What do you think?
Rate this book
Bibliophile Mystery #14
The Grim Reader
San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright was hoping for a fun, relaxing weekend at a local book fair, but a murderer made other plans in the latest in this New York Times bestselling series.
Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma's first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn's mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she's got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn't enough, she and Meg--Derek's mom--will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.
Brooklyn couldn't be prouder of her mom's do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn's nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.
Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma's first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn's mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she's got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn't enough, she and Meg--Derek's mom--will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.
Brooklyn couldn't be prouder of her mom's do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn's nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 23, 2020
479 people are currently reading
1495 people want to read
About the author
Kate Carlisle
98 books2,814 followersGolden Heart and Daphne du Maurier Award winning author Kate Carlisle spent over twenty years working in television production as an Associate Director for game and variety shows, including The Midnight Special, Solid Gold and The Gong Show. She traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show. She also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that Kate spends most of her time writing near the beach in Southern California where she lives with her perfect husband.
A lifelong love of old books and an appreciation of the art of bookbinding led Kate to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. Kate is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She loves to drink good wine and watch other people cook.
Despite the appearance of overnight success, Kate's dream of publication took many, many years to fulfill.
A lifelong love of old books and an appreciation of the art of bookbinding led Kate to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. Kate is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She loves to drink good wine and watch other people cook.
Despite the appearance of overnight success, Kate's dream of publication took many, many years to fulfill.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
July 30, 2025
The Grim Reader is the 14th book in Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile Mysteries. I've read all the previous ones plus another series that the author has written. Both are great, and I'm excited to almost reach the current release in this one now too. I'll be reading it soon so I'm able to jump right on the June 2022 one when it's available. Brooklyn and Dylan investigate book crimes... well sort of. He runs a security firm. She's a specialty bookbinder. Yet every time she gets her hands on an expensive book or visits an old friend, they turn up dead! In this one, luckily, she doesn't find the body. But both her and Derek's mothers do! The duo returns to Dharma, a wine town near Sonoma, to escape SF for two weeks... and soon after attending the town meeting where the upcoming book festival is being discussed, a ruckus breaks out. There are two sides - those who want Brooklyn's mother to continue running the show, and those who don't like the woman. Someone else ends up dead, and the suspects are aplenty. Great cast in this book. Lots of diverging angles. Kept my interest, plus I do like when we get to meet more of Brooklyn's family. Another winner... one of the better ones in the series... and I am feeling great about the series these days!
June 1, 2020
Brooklyn is back in this 14th book in the Bibliophile mystery series. Brooklyn is a book-restoration expert who occasionally gets involved with a murder mystery. In this book, Brooklyn and her husband are visiting Dharma, a small town in California's wine country. They are gearing up for Dharma's first book festival, and Brooklyn's mother is organizing the event. Everything seems to be going well... until someone on the festival committee is murdered. Brooklyn is on the case to find the killer.
Likable characters in a charming setting. I haven't read all of the books in this series, but it is one I try to read in order. As with most series, it helps better understand backstories. Still, The Grim Reader can be read as a standalone.
An engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoy cozies that involve books, so I usually like the books in this series. In addition to books, there is also a lot of talk about wine in The Grim Reader. A recommended read for fans of cozies featuring books and wine. Delightful and fun.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Likable characters in a charming setting. I haven't read all of the books in this series, but it is one I try to read in order. As with most series, it helps better understand backstories. Still, The Grim Reader can be read as a standalone.
An engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoy cozies that involve books, so I usually like the books in this series. In addition to books, there is also a lot of talk about wine in The Grim Reader. A recommended read for fans of cozies featuring books and wine. Delightful and fun.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2020
The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle is another fantastic addition to this cozy mystery series. I was excited when my library notified me that the book was ready for me to pickup because I knew that in this one I was going to get to go back to Dharma, CA with Brooklyn and Derek.
A quickly paced plot, a chance to visit with old friends, books to repair, two murders to solve and a lovely little surprise for Brooklyn from Derek at the end made this a perfect afternoon read for me. Ms. Carlisle's writing is so comfortable for me as I spend days with her characters and never notice the passage of time "in the real world" that I hate when I come to the end of one of her books. If I could move to Dharma and become part of the Wainwright family, I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank you, Ms. Carlisle, for another adventure.
A quickly paced plot, a chance to visit with old friends, books to repair, two murders to solve and a lovely little surprise for Brooklyn from Derek at the end made this a perfect afternoon read for me. Ms. Carlisle's writing is so comfortable for me as I spend days with her characters and never notice the passage of time "in the real world" that I hate when I come to the end of one of her books. If I could move to Dharma and become part of the Wainwright family, I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank you, Ms. Carlisle, for another adventure.
July 30, 2020
Brooklyn and her husband are excited to be part of their town’s book festival. Brooklyn’s mother is in charge. They plan a play of Little Woman. Brooklyn is given a first edition of Little woman in bad shape to repair. The treasurer of the festival is found dead and 70,000 dollars are missing. An unpleasant woman is blaming Brooklyn’s mother. After attempts on her mother’s life, Brooklyn is fearful for here mother’s life and wants to solve the case.
August 22, 2020
3.5 stars
It was nice to see that Brooklyn & Derek have settled into married life. And it's definitely not boring what w/all the trouble Brooklyn & her family/friends wander into. I liked that even Derek's parents get involved in the melee.
Brooklyn has once again found a dead body but this time will it be related to a book?
it moved slowly but it was a really good mystery.
lots of characters so lots of suspects.
It was nice to see that Brooklyn & Derek have settled into married life. And it's definitely not boring what w/all the trouble Brooklyn & her family/friends wander into. I liked that even Derek's parents get involved in the melee.
Brooklyn has once again found a dead body but this time will it be related to a book?
it moved slowly but it was a really good mystery.
lots of characters so lots of suspects.
May 14, 2020
I've read one other book in this series - this is the 14th - and because I enjoyed the story and characters in that one (the 13th) so much, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an advance review copy through NetGalley). I liked this one as well, albeit not quite as much.
In part, I think, it's because main character Brooklyn Wainwright and her new husband and security consultant Derek Stone, somehow seemed more subdued here. And, there didn't seem to be as much emphasis on the how-tos of Brooklyn's work as a bookbinder who specializes in rare book restoration (details in the previous book were fascinating to me, and I'd looked forward to learning more). In fact, Brooklyn, who narrates the story, wasn't even identified until the 11% mark on my Kindle. Another intriguing character popped in and out, but I never found out from whence he came. Because he always calls Brooklyn "Babe," it actually crossed my mind that Ranger, Stephanie Plum's hunky temptation in the popular series by Janet Evanovich, had somehow morphed into this series under a pseudonym).
Once Brooklyn was properly identified, however, it was pretty much all systems go the rest of the way. She and Derek are back in Dharma, where her flower-child-like parents live amid the wineries of California's Sonoma region. Her mother is heading up the community's first annual Book Festival, which will be followed a week later by the grape harvest (her parents own a vineyard). Relationships are strained among some of the committee members, and one particularly nasty character - who's been buying up nearly foreclosed wineries in the area and turning them into producers of (gasp!) box wine - actually threatens Brooklyn's mother at one of the committee meetings.
Not long after the meeting, Brooklyn's mother and Derek's mother find a dead body in the town hall - he's the treasurer for the festival. Further investigation reveals that the committee's bank account - about $70,000 - has vanished. Meanwhile, a local bookstore owner gave a raggedy old copy of "Little Women" to Brooklyn to restore, with the intent to sell it by silent auction at the festival (readers do get a bit of details on the restoration process). Still another murder follows, and from that point on, everything is focused on making the festival a success and finding out who the murderer is - ideally before some other character bites the dust.
All in all it's an engaging experience, although I'd suggest that newbies read others in the series before tackling this one. That said, the recipes for some of the goodies mentioned in the story are at the end for those who are into such things (truthfully, they sound absolutely delicious; but anything with more than three ingredients doesn't get made at our house). And absolutely, I'll be watching for the next installment!
In part, I think, it's because main character Brooklyn Wainwright and her new husband and security consultant Derek Stone, somehow seemed more subdued here. And, there didn't seem to be as much emphasis on the how-tos of Brooklyn's work as a bookbinder who specializes in rare book restoration (details in the previous book were fascinating to me, and I'd looked forward to learning more). In fact, Brooklyn, who narrates the story, wasn't even identified until the 11% mark on my Kindle. Another intriguing character popped in and out, but I never found out from whence he came. Because he always calls Brooklyn "Babe," it actually crossed my mind that Ranger, Stephanie Plum's hunky temptation in the popular series by Janet Evanovich, had somehow morphed into this series under a pseudonym).
Once Brooklyn was properly identified, however, it was pretty much all systems go the rest of the way. She and Derek are back in Dharma, where her flower-child-like parents live amid the wineries of California's Sonoma region. Her mother is heading up the community's first annual Book Festival, which will be followed a week later by the grape harvest (her parents own a vineyard). Relationships are strained among some of the committee members, and one particularly nasty character - who's been buying up nearly foreclosed wineries in the area and turning them into producers of (gasp!) box wine - actually threatens Brooklyn's mother at one of the committee meetings.
Not long after the meeting, Brooklyn's mother and Derek's mother find a dead body in the town hall - he's the treasurer for the festival. Further investigation reveals that the committee's bank account - about $70,000 - has vanished. Meanwhile, a local bookstore owner gave a raggedy old copy of "Little Women" to Brooklyn to restore, with the intent to sell it by silent auction at the festival (readers do get a bit of details on the restoration process). Still another murder follows, and from that point on, everything is focused on making the festival a success and finding out who the murderer is - ideally before some other character bites the dust.
All in all it's an engaging experience, although I'd suggest that newbies read others in the series before tackling this one. That said, the recipes for some of the goodies mentioned in the story are at the end for those who are into such things (truthfully, they sound absolutely delicious; but anything with more than three ingredients doesn't get made at our house). And absolutely, I'll be watching for the next installment!
June 18, 2020
THE GRIM READER is book fourteen in the Bibliophile Mystery series and although all the mysteries can be read as a standalone, I always suggest reading this series in order because some of the scenes mentioned other parts in the other books. Plus, you can see the romance develop between Brooklyn and Derek, her husband.
Now, after the last book, which became one of my favorite books of 2019, I was really looking forward to see what Kate Carlisle would do next. This time, Brooklyn and Derek are in Dharma at a book festival.
I felt like this book progressed a little more slowly than I would like. Especially in the beginning, it takes a while for things to really get moving. However, I do still enjoy Carlisle’s easy writing and flow. She creates a sense of community really well in this series and it’s nice to see different relationships unfold with their mothers.
I’ve noticed that the books are becoming more and more intense in terms of the mysteries now. I guess that comes with writing so many books in the series. But things are not so over-the-top that they aren’t believable, so I really enjoy that aspect of the book. I look forward to seeing what Kate Carlisle releases next.
June 2, 2020
Brooklyn and her husband Derek are off to Dharma to not only visit family but Brooklyn is also go I g to be a part of the town's first annual Book Festival. Brooklyn's mom is in charge of the entire festival bringing in most of the town to be a part of it all. Brooklyn will have her own booth doing book appraisals, a fun craft for children and showing off her skills with book repair. When a local business man interrupts the meeting of the committee members working on the festival and threatens Brooklyn's mom she is ready to jump in and defend. Her mom handles the situation admirably but it still leaves a bad taste in Brooklyn's mouth. Things go from bad to worse When a committee member is murdered and it looks like he stole all the Festival's funds. Brooklyn steps in to help her mom not only in investigating the man's death but also financially so that the festival can go on. After her mom is almost run over she realizes that she must dig deeper before those she loves end up hurt or worse dead. Follow along as Brooklyn and Derek take the investigation into their own hands in hopes of finding out the identity of the killer before he harms anyone else!
December 14, 2020
One of My Favorite In The Series
I was so happy that I finally picked up this series and binged read it through out the year. These are all terrific characters and I love returning to visit with each new adventure. This time around I love that it was the mom's that found the body. It was a new adventure for them. I also enjoy that we get to spend more time in Dharma. I am looking forward to many more books in the series.
I was so happy that I finally picked up this series and binged read it through out the year. These are all terrific characters and I love returning to visit with each new adventure. This time around I love that it was the mom's that found the body. It was a new adventure for them. I also enjoy that we get to spend more time in Dharma. I am looking forward to many more books in the series.
August 18, 2020
Brooklyn's mother is in charge of organizing the First Annual Dharma Book Festival; the theme is centered on the book "Little Women" During a contentious board meeting, she is threatened by a wealthy businessman who is determined to derail the event if he is not allowed to join the board. Brooklyn tries to focus on a book repair project of an old copy of Little Women by the local bookstore owner--secretive about how he obtained the tome. When the treasurer is murdered and the festival's finances are questioned, Brooklyn and her new husband Derek join forces with local police to catch the killer before anyone else, especially her mother, is harmed.
I've read every one in this fourteen book series and have enjoyed them all. This one is a real family affair, with Derek's parents, Brooklyn's family all involved, her neighbors in San Francisco commissioned for a wood sculpture placed at the festival. Her parents own a successful winery so there is plenty of food and drink for everyone. While I enjoyed the characters comfort with each other, I would have preferred more focus on the Little Women book, her bookbinding skills. The mystery seems to get a bit sidetracked.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book. My review is voluntary.
I've read every one in this fourteen book series and have enjoyed them all. This one is a real family affair, with Derek's parents, Brooklyn's family all involved, her neighbors in San Francisco commissioned for a wood sculpture placed at the festival. Her parents own a successful winery so there is plenty of food and drink for everyone. While I enjoyed the characters comfort with each other, I would have preferred more focus on the Little Women book, her bookbinding skills. The mystery seems to get a bit sidetracked.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book. My review is voluntary.
June 12, 2020
I love it when a new bibliophile mystery by Kate Carlisle is released. I opened the box and began reading right then and there. Kate Carlisle’s The Grim Reader (Bibliophile Mystery #14) is set in California’s wine country and Dharma, the place where Brooklyn Wainwright, the protagonist and bookbinder, was raised. Dharma is having a book festival, and Brooklyn and her husband, Commander Derek Stone have arrived for the festival, but where Brooklyn goes, dead bodies seem to appear. This festival is no different. The whole town of Dharma is involved with the book festival along with Brooklyn and Derek’s families. The characters just come to life for me, and I feel that they are my friends. Thus, I find comfortable spot and jump into the story. So very enjoyable. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
July 1, 2020
It's book festival time in Brooklyn's hometown and her mother is chairing the committee. Unfortunately someone is out to take over the committee one dead body at a time and it looks like Brooklyn's mom is the focus of a diabolical person's rage. Brooklyn and Derek must hurry to solve the mystery or the next dead body they stumble over may be one way too close to home. I absolutely love this series! The characters are so real that they feel like old friends rather than book characters and the plots are well written to delight and entertain! I can't wait to see what comes next for my favorite book friends!
August 14, 2020
I had forgotten I had read a couple of these books a while ago and forgot why I didn’t like them . this book reminded me right away ! The plot was great and I love the town but the people are just sickeningly sweet :( there are not any people like this in the world , there are no relationships like this in the world and I couldn’t take it ! I will not read another one sadly💔
May 29, 2020
The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle is the 14th A Bibliophile Mystery. I have read each book in this entertaining series, but The Grim Reader can be read as a standalone (but, really, why would you want to). I have enjoyed following Brooklyn from the very beginning. Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder who specializes in rare books. She lives in San Francisco with her dashing husband, Derek Stone and their adorable cat, Charlie. Derek and Brooklyn are in Dharma, Brooklyn’s hometown, for the first annual Dharma Book Festival. This festival is featuring Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and will include a one-night performance of Little Women—the musical (it was performed on Broadway). Brooklyn’s mother, Becky Wainwright is co-chair of the festival committee and she has been having a difficult time with Jacob Banyan. Jacob has been acquiring wineries in the area by dubious means and turning their fine vintage into a box wine which has the other winery owners up in arms. Jacob threatens Becky more than once in an attempt to get his way. I like that all the women in the Wainwright family are strong and creative. Brooklyn is a spitfire just like her mother. The Grim Reader contains Kate Carlisle’s signature writing style which is engaging. The story is narrated by Brooklyn. I was quickly drawn into the book which moved along at a quick page. The mystery was intriguing with a murder or two, an attempt on Becky’s life, and missing money. While I narrowed in on my choice of killer early on, my interest did not wane. I kept turning the pages quickly so I could see how the whodunit would play out. The reveal scene was a delightful and creative. The dialogue is witty and provided me with many laughs. Brooklyn does a little book restoration in this story, but not as much as in other books. I missed Brooklyn doing a creative, unique paper project. Of course, Brooklyn is busy visiting family, preparing for the festival, keeping her mother safe, playing with Charlie, and repairing a first edition copy of Little Women. There are some delectable culinary delights in this book that will have your mouth watering. Thankfully, there are recipes at the end of the book. There are some great tidbits regarding Little Women in the book. The Grim Reader is a story that takes me on a journey into Brooklyn’s world that I was sad to see end. I cannot wait for the next A Bibliophile Mystery to come out next year. My favorite line comes from Brooklyn when she said, “Couldn’t we stumble across a poisoning once in a while.” Poor Brooklyn has an aversion to blood. One of Brooklyn’s other lines that had me laughing is, “So suck it up buttercup.” The Grim Reader is a compelling cozy mystery with a big bully, committee chaos, beaucoup blood, missing money, a bounty of books, and a fun festival.
February 6, 2024
4 stelle e mezza
Questa è una delle mie serie preferite, infatti sono quasi in pari con la lettura pur avendola iniziata solo pochi anni fa. Per quanto riguarda questo libro, il mistero era abbastanza intrigante: un morto che forse aveva rubato dei soldi, un attentato alla vita della madre della protagonista, un altro morto che non si incastrava col resto e, ovviamente, un libro raro che non si capiva cosa c'entrasse col resto. Ho avuto qualche difficoltà a districare il tutto, anche se non ho accantonato la persona poi risultata colpevole come hanno fatto tutti i personaggi.
Questa è una delle mie serie preferite, infatti sono quasi in pari con la lettura pur avendola iniziata solo pochi anni fa. Per quanto riguarda questo libro, il mistero era abbastanza intrigante: un morto che forse aveva rubato dei soldi, un attentato alla vita della madre della protagonista, un altro morto che non si incastrava col resto e, ovviamente, un libro raro che non si capiva cosa c'entrasse col resto. Ho avuto qualche difficoltà a districare il tutto, anche se non ho accantonato la persona poi risultata colpevole come hanno fatto tutti i personaggi.
June 17, 2020
Love
Perfect book right now. I love how upbeat everyone in this series is and I'm always excited for the next to come out!!
Perfect book right now. I love how upbeat everyone in this series is and I'm always excited for the next to come out!!
August 20, 2020
Another visit with my favorite bookbinder, her dreamy husband, and the rest of her wacky cohorts. I look forward to each and every installment.
What I liked about The Grim Reader:
The setting - I love the descriptions of the time spent in Dharma. They are so rich and vivid that I can picture the landscape and the charming town.
Derek - What can I say? ::shrug:: Is it possible to have a crush on a character in a book? ::smirk:: (Rhetorical question.) I just love the way Derek is written, the way he treats Brooklyn and their families. Plus he's an international agent of mystery.
All the characters - Fourteen books into this series, we've acquired quite a collection of characters who have continued to make appearances. Most of them managed to show up in this book. It might have felt overwhelming except that they were already familiar and instead, it felt like a reunion.
The mystery - It was lively. It took a slightly different tone than normal. It was multi-layered but not out of the realm of figuring out the culprit and the motive.
What I didn't care for:
Brooklyn's demeanor - While I think it was intended for Brooklyn to be demonstrating protective qualities, she came across as more defensive and bitter, at least to me, which I found somewhat out-of-character and off-putting.
Minor inconsistencies - Such as a character present to start a scene that had seemingly vanished without a trace by the scene's closing, or breakfast meal components that seemed to change, mid-chew. Nothing major that affected the plot or ruined the book. Just little things that grabbed at me, I guess proving that I pay attention while I read.
Overall, another good book in a series I adore. Already looking forward to whatever adventures lay ahead for Brooklyn and Derek in book fifteen!
What I liked about The Grim Reader:
The setting - I love the descriptions of the time spent in Dharma. They are so rich and vivid that I can picture the landscape and the charming town.
Derek - What can I say? ::shrug:: Is it possible to have a crush on a character in a book? ::smirk:: (Rhetorical question.) I just love the way Derek is written, the way he treats Brooklyn and their families. Plus he's an international agent of mystery.
All the characters - Fourteen books into this series, we've acquired quite a collection of characters who have continued to make appearances. Most of them managed to show up in this book. It might have felt overwhelming except that they were already familiar and instead, it felt like a reunion.
The mystery - It was lively. It took a slightly different tone than normal. It was multi-layered but not out of the realm of figuring out the culprit and the motive.
What I didn't care for:
Brooklyn's demeanor - While I think it was intended for Brooklyn to be demonstrating protective qualities, she came across as more defensive and bitter, at least to me, which I found somewhat out-of-character and off-putting.
Minor inconsistencies - Such as a character present to start a scene that had seemingly vanished without a trace by the scene's closing, or breakfast meal components that seemed to change, mid-chew. Nothing major that affected the plot or ruined the book. Just little things that grabbed at me, I guess proving that I pay attention while I read.
Overall, another good book in a series I adore. Already looking forward to whatever adventures lay ahead for Brooklyn and Derek in book fifteen!
June 7, 2020
Got close to the end
Couldn’t finish it, started skimming the chapters before I completely stopped. Do not recall being annoyed previously with this series. Too many “I love you. I love you too.” “Everyone loves..” “made me love him even more” it was like she had to tell us they were loved or liked. The actions for these feelings were pretty nonexistent. I like romance but I guess this was just too sappy this time around. I didn’t feel invested in these characters like I have with series before. The mystery was dull as well for me. I’ll have to try finish this one at another time.
Couldn’t finish it, started skimming the chapters before I completely stopped. Do not recall being annoyed previously with this series. Too many “I love you. I love you too.” “Everyone loves..” “made me love him even more” it was like she had to tell us they were loved or liked. The actions for these feelings were pretty nonexistent. I like romance but I guess this was just too sappy this time around. I didn’t feel invested in these characters like I have with series before. The mystery was dull as well for me. I’ll have to try finish this one at another time.
October 25, 2020
All the women are beautiful. All the men are stunningly handsome. All the food is divine. The mothers are perfect, the sisters are perfect, the family is perfect together, everyone loves everyone. Except the three outsiders who don't know how to be nice. Just too much fantasy for me.
June 15, 2020
This was definitely not my favorite, way too much tarot, psychic gibberish or maybe I just got tired of it.
June 11, 2025
This was a good cozy mystery story! I haven’t read her other books but wouldn’t mind doing so, I like the way she writes and it’s very easy to read which i appreciate because sometimes when books are too verbose it can make it difficult to get through. however 4 stars instead of 5 because i wasn’t really “shocked” by the ending, i guessed the murderer at about 75-80% completion which obviously is not bad but still the last bit of the book wasn’t super crazy for me. i overall liked this book and the recipes in the back were really cool. would read from this author again.
June 18, 2021
This story is set in the town of Dharma where the main character of Brooklyn Wainwright grew up. She and her husband have returned for the first book festival. Brooklyn's mother is the person in charge and she is being threatened. This time the murders seem to be not involved with the book that Brooklyn is repairing. The book was a quick easy read.
June 23, 2020
The setting is wonderful. A bookfare and a murder. Brooklyn and Derek try to find out who the murderer is before her mom becomes a victim. Well written and surprising finish. Looking for more books in this series.
April 20, 2020
A fun cozy set at a book festival. I look forward to reading more in this series. I really enjoyed Brooklyn and her family as well as the small town setting.
December 18, 2020
Brooklyn Wainwright and her husband Derek Stone are going back to visit the small community of Dharma, California, where Brooklyn grew up. Dharma is having their first annual Book Festival, and Brooklyn will be one of the vendors, teaching children how to make accordion books and appraising books for people. She's excited once again to see her family, and Derek's mom and dad have recently purchased a summer home there, since one of their sons is living with Brooklyn's sister, and Derek's mom Meg has become best friends with Brooklyn's mom Becky.
After they arrive they decide to surprise Becky at the festival meeting that she's chairing are are surprised themselves when a big man is standing in front of the group and starts arguing with Becky. Brooklyn and Derek are stunned, but watch the action, happy that Becky can hold her own. The man storms out, and they learn he's Jacob Banyan, and he's been buying up wineries in the county only to turn the wine into boxed wine instead of the fine wine like that produced by Brooklyn's family. He's angry because he's not being allowed into the festival to hawk his boxed wine, and is determined to take it out on the committee members, including Lawson Schmidt, whom he says something cryptic to before leaving.
But Becky is excited that for this first festival they are putting on a musical version of Little Women, and they've managed to snag an ex-Hollywood movie star for the role of Marmee. Everyone's excited about the festival, and Brooklyn is also, though she's happier just to have family and friends around her.
Unfortunately, things aren't going the way they're planned. There's more confrontations with Banyan, her mother has become a target of someone, and then there's a murder...one where Becky and Meg have found the body. Now everyone is on edge, and Brooklyn is trying to protect her mother with people watching her round-the-clock. But when a second murder occurs, the ante is upped and she knows that not only is there a killer out there, but her beloved mom is in danger, and Brooklyn will do whatever it takes to protect her...
This is the fourteenth book in the series, and I do believe that it's just getting better every time. I discovered this series mid-way, and I'm enjoying going back to the beginning 'where it all started.' Saying that, you can see how much I love it. In this book, we get to know more about Becky, which is nice. She has both an inner and outer strength, which she passed on to Brooklyn, but Becky, for her part, isn't bothered by anything little like blood which still makes Brooklyn queasy. (Blood doesn't bother me, either, but my husband isn't real fond of it, ha!)
We learn a little more about about the place Brooklyn grew up, which everyone thinks was a commune but really wasn't, and of course, the author reiterates how Brooklyn and her siblings got their names, which is always nice. I also like how the relationship between Meg and Becky has gotten stronger; and I've always found it funny that Becky is proud of Brooklyn not only for who she is, but the fact that she manages to find dead bodies. It's rather macabre, but still done in a humorous way, so when Becky and Meg find the body, they're almost excited to have done so.
When the police start investigating, they want to know who wanted this person dead and why. But it leads to other things that are discovered and not in a good way - putting more than Becky in harm's way, and now Brooklyn and Derek are trying to find out what's going on while Brooklyn is still preparing for the festival.
The plot is done beautifully, the dialogue is witty and fun, and the characters are given depth and are believable and animated. The area around Dharma is described so lovely that I'd like to visit it someday. Ms. Carlisle has a way with words and a talent for bringing you into the story from the first page and taking you on the journey with her to the end. It all comes to a head eventually, which we know it will; and when the killer is discovered and the motive for the murders, it's as old as time itself, but never dull in the telling. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from Edelweiss and the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/202...
After they arrive they decide to surprise Becky at the festival meeting that she's chairing are are surprised themselves when a big man is standing in front of the group and starts arguing with Becky. Brooklyn and Derek are stunned, but watch the action, happy that Becky can hold her own. The man storms out, and they learn he's Jacob Banyan, and he's been buying up wineries in the county only to turn the wine into boxed wine instead of the fine wine like that produced by Brooklyn's family. He's angry because he's not being allowed into the festival to hawk his boxed wine, and is determined to take it out on the committee members, including Lawson Schmidt, whom he says something cryptic to before leaving.
But Becky is excited that for this first festival they are putting on a musical version of Little Women, and they've managed to snag an ex-Hollywood movie star for the role of Marmee. Everyone's excited about the festival, and Brooklyn is also, though she's happier just to have family and friends around her.
Unfortunately, things aren't going the way they're planned. There's more confrontations with Banyan, her mother has become a target of someone, and then there's a murder...one where Becky and Meg have found the body. Now everyone is on edge, and Brooklyn is trying to protect her mother with people watching her round-the-clock. But when a second murder occurs, the ante is upped and she knows that not only is there a killer out there, but her beloved mom is in danger, and Brooklyn will do whatever it takes to protect her...
This is the fourteenth book in the series, and I do believe that it's just getting better every time. I discovered this series mid-way, and I'm enjoying going back to the beginning 'where it all started.' Saying that, you can see how much I love it. In this book, we get to know more about Becky, which is nice. She has both an inner and outer strength, which she passed on to Brooklyn, but Becky, for her part, isn't bothered by anything little like blood which still makes Brooklyn queasy. (Blood doesn't bother me, either, but my husband isn't real fond of it, ha!)
We learn a little more about about the place Brooklyn grew up, which everyone thinks was a commune but really wasn't, and of course, the author reiterates how Brooklyn and her siblings got their names, which is always nice. I also like how the relationship between Meg and Becky has gotten stronger; and I've always found it funny that Becky is proud of Brooklyn not only for who she is, but the fact that she manages to find dead bodies. It's rather macabre, but still done in a humorous way, so when Becky and Meg find the body, they're almost excited to have done so.
When the police start investigating, they want to know who wanted this person dead and why. But it leads to other things that are discovered and not in a good way - putting more than Becky in harm's way, and now Brooklyn and Derek are trying to find out what's going on while Brooklyn is still preparing for the festival.
The plot is done beautifully, the dialogue is witty and fun, and the characters are given depth and are believable and animated. The area around Dharma is described so lovely that I'd like to visit it someday. Ms. Carlisle has a way with words and a talent for bringing you into the story from the first page and taking you on the journey with her to the end. It all comes to a head eventually, which we know it will; and when the killer is discovered and the motive for the murders, it's as old as time itself, but never dull in the telling. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from Edelweiss and the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/202...
June 5, 2020
Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is excited to return to her hometown of Dharma, California with her husband Derek. They are going to be assisting Brooklyn’s mother Rebecca with Dharma’s first book festival. In spite of some in-fights between committee members, the preparations are going well until Brooklyn’s mother and mother-in-law discover a dead body. When it looks like Rebecca, as well as Brooklyn, could be the next targets, Brooklyn is determined to find out who is behind the murder.
The Grim Reader is the fourteenth book in the Bibliophile series. I think fans of the series will enjoy the book more than new readers. I read two of the prior books in the middle of the series and still felt confused about who all the characters are. I like having the book take place during a book festival and since the town of Dharma is located in Northern California’s wine country, that makes a nice setting. In the other two books I’ve read in this series, what set them apart was the work Brooklyn did restoring books. I loved the detailed information about what is entailed and the books being restored were central to the story. In this installment, the parts that describe Brooklyn’s work on restoring a potentially valuable edition of a classic are well-done and very interesting. However, there were too few of these scenes and Brooklyn’s speciality seems to be an afterthought in the book which is disappointing.
I found much of the dialogue in the book to be over-the-top, both the arguments during the festival planning meetings, as well as the loving words between Brooklyn’s family members. Neither end of the spectrum seems realistic to me and takes up too much of the book without moving the plot forward. It’s nice to see a loving, supporting family but the praise between the characters becomes less meaningful when repeated over and over. When Brooklyn was working on solving the mystery or working on book restoring, I enjoyed the book. Things get more exciting as the story nears the conclusion and I really liked the dramatic, unexpected way the book ends. Fans of the series will especially enjoy the final touching scene between Brooklyn and Derek. After the story ends, a few recipes and a book group discussion guide follow.
~ Christine
The Grim Reader is the fourteenth book in the Bibliophile series. I think fans of the series will enjoy the book more than new readers. I read two of the prior books in the middle of the series and still felt confused about who all the characters are. I like having the book take place during a book festival and since the town of Dharma is located in Northern California’s wine country, that makes a nice setting. In the other two books I’ve read in this series, what set them apart was the work Brooklyn did restoring books. I loved the detailed information about what is entailed and the books being restored were central to the story. In this installment, the parts that describe Brooklyn’s work on restoring a potentially valuable edition of a classic are well-done and very interesting. However, there were too few of these scenes and Brooklyn’s speciality seems to be an afterthought in the book which is disappointing.
I found much of the dialogue in the book to be over-the-top, both the arguments during the festival planning meetings, as well as the loving words between Brooklyn’s family members. Neither end of the spectrum seems realistic to me and takes up too much of the book without moving the plot forward. It’s nice to see a loving, supporting family but the praise between the characters becomes less meaningful when repeated over and over. When Brooklyn was working on solving the mystery or working on book restoring, I enjoyed the book. Things get more exciting as the story nears the conclusion and I really liked the dramatic, unexpected way the book ends. Fans of the series will especially enjoy the final touching scene between Brooklyn and Derek. After the story ends, a few recipes and a book group discussion guide follow.
~ Christine
September 21, 2020
I've read all of the Bibliophile mysteries, but I think #14 will be my last. Brooklyn's character has just become too flat and her life and her entire family just too charmed and perfect. Brooklyn's throwing tens of thousands of dollars around like its penny candy. Some woman in the book doesn't like Brooklyn's mom because Brooklyn's mom is just so sweet and perfect that no one could ever have a reason to dislike her, so she must just be crazy. Brooklyn's mom is threatened, but no problem, she has not one but three special ops body guards (various well-known characters.) Not to mention, the research and editing in this book is awful. There were a number of things in the book that just weren't right, but the explanations for the wineries getting foreclosed on, and then how it was fixed at the end, was just not how it works. Bottom line, Brooklyn, her charmed life, and perfect family have just gotten boring.
May 17, 2021
If it were not for the overly sappy dialogue, they might be more enjoyable.. but alas, it continues. And now we have an Evanovich nick with Gabriel’s “Babe” being overly done, as well. But still, there is bookbinding info and sone good recipes.
Bleh!
Bleh!
October 29, 2023
3.5, rounded up
August 5, 2021
I'm REALLY disappointed: so boring, so repetitive of little stuff..
I stopped at page 15
I stopped at page 15
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews