I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and although I enjoyed this one, it wasn't quite as good as the first. Hannah Merrill is still managing the bookstore for her aunt, although it was damaged in a bombing at the end of the last book, she wants to keep busy while it is being restored. This is her chance to do something for war effort, so she donates books and works in the library at the nearby military hospital. Arriving one morning, she is surprised to find the body of a dead soldier in the library. On that same day, a young, attractive nurse tells Hannah she is scared as she thinks she is being followed. Now there are two mysteries to solve and Hannah is sure they are connected. She calls on Aunt Violet who also volunteers at the hospital to help her find the missing nurse before she also ends up dead.

Hannah is a smart women who is able to put together clues, but I find she takes chances that puts her in danger. It isn't long before both her and Aunt Violet are in the sights of a killer. This is a slower story than the first, with a lot of red herrings and roadblocks. I found the mystery interesting, and the suspects numerous. There is a personal story going on as well, with Aunt Violet and the Police Inspector, who have begun seeing one another, and he seems to encourage Hannah's sleuthing. I liked the outcome of the murder, but found the solution to the missing nurse a bit of a disappointment. Although I really enjoyed the first book, this was just an okay follow up for me.

Well, this was riveting! Truthfully, I couldn’t put it down. I love books with this kind of pace. Great book and congrats. I’m sure many more will enjoy it as well. I loved it . . . stayed up late to finish it!

Several months after having found her best friend, Lily-Anne, dead in Aunt Violet's bookshop – and after having to rebuild it following bombardment – Hannah volunteers part-time at a local hospital library, coordinating the lending of books to recuperating soldiers.

When she arrives one morning to find the large auditorium, from where the library is run, locked, she wonders why but thinks nothing much of it. As she tidies up the shelves, she notices that the curtain of the stage in the room is drawn. But when she opens it, she comes across the dead body of a soldier, lying in a pool of blood.

When Detective Inspector Farrell arrives, he pretends not to know her, and this suits Hannah well as she volunteers to snoop around a bit, listening in to conversations.

She soon discovers that the dead man, Sergeant Tillman, was hugely unpopular amongst the other patients, and had run-ins with a number of staff and fellow injured soldiers.

But when a young nurse, Alice, who had confided in her that she fears she was being followed, suddenly disappears, Hannah is set on discovering what happened – and if the girl's disappearance is somehow linked to the murder. But in doing so, she finds herself in the killer's sights!

Can she avoid a tragic fate and help save Alice? Or has Hannah gone too far this time? Well, read the novel!


Murder in the Library is full of clever twists and unexpected turns. We have several suspects, and there is a growing sense of tension as the story progresses.

The setting is, again, expertly researched, and the author gives us a real glimpse at everyday life in London during WWI. Life didn't grind to a halt because there was a war on, so it's fascinating to read about how ordinary people coped with the daily threats.

Hannah is a fabulous character, with an open mind and a curious nature. And Aunt Violet is delightfully eccentric. Their characters really make the story.

Murder in the Library is a worthy sequel to Murder in the Bookshop, and I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series. Clearly, Hannah shouldn't be anywhere near a bookshelf, or more bodies will turn up... In truth, hope so!

Murder in the Library reads well as a standalone story, but I think the introductions to the characters and their relationships with each other provided in Murder in the Bookshop will help get a clear image from the start.

Another exciting murder mystery by Anita Davison. Do check it out!

Hannah and her aunt Violet are top choice sleuth duos, in my opinion! This book is set in 1916, the middle of WW1 and Hannah and Violet are women of means and mind and any library in a book is a good start for me! I love this series and this book did not disappoint. I have hit and miss rhythms sometimes and this was hard to put down and I finished in just a few days!

Anita Davison gives us another World War I murder in England which takes place in a vets hospital. Complex plot involving missing heroines, presumed dead soldiers, and other misbehaviors. Enjoy the shenanigans.

Murder In The Library is the second book in the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet historical mystery series. While it is the second, you could definitely jump into this one without a lot of confusion. This is by no means saying that you shouldn’t go back and read the first one. One aspect that I appreciate about this series is that we have two generations of amateur sleuths.

It is 1916 in London and Hannah Merrill is volunteering in the library of a military hospital. One day when she arrives at work, she finds the dead body of a patient in the library. In this book we get more about suffragette movement, a villain that collects secrets, London in the spring, Irish nationalism, and a missing nurse. In addition, Hannah warms up to DI Aidan Farrell, who has eyes for her aunt. The ending is nerve wracking. I gave this 4.5 stars. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

What another delightful cosy mystery featuring Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet! Still in the midst of the Great War, there is more murder, more suspicious activities, more nefarious characters as well as the hint of romance or two! What more can you want in a delightful cosy mystery brimming with wit and humour?

London 1916: After the murder in their bookshop six months or so previously, renovations have brought the aging premises back to life as Aunt Violet elects to man the front whilst volunteering niece Hannah for the library at the local military hospital. Hannah loves her job and exchanging tales with the recuperating patients, until one of them turns up dead in the library one morning.

Enter the amiable Inspector Aidan Farrell, not at all surprised to find Hannah in situ as it were. However, the other witnesses to the discover or thereafter somehow prove to be somewhat recalcitrant. One of them apparently so faint she has been given leave to go home and recover. But then when Nurse Alice Dalglish proves difficult to track down for questioning, Hannah believes her disappearance to be linked to that of the murder of the soldier, Sergeant Tillman, whom she found in the library.

What ensues is a race around London in a search for answers to both the murder and Alice's whereabouts. Of course it is Hannah doing to unofficial investigating with the help of her incorrigible Aunt Violet. With the help of both Inspector Farrell and Darius Clifford. But will they get too close to the truth and place themselves in danger? Or will they uncover the murderer and Alice's whereabouts?

Peppered with humour, wit and the hint of romance for both young ladies, who are decidedly single, this is a delightful addition to this cosy mystery series. I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first one which I found utterly delightful!

A quick read which I devoured in one sitting, I can't wait for the third one "Murder at Midwinter Manor" which is to be published in September. Another delightful escapade, I'm sure.

I would like to thank #AnitaDavison, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #MurderInTheLibrary in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

This book sees us halfway through World War 1, and when Hannah finds the body of Sargeant Tillman dead in the hospital library, of course she has to investigate, with the brilliant Violet.
She finds Tillman wasn't widely liked, so was that the reason.
When Alice disappears too, they need to solve the case, but will they be able to avoid danger.
Despite this being a cosy read, the backdrop of the war is all too real. The fear, and the bombings were written into the story to add to the setting without making it a historical or war story. Brilliantly done. This is the second in the series. I haven't read the first, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment.

In the latest Hannah Merrill mystery, another dead body appears at Hannah’s new place of temporary work -- a military hospital’s library. Once again on the case to solve this murder and uncover the secrets of the military hospital’s patients and employees, Hannah, along with Aunt Violet, must use her insights and her instincts to solve this murder. And if she solves it before the police do or ignores the police’s code of ethics when collecting evidence, well they really ought to be grateful for her work! Once again, Anita Davidson has created another cozy mystery and a strong sequel to the first Hannah Merrill mystery novel with this latest installment. Davidson’s mystery and characters are once again the star of this novel; Hannah continues to grow as a strong protagonist, and her relationships with other characters (Aunt Violet, the other returning characters, and the new characters introduced in this novel) are engaging, lively, at times difficult, and always enjoyable to follow. Davidson’s latest cozy mystery is a fun, high-stakes affair set against the backdrop of World War I in London’s home front, and readers are sure to enjoy Hannah and Aunt Violet’s latest investigation and the changes they experience along the way.

I quite like this historical fiction novel set during World War 2. It reads smoothly and flows well.
The characters are likable and well distinguished apart so that they aren't confused with each other.
This is the second book in the series and is easily read as a stand alone as all the important information is covered in this book and there are no huge holes that leave you guessing.

The story itself is enjoyable and keeps you guessing. The hints and clues are dotted throughout the book and it's not until the grand reveal that you know what the character had put together in their head.
The book is almost in 2 parts as when 4 of them leave on a holiday after the main bit is solved, theres a whole different plot and feel to the story.
All in all, very enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next installment.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources

http://ramblingmads.uk/2024/02/21/blog-tour-murder-in-the-library-anita-davison/

This is the second book in this series, and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. The main characters are likeable and fun, and I like the time period of the first world war and the changes that were coming to society. The mystery was interesting and there were enough redirections that the solution wasn't obvious. I especially liked that there were historical aspects to the story that were included even though the average reader probably wouldn't have noticed if it weren't included (such as during that time period officers in the british military had moustaches and enlisted members did not). This book was engaging enough that it made it a fairly quick read for me. I hope that there will be more books in this series as I have really been enjoying spending time with Hannah and her aunt Violet.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A strong sequel to Murder in the bookstore. I enjoyed another story with the main character and her life. The story was engaging and kept me coming back. So glad to have read this book!

Here are my thoughts on this book, in no particular order:
The use of question marks at the end of a sentence that is not a question is repetitive and annoying.
Events did not flow in an organized manner all the time. There were skips in time where people would be talking in a hallway and then were immediately in an office. Later, a character was described as sitting but two sentences later was being offered a chair. Instances like these happened a lot.
There is too much back and forth over Hannah’s involvement in the case. She’s encouraged one minute, despaired of the next, warned off the next, and then asked what she knows the next. Mix and repeat all through the book.
The characters aren’t particularly likable, baring Archie, who there was a distinct lack of after his large presence in book 1. Aunt Violet is very unlikable.
The interactions between Hannah and the Inspector are strange. He tells her way too much information he wouldn’t be able to share. Their banter sometimes reads as flirting even though he’s been linked to her Aunt. And see above about Hannah’s on/off involvement in the case.
The interactions between all the characters are strange, actually. It may be down to word choice, but they don’t come across as friendly towards one another. Or they are and then suddenly they aren’t. This goes back to descriptions and weird dialogue choices. For instance, characters are talking and joking but are described as “snarling” and things like that.
At some points, especially about halfway through, there’s way too much dialogue to get through for small bits of information.
Because I read the first book in this series, I understood all the references to it. A reader new to the series may struggle with the frequent allusions as they aren’t all explained particularly well.
My gripe with Book 1 was that it was too heavy to be considered a cozy mystery, despite being described as one. In this book, I think the heaviness was an alleviated a bit. But, it still doesn’t feel like a cozy mystery to me. And that’s fine. But I don’t think it should be marketed as one.

Anita Davison's "Murder in the Library" is a captivating historical mystery set against the backdrop of World War I. In 1916, bookshop manager and amateur sleuth Hannah Merrill finds herself embroiled in a chilling investigation when she discovers the body of a soldier in the hospital library. The plot thickens as a young nurse confides in Hannah about feeling followed before vanishing without a trace. As Hannah delves deeper into the interconnected mysteries, she enlists the help of her resourceful aunt, Violet, leading to a thrilling race against time.

Davison expertly crafts a suspenseful narrative that keeps readers guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and endearing, particularly the dynamic duo of Hannah and Aunt Violet, whose witty banter adds levity to the intense storyline. The historical setting is meticulously researched, immersing readers in the sights and sounds of wartime England.

What sets "Murder in the Library" apart is its intricate plot full of unexpected twists and turns. Davison masterfully weaves together multiple threads, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they unravel the truth behind the crimes. The tension builds steadily throughout the novel, culminating in a satisfying and unpredictable conclusion.

Overall, "Murder in the Library" is a must-read for fans of historical mysteries and amateur sleuths. With its compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and evocative setting, this book is sure to keep readers entertained from start to finish.

Book 2 in the series, which I came to without having read the first. No great matter, it was easy enough to get the gist of what had happened in book 1.

This is a perfectly satisfactory entry into the (somewhat crowded) cozy historical murder-mystery genre. I didn't quite get a sense of the main characters, Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet, but the story carries along nicely enough. I say story, but this time the reader gets 2 for 1, with a dead body swiftly followed by a missing nurse. Whilst the 2 are sort of related, they never really quite fitted together, and one is solved first, then we turn to the 2nd case, so it felt a bit like 2 short stories stitched together to make 1 book.

However, the writing is fresh, the First World War setting is well-done, and the motley collection of characters keep the reader interested. 3.5 stars, but I can't quite round it up to 4.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Murder In The Library' by Anita Davison.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Anita Davison, Rachel's Random Resources, Book And Tonic, Boldwood Books, Poison & Pens and The Bold Book Club

Publication date 19th February 2024

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in her 'A Miss Merrill And Aunt Violet Mystery' series but can be read as a standalone.

This novel consists of 20 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

I will start by saying that I must admit that I'm always a bit dubious with books based historically as I worry about not being able to 'deal' with the language used but I absolutely love how Anita has written this book. The language used is perfectly suited to the era whilst being easy to read. The atmosphere and descriptions were perfect. The synopsis and cover also suit the storyline. The storyline is easy to read, a great cosy mystery and filled with everything you could ask for in a murder mystery! I love the way that Hannah and Violet go about their detective work. There was so much going on that it kept me entertained thoroughly throughout with mystery after mystery and clue after clue. It was filled with suspense, mystery, books, murder, clues,. tension, suspense and so much more!! It is a perfect book to to read either curled in front of the fire or lying on a beach which not many books can achieve. I would liken the storyline to a rollercoaster where it starts off slowly while you are ascending to the top and then once you've reached the top and start going down it picks up speed and is filled with twists and turns! Although it is a slow starter I still managed to read it in just two sitting sand I am looking forward to reading the first book in this series which is called 'Murder In the Bookshop' and meeting the characters from the start. I never did work out who the killer was and was completely shocked when they were discovered. A great achievement as I am a huge crime fan and tend to work out who did what quite early on. The atmosphere was perfectly suited to the mystery and I love the fact that the murder is based in a library as I just love any books that involve more books in the storyline and the fact that our protagonist Hannah is also a librarian is a huge bonus for me! The fact that Anita has researched the historical elements shines through the book and I loved travelling back into history and learning how things were done differently then, although I definitely did not like the attitude towards women that, although factual, is extremely irritating to say the least! It is a huge annoyance when authors do not do enough research into the topic or era they have included in their storylines as it can ruin what would otherwise be a great read but Anita has definitely avoided making that mistake!!

Although this is the second book in the series I would had absolutely no problems reading without reading the first book in the series which is called 'Murder In the Bookshop'. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

The characters were all larger than life, realistic and a complete breathe of fresh air. I love the fact that our main protagonist Hannah is a librarian as being a book lover any characters that are associated with books themselves is always a bonus!! She is a very young, kind and caring woman and I absolutely loved her relationship with her Aunt Violet. Violet is also a strong character and I thoroughly enjoyed their investigation techniques which I found to be intriguing and fun. Sadly, as is correct during the era this book is set in, they are not taken seriously being women and their ideas and thoughts are constantly dismissed but this made me even more pleased when they are proven correct and shows the men that women can do just a good and if not better job than many males!! Definitely fantastic girl power going on in this book!! It was also enjoyable watching the interactions between Hannah and Darius and watching their relationship develop. Darius is another likeable character who I enjoyed getting to know and found to be intriguing as he works in the War Office and is potentially a spy. Another main character we meet is DI Aidan Farrell. Hannah is not a fan of him and finds him to be unsympathetic but Aidan definitely has eyes for her Aunt Violet!! I am a huge animal lover so I definitely cannot forget to mention Bartleby who is the bookstores cat!! I run Golden Oldies cat rescue, which you can find on social media if you are interested, so any animals in books and especially cats is always a huge bonus for me and I absolutely loved Bartleby!! A great group of characters that I look forward to meeting again in the previous and future books in this series especially the strong and independent Hannah and Violet!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Anita's 'Death On Board' which is the first installment of her 'Flora Maguire Mystery' series and is one I am looking forward to reading myself!!

Overall a fun and easy to read page turning cozy murder mystery with the perfect amount of crime and much more that will keep you hooked throughout.

266 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £9.45 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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What a delightful, cozy read! Hannah and Aunt Violet are wonderful characters engaged in a mystery that I was keen to unravel with them. Murder in the Library is lovely historical novel that is easy to read and difficult to put down until the mystery has been solved

I really enjoyed the world that Anita Davison created, and I felt transported back to England at the start of WWII with her strong characters and wonderfully descriptive prose. Hannah and Aunt Violet are independent and tough as nails in a time when women were thought to be too delicate to do much of anything. I was cheering for them all the way.

Get yourself a cup of tea and a snack, because once you start Murder in the Library you simply won’t want to put it down.

Thank you to both Boldwood Books and Anita Davison for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

A pinch of historical fiction, a bit of romance, a well research and vivid historical background, well plotted and interesting characters, a solid mystery with surprising twists that kept me guessing.
This is the synthesis of this book.
An entertaining, well plotted and tightly knitted novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This is the second in this series and it can be read as a stand alone even if there’s a spoiler of the first novel so I would recommend to read it in order.
I had fun, appreciated the description of the hospital and how it worked. The plot is twisty and kept me hooked as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
Highly recommended
Many thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

Murder in the Library is the second book in the Miss Merill and Aunt Violent cosy crime mystery series. I have read the first book.

Events begin quickly in this one when Hannah finds a body in the hospital library where she volunteers. Although she doesn't intend to, Hannah quickly finds herself embroiled in the investigation to uncover who killed the dead man and why. Along the way, she finds herself involved in a few tricky situations as the toll of World War I begins to be felt in Britain.

All the familiar characters from Book 1 reappear, and I'm enjoying the relationships that are developing between Aunt Violet and Hannah.

The mystery is intriguing, although it seems to be resolved fairly quickly. Although, fear not, for there is more at play and more to uncover.

It's a really enjoyable historical mystery. Hannah is a fun character, as is her aunt, and I'm enjoying reading about the two women flouting the social constraints of the era.

It's sure to appeal to fans of a good historical who dun it.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.