Verse and Vengeance

October 1, 2019
A magical bookstore near Niagara Falls helps its guardian solve another crime. Only professor Violet Waverly and her grandmother Daisy know the secret of the 200-year-old birch tree that lives in the center of Charming Books and must be refreshed with magical spring water every day by its current guardian, Violet, who has assumed a job passed down through her family's female line. The shop's magical ability to put books containing vital clues in her path has helped Violet solve several murders. Joel Redding, a sleazy private investigator Violet met during her last case (Murder and Metaphors, 2019), has been following her and trying to suss out her secret for his own benefit. Grandma Daisy has arranged a bike race to raise money for the Underground Railroad museum she plans to install at City Hall, but the plan is on hold because of problems with the building's structural foundation. When Redding turns up at the race, he's killed in what seems like an accident until cut brake lines are discovered. For some reason, he's carrying a copy of Leaves of Grass, which the bookstore had been placing in Violet's path for unknown reasons. Although Violet has never revealed her secret to her boyfriend, Chief of Police David Rainwater, Redding's death ratchets up the pressure to confide in him. Redding had rented a bike from a local shop where Jo Fitzgerald, one of Violet's students, works. Now Jo, who's been acting strangely, seems to be hiding from the police. Certain that she's no killer, Violet, with some help from her cat, Emerson, and the bookstore's resident talking crow, Faulkner, starts sleuthing and reading Leaves of Grass for clues. As she pieces together possible motives, she learns that Walt Whitman had actually visited Cascade Springs and may even provide the motive for the murder. A scholarly heroine, endearing characters and settings, and enigmatic clues make for a satisfying mystery.

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October 14, 2019
In Agatha-winner Flower’s whimsical fourth Magical Bookshop mystery (after Murders and Metaphors), Violet Waverly, the proprietor of Charming Books, a bookstore built around a magical tree in Cascade Springs, N.Y., agrees to take part in a fund-raising bicycle race at the urging of her police chief boyfriend, David Rainwater. When Joel Redding, a curious PI who visited the store, has a fatal accident during the race, a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is found in his bike’s backpack. Vi throws herself into what soon becomes a murder investigation, fearful that Redding had learned her big secret—that the supernatural essence of Charming Books can convey book recommendations to customers. Vi’s important relationships—with Rainwater, her grandmother, and a cat named Emerson—tend to overshadow the plot, which is attenuated to begin with. Armchair detectives have few clues to guide them to the unexpected dénouement. This one’s for those who like some esoteric literary history and don’t mind a pinch of magic in their cozies. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.

November 1, 2019
Violet Waverly and her grandmother Daisy are keeping a centuries-old secret from residents of Cascade Springs, a small town along the Niagara River. Their bookstore, Charming Books, was built around a birch tree that Violet faithfully waters from the spring that runs through the village park. In turn, a magical force that may be connected to the tree places the right book in the hands of each customer. Leading a project to rebuild the village hall, Daisy, the town's mayor, has organized a bike race to raise funds. On a particularly steep hill, a late entrant, a shady PI from Buffalo, crashes and dies, thanks to a cut brake line. In his possession is a copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, purchased at Charming Books. The prime suspect is a student of Violet's, though Violet herself also comes under suspicion when it is learned that the PI was seeking to learn her secret. The magic does not overwhelm the story, and fans of Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity and Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth Raeburn will enjoy this fourth in Flower's series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)