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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #16
Lost in a Book
Lost in a Book is the sixteenth book in The Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
Hannah Prentiss has her hands full running her restaurant, the Hot Spot, but she always makes time to help someone in need. So when her best friend, Lacy Minyard, mentions that her husband is struggling to step away from his bookstore, Legend & Key, to be home with Lacy and their newborn, Hannah volunteers to work at the store. But Hannah never could have predicted the mystery she finds between the pages!
When Hannah and the bookstore's newest employee dig into a box of old books, they find an autographed photo of Judy Garland with a personalized note inside a 1945 edition of Black Beauty. But shortly after they discover the photo, it's stolen right off Neil's desk! As Hannah works to track down the thief, she soon learns that the photo once belonged to Neil's grandmother, and that this isn't the first time the photograph has been stolen. History is repeating itself, but this time it's up to Hannah to figure out why…and to make sure the culprit doesn't get away!
Hannah Prentiss has her hands full running her restaurant, the Hot Spot, but she always makes time to help someone in need. So when her best friend, Lacy Minyard, mentions that her husband is struggling to step away from his bookstore, Legend & Key, to be home with Lacy and their newborn, Hannah volunteers to work at the store. But Hannah never could have predicted the mystery she finds between the pages!
When Hannah and the bookstore's newest employee dig into a box of old books, they find an autographed photo of Judy Garland with a personalized note inside a 1945 edition of Black Beauty. But shortly after they discover the photo, it's stolen right off Neil's desk! As Hannah works to track down the thief, she soon learns that the photo once belonged to Neil's grandmother, and that this isn't the first time the photograph has been stolen. History is repeating itself, but this time it's up to Hannah to figure out why…and to make sure the culprit doesn't get away!
- GenresMystery
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2026
About the author
Becky Melby
39 books51 followersWisconsin resident Becky Melby is the author of more than 20 titles, including her latest, Candles in the Rain, plus the Lost Sanctuary Series, four books in the Guideposts cozy mystery series Secrets of Wayfarers Inn, and a novella in A Door County Christmas. Married for 48 years, mother of four, grandmother to sixteen, Becky thrives on writing, reading, camping, rides on the back of a silver Gold Wing, and time with family. Connect with her at www.beckymelby.com or Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 3, 2026
4 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“Hannah Prentiss has her hands full running her restaurant, the Hot Spot, but she always makes time to help someone in need. So when her best friend, Lacy Minyard, mentions that her husband is struggling to step away from his bookstore, Legend & Key, to be home with Lacy and their newborn, Hannah volunteers to work at the store. But Hannah never could have predicted the mystery she finds between the pages!
When Hannah and the bookstore's newest employee dig into a box of old books, they find an autographed photo of Judy Garland with a personalized note inside a 1945 edition of Black Beauty. But shortly after they discover the photo, it's stolen right off Neil's desk! As Hannah works to track down the thief, she soon learns that the photo once belonged to Neil's grandmother, and that this isn't the first time the photograph has been stolen. History is repeating itself, but this time it's up to Hannah to figure out why…and to make sure the culprit doesn't get away!”
Series: Book #16 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, Book #12, Book #13, Book #14, and Book #15!
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, quoted, discussed, & thought about; Prayers; Devotional reading; Talks about God, having faith, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, faiths, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies, & devotionals; Mentions of those & events from the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, youth groups, church events, pastors, & sermons; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of Heaven; A mention of praise music; A quote by Charles Spurgeon;
*Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A few mentions of things tasting or sounding heavenly; A couple mentions of aliens.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’ and two ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling; Eavesdropping; Grief (Hannah for her late mother); Mentions of deaths & grief (including Hannah for her mother); Mentions of wars & soldiers being missing in action; Mentions of a missing father (some think he has left his family, was a criminal, or was a spy); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of jails & arrests; Mentions of alcohol, bootleggers, & smugglers; Mentions of fires; Mentions of children having polio, going through treatments, solitary confinement, & life-long side effects; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy & hatred; A few mentions of men/fathers leaving their families; A few mentions of break-ins; A couple mentions of someone going into anaphylactic shock (Book 9); A couple mentions of a motorcycle accident; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of divorces; A couple mentions of a teen girl thinking about sneaking out and ditching school to visit a friend (which her mom wouldn’t approve of; it’s implied she doesn’t do it); A mention of a murder mystery; A mention of someone possibly being poisoned; A mention of smoking; A mention of a young boy having “some anxiety issues” after his father left their family; A mention of parents always fighting (due to money being tight);
*Note: Many mentions of celebrities, actresses/actors, movies, songs, & singers (Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Dinah Shore, Spencer Tracy, Mickie Rooney, George Clooney, Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, Fanny Brice, Johnnie Ray, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Boys Town’, ‘Hans Christian Andersen’, ‘Till the Clouds Roll By’, ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’, ‘My Old Kentucky Home’, ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, & ‘Look for the Silver Lining’); Mentions of books, authors, & fictional characters (‘Anne of Green Gables’, ‘Heidi’, ‘Pollyanna’s Castle in Mexico’, ‘Black Beauty’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Henry Huggins’ by Beverly Cleary, ‘My Friend Flicka’, ‘The Midnight Horse’, ‘Confusion by Cupid’, ‘Star Dream’, ‘Don’t Cry Little Girl’, ‘It’s a Date’, ‘Boy Trouble’, ‘The Choosing’ by Rachelle Dekker, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘Mrs. Mike’, ‘Breakfast of Champions’ by Kurt Vonnegut, ‘Atlas Shrugged’, ‘Mere Christianity’, L.M. Montgomery, Anna Sewell, L. Frank Baum, Lee Israel, William Faulkner, Margaret Mitchell, Ernest Hemingway, John Grisham, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Scarlett O’Hara, Winnie the Pooh, Poirot, & Sherlock); Mentions of brand names (Butterfinger candy bars, Jell-O, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Maybelline, Monopoly, & Tiffany lamps); A few mentions of car brands; A mention of a website (Etsy); A mention of Boy Scouts; A mention of the polio vaccine.
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss, three not-detailed kisses, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); A teen boy is smitten with an older girl (he is sixteen and she is eighteen), but she doesn’t feel anything except friendship towards him; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & break-ups; Mentions of flirting, crushes, & being smitten; Mentions of romance books; A few mentions of married and engaged couples sharing kisses; A few mentions of a teen girl calling a man “dreamy”; A few mentions of teen girls being interested in boys; Some love, being in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A couple mentions of hormones after giving birth.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. of Hannah
4 Letters from 1953
271 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
After finishing the previous book in this series, I’ve been looking forward to reading the next book. Not really because of the mystery (though it was interesting), but because of the changes happening in Hannah’s life and her friend group. The last chapter made me tear up at its sweetness and ended wonderfully. This series has had a great cast of side characters with all of Hannah’s family and friends and have made this series so much more enjoyable. I did get a bit lost at times with all the different characters introduced (and their funny double letter names like DD, BB, JJ, and KK), but still enjoyed this book overall.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Hannah Prentiss has her hands full running her restaurant, the Hot Spot, but she always makes time to help someone in need. So when her best friend, Lacy Minyard, mentions that her husband is struggling to step away from his bookstore, Legend & Key, to be home with Lacy and their newborn, Hannah volunteers to work at the store. But Hannah never could have predicted the mystery she finds between the pages!
When Hannah and the bookstore's newest employee dig into a box of old books, they find an autographed photo of Judy Garland with a personalized note inside a 1945 edition of Black Beauty. But shortly after they discover the photo, it's stolen right off Neil's desk! As Hannah works to track down the thief, she soon learns that the photo once belonged to Neil's grandmother, and that this isn't the first time the photograph has been stolen. History is repeating itself, but this time it's up to Hannah to figure out why…and to make sure the culprit doesn't get away!”
Series: Book #16 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, Book #12, Book #13, Book #14, and Book #15!
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, quoted, discussed, & thought about; Prayers; Devotional reading; Talks about God, having faith, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, faiths, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, Bible studies, & devotionals; Mentions of those & events from the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, youth groups, church events, pastors, & sermons; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of Heaven; A mention of praise music; A quote by Charles Spurgeon;
*Note: Mentions of luck & being lucky; A few mentions of things tasting or sounding heavenly; A couple mentions of aliens.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’ and two ‘stupid’s; Eye rolling; Eavesdropping; Grief (Hannah for her late mother); Mentions of deaths & grief (including Hannah for her mother); Mentions of wars & soldiers being missing in action; Mentions of a missing father (some think he has left his family, was a criminal, or was a spy); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of jails & arrests; Mentions of alcohol, bootleggers, & smugglers; Mentions of fires; Mentions of children having polio, going through treatments, solitary confinement, & life-long side effects; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy & hatred; A few mentions of men/fathers leaving their families; A few mentions of break-ins; A couple mentions of someone going into anaphylactic shock (Book 9); A couple mentions of a motorcycle accident; A couple mentions of gambling; A couple mentions of divorces; A couple mentions of a teen girl thinking about sneaking out and ditching school to visit a friend (which her mom wouldn’t approve of; it’s implied she doesn’t do it); A mention of a murder mystery; A mention of someone possibly being poisoned; A mention of smoking; A mention of a young boy having “some anxiety issues” after his father left their family; A mention of parents always fighting (due to money being tight);
*Note: Many mentions of celebrities, actresses/actors, movies, songs, & singers (Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Dinah Shore, Spencer Tracy, Mickie Rooney, George Clooney, Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, Fanny Brice, Johnnie Ray, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Boys Town’, ‘Hans Christian Andersen’, ‘Till the Clouds Roll By’, ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’, ‘My Old Kentucky Home’, ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, & ‘Look for the Silver Lining’); Mentions of books, authors, & fictional characters (‘Anne of Green Gables’, ‘Heidi’, ‘Pollyanna’s Castle in Mexico’, ‘Black Beauty’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Henry Huggins’ by Beverly Cleary, ‘My Friend Flicka’, ‘The Midnight Horse’, ‘Confusion by Cupid’, ‘Star Dream’, ‘Don’t Cry Little Girl’, ‘It’s a Date’, ‘Boy Trouble’, ‘The Choosing’ by Rachelle Dekker, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘Mrs. Mike’, ‘Breakfast of Champions’ by Kurt Vonnegut, ‘Atlas Shrugged’, ‘Mere Christianity’, L.M. Montgomery, Anna Sewell, L. Frank Baum, Lee Israel, William Faulkner, Margaret Mitchell, Ernest Hemingway, John Grisham, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Scarlett O’Hara, Winnie the Pooh, Poirot, & Sherlock); Mentions of brand names (Butterfinger candy bars, Jell-O, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Maybelline, Monopoly, & Tiffany lamps); A few mentions of car brands; A mention of a website (Etsy); A mention of Boy Scouts; A mention of the polio vaccine.
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss, three not-detailed kisses, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Some touches, embraces, hand holding, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); A teen boy is smitten with an older girl (he is sixteen and she is eighteen), but she doesn’t feel anything except friendship towards him; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, & break-ups; Mentions of flirting, crushes, & being smitten; Mentions of romance books; A few mentions of married and engaged couples sharing kisses; A few mentions of a teen girl calling a man “dreamy”; A few mentions of teen girls being interested in boys; Some love, being in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A couple mentions of hormones after giving birth.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 36
P.O.V. of Hannah
4 Letters from 1953
271 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
After finishing the previous book in this series, I’ve been looking forward to reading the next book. Not really because of the mystery (though it was interesting), but because of the changes happening in Hannah’s life and her friend group. The last chapter made me tear up at its sweetness and ended wonderfully. This series has had a great cast of side characters with all of Hannah’s family and friends and have made this series so much more enjoyable. I did get a bit lost at times with all the different characters introduced (and their funny double letter names like DD, BB, JJ, and KK), but still enjoyed this book overall.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
June 12, 2026
Another fun addition to the Blackberry Valley mysteries. Melby does a great job at keeping the reader guessing who stole the painting, weaving the historical timeline with the modern day happenings, and keeping Hannah guessing about her bridal shower! Can't wait for the next book!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews