A Country House..
A country house, a small village, a librarian and a murder. Julia is on a mission to find the truth - as her investigation proceeds Julia needs to delve into the lives of the villagers themselves and, more particularly, into their reading habits. She may well be left with a host of unanswered questions. A nicely written mystery with an eclectic cast of characters, an edge of wry humour and an ideal setting.

This author uses quite a few words in a charming way. Part of the appeal of the story. Very British and dry humor. The ending was fascinating and unexpected. Julia, 60 is a woman after my own heart. She’s head librarian at a small community library. One of my favorite scenes is her speech at her retirement party. All the characters are memorable.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this mystery elements going through this book, it had a great overall feel to it and I enjoyed figuring out what was going on. The characters had a great overall feel and worked I the plot of the book. Shirley Day has a great writing style and can’t wait to read more from Shirley Day.

Quirky small town cozy mystery about a librarian solving murder mysteries... Ok, book for a nice weekend reading by the fire.

This really had all the elements I normally love in a cosy, but it was such a disappointment.
The main crime is the murder of a rich, old, unloved lady who is not turning over books that had been willed to the library. So great victim. Then the protagonist was an older librarian, getting ready to retire. If not for her nosiness, the theft of the books would have been a secret.
The whole story was just a big, rambling mess, even though it was actually a short book. An editor should have helped organize the story and correct some of the mistakes -- for instance, it's always jarring to read "angle" for "angel." And the solution to the mystery was lifted from a classic mystery.
I guess my biggest peeve was that the librarian keeps talking about her values, and how she doesn't tell who checks out what, when she keeps doing exactly that.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Between the Lines
Solving crime one book at a time
by Shirley Day
Pub Date 30 Nov 2023
ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op
Humor & Satire| Mystery & Thrillers| Women's Fiction

As part of the Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op, I am reviewing Between the Lines:


There is a murder in a quirky Suffolk village that throws Julia, the long time Library Manager, into a hunt for the truth in Between the Lines.


Using her keen observational skills and her unflinching knowledge of her fellow villagers' reading habits, Julia sets out on a mission to find the culprits. Julia, however, has a secret of her own.


I give Between the Lines four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!