The nosy librarian, her professional dancer husband, their twins, the extended family, and sometimes helping out the local sheriff. This is one of those times. A visiting author is in town stirring up an old scandal/missing person case when she is murdered and one of the librarian's family is in the frame. Let the group snoop begin! I love this series!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Jul 08, 2025
#DeathandtheLibrarian by @victoriagilbertauthor #BlueRidgeLibraryMysteriesBk10 @crookedlanebooks #cozymystery #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones *****Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk @kobo #podcaster #coldcase #murderedauthor #scandals #plottwists

Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert is the next in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and this time Librarian Amy Muir and her family are embroiled in an old murder case. When an author working on a true crime book seems to accuse Kurt, the Godfather of Amy's twins of an old crime, she is impelled to find out the truth of the old crime. With the help of her relatives and community, Amy is off on another quest. This is a good series to add to the cozy list, with fun characters and a good location.

Amy Muir, librarian in the Blue Ridge once again gets involved in murder in Death and the Librarian. The woman who wrote an implied expose on a long dead murder is found dead herself when she comes to town to do a book talk. Scandal, hidden misdeeds in local citizens, drug deals, all spice up the story. Amy is warned off but continues the search. What could go wrong? Read and find out.

Death and the Librarian is the latest mystery in the popular Blue Ridge Library series. I enjoyed this book as I have the others in the series. This series seems like a true cozy series. I can enjoy reading it as an escape and there is nothing too scary or graphic in it and anything romantic is merely implied. The characters are comfortable and charming and all too willing to look the other way while the main character of Amy solves another mystery before the police or in this case helping the police. I have always enjoyed this series, but I feel like I have to make one comment because it just drives me crazy. In every book, the author/Amy points out that although she is a curvy, plus size woman her dancer husband still loves her anyway. I find this so insulting. In early books, it could have been seen as a concern for the character as she met and married her husband. But now they have been married for a number of years and it feels ridiculous that this is pointed out and justified every time. Please let Amy be the strong character that she is and quit making plus size women feel less than they are. That being said I still enjoy this series and would recommend it as a fun and easy to read cozy mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book that I have read in the series. A cozy mystery and easy read. For context, I will suggest starting with the first one in order to understand Amy’s involvement in solving the mystery. As a standalone, it was enjoyable and I will look for future books by the author.

This was a good read from a well established author. For me personally there were too many characters. The children in the book seemed superfluous to the story. The husband interestingly has a non traditional profession so I found that refreshing. The main character solved the mystery more by happenstance and her rescue seemed a bit contrived. However this was a pleasant way to spend a few hours

Amy Muir, director of the Blue Ridge Library, has long been concerned about the shady past surrounding art dealer Kurt Kendrick, a close family friend and godfather to her and her husband Richards's young twins. After a visitor to their town is found dead after accusing Kurt of committing a murder in their town several years before, Amy desperately sets out to prove his innocence but is faced with strong evidence of his guilt made known by his accuser before her sudden death.
As the details regarding the first murder are made public by those present in town at the time the murder occurred, the evidence against Kurt becomes stronger. Amy insists on continuing her investigation despite her busy schedule managing her household, the care of her children, and her husband's busy life with his newly formed dance company. As she continues her fight to prove his innocence, she soon finds that her own life is now in danger and she must find out the truth before the killer strikes again.

Guest author Maureen Dryden is in Taylorford to promote her next best seller concerning a cold case murder or disappearance of Eddie Jeffe.But its the name dropping that angers a few people including the sheriffs wife Alison Tucker . Maureen wants to talk to two people who might have info on the missing man. Delbert Frye and Kurt Klass. Delbert happens to be Alison's great uncle and boy is her blood boiling. And when Maureen ends up dead Alison is in the hot seat right along with Kurt ( who is now Kurt Kendrick) . Amy Muir just can't let this crime go unsolved but when she's warned to stay clear she has a tough choice to make. Proceed with her investigation or stand down and let a killer go free. Can she make the right choices and solve a cold case or will she become a "cold" case herself.

I highly recommend this book. Another murder is committed that is related to the library. Amy is asked to do research to catch the killer.

While I didn't like the previous book in this series, because it didn't feel the same. This one had the charm of the first books in the series. And reminded me why I fell in love with this series.

This ninth installment in the Blue Ridge Library series is another winner.

I love when a past crime intersects with the present day and this book tackles that admirably with a current day author in town to research a local cold case. As usual, Amy the library co-director aids the local police with research in an effort to learn more about the cold case and, perhaps, with the recent murder.

A great case of characters and a clever plot.

Highly recommended to cozy mystery fans.

NetGalley was kind enough to provide an advanced reader copy of this 9th book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. This opinion is my own. While the storyline worked as a stand alone novel, the backstory of the characters was obviously not as developed as if I would have started the series at book 1. Amy Muir and her family are once again caught in a mystery that she works hard to solve. She juggles her job, the twins and her friends while helping figure out the crime. An enjoyable cozy in a beautiful setting.

This is the most recent installment in the Blue Ridge Library mysteries and I was excited to be back in the small town with librarian Amy, Richard, and all their friends. When a well-known visiting author is murdered while investigating a cold case from years ago, Amy is once again on hand to help with research and help solve the case.

At this point, there have been several books in the series and I think this one has made it clear that it might be time for it to end. The way Amy inserts herself into investigations has become excessive. The fact that her family all hates it is clear as is the fact that Amy doesn’t intend to stop. The interactions have become repetitive and Amy continues to suspect her closest friends and relatives despite claiming to trust them.

While I will likely read the next book in the series, I don’t think I will continue if it’s more of the same. I’m hoping we get the magic of the early books once again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this early copy!

Death and the Librarian is the newest book in the Blue Ridge Library series, and it doesn't disappoint! Amy is caught up in another murder investigation when the sheriff asks her to use her research skills to help solve the recent murder of a true crime author. One of the suspects is an old family friend with a secretive past. Could this recent murder be connected to a murder in the past? This book was well paced and filled with intrigue and red herrings. An excellent cozy that will keep you up reading late into the night.

I had been waiting not so patiently for this book! I was totally caught up with the series and could not wait to dive back in with the Blue Ridge Library gang! It did not disappoint, the mystery was fun, and I did not guess who-done-it!

This cozy mystery is #9 in the Blue Ridge Library Series by Victoria Gilbert. Co-Library Director Amy Muir gets entangled in solving a decades old local murder, as well as the recent murder of an author who has written a book about the murder. In her book, the author accuses a close family friend of the murder at a library sponsored author talk. Those familiar with the series will have no trouble immediately falling back into the small Virginia town and remember the other primary residents. Those who enjoy a cozy mystery, but aren't familiar with this series, will immediately feel as if they have always lived there.

If you’ve been following along with the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, you’ll know that there was a substantial time-jump between books seven and eight. In DEATH AND THE LIBRARIAN Amy is working part-time at the library, Richard is launching a brand-new touring dance company, and the pair have a pair of 6-year-old twins to wrangle.
At this stage in the series, I think readers know pretty much what to expect from Blue Ridge and it’s occupants, and Gilbert delvers another confident, strong instalment. For me, the key selling point of this series is always the characters, especially our main couple and Amy’s best-friend, Sunny. The characters in this series are really well-fleshed out, with complex personalities and opinions, even the recurring minor characters. I love that Richard’s (and his profession) aren’t relegated to the background as partners sometimes are in these types of stories, and we get something a little different from the usual ‘cop’-adjacent love interest to sink our teeth into.
I did have one gripe with this ninth instalment. As a rule, cozy protagonists are prone to throwing caution to the wind and stumbling into dangerous situations, and the suspension of disbelief is just part of the genre. Gilbert even contacts this flaw by having other characters point out Amy’s tendency to investigate when she should back out. In this one, despite investigating a murder involving a woman being drugged with rohypnol, Amy leaves her drink unsupervised at the bar then comes back and finishes it off. Guess what happens? It’s a minor thing, but stood out to me as a decision a modern-day woman in her thirties is unlikely to make. Maybe that’s just me, but it threw me out of the story a little.
Overall though, the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries continues to be a engaging series, with lovable characters I’m always excited to return to. DEATH AND THE LIBRARIAN is a fun addition.

suspensful, yet lighthearted murder mystery (its not like hide from your child thriller but a cozy murder mystery)
it reminded me of an agatha christie series *15 books* and thought it was funny that this was the 9th installment in this series
during summer time virginia, a murder happens at the annual arts festival and all fingers point to kurt kendrick a local art dealer and past suspect of another murder that took place years ago
library director amy muir doesn't believe kurt would murder anyone being a family friend and the godfather of her 6 year old twins
amy is contracted to help with the investigation as the library is the towns only record system, she slowly becomes involved more and it becomes a race against time to prove kurts innocence, find the true murder and possibly close a 30? year old cold case

We're back with Amy and her now 6 year old twins. Richard's dance troupe has a big opening set up, her parents are visiting, and there is a murderer on the loose. The story is a cozy mystery, the characters are likeable with the exception of the suspects. The usual Amy being asked to help the Sheriff despite always having her life in danger each time she "investigates". Cozy mystery again, as she is speaking openly on her phone in the library, where everyone can hear her, even the killer. She is saved at the last minute per usual. One thing that did bother me is that she is now asked to carry a huge secret from her family, including Richard. Bad enough she is always "just investigating", but adding in to lie/keep secrets? Hopefully in the next book she will share what she knows. I can't tell if the series should just finish up or keep going. Again, it's a cozy mystery, easy to read, not scary in any way. Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Ms Gilbert for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Arts Festival Turns Fatal..
The ninth outing in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and the annual arts festival is about to turn fatal as the past comes to haunt the present. As bodies mount, Amy is under pressure to get to the truth before another corpse gets added to the pile. Another enjoyable and entertaining instalment to this series with a likeable protagonist, a colourful cast of characters populating a frothy plot and a well imagined backdrop.