As soon as I saw the premise for All the Suspects on Campus by Heather Day Gilbert, I knew that I had to read the first book in the Christie Club Mystery series. And what a delight this book is with the characters brimming to life with their own quirks and a plot that takes you all over the place.
Many thanks to Harlequin Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Content to be aware of: This book is published under the Love Inspired Trade imprint; however, there is little faith content included. There is also a brief reference to the metaphysical.
Book Synopsis
A secret library. A murdered colleague. Can professor Jo Blue Oliver use her love of Agatha Christie to solve a case?
Jo Blue Oliver, an outspoken English professor at a small West Virginia college, has made a fascinating literary discovery in her new home: a hidden library tucked behind a secret door. The cozy room is stocked with an entire leather-bound collection of Agatha Christie books—the perfect setting for a private book club with her college-grad daughter, Millie.
Unfortunately, before the first meeting even takes place, fellow English professor Lucas Clements is found strangled in the campus pool. Then a skittish young student named Avery is reported missing. Noticing parallels to one of Dame Agatha’s classics—their first book club pick—Jo Blue can’t resist doing a little sleuthing of her own.
But if there’s one thing any Agatha fan should know to expect, it’s a plot twist—and a rising body count. Jo Blue’s library is just one of many secrets in this college town…and some of them are downright deadly…
Source: Amazon
Book Thoughts
Fans of Agatha Christie will have lots to look forward to in this homage to her works. Combining similar twisty scenarios and solutions, Josephine (Jo Blue) Oliver unwittingly takes on the role of Ariadne Oliver by finding herself in the middle of a university campus murder mystery. As a widowed mother with a caring heart for her students, Jo Blue reconnects with the boyfriend of her youth to piece together a scenario that increasingly resembles the book she is reading (mais bien sûr!).
This book delivers puzzle upon puzzle, making it an enjoyable journey to find out whodunit. Heather Day Gilbert writes in such a way that it is easy to keep the pages turning until the very end. I love the relationship that Jo Blue has with her daughter, and I appreciate how realistic it is that Jo Blue is still trying to navigate the relationship she has with her own mother. Since this story is more focused on mystery than on romance, it really opens the door for more in the series. Readers who want to join the Christie Club will have fun being on campus again, albeit at a distance from all the strange happenings that demand an answer.
Book Summary
- Format of book: 📱
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Recommendation: 👍
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