I am anxious to read the next book in this enjoyable series. ( )

A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert is the third A Booklover’s B&B Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. I enjoyed reading this charming cozy mystery. I thought it was well-written and engaging. I did find A Fatal Booking to be a slow starter as we are introduced to the characters. The pacing increased towards the halfway mark. I find Charlotte Reed to be a great main character. She is realistic and relatable. I like Charlotte’s inquisitive mind. I also like her neighbor, Ellen who was a spy before she retired. There is a great mix of personalities in this story which makes it more interesting. I also like the diversity of the characters. I just love the descriptions of Chapters. A literary themed bed and breakfast is just the place for booklovers to stay while on vacation. I would love to live in this gorgeous home. The library (of course) is my favorite room. The mystery was well-plotted with a handful of suspects and a red herring. It seems the victim had crossed every member of the book club at one time or another as well as a someone who lives nearby. I had a good time solving this whodunit. I like a mystery that is out of the box. There are clues to help readers solve the crime before the reveal (if you are paying attention). Charlotte comes across helpful information and notices clues. I did feel that Charlotte dropped the ball a couple of times. Charlotte would notice something, but she did not follow up. I like that she enlists the help of her friends and Charlotte does share information with the detective on the case. There is romance in the story as well. Charlotte’s spy boyfriend, Gavin is back. I think they are a nice, compatible couple, and I hope they get to spend more time together in the future. The author combined interesting characters, a curious crime, a touch of romance, some suspense, and hints of humor into one engaging cozy mystery. I am curious what is going to happen in the next A Booklover’s B&B Mystery. A Fatal Booking is an inviting Southern cozy mystery with an argumentative book group, an open attic door, missing mementoes, murdered rumormonger, curious clues, and an inquisitive innkeeper. ( )