AUTHOR: Julianna Deering
PUBLISHER: Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group
STARS: ****1/2
Drew Farthering wanted nothing more than to end the summer of 1932 with the announcement of his engagement. Instead, he finds himself caught up in another mysterious case when the family solicitor is found murdered, an antique hatpin with a cryptic message, Advice to Jack, piercing his chest.
Evidence of secret meetings and a young girl's tearful confession point to the victim's double life, but what does the solicitor's murder have to do with the murder of a physician on the local golf course? Nothing, it would seem--except for another puzzling note, affixed with a similar-looking bloodied hatpin.
Soon the police make an arrest in connection with the murders, but Drew isn't at all certain they have the right suspect in custody. And why does his investigation seem to be drawing him closer and closer to home?
Once I figured out the era for this story, I quite enjoyed it. I hadn’t read the first book of this series, and that would have helped. (I was given a free e-copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.) Perhaps print copies will include the date nearer the beginning of the book, but it appeared only on the last page of the digital book. So the first few pages left me floundering as to the time and place of the story. Nevertheless, Death By The Book pulled me into the ever-twisting mystery of the hatpin murders. Drew Farthering is a bit of a mystery himself, but a delectable one. His chosen sweetheart, Madeline, cannot decide if she should follow her heart or her aunt’s advice. The romance aspect is secondary but sweet, and the murder mystery kept me guessing.
I will definitely look for more books by this author, and I give this one four and a half stars.