Read or Alive 

Nora Page 

Bookmobile Mystery Series, Book 3 

A match-made in cozy heaven for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, and book lovers everywhere, Nora Page’s third Bookmobile mystery will (book)worm its way into your heart.

Two wrongful accusations has librarian Cleo Watkins and her loved ones booked for trouble.

It’s springtime and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo’s gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. But trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming ladies of a certain age out of prized books.

Among the conned is Cleo’s cousin, Dot, who relinquished a signed first edition of Gone With the Wind. With no proof the scout took it, Dot is at a loss. And when he’s found dead the very next morning, without Dot’s first edition or other valuable books reported missing in his belongings, Dot’s freedom is on the line. Cleo is flummoxed in discovering too that the scout’s body is found behind Henry’s shop, and the murder weapon identified to be Henry’s bookbinding hammer.

Although books are at the heart of the crimes, Cleo feels dizzyingly out of her depths. Someone is setting up the people she holds dearest and with the authorities on the wrong trail, Cleo has no choice but to catalog the evidence herself. Along with the help of her trusty bookmobile cat Rhett Butler, it will be up to Cleo to book the real killer for good.

3.5 Stars

It’s springtime, the excitement is in the air and old books are about to become someone’s newest great treasure. Librarian Cleo Watkins and her dearest friends are beyond themselves with Anticipation for the antiquarian book festival. That excitement comes to a quick halt when a body is found and the clues are pointing right back to Cleo’s dear friend. She knows this can not be so she does what a seventy something book mobile library does best, gets to the bottom of it.

Nora Page’s Read or Alive was a very enjoyable and entertaining read.  Cleo is a fun character who is smart, personable and extremely loyal. She’s confident and takes on whatever life throws are her. Cleo’s sleuthing style is unique and unlike anything I’ve read before. Being the bookmobile librarian means she has many connections and knows lots of people throughout the town. She doesn’t necessarily go looking for the answers, they  just seem to find her. Doesn’t hurt that she has the ear of the better part of the local law.  Ms. Page’s style of writing is fun and allows a reader to fall deep within the story. The characters are interesting and entertaining, the plot is good and keeps you thinking. The setting is a quaint small town that is inviting with tons of charm. The friendships run deep and the antics of pets will definitely make you laugh.  Read or Alive is a fine read for anyone who enjoys book themed cozy mysteries.