ARC Review: A Book Club to Die For by Dorothy St. James

A Book Club to Die For
Author: Dorothy St. James
Series: Beloved Bookroom Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley (November 1, 2022)

Description: When a member of an exclusive book club is checked out, spunky librarian Trudell Becket must sort fact from fiction to solve the murder.

The Cypress Arete Society is one of the town’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. When assistant librarian Trudell Becket is invited to speak to the group about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public, her friend Flossie invites herself along. Flossie has been on the book club’s waiting list for five years, and she’s determined to find out why she’s never received an invitation to join.

But not long after Tru and Flossie arrive for the meeting, they’re shocked to find the club’s president, Rebecca White, dead in the kitchen. Rebecca was a former TV actress and local celebrity, but was not known for being patient or pleasant. She’d been particularly unkind to the book club’s host for the evening, who also happens to be the mother of Detective Jace Bailey, Tru’s boyfriend. And Rebecca had made it clear that she didn’t think Flossie was book club material.

With her boyfriend and one of her best friends wrapped up in a murder, Tru has to work fast to figure out who cut Rebecca’s story short before the killer takes another victim out of circulation....

My Thoughts: Tru Becket is an assistant librarian who has solved a couple of mysteries. She works in a library that has gotten rid of all of its books in favor of technology. But Tru has a secret print library in the basement for people, like her, who love print books. 

She has been asked to make a presentation to the Cypress Arete Society - the oldest and most prestigious book club in town. When she and her friend Flossie arrive early, they discover Rebecca White who is the club president moving furniture and harassing this month's hostess. When she rushes off to the kitchen to "supervise" Hazel Bailey who is this month's hostess and the mother of Tru's boyfriend Jace, Tru is left arranging furniture until there are a couple of loud thumps in the kitchen. 

When Tru gets there, Rebecca is dead on the floor and the only possible suspects are Rachel and Flossie. Tru can't believe that either of them could have killed Rebecca, but the police don't agree.

Jace askes Tru to do her own investigating and find out who really killed Rebecca which leads to lots of possibilities since Rebecca wasn't very well loved. She was an actress on a soap before she quit and came to Cypress where she has been busy throwing her weight around. 

I liked Tru and thought that the story was well-plotted. This is the first in the series that I have read, and it worked well as a standalone for me. I got very involved trying to figure out who really did murder Rebecca since there were so many likely possibilities.

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

Hazel is a culinary artist. How she blended spices, textures, flavors -- my taste buds had fallen on a fainting couch with an arm slung over their eyes, and that was where they'd spent dinner sighing with joy. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.