Cover Image: Read on Arrival

Read on Arrival

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Member Reviews

Did not like the person who was killed.! The murder kept me guessing. It did take me a little longer to get into than the previous books.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Read on Arrival by Nora Page is the second book in the Bookmobile Mystery series and an intriguing addition that kept me turning the pages.

Cleo's beloved library is almost ready to be re-opened in Catalpa Springs. Cleo and Leann are both devastated when a new "innobrarian" is hired by the library board president to update the image of the library. Belle Beauchamp, the "innobrarian" hasn't a clue about libraries and what patrons want and need. Then a top realtor in this small town is murdered and Cleo is at the top of the suspect list - again. A tightly woven plot that is swiftly paced with twists and turns and plenty of suspects kept me intrigued until the dramatic reveal. I really enjoy Cleo with her southern manners, her sharp mind and determination for justice.

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Read on Arrival is filled with charming characters. From the opening scene to the very end, the story is a fun, well-paced read.

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A mystery that has lots of deep furors which twists you any which way it can, that leads to a lotta dead ends, but oh, what a complexity, it captivates your thirst for puzzle solving. This book started off tame enough and wind up being a doozer of a mystery. Although my gut was telling me whodunit, there was just not enough clues, that is just to tell how twisted and demented this killer really was. A well crafted puzzling mystery that intrigues and gripped your interest as you read along.

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Librarian Cleo Watkins has been hard at work in the library's bookmobile while the building is being repairs and redecorated. Her nemesis Dixie Huddleston has teased her about an overdue book for nearly 40 years. It seems Dixie is holding on to a book about luck, but now, Dixie claims the signs are pointing to an unlucky ending to her life and she wants to make amends. Cleo, unsure this isn't another trick, drives to Dixie's house and finds her dead from bee stings. Suddenly people around town are receiving paper coffins threatening their demise.

Read on Arrival will be reviewed on www.MapYourMystery.com on April 1.

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Read on Arrival is the second installment in the Bookmobilie Mystery series set in the small town of Catalpa Springs, GA and featuring librarian and bookmobile driver, Cleo Watkins. Cleo is looking forward to the grand reopening of the town library, there are just a few last minute renovations and repairs to be completed.

Cleo is devastated when the bright shiny Airstream pulled by the gaudy and overbearing Belle Beauchamp arrives in town. Belle has arrived from nearby Claymore, and claims that her bookmobile is what the people really want - loud music, loud colors, streamers, a tiny horse named Lilliput and absolutely no books. And unfortunately, Library Board member, Mercer Whitty has fallen head over heels for the woman, and is now determined to have her join the library staff as a full time employee.

In addition to dealing with Belle, Cleo and her friends Henry Lafayette and his little pug, Mr. Chauncey have accidentally stumbled into another murder scene. For over forty years Cleo has been taunted by Dixie Huddleston, who borrowed the book "Luck and Lore" a compilation of good and bad omens found in the Deep South. The woman has never paid the overdue fines and several times has offered to return the book to Cleo but the circumstances surrounding the exchange have always ended in a nasty prank.

This time though is going to be different, according to Dixie. She tells Cleo that the luck of the book has run out and she needs to make amends to everyone that she has wronged in the past and that includes Cleo. Full of doubts, Cleo and Henry arrive at Dixie's house only to find the woman trapped in her pantry and dead from bee stings. Sheriff Culpepper is quick to point the finger at Cleo but with the help of her neighbor Deputy Gabby Honeywell and trusty sidekicks Henry and his pug, Cleo sets out to check out the real killer.

A fun, fast paced plot with returning characters and a delightful bookmobile. This addition to the series can read as a stand alone but I recommend if you haven't read the debut yet go and do it so that you have a better understanding of the characters and their histories.

I received an advanced copy of Read on Arrival from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

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I am really enjoying this series! I love the characters and the mysteries are really well done. It keeps me guessing until the end. I look forward to her next one!

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This was a fast paced cute mystery that was fun to read. The characters were fascinating and interacted well together to build this storyline. Thank you NetGalley.

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This was a fun cozy mystery! I loved Cleo and her bookmobile. The plot at times was a little over the top, but that was all part of the fun of the book. The mystery was a good one. It kept me guessing all along the way. I missed the first book in this series, but I’d like to read it, too. This is a light, entertaining story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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I received a free copy of READ ON ARRIVAL (Book 2 of the Bookmobile Mysteries) by Nora Page in exchange for an honest review. Septuagenarian head librarian Cleo Watkins is looking forward to the grand reopening of her library. When the party happens, she’ll silently be celebrating her fiftieth year working for the Catalpa Springs Public Library. Cleo happily anticipates stepping back to a part-time position and allowing her young protégé take on some of her responsibilities. There is only one thing that could make this celebration perfect: the return of a four-decades delinquent book by an unrepentant patron, Dixie Huddleston. When Dixie makes an appointment to turn the book over to Cleo, Cleo is expecting to, again, be disappointed, but she’s not expecting to find Dixie’s corpse. At the beginning of the investigation, the chief of police treats Cleo like a suspect, so with a prior mystery-solving success behind her, Cleo embarks on a new investigation. However, Dixie had so many enemies, how can Cleo possibly narrow the suspect list? Meanwhile, a wealth man on the board of directors gives his new crush carte blanche to muddle Cleo’s carefully-planned library renovation.

Though I didn’t read the prior book, I had no problem connecting with the characters. I enjoyed this novel. The only possible negative was that some of the things the library board was allowing the “consultant” to get away with was outrageous enough to make my cringe. I recommend this book to people who enjoyed the prior book and also to those who enjoy cozy mysteries with senior sleuths, libraries, illicit snacking, and sweet little animals.

#ReadOnArrival #NetGalley

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In this action packed southern cozy mystery, head librarian Cleo Watkins encounters competition for her Bookmobile when Belle Beauchamp shows up in a loud and flashy converted Airstream and seems gung ho to take over the whole library. Horror of horrors—if Belle has her way, the library will be bookless! Soon after, a local realtor’s luck runs out along with her Epi-pen’s effectiveness and the death scene is suspicious, to say the least. Cleo’s inquiring mind wants to know why this woman was set up to die.

Author Nora Page has written a clever plot with unexpected twists and a plethora of likely suspects for readers to mull over. A deranged killer is messing with the townspeople’s minds and has them imagining gloom and doom in everything they encounter! I won’t give away the specifics, but I thought the way the threats were left was original and fit right in this mystery. It’s both humorous and a shame to see how the perpetrator manipulates their minds. I had two characters in my mind as the possible killer and one guess was correct. Cleo’s group of close friends and allies are one of the most appealing things about this series. Following the library’s grand re-opening is fun, too! I enjoy practical and gutsy protagonist, Cleo, and her handsome Persian, Rhett Butler. An added bonus to the story’s end is a delicious pie recipe featured in the novel.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane. Thank you.

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I really enjoyed reading this book. It is your all around cozy mystery with cats and books.
Such brilliant characters. Who would not love a book about reopening the town library or better yet a book mobile. Read On Arrival is a wonderfully written whodunnit. Keeps you guessing until the end. Grab your tea and cookies and settle In for the night with this cozy read. Thank You NetGalley for this feel good read.

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Read on Arrival is the second book in Nora Page’s Bookmobile Mystery series. I had trouble getting into the story and connecting with the characters, but after a slow start, the story moves along at a steady pace with well-developed characters that are somewhat quirky. There are lots of twists and turns, red herrings, and no shortage of suspects. The reveal came as a surprise.

Cleo Jane Watkins is a seventy-five-year-old librarian who drives a school bus that’s been converted into a bookmobile named Words on Wheels. Cleo is appalled when a shiny Airstream pulled by a bright red truck purporting to be a bookmobile from Claymore, Georgia, a nearby town, shows up in Catalpa Springs. It’s decked out with loud music, a cotton candy machine, buckets of suds with giant bubble wands, and even a miniature pony named Lilliput, but no books and Mercer Whitty, president of the Catalpa Springs Library Board, is infatuated with Belle Beauchamp, the driver and innovator, and wants to hire her to revamp Cleo’s beloved library. Forty-five plus years ago, Dixie Huddleston checked out a library book entitled “Luck and Lore: Good luck, death lore, and deadly omens of the Deep South” which she’s never returned. Cleo wants the book returned so she can clear her records, but even though Dixie sometimes said she would return it, she was really only teasing and taunting Cleo. Dixie declares she wants to make amends to the long list of people she’s wronged and since the book’s luck is gone and signs are pointing to an unlucky ending to her life, she’s finally ready to return the book. When Cleo and Henry Lafayette, her friend and fellow book lover, arrive at Dixie’s home at the prearranged time, they find a fire in the kitchen and a swarm of bees and Dixie lifeless on the floor. The cause of death was an allergic reaction to bee stings, and even though she used her EpiPen, it had been tampered with and ineffective. Chief Silas Culpepper views Cleo as a suspect, but Gabby Honeywell, Cleo’s favorite deputy as well as her favorite neighbor, knows that’s not possible. Since Cleo’s had some success sleuthing in the past, Dixie’s best friend, Pat Holmes, asks her to find out who killed her friend.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

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This is a cozy mystery with a book-loving librarian as the heroine. I shared Cleo's dismay when it appeared her library renovation would be railroaded by people making changes simply for the sake of change - cutting books out of the picture! The story had a nice twist at the end. I think it would make a good Hallmark mystery movie.

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This is a lovely mystery. I had a great time reading this book and now I am looking forward to reading more books by the same author. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for making the eARC of this book available online.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Ah, I do love a cozy with cats and books. Bookmobiles in particular fascinate me; they're not something really done much in Australia, or else they aren't really advertised much. I think they make for a great prop in mystery novels, as a way to get around and have the victims/murderers come straight to you. Cleo does a brilliant job of investigating the murder, and I honestly wasn't sure whodunnit right until the reveal. I thought I had some things figured out, but turns out I didn't. I do like a surprise!

This is book two in the series, and hopefully more to come. If you like your cozy mystery with books, cats and an older but still feisty librarian, then check this series out! Four stars.

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Fun yet involved plot. Characters are very different from one another and the bookmobile without books is something that could actually happen. Keep books alive!

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Small town charm abounds here. A local woman is murdered and everyone is a suspect. Cleo initially takes up the case to clear her name and help out a friend, but before long the desire to know what's happening becomes paramount as it seems the killer may not be done preying on her town. Read on Arrival is filled with colorful characters and sweet moments. Suitable for readers of all ages..

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Read On Arrival (Bookmobile Mystery #2) by Nora Page was a book I requested on NetGalley (thanks for the ARC as always, friends) given it involved a bookmobile. Given my book blogging revolves around a page called Club Book Mobile, I felt like I had to request (and read) this one. This is the story of Cleo, a librarian in her 70s. Cleo also works with the bookmobile Words on Wheels. New to town is BOOK IT!, a "bookmobile" that is low on books and high on entertainment. Cleo is appalled at this trend, and she is working hard to make sure the visionary behind this doesn't also impact her beloved library. Another one of Cleo's conflicts is her ongoing quest to get Dixie Huddleston to return a library book she's had for over 40 years! Dixie makes no secret about her tardy return, and everyone knows it drives Cleo wild. Then, Dixie is murdered, and the town is turned upside down. Who could have done this? Heck, given Cleo's well-known frustration, she's even vetted as a suspect! The book then follows Cleo and friends trying to figure out what happened to Dixie. In addition, there are other ominous messages that start popping up around town. This was my first foray into this genre, and I found myself captivated. The way suspense was built was intriguing, as there were some super obvious suspects, but I also knew they couldn't have done it. Or could they? This really made me suspicious of everyone, and I loved how the mystery unfolded. I also really dug how the library plot was interwoven. There was a really great narrative about why libraries are beneficial to communities which I obvs loved. All around, I really enjoyed this one.

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This story was really interesting and held my interest while I read it. I really thought Word on Wheels was a clever idea and the mystery was good.

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