I love a cosy mystery that revolves around books. Rare books librarian Juniper Blume is on the case of finding out why the rare and very old Book of Kells has been seen in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town. This is a place well known to Juniper.

This is a book that takes facts and fiction to and mixes it up into a great cosy mystery which is quick and easy to read. I read it in a matter of hours and I really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what comes next. I like the historical aspect of this book and found the story of the sisters/family quite cute and interesting as well. But there is more to this story than a missing book. There is a dead body and a missing person. I will leave it at that. So make sure you read it to find out what happens.

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a good start to a new series. Juniper is back at her grandmother's home for the first time since she died. Her sister, Azalea, has not decided if she is happy to see her or not. Juniper is really in town to meet with Azalea's ex about a rare book. Instead she finds a body and her former brother-in-law is missing. The mystery was strong, and the book left enough cliffhangers for the next installment.

This was an interesting approach. A lot of elements to keep it interesting and set a series up for success. Small town interesting sort of rundown tourist location in Maryland. Missing Book of Kels brings in an interesting historic perspective. A little romance, a plot that moves forward at a steady clip.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Crime and Parchment from Level Best Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone is looking for an ancient Celtic manuscript that shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. People are being found murdered with no ideas as to why. This was a excellent story many would enjoy reading to find out why the murders are occurring and what they have to do with a Celtic manuscript from ancient Irish history.

I enjoyed reading this first book in a new series. Juniper, a librarian at the library of Congress, has returned to Rose Mallow, Maryland on a treasure hunt. Her family summered in the resort and she has not visited since her grandmother died. Her sister Azalea has turned their grandmother's home into a Bed and Breakfast. Juniper receives a text from Azalea's ex husband that he knows where the missing covers are to the Book of Kells. When Juniper arrives a treasure hunting TV show is also staying at the BB and searching for the covers. When she goes to meet her brother in law he does not show up but she does discover a body. She sets out to solve the murder, the disappearance of her brother in law, and the legend of the covers. I really enjoyed the small beach town setting, the characters, and the mysteries. I like the rare book and document background. The mysteries were good and I was able to figure out the who did it. There were enough suspects to make it interesting. I look for word to reading the next book. Enjoy

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.25⭐

The wordplay in the title made me curious, and I am glad I picked this up. I have to admit, the book made me excited to read more cosy mysteries and mystery novels in general! While having almost no previous experience with the genre, I enjoyed this story quite a lot. I am looking forward to checking out the following parts of the series.

The pace was mostly suitable for the book, not to slow but giving time to the reader to understand how the characters and the mystery were built and they made sense for me. I really liked the rare book elements and the historical themes of the novel. On the other hand though, I did not enjoy the final as much as expected. The book built a lot of intrigue, but the ending did not work that well for me.

There are many bibliophile cozies out there, but this one had a unique history to it. I enjoyed the hunt for rare books. I really like the sisters and I can't wait to see their relationship bloom. The cast overall were very likable and endearing. The small-town setting was fun. I will definitely continue on with this series.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy of this book.

I should probably start by saying that cozy mysteries aren't usually my cup of tea. This one, however, was undeniably delectable. Silver has crafted a fun location populated with entertaining and well-drawn characters and its just a pure joy from start to finish.

Appropriately for the genre, there's nothing too dark or heavy going on here, but I was continually captivated by the clever unfolding of the mystery, wrapped around the inspired by true life story of the Book of Kells.

I absolutely tore through the pages of this book, Silver writes with a deft hand and a cracking pace. I'm counting down the days until the sequel.

3.75 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌖

Thanks NetGalley, Level Best Books publisher and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was a hidden gem. It was of full of tensions, mystery and actions. I was very hooked at the beginning, and this was rare because I usually am not a fan of cozy mystery. I have read too many hardcore crime books, and I felt like I needed this coziness for a change. The book had a bit of historical elements and it was very interesting for me (I'm not actually sure how accurate everything was but it was great to know this). Moreover, there was not too much filler and that's great because I'm sick of that nowadays.

On the other hand, there were some things I wanted to point out. The middle part of the book was a bit dragging for me. The culprit was not predictable, but the motive was too simple. I felt like the whole book was built nicely, but the ending fell a bit flat. Because all of this, I had to give 3.75 stars instead of 4 stars.

All in all, it was a pretty great read, and it was fun to immerse myself in a cool cozy mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Fairly predictable mystery, but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. I only thought it was predictable because I solved the mystery before the characters did.

Crime and Parchment was a cute cozy mystery about Juniper Blume, a librarian at the Library of Congress, who returns to her hometown and becomes embroiled in a mystery involving her soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law and the missing covers of the Book of Kells.
This was an easy, light read, and I enjoyed the relatable sibling dynamics of the Blume sisters. I'm also painfully, personally familiar with the "returning to the small hometown after a long time" trope. I love the literary/library theme and the stress on preserving history.
Overall, Crime and Parchment was ok, but just lacking a wow factor for me. I felt like there were a lot of red herrings and some main points were never addressed.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Thank you NetGalley, publishers, and Daphne Silver for gifting me a copy of Crime and Parchment in return for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

Juniper Blume has arrived home to Rose Mallow at her sister, Azalea’s, Wildflower Inn. It’s not really the warm welcome she was hoping for, but consider she’s here to see her ex, Rory, that can be expected. When she goes to meet him in a cemetery at midnight she finds an aspiring musician, Tess, dead and Rory nowhere to be found. Will Juniper be able to help her sister and solve Tess’s murder? She might even be able to find some treasure along the way.

What I loved
- The historical facts that were sprinkled in along with the mystery.
- I always enjoy when an author takes a true fact from history and adds their own spin on it.

What I liked
- The dairy was a really cool aspect, I enjoyed how everything was connected back to that.
- Juniper was an interesting character, I loved how smart and strong willed she was.
What could have been better
- I know this is the first in the series but I was left thinking parts were rushed or things were brought up that didn’t really fit in this book.
Final thoughts
When I finished I found myself googling if this was the only book in the series at this time, and it was. It left me wanting more, but I guess that is a good thing because I would definitely read the second book when it comes out.

Fun new word I learned!
Bouffant- styled so as to puff out in a rounded shape.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

I usually like amateur sleuth books and Jewish fiction combined. However, I'm just so burned out on houses in books being turned into bed and breakfasts. I tried but could not finish.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Daphne Silver and Level Best Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3⭐ - I enjoyed reading this fast paced, first book in a new series about a librarian returning to her hometown searching for long lost copy of the Book of Kells.

The story kept me guessing and the characters were likeable. This was a good start to the series, I look forward to reading books of this series!

First time reading this author. The mystery kept me guessing and I like the characters. I look forward to more.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

This story wasn't bad. I read it with trepidation, being an archivist and historian, and I did have to stop and look up the history of Irish Catholics in Maryland. I think those details as described in the plot are totally wrong. Maryland was founded as a haven for ENGLISH Catholics and the early Irish were prisoners of war or indentured servants, not founding fathers. But that doesn't completely affect the plot and I didn't dig too deeply so it might be plausible. There were a couple of minor inconsistencies in the plot that don't really have any bearing on the mystery but better editing would be appreciated. The characters' Jewish identity was different and I enjoyed that perspective. Juniper says even though the Book of Kells is not HER sacred text, she can still appreciate it. However, the big reveal was kind of a let down and the finale is a hook to get the reader to come back for more books in the series.

Juniper is a likable enough character. She's not perfect or perky, she's a normal woman with emotions and feelings that complicate her actions. She didn't come help her sister but she didn't really know how much her sister was struggling. Juniper found it too hard to come back to Rose Mallow after her grandmother's death. She loves her family though and will do anything to protect her sister, even pretend to date possible murder suspects! I love that she's a librarian at the Library of Congress but I don't think the author has any idea what a reference librarian is. You can't just wander the stacks and pull books to look at, the reference librarian helps researchers find the information they need. Perhaps her job description does include "other duties as assigned" but wandering through the stacks probably isn't allowed. The details of what she does are way too vague. She seems to be a rare materials specialist but that's an archivist or special collections librarian, not a reference librarian. The LoC has other materials besides books! Juniper's dog Clover is very sweet but not a major part of the story.

Azalea is the opposite of Juniper. Azalea is very logical and independent. She keeps her problems to herself and tries to deal with everything alone. Her husband sounds like a man child and wasn't there for her when she most needed him. Her daughter, Violet, is almost 4 going on much younger later in the book. At 4 she should be old enough to help with simple chores around the inn and know not to run around without supervision. Rory, Azalea's ex, is an idle dreamer who probably got conned in an effort to get rich quick. He seems like the type who would accidentally fall in with someone bad and pay the price. Still, he's Violet's father so I hope he's not dead. I want to know more about this diary he claims to have too!

Azalea's only help is the teenaged Keisha Douglas, who is a tech whiz and studious but sometimes forgets she's supposed to be working. Keisha is loyal and very kind but her teenage brain just doesn't understand things adults are aware of sometimes. I like Keisha and I hope she doesn't do anything dumb again.

Right away Juniper runs afoul of Cordelia Sullivan, Nana Z's arch nemesis. Cordelia thought she should be top dog in town while Nana Z was also after the same board positions and frankly probably would have done a better job. Cordelia is one of those control freak uptight old ladies who is constantly yelling about noise or mess that isn't there and threatening to call the cops. At first she seems like a nosy neighbor but digging deeper after reading more, she may have some cognitive decline. It's unclear if she was always like that or if she's become nasty and mean in old age. Her granddaughter, Whitney, is a mean girl type and doesn't see Juniper as worth her time or effort to be nice. However, Whitney has more depth than your average shallow mean girl. Her grandmother is awful to her and I don't blame her for wanting to find someone else to take care of Cordelia. It explains a lot why Whitney is the way she is.

Tess, a perky barista, is a fun character. It sounds like she has a crush on the much older Rory. Since he acts like a man child, I'm not surprised. Tess is young but not stupid. She's strong and independent and knows her own mind. Sadly, she's only in one scene before she's tragically killed. What was she up to? Was Rory involved? Did he kill her and run? Did he see who killed her and ran for his life? It sounds like Tess was up to no good. Juniper liked Tess a lot and I did too. I was sad to read she was the victim. I was especially sad for her grandmother, Harmony, an aged hippie, who has lost her whole family. Harmony claims the family is cursed and after Tess's death, it sure seems she might be right.

Orson Bradford aka Professor Treasure is the sort of pompous pseudo-academic the public loves and actual academics hate. He's a TV personality more than a professor. It sounds like he's come to Rose Mallow for the same reasons as Juniper. How did he find out about the Book of Kells covers? What does he know? How far is he willing to go to achieve fame? I'd say pretty far judging from the sound of him. Though I think his assistant is the one doing all the work. Ms. Collins is the "type A" sort. She has a schedule and sticks to it. There's no room for schmoozing and flirting. I think she keeps the so-called Professor on a short leash and I wouldn't be surprised if she was willing to murder someone else to keep the Professor's reputation in tact.

Leonard Calverton of the wealthy town founding family has come back to his hometown to reveal the news about the lost treasure. How does HE know and what does he know? Leonard seems nice enough but he's from a super wealthy family that is determined to do everything to go against the wishes of the townspeople. He claims he's the black sheep of his family but he seems smart and philanthropic. His brother, Cecil, sounds more like a black sheep. He's a lazy, drunken, sleazy womanizer who comes up with many hare brained schemes to earn the family more money.

Who was the man arguing with Tess the night she died? Who is the mafia man who Juniper keeps seeing around town?

Deputy Torres is the usual uptight, tough cop featured in cozy mysteries. Detective Lakshmi Gupta is investigating the dual crimes of Tess's death and Rory's disappearance. She seems friendly but she's also tough and gathers information any way she can. I don't blame Juniper for not trusting her.

I liked this story well enough but I didn't love it enough to want to rush off to buy more in the series but enough to be curious about what happens next.

Well plotted and intriguing mystery. It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last as the plot kep me guessing and I liked the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Crime and Parchment from Daphne Silver is set in the small coastal town of Rose Mallow, where nothing of great importance ever occurs, certainly not a series of murders for something that may or may not be true.
Arriving at the Wildflower Inn, Juniper is greeted by her niece Violet and sister Azalea, but it does not take long before Juniper has to tell Azealia why she has come back to Rose Mallow after so long away. This does not go down well.
Rory, Azalea’s husband, has asked her to come and verify the information he has obtained on the cover ornate, jewel encrusted cover of the historic and famous Book of Kells, which according to local legend. was bought to Rose Mallow with the first settlers. He has sent Juniper pages from the famous O’Day Diaries which he believes hold the location to the missing treasure.
As Juniper is an expert on Rare Books and Manuscripts, Rory considered she could authenticate what he had found, but when Murder is done, she is drawn into the Murder inquiry, initially as a suspect, and then as a person determined to find out what really happened. Rory has vanished, possibly also murdered.
A film crew, staying at the Wildflower Inn are there to record an interview with Orson Bradford, aka Professor Treasure Hunter, on his latest memoir. He also states he knows where the ‘Cover’ has been hidden and is prepared to make a Press announcement as well.
Emotions flow between the two sisters, both looking for the comfort of family since their beloved Nana Z passed, both trying to find a way through the mess life has become, each one searching for a fresh, new beginning.
Comfortable and enjoyable, murder in the almost, but not quite perfect town of Rose Mallow, flows along with a few twists built in to hold the intrigue, while carefully hiding the real culprit in plain sight.
Based around the history of the Irish settlers to America in the 1600’s and the famous Book of Kells manuscripts, Crime and Parchment is a most enjoyable instalment to the ‘The Rare Book Murder’ series.

I enjoyed this first book in a new series. It was an engaging and enjoyable mystery. Small town setting, rare books, I’m in. I liked getting to know the rest of the main characters family. I look forward to future adventures with Juniper and her family.