The Broken Spine
A Beloved Bookroom Mystery, Book 1
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: January 19, 2021
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0593098579
ISBN-13: 978-0593098578
Kindle ASIN: B086SCQ639
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About The Broken Spine:
The first in an exciting new series featuring Trudell Becket, a spunky librarian who will stop at nothing to save her beloved books and catch a killer!
Trudell Becket, book-loving librarian, finds herself in a bind when the library where she works is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless library. In a rare move of rebellion, Trudell rescues hundreds of her library's beloved books slated for the recycle center. She sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to anyone who shares her love of the printed book.
When the town councilman, who was the vocal proponent of the library's transformation into a "futuristic technological center," is crushed under an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the police's prime suspect for his murder. She was the only person in the library at the time of his death, or so the police believe. But that's not true. For the past month, Trudell had been letting a few dozen residents into the building through the basement entrance so they could read and check out the printed books.
But if she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she'd have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. In order to protect herself from being arrested for a murder she didn't commit, Trudell--with the help of a group of dedicated readers--decides to investigate. She quickly discovers you can't always judge a book by its cover.
Trudell Becket, book-loving librarian, finds herself in a bind when the library where she works is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless library. In a rare move of rebellion, Trudell rescues hundreds of her library's beloved books slated for the recycle center. She sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to anyone who shares her love of the printed book.
When the town councilman, who was the vocal proponent of the library's transformation into a "futuristic technological center," is crushed under an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the police's prime suspect for his murder. She was the only person in the library at the time of his death, or so the police believe. But that's not true. For the past month, Trudell had been letting a few dozen residents into the building through the basement entrance so they could read and check out the printed books.
But if she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she'd have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. In order to protect herself from being arrested for a murder she didn't commit, Trudell--with the help of a group of dedicated readers--decides to investigate. She quickly discovers you can't always judge a book by its cover.
My Review:
The Broken Spine is the first book in the new Beloved Bookroom Mystery series by Dorothy St. James. The premise is completely captivating and I was excited to read about Trudell and the upcoming changes her town's library. Tru is determined to vocalize her displeasure with the new format and doing so puts her in the crosshairs of Cypress's finest. Her sleuthing and trying to figure out who committed murder inside the library also puts her in the crosshairs of some not-so-desirables, too.
The thought of a bookless library terrifies me and I spent a good portion of the first few chapters completely anxious and reading in complete disbelief. I was horrified that anyone would think a bookless library is a good idea. While not a new concept (after doing some research on the topic), it's new to me and I would never support a bookless public library. I love my print books way too much. I have an e-reader (which is how I read The Broken Spine) so I'm not against the use of technology, I just don't think bookless libraries are the way to go - much too post-apocalyptic/dystopian. I totally understand Tru's reaction to the new library concept. Please understand I'm a Gen Xer and, while completely computer literate, I'm still old school in many, many ways.
Tru's passion causes her to make some silly mistakes and decisions, and sometimes her character seems juvenile in her actions and responses. Fortunately, Tru has helpful friends in Tori and and I enjoyed their interactions. Her reaction to Jace's return home to Cypress is extremely bothersome to her and I understand her feelings. What I didn't understand is the resolution to her conflict. I didn't find it to be resolved satisfactorily. For something that plagued her for so long, the engagement between her and Jace regarding said treatment fell short for me. I didn't expect there to be a long drawn out drama session but the quick resolution didn't sit well with me. This was just a small portion of the book, however, and didn't spoil the book overall. This was just an observation on my part.
I found the book to be well-written and fast-paced. I was engaged from the very beginning. There are a lot of potential suspects and I had fun trying to figure out who committed the crime. I was totally blindsided. The murderer was someone on my list at the beginning but one I crossed off until closer to the reveal. The reason was staggering and I couldn't believe what I read. I look forward to seeing Tru's next shenanigans.
I was provided a copy of the book to read.
My Rating:
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