Books of a Feather

Birds, Books and Murder

What do Audubon books, bird watching societies, murder and wine have in common? To answer this question and many more, read Kate Carlisle’s Books of a Feather, the latest installment in the Bibliophile Mystery series.
In this outing Brooklyn Wainwright, full-time book restorationist, part-time sleuth, finds herself tracking down killers, restoring and appraising such finds as To Kill a Mockingbird ,Poor Richard’s Almanac,and Audubon’s Birds of America while tracking down killers and a client’s dishonest ex-husband. Through all of the treachery, Brooklyn is still able to find time to spend with family, friends and sexy British military operative, Derek Stone.
What makes this series such a pleasure to read are the well-defined characters. These include not only the series regulars, Brooklyn and Derek but also newcomers featured in each new plot. The mysteries surrounding the murders as well as the books people are willing to kill for keep the reader guessing right up to the very last page.
Finally, the touches of humor as well as the detailed descriptions of book restoration leave the reader feeling like an expert by the end of the novel.
Carlisle’s readable, well-plotted mystery makes Books of a Feather a summer reading must.

Reading the latest installment of a great series is like catching up with old friends; if only Brooklyn & Derek were real! Books of a Feather was funny and enchanting, full of books and birds, and friends old and new. Brooklyn and Derek's San Francisco life is back up to speed with their move back into the city and a whole set of books and mysteries to keep Brooklyn busy! I love the bibliophile mysteries because they are so full of laughter, love, and mystery, and Books of a Feather was delightful!

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

I love this series! They never disappoint! Brooklyn and Derek are fun and sweet and the mystery is always a good one.

Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle is the eleventh book in A Bibliophile Mystery series. Brooklyn Wainwright and her fiancé, Derek Stone have returned to their renovated home in San Francisco. Brooklyn is helping Genevieve Taylor with an inventory of Taylor’s Fine Books after the death of her father. Brooklyn is amazed at the wonderful old novels (fourteen first editions so far) she is finding stashed around the store (and she gets to work on some of them). The book has been the victim of robbery recently (someone is stealing the valuable books in her store). Brooklyn heads home with the new books to restore to find her fiancé, Derek is entertaining a guest. Crane is an old friend of Derek’s and is in town to talk to his black sheep brother, Bai. Brooklyn and Derek will be attending a special event at the Covington Library and Museum and then ask Crane to attend with them. The Covington is hosting an Audubon exhibit with Birds of America (a very big and beautiful book) on exhibit. Brooklyn is approached by Jared Mulrooney at the exhibit. Jared is the president of the Bay Area Birdwatchers Society. He wants Brooklyn to restore a book. Jared spilled wine all over a book owned by the birdwatcher’s society (it is normally kept in a glass case). Brooklyn then meets up with Genevieve who asks Brooklyn to look at a very special novel. It is wrapped and Genevieve asks her to wait until later to look at it (turns out to be a very valuable item). Brooklyn goes looking for her friend later in the evening and discovers Jared Mulrooney dead (Brooklyn seems to attract dead bodies). Who would want to kill Jared? Does it have anything to do with the book he gave her to fix? Brooklyn cannot help but investigate. As if Brooklyn does not have enough on her plate, her parents show up for a surprise visit (that’s what happens when you let people know you have guest rooms). As if that is not enough, they bring up a homeless man one night who they insist is an old friend (you just know this is going to take a bad turn). The two couples go out to brunch the next morning and return to find the man dead in the apartment (and in Derek’s new robe). Someone was trying to get into the safe where Brooklyn keeps the valuable books she is working on. Which book are the thieves after? They need to find the culprit before he returns. Read Books of a Feather for another high flying adventure with Brooklyn and Derek (and their new kitten, Charlie).

Books of a Feather is a delight. It was nice to check in with Brooklyn Wainwright and Derek Stone (such great characters). I liked Books of a Feather, but I found it a little superficial. Some of the information was repeated in the book (they have not started planning the wedding yet, how handsome Derek is--many times, how they have renovated the apartment, etc.). Books of a Feather is nicely written (good flow) and easy to read. The mystery plays out during the course of the book. Not all the players are revealed until the end. You can take a guess at the person behind the murders (since there are not many suspects, it is easily figured out). I give Books of a Feather 4 out of 5 stars. I want to see more character development (depth). Books of a Feather can easily be read alone (but you will want to read the other novels in the series). The author makes it a point to tell the reader about Brooklyn and her prior adventures. I will be reading the next book in the Bibliophile Mystery series because I like the characters, and I want to see how their story plays out.

I received a complimentary copy of Books of Feather in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.