Little Black Book - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Little Black Book (A Bibliophile Mystery #15) by Kate Carlisle

Rating: Liked It!
Source: Publisher

Description:  Brooklyn has been happily settling into married life with her hunky husband, security expert Derek Stone, when a little black book arrives in the mail on a quiet Saturday afternoon. The book is a rare British first edition of Rebecca, and inside, Brooklyn finds a note from her old friend Claire Quinn, asking her to restore it to its former luster. The two women met while working as expert appraisers on the television show This Old Attic. Brooklyn appraised books on the show and Claire's expertise was in antique British weaponry, but they bonded over their shared love of gothic novels.

The day after the book arrives, Claire shows up at Brooklyn and Derek's home--in disguise. She believes her life is in danger, and as soon as Derek sits her down and questions her, Claire reveals that in the last few weeks she has experienced two near-fatal attacks, along with weird notes left in her mailbox, hang-up phone calls, and one very scary car chase. She's afraid that her past is catching up to her. When Claire was only nine years old, she witnessed several men, one of whom was her father, planning a terrible crime. And now it seems that she's been followed, bringing the threats against her literally to Brooklyn's doorstep. Can Brooklyn page through the clues to keep her friend's past from destroying their future?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoyed the early books in this series and the plot of this one intrigued me.

My Impression:  This was a fun seriously cozy read!  While there are books involved it's not as bookish as the previous books I've read and while I do enjoy all the talk about antique and rare books it did make it a much faster read.  This book focuses a bit more on Derek's unusual past when a colleague he hasn't had contact in quite awhile sends him a book and then her niece shows up with the news that the colleague is missing.  What follows is a dash out of San Francisco to Scotland with a trip to Brooklyn's hometown of Dharma.  There's some check ins with characters from previous books but not so much that it feels like it takes up unnecessary page time.  

Claire is an interesting character and there are a few mysteries about her I'd like to see further explored.  And of course Brooklyn and Derek are likable and entertaining.  This book isn't perfect and suffers from the same flaws I've found in most of the books.  The characters are just a little too perfect and there are more then a couple of coincidences.  These might have kept me from absolutely loving this book but it did not interfere with my enjoyment.  If you enjoy bookish cozies this is a fun series to pick up!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I'm looking forward to picking up the middle books in the series that I haven't read and will be looking for the newest.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozies with a bookish twist and are able to overlook characters that border on too perfect I think you'll really enjoy this series!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *