Murdermobile

Portland Bookmobile Mysteries #1

by B.B. Cantwell

It’s pre-“Portlandia” Portland, when bookmobiles still roamed the Earth. When the retired head librarian is found dead in the City Library’s bookmobile, it’s no longer business as usual for fiery-haired librarian-on-wheels Hester Freelove McGarrigle. Does the murder have something to do with the wacko book-banning group with which the old woman was entangled? It’s up to Hester and her trail-running, pizza-obsessed neighbor, Detective Nate Darrow, to chase clues all over Oregon’s quirky Rose City. Their mutual connection with Nathaniel Hawthorne, along with Hester’s upchucking Maine Coon cat, build the romantic fizz in this cozy mystery spiked with humor and an authentic Northwest sense of place. A rollicking debut novel from one of Portland’s last bookmobile librarians and her Seattle Times travel-writer husband.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction

191 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2013

About the author

B.B. Cantwell is the pen name for wife-and-husband writing team Barbara and Brian Cantwell. Barbara was one of Portland, Oregon's last bookmobile librarians, a job she loved, giving inspiration for the Portland Bookmobile Mystery series and its debut mystery "Murdermobile." Brian retired as travel and outdoors editor for The Seattle Times. After living for decades on their sailboat on Puget Sound, they are now cozied up in a cabin with two cats in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, a great place to do more writing.

Reviews

[Sidney W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I love bookmobiles and therefore libraries and librarians. I especially love mysteries with humor involving bookmobiles, and have not found many. So, when I heard about Murdermobile, I quickly bought a copy.

As a writer and student of fiction, I was disappointed in the way the story was presented. I was taught to use only one character point of view in a scene and to let the reader know when the point of view character changes. In Murdermobile, the point of view bounces from one character to another as easily as starting a new paragraph.

If that doesn't bother you, you'll find the story itself, as well as the character and settings quite enjoyable. The authors definitely know bookmobiles, and their characters come across as real and interesting.

When I encounter a book with the point of view switching like this one, I hardly ever finish it. The only reason I continued to read this one to the end was because of the bookmobile angle. I'm glad I did.

[Ellie DeFarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1969 and Hester McGarrigle is the librarian on Portland, Oregon’s, last surviving bookmobile. It’s a satisfying job, although she wouldn’t mind getting rid of the do-gooders whose solemn goal is to remove from the children’s section all volumes they consider inappropriate for young and impressionable minds. Needless to say, Hester loses no sleep when the body of one of the group’s leaders is found stuffed into the bookmobile’s small closet. But when evidence mounts that points to her friend and driver, Ethel Pimala, as the killer, Hester is forced to act. “Pim” wouldn’t hurt a fly, and the only way for Hester to prove it is to find the real murderer.

Shaped within the dynamics of a city library, the story presents a likeable heroine, a well-crafted plot, and lively supporting characters. It also offers a scenic tour of Portland and its surrounding areas.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the locale/setting of this book. As I was born in and live close to Portland I am familiar with the locations and have fond memories of the Downtown Portland branch library. I also thought the romance between the main two characters was nicely portrayed. Looking forward to another book in this series.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't super impressed with this. It was an okay story but I felt that Hester wasn't involved enough in the investigation as most of the other cozy characters. It fell short for me and took me longer to read because I was kind of bored with the story.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down until I finished. The story is fast paced with well written characters. I really enjoy a story that keeps me guessing until the end. I really recommend this one.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful debut cozy mystery. (Though there is some implied violence and implied sex.) It takes place in Portland and is a lot of fun. I highly recommend it!

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story - It Would Make a Wwonderful Movie

I LOVED this book! It took me a little while to warm up to the characters, but by the end, I was hooked. The writers did a fantastic job of setting the scene so you appreciate the beauty of the Oregon Gorge and the grandeur of historic landmarks and artwork. I really felt like I was there. The end of the story reminded me of scenes from my favorite movie, North by Northwest. Light and shadow and good guys and bad guys in a spectacular setting with a legacy of its own. I'm looking forward to reading more from these authors.

[Cheryll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a faint memory of a bookmobile from childhood but enough to catch my interest in this book. I also have been to Portland and enjoyed the story's tie-in to local scenery. The story is a typical whodunit with some fun characters and a little romance. I like the imagery of book stacks and the defense of the librarians against book burners.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful treasure to find!

I saw this as a free Kindle book on my Facebook page. I decided to try it, and was pleasantly surprised. Hester and Pim are fun, colorful characters, who made me chuckle throughout the book.
Banned books, A grumpy old lady, and murder are quite the setting for this great book.
I'm off to read the next one.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed "Iced, With Sprinkles" (another in the series) much more. The debut novel felt a bit disjointed, not as smooth a read as their following book. I do love Hester and Pim, so I wanted the first book and backstory for them. I think part of it is the language, feels a bit stiff at times and although I love the setting, it's almost too forced to show the area highlights at times.

[Maryjane Nordgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

silly but fun, very light read

[Camille]

This is a pretty cute story. I’m glad it’s set in the PNW. You don’t find as many mysteries like this set out here.

[Joanne Pruett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might have liked it more if the audio wasn't Virtual Voice.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author for me and I am glad I found her (them!). It was a fun look at a generation gone by. I have never seen a bookmobile before, (even though I am older than the heroine!) so the descriptions of what they are and how they work was an interesting side note to the main story.

An ex-librarian/book burner/book banner is found dead in the bookmobile. Murdered, of course! Our intrepid heroine Hester, the librarian assigned to work with the book mobile, is the one to find the body.

This was a lovely fun story, a quick read perfect to bring on a vacation it was somewhat difficult to figure out 'who-dun-it' and why, but not excessively so. The red herring that was used to throw us off the track didn't ring quite true and was a bit pathetic...although it does make a little bit of sense.

The slow chase scene was totally fun and a great way to come to a conclusion!

I am now down-loading the next installment to this series.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the head librarian is found murdered on the book mobile, the book mobile's librarian has many suspects to choose from in hopes of clearing her dear friend as a suspect. She is aided by an old friend with a secret and a new detective in town. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next installment in the series. The main characters were likable, the plot was plausible, the pace was just right, and the setting seemed nice. My review is short on detail only because my schedule caused me to take about six weeks to read the book, so I can't remember as many details as I'd like. I do wish the main character had a different name, though; it's just way too old-fashioned for my taste. In my head, I've changed it to Scarlet.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new cozy mystery and romance where protagonist is a Librarian on the Bookmobile. This one of the best descriptions of a major city library I have read. Preparing for the day's run Hester and Prim discover the body of the former head librarian DEAD in a closet of the Bookmobile. PRIM is charged with the murder. Hester works with Darrow the lead homicide inspector to clear Prim. I will read the next one in the series.

[Betty]

Murdermobile A new cozy mystery and romance where protagonist is a Librarian on the Bookmobile. This one of the best descriptions of a major city library I have read. Preparing for the day's run Hester and Prim discover the body of the former head librarian DEAD in a closet of the Bookmobile. PRIM is charged with the murder. Hester works with Darrow the lead homicide inspector to clear Prim. I will read the next one in the series.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Portland, Bookmobile driver, Pim, and Hester the Librarian, find retired Head Librarian Sara Duffy's body stuffed in the rear cupboard.

A fast paced murder mystery with the a good helping of the usual twists and turns, that ends with a tension filled solving of the murder. You get to know the characters quite well, including the upchucking cat who upchucked all over the cop and caused him to stay the night at Hester's!! There were some good spots of humour too.

[Stacei · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute Mystery

Murdermobile is a cute and clean mystery. Hester the bookmobile librarian finds the body of the old city librarian on the bookmobile clearly the victim of murder. The new police detective with the help of Hester search for the real killer. The book moved a little slow for me, but all in all it was a good story. I recommend this book for people who want a fairly clean cozy type mystery.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really quick and enjoyable read. Though the mystery wasn't very complicated or surprising, the story was told nicely. I really liked the characters of Hester and Nate. I also really liked the setting of a Bookmobile in Portland. I think it was just the right length, but there wans't as much sleuthing as I thought there would be. I may continue with this series.

[Carole Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful read. Being such a voracious reader and having used a bookmobile when I was in elementary school, I enjoyed the story and the fun ins and outs of a bookmobile. The murder plot was pretty captivating and with a bit of romance thrown in, it was a quick, easy read.

[Gloria Mccracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, light mystery with just a splash of romance. I'd read more by this author.

[Betty Macy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read but a bit uneven
This is one of those times when one wishes for half stars. It is better than a 3 but not quite a 4 .

[Glenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

just ok

[Vykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderfully cozy mystery. This was a thrill ride the character was a Hoot I love, love, love, it.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boring.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters in this novel. The characters are believable and quirky. I really liked the details that made the characters so likable.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky and entertaining. Plus, I could picture many of the Portland locations mentioned.

[T K Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have had this book on my Kindle for years. The April 'Cozy Mysteries' mini-challenge includes Read a book by an author who uses an initial in his/her name so what better time than now to finally dive into this. Kindle edition is only 199 pages so it was a quick read.

It's an okay story with a lot of potential but if I weren't from Portland the many (many, many) references to area landmarks may have distracted too much from the plot. Not sure others would appreciate a story so heavily laden with such minutia.

I read cozies because they are light entertainment. Generally do not even really try to figure out the perpetrator, just enjoy the story as it unfolds. With this book I was sure of the culprit with over 30% of the book left. The author was a bit heavy handed in trying to drop a couple of red herrings but the final outcome was clear early on. Guessing this is difference between an excellent mystery writer and one who simply follows the dots to complete the book.