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    Murder in the Reading Room
    Murder in the Reading Room
    Murder in the Reading Room
    Audiobook8 hours

    Murder in the Reading Room

    Written by Ellery Adams

    Narrated by Johanna Parker

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Storyton Hall, Virginia, is a paradise for book lovers who come from all over for literary getaways. But manager Jane Steward is temporarily leaving for another renowned resort-in hopes of solving a twist-filled mystery . . .

    Jane's boyfriend, Edwin, is missing, and she thinks she may find him at North Carolina's historic Biltmore Estate. Officially, she's there to learn about luxury hotel management, but she's also prowling around the breathtaking buildings and grounds looking for secret passageways and clues. One of the staff gardeners promises to be helpful . . . that is, until his body turns up in the reading room of his cottage, a book on his lap.

    When she finally locates the kidnapped Edwin, his captor insists that she lead him back to Storyton Hall, convinced that it houses Ernest Hemingway's lost suitcase, stolen from a Paris train station in 1922. But before they can turn up the treasure, the bell may toll for another victim . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 30, 2019
    ISBN9781541475229
    Author

    Ellery Adams

    Ellery Adams has written over forty mystery novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she reads, bakes, gardens, spoils her three cats, and rearranges her bookshelves. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in Chapel Hill, NC. For reading guides and a list of bibliotherapy titles, please visit ElleryAdamsMysteries.com.

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    Reviews for Murder in the Reading Room

    4/5

    80 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Jane is the Guardian of a very special and secret library in Storyton Hall, where books are as essential as air to life. Jane, mother of young twin boys, finds her position as Guardian puts her family and friends in danger. When her lover, Edwin, is taken prisoner, she takes action to free him. And from there, the story becomes even more complicated. I love this series...the characters, the friendships, the setting, the love of books, combines with mysteries and secret societies to make a perfect blend. If you love books and reading, you’ll love and identify with this series.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars--rating shown may vary depending on whether site shows half star ratings.I felt lost at the beginning of this book. Despite reading them in what I thought was publishing order, I didn't remember Edwin being missing or the twins kidnapping from previous book(s). I did like that part of the book took us to Biltmore. Having visited there once years ago, it was nice to remember some of the day spent there with my mom. The titular murder doesn't take place at Storyton Hall which is different than previous books.
    • 2/5
      I can't believe I finished this. It got a star for the plot's premise, half a star for being relatively well edited and a half star as a bonus because I didn't DNF it. Where to start... I liked the series premise, about a secret library that holds the rarest, secret or unknown manuscripts from around the world, but as the series progresses, the author falls into the common trap of writing herself into corners from which she can't escape without abusing a reader's ability to suspend disbelief. This book has the manager of the Storyton Inn haring off to the Biltmore Estate to rescue her lover from a dungeon. Where he's being held by a renegade faction of the Templars. Along side her, her long-thought dead (9 years) husband, who's being held in the dungeon next door. Give. me. a. break. I hate this trope so much, I almost DNF'd it on the spot. Then I had to endure constant philosophical musings about love, the power of love, the power of family, more crap about love. And the villain was supposed to be super evil, but I just didn't feel it. I mean, he was definitely without redeeming qualities, but evil? Eh. The ending ... was eye-rolling. I'm sorry, but it involved blow darts, and the most insanely insincere scene where the MC confronts her ignorance about cultural insensitivity that I've ever read. Honestly, it's so badly done I'm tempted to quote it, but to do that I'd have to read it again. The author would have gotten a tiny bonus for not taking that spoiler above to the most nauseating conclusion possible, or stringing it painfully over several books, but by the time it was resolved I'd lost the will to give any bonus points. What kept me reading this farce was the idea of Hemingway's lost suitcase being hidden in the Inn and the search through letters and correspondence for clues to find it. And that 10% of the book was kind of good, though the eventual conclusion was a bit deflating as it was so predictable.
    • 4/5
      4 stars
      This latest book in the series addresses to problems I had with the series and also includes a decent mystery and a bookish treasure hunt. The problems I had with the series were twofold first any good reader would want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to read the rare and secret treasures that are contained in the secret library. For Jane to hold the scret library isn’t really much different from what the evil Templar Order is doing, hoarding books and knowledge for them selves. Look at the library of Alexandria, when it burned the world lost countless books many one of a kind that we’ll never see again. So when Jane decides to open up the secret to a few and divest it solves my objection to the secret library, and my wish for the world to see the texts. It also deals with the second problem, if the rare books are gone to museums and libraries it takes away the danger to Jane’s family and her guests. The only problem I see is that now the Finns have no reason to guard the hall, and I’ll miss the characters, as they are some of my favorite in the books.

      Well now I have to wait till 2020 to see what effect this book has on the series and my favorite characters.
    • 4/5
      Jane finally confronts Ramsey Parrish of the Templars and finds out why he has been so determined to get into Storyton Hall.
    • 3/5
      I have loved this series since my first discovery. Perhaps because I can only imagine the anticipation of planning a vacation week or long weekend dependent on the event chosen to attend to the actual excitement of arrival at Storyton Hall in Virginia if such a place existed. Then the joy and delight of meeting an incredible Resort Manager and lover of books like Jane Steward, as superb a Chef as Mrs. Hubbard, and hopefully a little furry face like Muffet Cat that might curl up in my lap when I found a reading nook to read in free time. Ah, such vacation dreams! Until then, I visit Storyton Hall as per the creation of author Ellery Adams."Murder in the Reading Room" is a definitive follow-up to "Murder in the Locked Library" (Book 4) and answers the questions that left quite a cliff-hanger for all fans of "A Book Retreat Mystery Series." Previous books in the series could be read as a stand-alone mystery but I have doubts that Book 5 of the series could be enjoyed to the same degree without at least having read Book 4.I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy this novel as much as previous stories and am undecided if I'll continue reading the series. As always, there are so many books to read and so little time.
    • 5/5
      Murder in the Reading Room is a riveting cozy mystery. I thought the story was well-written and it moves along at a quick pace. Murder in the Reading Room is the fifth book in A Book Retreat Mystery series, and it cannot be read alone. This series is best read in order and each book is better than the previous. Ellery Adams’ has an engaging writing style, and I was quickly engrossed in Murder in the Reading Room. Jane Steward is a widow with two rambunctious boys. She manages Storyton Hall as well as being the Guardian to the secret library. Jane is lucky to have her aunt and uncle on the premises as well as her trustworthy and protective staff. The characters are complex and continue to evolve as the series progresses. The Fins and the Cover Girls are delightful secondary characters. I like seeing the relationship between Eloise Alcott and Landon Lachlan progressing. The setting of Storyton, Virginia is beautiful (especially in the fall). Storyton Hall is a masterpiece and it is filled with books along with paintings, statutes and other unique items (I want to move in). The mystery is complex and multifaceted. I love it when I am surprised in a mystery, and Murder in the Reading Room has one fabulous and shocking turn of events. There were several great phrases in this book, and it was hard to pick my favorite. I ended up choosing “I think a book is like a good climbing tree. They both yearn to be touched.” I enjoyed the book referenced sprinkled throughout the story which included Maisie Dobbs, Anne of Green Gables and various works by Hemingway. Murder in the Reading Room is my favorite book in A Book Retreat Mystery series. Murder in the Reading Room is a captivating cozy mystery that will have you staying up until the wee hours to finish it.
    • 4/5
      Another mystery at Storyton Hall - best one yet! Jane Steward the guardian of the secret library decides that she needs to find her lover, Edwin, by visiting the Biltmore estate in NC. Clues have led her to believe that Edwin is being held there. Taking only one Fin with her, they are able to locate Edwin, but they are caught trying to free him. The Templars are Edwin's captors and they are willing to realize him but for a price. Will Jane be willing to pay that price?Having visited the Biltmore estate, I could very well believe all the twists and turns that occurred in this mystery related to this huge estate. But the best part is when they return to Storyton Hall and how Jane's past collides with her future.
    • 5/5
      amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, libraries ***** Secret libraries, fantastic estates, legendary authors, an assistant with war PTSD, a murder mystery, and TEMPLARS! Just short of being an urban fantasy with an amateur sleuth who is the mother of twins, this one is ingenious! Can you tell that I loved it? The publisher's blurb is pretty basic but spoilers are just wrong, much as I'd like to highlight incidents. I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!