A Cryptic Clue is a wonderful start to this delightful new cozy mystery series. Retired sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, a former university librarian, is hired by wealthy thirty-three year old Cameron Clewe, to inventory his rare books and artifacts. Before she gets much work done, Cam's ex-girlfriend is found murdered in the library. The victim, was an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, and Cam is the main suspect. Cam decides to investigate to clear his name, but with limited social skills, a little agoraphobia, and a great deal of anxiety, he will need some help. Jane decides to help him with his investigation. but wonders if he is really innocent? There are lots of suspects. the cook. the housekeeper, the victims own family, and an ex-boyfriend, among others. This book was fast paced and had a solid plot which I enjoyed immensely. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and to netgalley for providing me with this advance readers copy. I can't wait to read the next one!

I’m so glad I took a chance on reading an advance copy of this book as I hadn’t previously read the author’s previous books. I thought this was a great start to a series. There are several interesting characters, and, in addition to having a clever mystery in this installment, it set the stage for future books in the series. There were many twists and turns in this case, and I was surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author and recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary cozy mysteries.

“On the day I met Cameron Clewe, I thought I was changing job. I had no idea I was also changing my life”
“There’s a dead body in the library”
I absolutely loved this book !!! An entertaining mystery with some Miss Marple’s vibes that I really enjoyed !!!
Inspired by “A body in the library” this is the story of two very unconventional people finding themselves together, solving a mystery in the most unexpected circumstances… and I very much believe this is not gonna be the last time they do!!
I loved the way the story increased enthusiasm and excitement over the mystery and the solution to every doubts surrounding it. I completely devoured the book to the point that I literally could stop reading it. I felt caught in the narrative and intrigued by the plot and I really liked the characters’ dynamics too !!!
I’m very glad I had the chance to read this story and I truly hope this is just the beginning of an adventure for the author !!
“Suffering is individual, and not necessarily motivated by circumstances”
“Your suffering is real. Your pain is valid”

this was a great start to the Hunter and Clewe Mystery series, it was what I was hoping for from a mystery novel. I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery and going with the characters on this journey. It was well-written and I was invested in what was going on. It left me wanting more in this series and I'm glad I read this.

"So, what do you want to know? Who I think murdered my sister?”Rena reached back and yanked free the rubber band holding her ponytail, allowing her chestnut brown hair to tumble over her shoulders. “That’s easy—it was that scumbag, Tristan Blair.”

I had a hard time following this story. Unfortunately it did not want me wanting more. I had to stop and put it on my DNF list.

A Cryptic Clue is a classic cozy mystery, and a good mystery at that, one I didn't solve ahead of time. The writing was engaging, the protagonist strong, and the book was hard to put down once I got into it. Highly recommend this one and can't wait to read more of Gilbert's work!

When Jane is forced to retire from the library she finds a dream job organizing and cataloging a private mystery collection. When her boss's previous girlfriend is found murdered in the library he becomes suspect number 1. Can Jane and his administrative assistant clear him? Is he really innocent? Recently retired myself I found Jane a totally relatable character and whole her boss is eccentric he too appears to have some admirable qualities. This is the first in a series, part cozy mystery, part suspense and definitely an enjoyable read.
#ACrypticClue#NetGalley#CrookedLaneBooks

Clever story involving a retired librarian and an agoraphobic millionaire and their crime solving partnership

Interesting literary mystery. Would make a good young adult suggestion. In the cosy mystery category genre

I really enjoyed this story and I found Jane to be a very likeable character.
While doing a large inventory of thousands of books, Jane finds herself involved in a murder investigation.
I'm not sure how I felt about the other characters, a few seemed annoying in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

What a fabulous cover! This was a very enjoyable cozy read. I am recommending it to my mystery book club. I love that the female protagonist isn't a 30s pretty young thing. I couldn't put this form and found myself finishing it in a day. I loved it!

Looking for a second act, Jane hunter is hired to work on a young recluse’s rare book collection. No sooner does Jane start than she finds a body in the library, Cam’s ex. While Jane is loving her new job, the fact that her boss is the main suspect could mean the end of her newfound second act.

Cam claims his innocence and vows to clear his name, but he’s going to need Jane’s help. The question she has to really answer is whether this man she really doesn’t know yet is innocent. Can she help clear Cam’s name or did she just sign up to be the Devil’s accomplice?

I love all of Victoria Gilbert’s work and this new series has be doing a happy dance. She’s a wonderful writer and is on my list of authors whose work I follow. A new series from her is just icing on the proverbial cozy mystery cake! If you haven’t read any of Victoria’s work yet, you’re in for a treat!

This is a classic cosy - body in the library of a big country house, with housekeeper, chef, gardener and other staff, the odd weekend guest/hanger-on, so necessary to round out the cast. The characters of Jane and Cam provide a lovely complement to each other. I found Cam's social awkwardness rather endearing and I am sure there will be plenty of opportunity in future books for him to blossom. I received this book as an advance copy for review from the author via Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to @crookedlanebooks for the Read Now copy on @netgalley !

I curled up with this one this past weekend and loved the murder mystery who-done-it story. There are multiple motives leading to a variety of potential outcomes which keeps the reader guessing throughout!

With a retired librarian and an intelligent, wealthy heir working as amateur sleuths, Gilbert has set the foundation for an interesting series! These two characters provided an interesting dynamic and I would hope to see a few of the supporting characters again, too.

This felt like reading a book about the board game Clue, in that there was an abundance of suspicious characters moving around a possibly haunted house, and the reader is brought along as two amateur sleuths race to find out who the murderer is and whether they know them.

This was an easy read, that flowed well, with characters I would have liked to get to know a bit better, so I'm curious about a potential next book!

Oooh, this was a cozy read. I really enjoyed this one. I will recommend it to the mystery book club. This is one that people will grab based on the cover art alone and an awesome mystery!

Fun cozy about a semi-retired librarian helping her eccentric boss clear himself of a potential murder charge while simultaneously wondering if he is guilty after all. I liked the librarian parts and thought the characters were reasonably well drawn. The plot was fine for a cozy but the writing -- particularly the dialog -- was a bit stilted making it more difficult to get drawn into the book.

I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Whoa! A true mystery! So rare. A mystery is described as a jigsaw puzzle. It just takes finding all the pieces and placing them in order and the last few pieces seem to just fall into place. That is exactly what happens in this exceptional book. Except I had the piece and didn’t know what to do with it. So no I did not figure it out until it was explained. Makes total sense . I slowly devoured this book. Because I expected I could find the cryptic clue. This was a fun mystery that was a challenge for me to figure. I absolutely loved this book with the fact it wasn’t easily solved.with the menagerie of eclectic characters. Main characters are brought together in a quite logical circumstance.Cameron Clewe was a very wealthy man who had a very rare book collection and associated artifacts. Which he needscatalogued and shelved appropriately.. His parents had both passed he lost his mother to brain cancer when he was young. Left to his father to raise him. He worked and traveled all the time so Cam was raised by nannies. He hires Jane Hunter, a librarian who was forced to leave her position at the university library after 36 years of experiences. She answers an ad in the newspaper., and after a series of e-mails, he hires her sight unseen. Yes I would recommend this book to any mystery enthusiast. You won’t find yourself disappointed. It has everything you expect in a great mystery. Special thanks to #NetGalley, #CrookedLaneBooks, #VictoriaGilbert, #ACrypticClue for the opportunity to review this book early. This book is first in a series. I am anxiously awaiting the next book. This is my first Victoria Gilbert book but it won’t be my last!

Mysteries are so much fun for me to read. I’m always so captivated by with the way the story unfolds piece by piece with a mystery. This was great fun - I had the best time unravelling the secrets.

Wow! This book was a great intro to "Hunter and Clewe." The story grabbed me quickly and did not let go easily. I managed to put it down a bit after my bedtime. The next morning, after breakfast, I picked it back up and read it voraciously to the end. While almost every character was a suspect, I did not guess the murderer until the revelation at the end. While I was close on the motive, I will say that some clues were withheld from the reader as we could not do the research on the suspects that the protagonists were able to do.
I look forward to more books by Victoria Gilbert. I would love to see the further character development of Mr. Clewe. And yes, I would love to see how the cold cases, mentioned in the final chapter, are solved.

Serendipity…
The first in the Hunter and Clewe series of mysteries finds Jane Hunter, newly retired librarian, seeking a new challenge. As it so happens Cam Clewe, eccentric collector of books, is seeking an archivist for his rare book collection. What could be more serendipitous. Murder is in the making however and Jane is soon to be caught up in a case of murder most foul - and what could be more enthralling than a body in the library? Packed with literary references and with a wonderfully crafted cast of characters, red herrings aplenty and a solid mystery at heart this is a more than promising start to a new series. Wholly enjoyable.