I only read up to chapter 5 before deciding to DNF this book. Although i found interresting reading in the perspection of an older character instead of the usual youth, the plot was very slow paced. This is not the type of book for me, but for people who prefer something small and slow to read.

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!

A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert
Book 1 in A Hunter and Clewe Mystery series
Narrated by Carrington MacDuffie

Sixty year old Jane Hunter had to take early retirement from a job she loved as a university librarian. But her new job looks to be an interesting one, working for an young, eccentric, insensitive, awkward wealthy collector, Cameron “Cam” Clewe. Just thirty three years old, Cam has managed to already be very set in his ways but he can afford to be that way since he runs the show and pays the bills for everyone who works for him.

When Jane finds a body in Cam's library, everyone is in a uproar and Cam's right there among the murder suspects since he'd just broken up with the dead woman. Cam wants Jane to help him investigate the murder but Jane makes it clear that if she is going to dig into events and people that she's going to investigate her boss, too. Cam's not going to get away with much if Jane's around because unlike most people he deals with, sixty year old Jane will stand up to Cam, she'll let him know if his uppity or rude and insensitive ways get out of hand.

There are a lot of characters but I had no trouble keeping track of them. The story proceeds slowly enough that it's easy to follow and it seems that the murdered woman has done almost everyone dirty in one way or another. There are very few tears for her death and quite a few people with a motive to do the dead woman harm. Mixed into the murder mystery are also questions about Cam's parents and the previous house owners. Plus, Jane better watch out because someone is not happy that she is digging into things that might be best left alone.

I look forward to the next addition in this series. Carrington MacDuffie does a fine job with the narration, she seems just right for Jane but also voices the other characters well. Know that the story moves at it's own slow pace, this is a cozy mystery story that takes its time.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

A Cryptic Clue never got my interest at all. I kept waiting to get hooked by the characters and the plot, but it just never happened.

Setting the Scene: After 60 year old Jane Hunter is forced into early retirement from her job as a university library, she looks for something to supplement her meager pension. Thirty-three year old Cameron "Cam" Clewe, an eccentric and wealthy collector, hires Jane to archive his collections, including a veritable treasure trove of classic mystery books. Trouble arises when the latest in a line of Cam's girlfriends is found dead in Cam's library, and Cam becomes the prime suspect. The unlucky lady was rich and not very popular; so, there are a number of other suspects, at least in Jane's view. Cam decides to detect, and Jane decides to help. What could go wrong?

What I Thought: This is a decent start to a new series that has some unique qualities, not the least of which is the absence of any possible romantic connection between Jane and Cam, not to mention Cam's eccentricities, including a mild case of agoraphobia. The pace is slower than I like, and I need more camaraderie among the players, but there is movement toward that as the book progresses. While this may not be a ringing endorsement, I do intend to read the next book in the series to give the characters and plotting time to come together and pick up the pace.

The narrator is adequate, though the character voices are not as distinctive as they could be..

A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert

This was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series. You won't find anything earth-shattering, but that's the nice thing about cozies. I pick one up when I need an entertaining break that doesn't require too much concentration. And this one was perfect for that. We follow Jane, a retired university librarian, who has been hired to help an eccentric, young collector work through some old archives as they end up working to solve a crime instead.

I do appreciate that some of the usual tropes I find in cozy series didn't show up here. As some reviewers mentioned, there are a lot of characters, but I expect that from the first in a series that is setting up for future stories. I didn't have a problem keeping track of anyone.

The narrartor did a good job, and I would be happy to read further into the series.

Thank you to #NetGally and #DreamscapeMedia for a free copy of #ACrypticClue by Victoria Gilbert. All opinions are my own.

A promising start to a new cozy series! Victoria Gilbert's A Cryptic Clue follows retired university librarian Jane Hunter hired to catalog a collection of rare mystery author artifacts by the reclusive and wealthy Cam Clewe.

Naturally, Jane uncovers more than manuscripts. The body of Cam's recent ex is discovered after a gala on the estate and Cam, at the top of that list, recruits Jane in some investigative work. The pair have a Sherlock-Watson vibe-affable Jane and analytical Cam-that I think will develop into something interesting, but this early in the series their dynamic is a bit flat.

One thing I hope will reappear throughout the rest of the Hunter and Clewe series is the archival collection. There are glancing references to its contents, but nothing substantive or immediately connected to the plot. I love Books About Books and it seems like it would be such a rich direction to take the series.

Carrington MacDuffie's audiobook narration is lovely. It's easy to imagine her voice as Jane Hunter!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

When the paths of a 60-year-old retired Librarian seeking a job crosses with a 33-year-old collector seeking an archivist, the sparks are bound to happen. But soon his Ex is found dead in the library and you can easily guess who would be the prime suspect! Now to their avail, the only thing these 2 can do is find other suspects and puzzle out the pieces before he becomes the sole contender for this unwanted list.

A murder mystery revolving around books and artefacts. 2 major pull-in triggers got me into reading this book:
🍁 The blurb gave you books about books trope in a mystery book, which is kinda rare.
🍁 I enjoy books that focus on Grumpy, socially challenged personalities and discuss their perspectives.

I was however a bit disappointed when the topics of books were never discussed beyond cataloguing them. The mystery part was written well as you wouldn't be able to guess the killer for like 80-90% of the book. But, that also got me thinking, that a lot of characters were introduced quite later in the book. So if you don't have full visibility, it might surely be difficult.

Genre: #murdermystery #thriller
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media For the Digital ARC

Jane Hunter, retired librarian, is a co-main character with Cameron Clewe, eccentric 30-something millionaire. Jane has taken a job cataloging Cameron’s book collections including a classic mystery collection.
The use of themes from classic mysteries is clever - starting with a body in the library.
I enjoyed the story and the twisted ending.
There were some things about the book that bothered me.
- Jane was quite intelligent but made some dumb decisions in threatening situations.
- The reader is introduced to a large number of characters. The way they would pop in and out of the story made it hard to keep track of them. They all make convenient suspects, so an understood reason for their presence.
- The police are really an afterthought in this book.
- Cameron is presented as socially inept through most of the story but in the climax he seems to intuitively understand the villain’s emotions and reasoning.
- Some things were precisely detailed that didn’t matter and then some details that would matter were glossed over.
I think the series has potential and I would give the second book a try.
The narrator was all right.
Thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and listen to the book.

This was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series! Cam and Jane are very different but they complemented each other well. Jane is wise, social, and patient, while Cam is reserved but incisive. I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters that make up their friend circles as well but I'm hoping we get to see their characters built out in more detail in future books.

The story was focused on the mystery of the murder. I do wish there had been more research into the other house mysteries, but I seems that will be a common themes throughout the series as they work to solve them. My favorite part was watching Jane snoop through papers for clues, so I hope we see some more of her using those old records to get at the answers.

There were lots of suspects to keep us guessing in this one so I didn't have clear guesses, let alone resolution, until the final 25% or so. This was the perfect read to close out the end of the year and I'm looking forward to their next adventure!

An excellent cozy mystery. I love the older heroine, the reclusive wealthy man, the old house, potential for ghosts. I gobbled this up in a day. Love it so much, I wish I could get the sequel already.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, Dreamscape Media, and Victoria Gilbert for providing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Carrington MacDuffie (which is not a listed version on goodreads).

This is a new cozy mystery series from a new to me author.

I was pulled in from just the book description. Jane Hunter is an interesting bird. A bit of a mash-up of Miss Marple and your favorite aunt. While Cam Clewe is an odd character, he provided the logic and necessary rationale. This is a series I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

* Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader digital copy of this book

A Cryptic Clue is the first in a new series about a librarian and her current employer who find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation when a dead body turns up in the library. It is a cozy mystery, certainly made for reading while curled up in bed at night. While certainly not a page turner, it is an enjoyable mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed the dynamic of Cam's household with his personal assistant and other employees. The mystery was well done and I did not guess who the killer was until I was revealed. I certainly was growing a bit weary of sometimes and it is certainly a slow paced novel. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I look forward to more in this series.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, the narrator aided in the pacing of the novel and brought more life to Cam and the other characters. I particularly enjoyed "hearing" the story in what felt like Jane's voice. I certainly recommend giving it a listen.