Better Off Read

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What to expect

When her best hope of saving her storm-damaged library is found murdered, senior librarian Cleo Watkins hits the road in her bookmobile in search of justice.

Septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be shushed when an upstart young mayor threatens to permanently shelve her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, Georgia.

However, Cleo soon rolls into trouble. A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should worry about his plans. She knows she should when she discovers him bludgeoned—and evidence points to her best friend, Mary-Rose Garland.

Sure of Mary-Rose’s innocence, Cleo applies her librarian’s sleuthing skills to the case, assisted by friends, family, and the dapper antiquarian bookseller everyone keeps calling her boyfriend. Evidence stacks up, but a killer is overdue to strike again. With lives and her library on the line, Cleo must shift into high gear to close the book on murder.

Critics Review

  • “A delightful mystery with quirky charm, the fight for the environment, and the love of books.”

    San Francisco Book Review

  • “Funny [and] fast-paced…A dynamo of a lead in Cleo, who drives with a lead foot and refuses to back down from anything or anyone, including bullies and murderers.”

    Publishers Weekly

  • “A spunky heroine, a furry side-kick with ‘cat-itude,’ and plenty of southern charm. What more could readers want?”

    Lucy Arlington, New York Times bestselling author

  • “Outstanding…A delightful cast of characters and an engaging amateur sleuth in Cleo, this mystery is a page-turning whodunit that will have readers longing for another volume featuring this intrepid librarian.”

    Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author

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