Homicide in Hardcover (Bibliophile Mystery #1)

Finished: February 2024
Book Source: Library
Book Publication Date: February 2009

Book expert Brooklyn Wainwright discovers that murder is always a bestseller in the first novel in the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Brooklyn Wainwright is a skilled surgeon. Sure, her patients might smell like mold and have spines made of leather, but no ailing book is going to die on her watch. The same can’t be said of Abraham Karastovsky, Brooklyn’s friend and former employer. 

On the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration, Brooklyn finds her mentor lying in a pool of his own blood. With his final breath Abraham leaves Brooklyn with a cryptic message, “Remember the Devil,” and gives her a priceless—and supposedly cursed—copy of Goethe’s Faustfor safe-keeping. 

Brooklyn suddenly finds herself accused of murder and theft, thanks to Derek Stone, the humorless—and annoyingly attractive—British security officer who found her kneeling over the body. Now she has to read the clues left behind by her mentor if she is going to restore justice…

Characters

• Brooklyn – main character, grew up in a commune – her career is in restoring books
• Abraham – Brooklyn’s mentor and murder victim
• Derek – ex-military, hired to protect the exhibit
• Ian – Brooklyn’s ex fiancé, head curator at the Covington
• Enricho – Abraham’s nemisis
• The Winslow’s – the owners of the books for the exhibit
• Robin – Brooklyn’s best friend from young
• Austin – Brooklyn’s brother

My Review

I read this book as part of the Instagram Cozy Mystery Club book challenge.

“Homicide in Hardcover” by Kate Carlisle offers a mixed bag of elements. While the book presents a fast-paced and humorous narrative, it heavily relies on stereotypes that don’t always mesh well together. The protagonist fits into the typical trope of a young, attractive woman turned amateur sleuth with a predictable romantic subplot involving a strong, law enforcement-connected man.

Despite its reliance on clichés, the story manages to say engaging with its quick pace and occasional wit. However, there are moments where the author delves into unnecessary descriptions that add little to the plot which – I’ll admit – I skimmed over.

One lingering question that I have have — how on earth was Abraham worth so much money?!

This is a tropey yet entertaining read, offering a blend of humor, mystery, and romance, albeit with some predictable elements and occasional narrative quirks.

Spoilers/Summary

Abraham is murdered at the exhibit and Brooklyn is found holding him during his last breathe where he tells her to “remember the devil”.

Ian asks Brooklyn to finish fixing up the book for the exhibit, she accepts.

Enricho ends up dead, while Brooklyn is in the house, she sees him. She hides and hears Ian in the house also. Enricho had been blackmailing him because he found out Ian was gay and the head of the Covington was very old school.

Sylvia ends up being the murderer. There was a letter found in the book that proved her family was Nazi sympathizers. She was protecting her family name and killed both Enricho and Abraham (although Abraham didn’t actually know about the blackmail and it was all Enricho). Her husband turned her in when he overheard her breaking in to Brooklyn’s house.

Side story included Abraham having a daughter he didn’t know about..