Peril in Paperback
Praise for
the Bibliophile Mysteries
Peril in Paperback
“Kate Carlisle never fails to make me laugh, even as she has me turning the pages to see what’s going to happen next. If you like suspenseful, intelligent mysteries with a sense of humor,
Peril in Paperback
is your passport to hours of entertainment.”
—Miranda James,
New York Times
bestselling author of
File M for Murder
, a Cat in the Stacks mystery
New York Times
Bestseller
One Book in the Grave
“Engaging…delivers…sharply humorous writing, fascinating details about the world of rare books, and a romance-infused mystery.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
Murder Under Cover
“A terrific read for those who are interested in the book arts and enjoy a counterculture foray and ensemble casts. Great fun all around!”
—
Library Journal
(starred review)
“With interesting characters, inviting locales, exceptional dialogue, and great visualization of bookbinding techniques, this is the best one yet in this fantastic and brilliant series.”
—The Cozy Chicks
The Lies That Bind
“Kate Carlisle weaves an intriguing tale with a fascinating peek into the behind-the-scenes world of rare books. Great fun, and educational, too.”
—
Suspense Magazine
“I highly recommend this series to any book conservator…who enjoys encountering a cast of quirky characters and a heroine who just can’t keep herself out of trouble.”
—The Bonefolder
“The writing in this cozy is sophisticated, the career details new and fresh, the characters sympathetic, vivid, and realistic, and the mystery compelling. This is a cozy that even nonfans of the genre would enjoy.”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
If Books Could Kill
“Carlisle’s story is captivating, and she peoples it with a cast of eccentrics. Books seldom kill, of course, but this one could murder an early bedtime.”
—
Richmond Times-Dispatch
“The mystery plot is lighthearted and cozy but with depth enough to keep me guessing for a while, and the romance that is intertwined and [the] humor amongst the eclectic cast of characters kept a smile on my face throughout the book.”
—Gumshoe
“A witty, thrilling, and suspenseful story…. Excitement bounds off each page! This twisty tale will keep you guessing until the very end.”
—The Romance Readers Connection
“Funny, fast-paced, and romantic all at once,
If Books Could Kill
is not to be missed!”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“A smart, sassy, fast-paced mystery with quirky characters that make me laugh and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing.”
—The Romance Dish
Homicide in Hardcover
“Saucy, sassy, and smart—a fun read with a great sense of humor and a soupçon of suspense. Enjoy!”
—Nancy Atherton, author of the Aunt Dimity mysteries
“A cursed book, a dead mentor, and a snarky rival send book restorer Brooklyn Wainwright on a chase for clues—and fine food and wine—in Kate Carlisle’s fun and funny delightful debut.”
—Lorna Barrett,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Booktown mystery series
“A fun, fast-paced mystery that is laugh-out-loud funny. Even better, it keeps you guessing to the very end. Sure to be one of the very best books of the year! Welcome Kate Carlisle, a fabulous new voice in the mystery market.”
—
New York Times
bestselling author Susan Mallery
“Who’d have thought book restoration could be so exciting?
Homicide in Hardcover
is good reading in any binding.”
—Parnell Hall, author of the Puzzle Lady crossword puzzle mysteries
“Beautiful and brilliant Brooklyn Wainwright thought bookbinding was a low-risk occupation, but she soon discovers her mistake in Kate Carlisle’s smart and sophisticated page-turner.”
—Leslie Meier, author of
English Tea Murder
“Brooklyn is my kind of detective! She loves books, wine, chocolate—and solving mysteries! Kate Carlisle has crafted a fabulous new series with great food, great books, and lots of fun.”
—Maureen Child, author of
Beguiled
“A delicious mix of San Francisco, book restoration, and a lingering counterculture beset by murder. Who knew leather and vellum could be so captivating!”
—Jo Dereske, author of the Miss Zukas mysteries
“This first in a new series is going to launch Carlisle to a bestselling position and have readers looking forward to the next installment of delightfully eccentric characters, droll dialogue, and a meticulously planned crime. Bibliophile heroine Brooklyn Wainwright is brilliant, feisty, and funny.”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
“Let’s just say it up front—I really enjoyed this book. For once I am very happy this is part of a series because I want more. This book is unusual in that it has both a strong mystery
and
unique, well-created characters…. Thank goodness for Kate Carlisle.”
—Front Street Reviews
O
THER
B
IBLIOPHILE
M
YSTERIES
Homicide in Hardcover
If Books Could Kill
The Lies That Bind
Murder Under Cover
Pages of Sin
(A Penguin e-Special Novella)
One Book in the Grave
P
ERIL IN
P
APERBACK
A Bibliophile Mystery
Kate Carlisle
AN OBSIDIAN MYSTERY
O
BSIDIAN
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, August 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Kathleen Beaver, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-101-59393-6
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
This one’s for you, Jane, with all my love and gratitude.
Thanks for being there for me when I was overwhelmed
by a desperate desire to explore that cheesy haunted
house and when I insisted on driving hundreds of miles
to find a goat farm. Thanks for your steadfast insistence
that I sample every champagne in the world—all in the
name of art and research, of course. And thanks for
everything else, too. Love you!
P
ERIL IN
P
APERBACK
Chapter 1
“We call it the Library Suite,” my hostess said, beaming with pride as she led me into the spacious bedroom that would be all mine for the next six days.
“I can see why.” As I looked around the room, I hoped my expression remained calm despite the volatile mix of shock, fascination, and trepidation coursing through me as I took in the mad proliferation of books.
I love books, but this is crazy,
I thought. That funny old cliché about the walls closing in on you? It wasn’t so funny anymore. On the other hand, there were so many books, I wouldn’t be able to see if the walls were getting closer or not.
“Isn’t it marvelous?” Grace said, tugging to smooth out the pale sage duvet cover on the king-sized bed. “Ruth teases me about my book obsession, but I have a good time with it.”
“I’m stunned,” I muttered. It was the truth. The number of books she’d managed to cram into this spacious bedroom/sitting room was astounding.
I’m Brooklyn Wainwright, book-restoration expert and lover of books, good food, and wine, and lately, doughnuts. I had driven up to Lake Tahoe that morning with my two favorite neighbors, Suzie Stein and Vinnie Patel, to spend the week at the home of Suzie’s wealthy,
eccentric aunt Grace Crawford. We were here to celebrate Grace’s birthday. It was the Big 5-0, and Grace wanted to do it up in style.
Grace’s good friend, Ruth Kinsley, had convinced Grace to celebrate her fiftieth birthday with an old-fashioned house party on the lake. In her engraved invitation, Grace had promised her guests that this weeklong party would be the most delightful, most fabulous shindig ever, the sort of party we’d all still be talking about for the next fifty years.
I was looking forward to the party atmosphere, but I also hoped I might get some quiet relaxation time. After all, I was about to spend seven long days in a gorgeous home with little else to do all day but sit around and enjoy the beauty of its idyllic lakefront setting. Sounded good to me. I’d been working too hard lately and the long hours were starting to catch up with me. In fact, watching Grace refold the cashmere throw at the end of the bed made me want to lie down and take a nap.
“I looked over my list of guests,” Grace said, fluffing one of the pillows. “And I couldn’t think of anyone who would appreciate this room more than you.”
“That’s sweet, Grace,” I said, hoping she could hear the sincerity in my voice as I parked my rolling suitcase near the foot of the bed. “You know how much I love books.”
“You and me both,” she said, laughing as she glanced around. “I guess that’s pretty obvious.”
I laughed with her. It would be rude not to, right? I continued my slow turn, gazing at the four walls that were covered in bookshelves crammed with books. There was the occasional window, thank goodness, and a few pieces of necessary bedroom furniture: an elegant dresser and mirror; a small but comfortable love seat that faced two matching chairs at one end of the large room; and a sumptuous bed with an ornate paneled
headboard filled with—you guessed it—more books. Other than those items of furniture and the windows, it was bookshelves that occupied every inch of wall space. Even the dresser held a row of books lined up beneath the matching mirror.
