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Calendar Mysteries #1
Murder in the Library
Previously published as Jeopardy in January.
From USA Today bestselling author Camilla Chafer comes a brand new mystery.
Welcome to Calendar where life is sweet, but death is murder.
Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer.
She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing.
When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure?
All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read.
Twelve cozy mysteries... one deadly town!
From USA Today bestselling author Camilla Chafer comes a brand new mystery.
Welcome to Calendar where life is sweet, but death is murder.
Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer.
She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing.
When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure?
All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read.
Twelve cozy mysteries... one deadly town!
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2017
1424 people are currently reading
970 people want to read
About the author
Camilla Chafer
52 books748 followersCamilla Chafer is a USA Today bestselling author. Her novels include the Lexi Graves Mysteries, the spinoff trilogy Deadlines Mysteries, the Calendar Cozy Murder Mysteries, and supernatural/urban fantasy Stella Mayweather series.
She has written for newspapers, magazines, and websites globally, and also written and edited several non-fiction books.
Follow Camilla on BookBub for new releases and special offers https://www.bookbub.com/authors/camil... or on Facebook for behind the scenes content.
She has written for newspapers, magazines, and websites globally, and also written and edited several non-fiction books.
Follow Camilla on BookBub for new releases and special offers https://www.bookbub.com/authors/camil... or on Facebook for behind the scenes content.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
May 24, 2020
Newest Assignment Details:
Where: Calendar
Who: Sara
I love the mountains!!...so I was thrilled when I found out I was heading to Calendar! A lovely picturesque mountain town to meet Sara the town’s librarian. Between the library needing a lot of repair, and some big city developer wanted to build houses where the library stood...Sara was in danger of losing her beloved home away from home. Even though the developer is promising a new and improved site for the library...Sara isn’t interested in giving up the history and gardens of the library. When I first arrived to see what plans she had to save the library...I must say...I was surprised that I was meeting her in a superwoman costume, and her assistant Bree was dressed as Winnie the Pooh! However, after the initial surprise...she was just starting to tell me her ideas...when Jason the unwanted developer and the person who Sara saw as the enemy showed up to serve her eviction papers. 2 weeks...2 weeks, and she had to be out, but Sara was determined to not let that happen. Sara and I managed to get Jason out and start the cold walk to her home….about halfway home Sara realized she left her purse with her keys in the library. After much debate to continue walking and call her mother and ask for help or schlep back to the library...well...if you have a mother you can guess what we did. Lol. Arriving back at the library we noticed the door was ajar….had we forgot to lock it...we were the last ones out...no...we were positive things were locked up. We proceeded with caution. Maybe Bree forgot something too and had to come back. We turned on the lights calling her name. A strange noise startled us from upstairs….I wanted to leave at this point...that was my vote...for the record… but like a team player I accompanied Sara upstairs. As we were climbing the stairs...we saw a foot...again...I wanted to turn around and run, but I digress. There in front of the stacks was Bree’s body. We both screamed and were grabbed from behind...which in this case...only makes you scream more!! It was the land developer Jason...what was he doing back here? After Detective Logan arrives, and confirms that foul play was involved in Bree’s death... Sara and I vow to not only work together to save Calendar’s library but find out who hurt her friend Bree. Soon we discovered Bree was not who she said she was and that there was way more to the librarian assistant who thought of Winnie the Pooh as a superhero!...
My thoughts:
I loved this book! I was engaged from start to finish, and thought the mystery had a lot of great layers. I enjoyed the main character...who although got herself into a few pickles...was not constantly making silly choices. She was a little slow to catch on, but oh well. Loved that the library was a focal point and enjoyed the town. I do think the town and secondary characters need a lot of development. Sara needs some close quirky side characters. Sara mentioned this is a town that loves to celebrate (and I am a cozy fan that loves to read about a town that loves to celebrate), so I really hope we get more of that future books!!
Cozy fans you will definitely want to put this series on your calendar!!
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January 28, 2020
I started reading this because I needed a book with a title that starts with J for a A-Z Title Challenge I joined the challenge to discover new cozy series that I’d enjoy. So far I found this book and The Wonkiest Witch and I still have 7 more books to find before I’m done.
This was good but I was looking for a new series, and while this is a series per se, it’s a series of stand alone novels with different main characters all set in the same town “Calendar”. This book was built around Sara the town librarian, the next book is going to be about Ally a restaurateur. I think some of the characters may appear in multiple books but I believe the main character will change in each.
Anyways this was a pretty good book, I liked Sara and Bree right away but I pretty much guessed at about 1/3 of the way through
Cozies Reading Challenge
April 12, 2018
A good start to a new series. I've been long a fan of the author's Lexi Graves books and was happy to see this. At the moment I still heavily favor Lexi Graves but plan to follow this one to see where the author leads me.
January 4, 2019
I chose this book for one book challenge I'm doing, but realized it will probably work for a few others as well. On top of all that, I enjoyed it so much! I can't believe I waited this long to read it. I really loved all the main characters, but from reading the upcoming blurbs for other books in the series, I'm not sure if these characters will appear or not. It seems like they are all free-standing, but at least this book had a very nice ending!
Sara Cutler, head librarian of the Calendar library was working to save the library from demolition. When she found her assistant murdered in that library and realized how very little she really knew about her, it made her wonder just what Bree had been up to that had gotten her killed. As Sara dug into the investigation more and more, the local detective warned her that her own life could be in dangers if the people that killed Bree thought Sara knew something. Add to that mix the fact that Sara felt herself falling for Jason who worked for the firm that was going to build over where the library was to be demolished. Can Sara save the library and find out who killed her assistant?
Of course she can, because this was an awesome cozy mystery! I gotta confess I realized who the killer was early on, but it was a lot of fun to read and see just when it would dawn on other people. The showdown was great and the book ending was very sweet. I do eventually want to read more in this series, especially if the mysteries are as good as this was.
Sara Cutler, head librarian of the Calendar library was working to save the library from demolition. When she found her assistant murdered in that library and realized how very little she really knew about her, it made her wonder just what Bree had been up to that had gotten her killed. As Sara dug into the investigation more and more, the local detective warned her that her own life could be in dangers if the people that killed Bree thought Sara knew something. Add to that mix the fact that Sara felt herself falling for Jason who worked for the firm that was going to build over where the library was to be demolished. Can Sara save the library and find out who killed her assistant?
Of course she can, because this was an awesome cozy mystery! I gotta confess I realized who the killer was early on, but it was a lot of fun to read and see just when it would dawn on other people. The showdown was great and the book ending was very sweet. I do eventually want to read more in this series, especially if the mysteries are as good as this was.
August 4, 2020
Jeopardy in January by Camilla Chafer
I chose to read this book because the title has the name of a month in it, making it eligible for a BINGO square in my GoodReads book club.
This is a great cozy mystery to read at the beach on a hot summer day or curled up in front of the fireplace with a hot drink.
It had an intriguing plot and the characters were interesting. I liked Detective Logan, and the librarian, Sara, although some things she did made me nervous. Early in the book I guessed part of the mystery, but part of it had me stumped until the end.
Who was Bree? Sara considered Bree a friend and coworker and felt it was her duty to solve the mystery.
Is Jason trustworthy? What about Tom? Will Detective Logan find the murderer in time?
Although this is Book 1 in the Calendar Mysteries series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This was my first time reading Camilla Chafer's work and I am pleased to say that I look forward to reading her second book in the series - Fear in February.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I chose to read this book because the title has the name of a month in it, making it eligible for a BINGO square in my GoodReads book club.
This is a great cozy mystery to read at the beach on a hot summer day or curled up in front of the fireplace with a hot drink.
It had an intriguing plot and the characters were interesting. I liked Detective Logan, and the librarian, Sara, although some things she did made me nervous. Early in the book I guessed part of the mystery, but part of it had me stumped until the end.
Who was Bree? Sara considered Bree a friend and coworker and felt it was her duty to solve the mystery.
Is Jason trustworthy? What about Tom? Will Detective Logan find the murderer in time?
Although this is Book 1 in the Calendar Mysteries series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This was my first time reading Camilla Chafer's work and I am pleased to say that I look forward to reading her second book in the series - Fear in February.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 30, 2020
Wow! So many exclamation marks! So! Many!!! I would hate to have a conversation with a person like Sara, she (and everyone in Calendar) are hyper excited about everything. And anything! It’s ridiculous. Simple statements that aren’t exciting or meant to be yelled end in exclamation points for no reason whatsoever.
For example: Sara is talking to Officer Nixon who is staking out Bree’s apartment to make sure no one attempts to break in again. He mentions freezing his ass off, she says she read in a book (she likes to mention that a lot because she’s a Librarian!) that cops bring their own blankets on stake outs. Officer Nixon then exclaims “I’ll try to remember that if I ever have to do it again!” Why is he yelling? He’s trying to be unobtrusive, he’s watching for bad guys yet he yells that sentence. That’s just one of what seems like a thousand unnecessary and annoying exclamation points.
Also for someone educated she doesn’t know what a smash and grab thief is. And sadly neither does Detective Logan when he explains it to her. His definition of a smash and grab is; “The type that runs in and grabs something before smashing their way out.” What? How can a DETECTIVE not know what a smash and grab is? The author should be ashamed of herself for not even bothering to do a quick online search for the correct definition. Here’s the first thing that popped up when I searched:
A smash and grab is a particular form of burglary that involves smashing a barrier, usually a display window in a shop or a showcase, grabbing valuables, and then making a quick getaway, without concern for setting off alarms or creating noise.
So the author Camilla Chafer got it wrong and made her main detective look ridiculous. All because she was too lazy to research a simple term. How did that slide past the editor? SMH.
The book is predictable, you’ll figure out where the jewels are by chapter six. Sara is beautiful, gorgeous, and lovely! Per everyone in town. She’s somehow educated yet dumb. She does stupid, dangerous things because she goes through life with the common sense of a two year old that wants a cookie and would walk into traffic to get it.
I had high hopes for this book and this series but my first and last visit to the constantly (!) rainy town of Calendar started and ended in January.
Goodbye Calendar! Goodbye over abundance of useless exclamation points!!!
For example: Sara is talking to Officer Nixon who is staking out Bree’s apartment to make sure no one attempts to break in again. He mentions freezing his ass off, she says she read in a book (she likes to mention that a lot because she’s a Librarian!) that cops bring their own blankets on stake outs. Officer Nixon then exclaims “I’ll try to remember that if I ever have to do it again!” Why is he yelling? He’s trying to be unobtrusive, he’s watching for bad guys yet he yells that sentence. That’s just one of what seems like a thousand unnecessary and annoying exclamation points.
Also for someone educated she doesn’t know what a smash and grab thief is. And sadly neither does Detective Logan when he explains it to her. His definition of a smash and grab is; “The type that runs in and grabs something before smashing their way out.” What? How can a DETECTIVE not know what a smash and grab is? The author should be ashamed of herself for not even bothering to do a quick online search for the correct definition. Here’s the first thing that popped up when I searched:
A smash and grab is a particular form of burglary that involves smashing a barrier, usually a display window in a shop or a showcase, grabbing valuables, and then making a quick getaway, without concern for setting off alarms or creating noise.
So the author Camilla Chafer got it wrong and made her main detective look ridiculous. All because she was too lazy to research a simple term. How did that slide past the editor? SMH.
The book is predictable, you’ll figure out where the jewels are by chapter six. Sara is beautiful, gorgeous, and lovely! Per everyone in town. She’s somehow educated yet dumb. She does stupid, dangerous things because she goes through life with the common sense of a two year old that wants a cookie and would walk into traffic to get it.
I had high hopes for this book and this series but my first and last visit to the constantly (!) rainy town of Calendar started and ended in January.
Goodbye Calendar! Goodbye over abundance of useless exclamation points!!!
August 17, 2020
If you enjoy stories in small quaint towns and mysteries, this book is for you. It centers on a 100 year old doomed library and the young woman managing it. She’s in the midst of trying to save the library while a murder occurs in the library. Trying to help solve the case, she runs into danger herself. An intriguing read!
January 4, 2018
I loved Jeopardy in January! It was a great with loveable characters and intriguing and unique plot.
I not only loved the main character, but quickly became attached to the people of the community that I met through the book. I can't wait to discover each person's story as the series rolls out.
My only disappointment was that any librarian would consider giving up the job if she lost the building no matter how attached but I will forgive as emotions of the situation and because I really liked her. I appreciated the balance the detective maintained of not wanting her involved but treating her with respect.
I not only loved the main character, but quickly became attached to the people of the community that I met through the book. I can't wait to discover each person's story as the series rolls out.
My only disappointment was that any librarian would consider giving up the job if she lost the building no matter how attached but I will forgive as emotions of the situation and because I really liked her. I appreciated the balance the detective maintained of not wanting her involved but treating her with respect.
January 26, 2020
Full review to come, but until then, here are a couple of thoughts to hold me over:
-I figured out where the "treasure" was hidden pretty early on.
-Well-written story for a cozy but I just couldn't believe it was only 178 pages?! It seemed to go on for way longer!
-I understand the MC is a librarian but the closing of the library concept and her closed-mindedness about it was a bit over the top.
-Great secondary characters -- Sara's mom, Detective Logan, Jason...tertiary characters Sara meets casually and interviews, shops she visits....love small towns
-I figured out where the "treasure" was hidden pretty early on.
-Well-written story for a cozy but I just couldn't believe it was only 178 pages?! It seemed to go on for way longer!
-I understand the MC is a librarian but the closing of the library concept and her closed-mindedness about it was a bit over the top.
-Great secondary characters -- Sara's mom, Detective Logan, Jason...tertiary characters Sara meets casually and interviews, shops she visits....love small towns
May 3, 2020
I loved the small town setting and the characters. Being from a small town myself, I can relate to it. I love that the main character, Sara, works with and loves books.
I had the killer pegged pretty early on in the book, but I still enjoyed reading it to find out if I was right and how it played out.
I wish proofreading was still a thing that editors focused on, because I found several grammatical errors or extra or missing words. This seems to be a common problem with most books I read lately, so I can’t blame this on the author, just the editor.
I’d definitely read another book by this author.
I had the killer pegged pretty early on in the book, but I still enjoyed reading it to find out if I was right and how it played out.
I wish proofreading was still a thing that editors focused on, because I found several grammatical errors or extra or missing words. This seems to be a common problem with most books I read lately, so I can’t blame this on the author, just the editor.
I’d definitely read another book by this author.
Read
February 9, 2020Got this free from Amazon Kindle as I needed a quick and easy read. The thing that got me curious with the series is that all 12 novels will be featuring a different protagonist per book, involving the whole town.. not your usual one lady main character. Something different in the cozy mystery world. All the covers are as colorful too, pleasing to the eyes.
Taking place in Calendar, USA Jeopardy in January happens in January, after winter and features Sara Cutler, the Librarian. Solved this one early on, very obvious ! My main peeve was that she was not as adaptable to change with a new library as she was gullible to men. Ugh! Next!!
Taking place in Calendar, USA Jeopardy in January happens in January, after winter and features Sara Cutler, the Librarian. Solved this one early on, very obvious ! My main peeve was that she was not as adaptable to change with a new library as she was gullible to men. Ugh! Next!!
January 26, 2020
A very nice start to a new cozy mystery series. The characters are well developed the relationships feel real and the story is well-written. I really liked the main characters but I found the plot a bit predictable and guessed the murderer early in the story. However, I still enjoyed the book and intend to read the next book which seems to center on a different character in the same town.
February 6, 2020
Meh... didn't love it, didn't hate it. The town was pretty typical cozy mystery small-town, nothing really distinguishing. The characters weren't engaging, and the MC made me want to shake her sometimes. I had the mystery pretty much figured out and other "resolutions" were super predictable.
January 27, 2020
It felt like this took forever to read because not only did the main character seem like she was somehow old and naive despite only being in her twenties, but the entire ending was predictable from the very beginning.
March 24, 2020
it took me far too long to read this book especially given there is far more free time than not given COVID19 upon us - I found the story to be somewhat entertaining but often at times too wordy with details not pertaining to the actual plot so I felt no desire to keep reading- its not a page turner
It is a comfortable book to read however, and I would read another in the series as time permits and when my mind isn't consumed with all the details surrounding this pandemic - homeschooling, work from home, social-distancing
It is a comfortable book to read however, and I would read another in the series as time permits and when my mind isn't consumed with all the details surrounding this pandemic - homeschooling, work from home, social-distancing
February 19, 2023
Library
Library, books and murder. The book was good. The main character missing all of the red flags drove me nuts.
Library, books and murder. The book was good. The main character missing all of the red flags drove me nuts.
January 29, 2018
Sara Cutler is head librarian of the public library in Calendar and is fighting to save the historic library from being demolished by big city developer, Jason Rees. Things turn worse for her when a body is discovered in the rare books section. I love the interaction between Sara and Jason. This is a wonderful author and I have enjoyed reading this book and all her others. She grabs me at the beginning and doesn't let go!
May 17, 2019
I found the mystery a bit too easy to guess, and the heroine in the middle of 3 interesting/ interested men seemed a bit much. But the mix with the library as the center of a crime and people who do not tell the truth, seemed interesting and I enjoyed this as a cozy set in a small town. We all tell white lies at times, so I thought more about truth telling and how that effects out inteactions with others.
January 29, 2022
This book was a hot mess. The grammar was atrocious, the prose was juvenile, and the author clearly wasn’t able to keep track of the storyline because she kept contradicting herself. The author also failed to do basic research into terms she used (like uncut diamonds) because she then went on to define them incorrectly. There was also an egregious use of exclamation points.
January 20, 2020
While the protagonist isn’t too annoying, the plot is predictable and the female townsfolk are mostly shrill and shallow.
January 4, 2021
Jeopardy in January by Camilla Chafer is the first in a series featuring Sara Cutler, Head Librarian for the charming town of Calendar. Just as Sara is facing down a big city developer who wants to tear down the town library and the land it sits on into tract housing, her new Library Assistant Bree is found dead in the non-fiction section after hours.
While Sara goes to bat to save the nearly 100 year old library, she also begins to discover that Bree wasn’t at all who she had claimed to be. Can Sara uncover the truth about Bree and her murder while also fighting the impending sale of the library? Author Camilla Chafer writes a sweet and engaging story, introducing a cast of characters I couldn’t help but look forward to knowing more in future books. Unfortunately the mystery fell flat as I unraveled the truth in the crime, who-dun-it, and where the secret treasure was hidden by around half way through the book. I debated setting the book aside since the mystery was anything except challenging, but the story line did keep me interested. Despite the predictable outcome I did enjoy the book and will probably try the next in the series some time I need a quick, easy, light hearted read.
While Sara goes to bat to save the nearly 100 year old library, she also begins to discover that Bree wasn’t at all who she had claimed to be. Can Sara uncover the truth about Bree and her murder while also fighting the impending sale of the library? Author Camilla Chafer writes a sweet and engaging story, introducing a cast of characters I couldn’t help but look forward to knowing more in future books. Unfortunately the mystery fell flat as I unraveled the truth in the crime, who-dun-it, and where the secret treasure was hidden by around half way through the book. I debated setting the book aside since the mystery was anything except challenging, but the story line did keep me interested. Despite the predictable outcome I did enjoy the book and will probably try the next in the series some time I need a quick, easy, light hearted read.
January 17, 2020
What a pleasant read this was!
Our heroine, Sara, is a librarian in the most interesting library. Sure, it's a little ragged around the edges, but who wouldn't kill to work in a lovely old Victorian building. Wait, that was probably a bad choice of words. Sara's initial problem concerns greedy developers who want to tear her workplace down in order to erect cookie cutter homes for the masses. But then it gets worse as her co-worker is murdered on the second floor of the library. Not only is a good friend dead, but now the town council is sure to move the library into a bland entity of a building. Sara needs to find the killer and save the library.
The series begins with a bang with this book. The story was charming and mostly filled with sympathetic characters. Sara's actions and reactions were reasonable given the situations she faced though she took chances that I certainly wouldn't. As the series features different leads, I'm filled with a slight sense of regret; I'd love to follow Sara's adventures further. I'm positive, however, that the next set of characters will be as endearing and I can't wait to see what happens as the year unfolds in Calendar.
Our heroine, Sara, is a librarian in the most interesting library. Sure, it's a little ragged around the edges, but who wouldn't kill to work in a lovely old Victorian building. Wait, that was probably a bad choice of words. Sara's initial problem concerns greedy developers who want to tear her workplace down in order to erect cookie cutter homes for the masses. But then it gets worse as her co-worker is murdered on the second floor of the library. Not only is a good friend dead, but now the town council is sure to move the library into a bland entity of a building. Sara needs to find the killer and save the library.
The series begins with a bang with this book. The story was charming and mostly filled with sympathetic characters. Sara's actions and reactions were reasonable given the situations she faced though she took chances that I certainly wouldn't. As the series features different leads, I'm filled with a slight sense of regret; I'd love to follow Sara's adventures further. I'm positive, however, that the next set of characters will be as endearing and I can't wait to see what happens as the year unfolds in Calendar.
July 15, 2020
JEOPARDY IN JANUARY
A Calendar Mystery
CAMILLA CHAFER
Review by Author Roy Murry
Sara is a librarian, and she loves her work, primarily where she works, the Calendar City Library. The building is one of the oldest buildings in Calendar, which she is actively protesting its destruction.
The story is upbeat, except for the murder of her recent employed assistant on the second floor of the library. The local detective is, as Sara, befuddled.
In a battle to keep the building open to the public, Sara is continually confronting the man who wants to raze it. His company wants to replace it with condos.
On another level, she investigates the crime that put the library into the center of a treasure hunt. Also, another good-looking man has come into her life for pleasure.
The levels clash into a climax that the reader is looking for in a good mystery. The reader will cheer for Sara's conclusion, which she did not expect, nor does the reader.
It's a good start of a series where the few characters are defined. The city of Calendar's charm is played-out as a colorful background.
Ms. Chafer's story is somewhat predictable, with a few twists and turns. The writing and flow of words were agreeable and funny at times.
A Calendar Mystery
CAMILLA CHAFER
Review by Author Roy Murry
Sara is a librarian, and she loves her work, primarily where she works, the Calendar City Library. The building is one of the oldest buildings in Calendar, which she is actively protesting its destruction.
The story is upbeat, except for the murder of her recent employed assistant on the second floor of the library. The local detective is, as Sara, befuddled.
In a battle to keep the building open to the public, Sara is continually confronting the man who wants to raze it. His company wants to replace it with condos.
On another level, she investigates the crime that put the library into the center of a treasure hunt. Also, another good-looking man has come into her life for pleasure.
The levels clash into a climax that the reader is looking for in a good mystery. The reader will cheer for Sara's conclusion, which she did not expect, nor does the reader.
It's a good start of a series where the few characters are defined. The city of Calendar's charm is played-out as a colorful background.
Ms. Chafer's story is somewhat predictable, with a few twists and turns. The writing and flow of words were agreeable and funny at times.
January 3, 2018
What a nice surprise to get a new book by Camilla Chafer. I always enjoy her Lexi Graves-books and now I have a new favorite.
Sara is librarian in the small town of Calendar and is determined to save the old library building she works in. The council wants to sell it and Jason Rees is the representative of the development company that wants to demolish it for new houses. So Sara is not very happy with Jason to say the least. When she walks in on the murder of one of her colleagues, Sara is determined to help find the killer.
I read this in a couple of hours. It is a cozy and a bit like the Lexi Graves books. Sara is intelligent but sometimes gets into dangerous situations. The mystery was unraveled in a pleasant way, with a wiff of romance. Liked the inhabitants of Calendar. The next book is not about Sara, but one of her neighbors. I like that, as it is always a bit too hard to believe one person gets to stumble on a lot of murders.
Look forward to the next in the series. I would like one with the Detective!
Sara is librarian in the small town of Calendar and is determined to save the old library building she works in. The council wants to sell it and Jason Rees is the representative of the development company that wants to demolish it for new houses. So Sara is not very happy with Jason to say the least. When she walks in on the murder of one of her colleagues, Sara is determined to help find the killer.
I read this in a couple of hours. It is a cozy and a bit like the Lexi Graves books. Sara is intelligent but sometimes gets into dangerous situations. The mystery was unraveled in a pleasant way, with a wiff of romance. Liked the inhabitants of Calendar. The next book is not about Sara, but one of her neighbors. I like that, as it is always a bit too hard to believe one person gets to stumble on a lot of murders.
Look forward to the next in the series. I would like one with the Detective!
May 17, 2018
Oh wow that was a fantastic read, once I started I just couldn't stop.
Sara Cutler small town librarian with a heart of gold, a strong sense of community and a drive to keep her town a really community.
Jason works for a big city development company his bosses who have probably never stepped foot into the small town of Calendar before want to buy up the historic library knock it down and build modern housing and Jason was fine with his companies plans until he actually visits the charming quaint town of Calendar and falls for the gorgeous, sassy librarian who finds trouble around every corner.
Bree her assistance meets a nasty end in the Library of all places but on further investigation Bree was not the person people thought she was......
This mystery was fantastic, lots of plot twists and turns I didn't see coming and I loved everything that kept me guessing, the characters were engaging the small town descriptives made me want to visit Calendar and even more so curl up with the next exciting mystery from Camilla Chaffer.
Sara Cutler small town librarian with a heart of gold, a strong sense of community and a drive to keep her town a really community.
Jason works for a big city development company his bosses who have probably never stepped foot into the small town of Calendar before want to buy up the historic library knock it down and build modern housing and Jason was fine with his companies plans until he actually visits the charming quaint town of Calendar and falls for the gorgeous, sassy librarian who finds trouble around every corner.
Bree her assistance meets a nasty end in the Library of all places but on further investigation Bree was not the person people thought she was......
This mystery was fantastic, lots of plot twists and turns I didn't see coming and I loved everything that kept me guessing, the characters were engaging the small town descriptives made me want to visit Calendar and even more so curl up with the next exciting mystery from Camilla Chaffer.
January 25, 2021
Well, I always have to have a book on my Kindle, so as I was browsing through my books on my list, I decided to pick up a cozy mystery. I got bonus points for me that the cozy mystery is about a library.
Sarah is our main character that finds her coworker murdered in the library.
In a battle to keep the building open to the public, Sara is continually confronting the man who wants to raze it. His company wants to replace it with condos. On another level, she investigates the crime that put the library into the center of a treasure hunt. Also, another good-looking man has come into her life for pleasure.
The mystery was unraveled in a pleasant way, with a wiff of romance. Liked the inhabitants of Calendar.
The whole small town setting is a nice backdrop, and the villain turned nice-guy subplot heartwarming. The hiding place of the sought-for plunder from the original crime is not hard to figure out, but since none of the characters in the book can find it, the suspense keeps going.
Sarah is our main character that finds her coworker murdered in the library.
In a battle to keep the building open to the public, Sara is continually confronting the man who wants to raze it. His company wants to replace it with condos. On another level, she investigates the crime that put the library into the center of a treasure hunt. Also, another good-looking man has come into her life for pleasure.
The mystery was unraveled in a pleasant way, with a wiff of romance. Liked the inhabitants of Calendar.
The whole small town setting is a nice backdrop, and the villain turned nice-guy subplot heartwarming. The hiding place of the sought-for plunder from the original crime is not hard to figure out, but since none of the characters in the book can find it, the suspense keeps going.
May 23, 2021
This was a cute cozy small-town mystery. It wasn't super deep, but overall it was fun to read without thinking a ton. I really enjoyed the strong thread of a library being the center of the town and a storyline that revolved about a library.
Overall the murder wasn't super interesting, and there were some unrealistic aspects to the story, but for a cozy mystery, it was quite cute. I wasn't really a huge fan of the slight victim blaming when the motive behind the murder was discovered: the deceased had hung around some unsavory crowds, leading to her murder, but saying that it was slightly the victim's fault was . . . . kind of much. There were too many attractive men in Bree's vicinity to be realistic (three??! to choose from??! that are asking her out???! after she has proclaimed herself to be kind of plain and is also really old fashioned and weird??! what is that?! and the one she ends up choosing is the worst choice lol)
Overall, it was nice for a cozy mystery, but if you're looking for a book that appears realistic or engages your brain, this is not it.
Overall the murder wasn't super interesting, and there were some unrealistic aspects to the story, but for a cozy mystery, it was quite cute. I wasn't really a huge fan of the slight victim blaming when the motive behind the murder was discovered: the deceased had hung around some unsavory crowds, leading to her murder, but saying that it was slightly the victim's fault was . . . . kind of much. There were too many attractive men in Bree's vicinity to be realistic (three??! to choose from??! that are asking her out???! after she has proclaimed herself to be kind of plain and is also really old fashioned and weird??! what is that?! and the one she ends up choosing is the worst choice lol)
Overall, it was nice for a cozy mystery, but if you're looking for a book that appears realistic or engages your brain, this is not it.
February 11, 2019
Jeopardy in January
Sara Cutler seemed to have it all...her dream job as head librarian of her hometown library, friends, and good looks. There was one big impediment to her happiness in the form of Jason Rees who represents the company that has a contract to buy the old library and tear it down to make room for a new housing development. One other problem arises when she finds her assistant dead in the library. Fortunately, Jason arrives in time to keep Sara from sharing her assistant’s fate.
After Detective Logan asks her questions about Bree, her assistant and friend, she realizes that she never knew her at all. It turns out that all the info that Bree had shared with her was lies. It turns out that Bree was a jewel thief running from the gang that she pulled the heist with.
I liked this first book in a series. The story was engaging and kept my interest. I think that people who enjoy cozy mysteries may enjoy this series also.
Sara Cutler seemed to have it all...her dream job as head librarian of her hometown library, friends, and good looks. There was one big impediment to her happiness in the form of Jason Rees who represents the company that has a contract to buy the old library and tear it down to make room for a new housing development. One other problem arises when she finds her assistant dead in the library. Fortunately, Jason arrives in time to keep Sara from sharing her assistant’s fate.
After Detective Logan asks her questions about Bree, her assistant and friend, she realizes that she never knew her at all. It turns out that all the info that Bree had shared with her was lies. It turns out that Bree was a jewel thief running from the gang that she pulled the heist with.
I liked this first book in a series. The story was engaging and kept my interest. I think that people who enjoy cozy mysteries may enjoy this series also.
August 30, 2022
It’s not the best, but also not quite the worst cozy mystery so far.
The story is okay. I mean, it often is very predictable to the point where you kinda just wanna scream at Sara to actually start using her brain. But aside from that, it’s seems okay.
Sara I will never understand. She’s not particularly brave or smart, at least when it comes to solving murders or reading people, but she still runs off to investigate. And obviously gets into a lot of danger, because she doesn’t connect the very very obvious dots XD
The style was what annoyed me the most, I think. The author has the habit of describing a noun with two adjectives and then separating them needlessly with a comma. Like in places where they don’t belong. I can’t quite describe it, but it felt really weird at times. And there were spelling or grammar mistakes here and there.
The story is okay. I mean, it often is very predictable to the point where you kinda just wanna scream at Sara to actually start using her brain. But aside from that, it’s seems okay.
Sara I will never understand. She’s not particularly brave or smart, at least when it comes to solving murders or reading people, but she still runs off to investigate. And obviously gets into a lot of danger, because she doesn’t connect the very very obvious dots XD
The style was what annoyed me the most, I think. The author has the habit of describing a noun with two adjectives and then separating them needlessly with a comma. Like in places where they don’t belong. I can’t quite describe it, but it felt really weird at times. And there were spelling or grammar mistakes here and there.
February 7, 2018
While I prefer Camilla Chafer's Lexi Graves series, this first book in what is promised as a new series, is a fairly good read. There is a little too much repetition of the main character revisiting her list of suspects, (and revisiting yet again) and a little too much "really? that's a dumb thing to do" reader response to actions on her part, but the story line is interesting and who doesn't like a book about a dedicated librarian, keen researcher and therefore perfect crime solver, of which there seem to be as many as there are chefs and bakers as main characters solving mysteries. The whole small town setting is a nice backdrop, and the villain turned nice-guy subplot heartwarming. The hiding place of the sought-for plunder from the original crime is not hard to figure out, but since none of the characters in the book can find it, the suspense keeps going.
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