Read or Alive: A Bookmobile Mystery
By: Nora Page
Rating: 4 of 5
This is the first book I have read by this author. It does follow the cozy mystery checklist to a T. It also seems to be aimed at a much older reader, which I am not. Having said that, I still enjoyed reading the book.
The series is about a librarian, Cleo Watkins, in her mid-seventies, who drives the towns library bus which brings books to places other than the library. That seems a bit of a stretch as many individuals of that age would hesitate to drive a repurposed school bus. She travels around the town solving crimes, including murder, as much as she seems to actually bring books to the citizens.
In this story, the town is deluged by an Antiquarian book society gathering. Books are for sale and there seems to be huge crowds gathering to buy them. There are thefts and murder and Cleo’s boyfriend, boyfriend book restorer Henry Lafayette, comes under suspicion. That is what it takes to get Cleo involved.
The story was fun while the premise seemed a little forced. There were scenes with Cleo in nursing homes that, in light of the current pandemic, seemed off. I realize that the book was written earlier but it is being released at this time. I mention it in case it bothers individuals; however, it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book.
I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It does follow the cozy mystery checklist to a T. It also seems to be aimed at a much older reader, which I am not. Having said that, I still enjoyed reading the book.