Murder in the Locked Library (Book Retreat Mysteries #4) by Ellery Adams

Welcome to Storyton Hall, Virginia, where book lovers travel from near and far to enjoy the singular comforts of the Agatha Christie Tea Room, where they can discuss the merits of their favorite authors no matter how deadly the topic . . .

With her twins, Fitzgerald and Hemingway, back in school, Jane Steward can finally focus on her work again—managing Storyton Hall, and breaking ground on the resort’s latest attraction: a luxurious, relaxing spa named in honor of Walt Whitman. But when the earth is dug up to start laying the spa’s foundation, something else comes to the surface—a collection of unusual bones and the ragged remnants of a very old book. The attendees of the Rare Book Conference are eager to assist Jane with this unexpected historical mystery—until a visitor meets an untimely end in the Henry James Library. As the questions—and suspects—start stacking up, Jane will have to uncover a killer before more unhappy endings ensue . . .   (Summary via Goodreads)


A secret library.....a Guardian to that library....specially trained employees......a hidden key in a necklace....old books.....murder...... So much to captivate the reader when you pick up Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams.

Jane Steward has so much responsibility, not only with the sole responsibility of raising her twin sons but the responsibility of running Storyton Hall and then to add skeletal remains and a deceased guest of the resort, one can only wonder how she does it.  But once the reader gets into the book, you can see that Jane is a very strong woman with a devoted family, staff and community and you soon realize that there is nothing that she cannot handle.

A first for me reading a cozy mystery was how the author honored the deceased.....

"The sheriff usually tipped his hat to show his respect for Jane, but when he saw Bart's immobile body and his slack but ruddy face, he removed his hat and pressed it against his chest.  Phelps followed suit, and the two men paused for a moment to recognize that a fellow human being had passed from this world to the next before they both donned their hats again and approached the emergency medical crew."

I was very impressed with Adams for the level of respect that was shown to the deceased in how she wrote the above paragraph.  It allows the reader more feeling into the story.

There was so much in Murder in the Locked Library to entertain and intrigue the reader that it's no mystery how the reader gets to the end so quickly.  I, for one, am a huge fan of Ellery Adams and look forward to visiting Storyton Hall whenever I can.

Review by Missi S.