Book 27, 2024
Off the Books by Lucy Arlington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
On Friday, I finished all but the last chapter of my "work" book, so I brought it home to read that last bit. The book was Off the Books by Lucy Arlington, and it's part of her "Novel Idea" mystery series. This is the first I've read in the series.
Literary agent Lila Wilkins is excited to be part of the bridal expo that her agency, Novel Idea Literary Agency, has arranged to host. The plan is for several authors who have wedding or bridal themed books to have booths, along with the more traditional offerings of caterers, photographers, etc. Things are going well until a local handyman is found murdered behind the scenes, and the police are convinced that one of the authors is the culprit. Lila's boss, Bentley, goes into damage control mode, and she asks Lila and the other agents to do some subtle sleuthing in an effort to prove their author is innocent. Lila knows there are far more suspects because it seemed everyone had a grudge with the victim. Now all she needs to do is prove it.
In addition to the main plot, there were several subplots going on involving Lila's fiancé Sean, her son Trey, her mother Althea, and a naughty little dog named Olive. I'm tempted to say it was too much, but even though Lila was being pulled in several different directions the plot was never confusing. I couldn't help but notice that none of the men in the story seemed to be doing Lila any favors. Her fiancé has yet to give her a ring and won't commit to a date, her son has dropped out of college and didn't tell her, her mother's new "boyfriend" accused Lila of the murder, another agent (Jude) keeps aggressively flirting with her (and her lady bits like it), while Zach (another agent) reminds me of that coked-out idiot in Die Hard (the one who got himself killed for being a coked-out idiot). It's just...can she have one decent male in her life? Meh.
Favorite line: There was something comforting about a warm cat on a cold day.
I wasn't all that enamored of this story. It was okay, but I'm not sure I'd seek out others in the series. Three stars.
1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No, she's a literary agent
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Yes, ugh
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? No
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? N/A
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes, her son is grown