Book Review: Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay (Library Lover’s Mysteries #14)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a creative mystery

Cons: Climax is rushed

The Bottom Line:

Murder on a train

But fun with the regulars

Will leave fans happy

Murder Aboard a Moving Train

One thing I love about cozies is the familiar cast of characters and locations.  So books where the characters are out of town are always a bit of a hard sell for me just because we are missing that.  While Fatal First Edition starts out that way, it still proved to be a fun addition to Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mysteries.

This is book fourteen in the series, and it starts out in Chicago, where Lindsey Norris and her husband, Sully, are attending the annual archivist convention.  Lindsey is having a fantastic time, and that includes the train trip back home to Connecticut.  Quite a few of the attendees are also on the train.  However, when Lindsey wakes up the next morning, someone is dead in the compartment next to her and Sully.  Does it have anything to do with the valuable first edition that Lindsey stumbled upon during the keynote address?

Author Jenn McKinlay is friends with Kate Carlisle, author of the Bibliophile Mysteries.  Fans of that series will enjoy a cameo in the first chapter.  I haven’t read many in that series, and I got a kick out of it as well.

As I said earlier, this book starts out with Lindsey out of town.  However, we still get much of the book set in familiar surroundings.  Yes, it was a little convenient, but I was also impressed with how the author made it work.  And, since I love these characters, I wasn’t complaining.  Granted, we still didn’t see much of some of the regulars, but I loved the scenes where we saw them.

I had my suspicions who the victim would be early on, but the way the story was unfolding, I would have bought a few others.  Just when the book was looking like it was going to follow the typical pattern of the middle of a cozy mystery, we got a nice jolt.  I do appreciate what this meant for the book, although it did make the climax rushed.  Still, everything wrapped up logically.

The story makes many references to Strangers on a Train since that’s the first edition in question.  It did make me want to read the book (I do love the movie), but I’ve got to say I felt like a different classic mystery on a train should have gotten at least one reference.  Not that it matters.

As always with this series, there are some great laughs as the events unfold.  That’s another reason I was happy we got to see the series regulars.

And, at the end, we get some ideas for a crafty book club, including discussion questions on Strangers on a Train, a craft, and a delicious sounding recipe.

Fatal First Edition is more fun for fans of the Library Lover’s Mysteries.  If that isn’t you yet, pick up a book today and see why so many fans enjoy the series so much.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Library Lover’s Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.