As Amanda Flower’s Prose and Cons opens, Violet Waverly has finally accepted her position as guardian of Charming Books, passed on from her grandmother, and is living in the upstairs of the shop while also teaching as an adjunct English professor at the local community college. She has learned how to use her special gifts to let books speak to her, and they help her solve another murder.
The bookshop is hosting a reading of the works of Edgar Allen Poe during the Cascade Springs’ Food and Wine Festival, led by the Red Inkers, the writers group that meets at the book store. Dressed in period costumes, the members start their readings when Violet discovers the body of Anastasia, crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. But rather this’s than being an accident, the police discover murder in the form of liquid nicotine that disoriented Anastasia and caused her to fall to her death. But signs point to someone trying to frame Violet’s friend Sade, a Red Inker and owner of the vintage clothing shop that outfitted the members at the reading. Thus Violet must get involved again in an investigation to save her friend.
This book is filled with enjoyable characters, but I think my two favorites are Falkner, the talking crow that lives in the tree inside the bookshop, and Emerson, Violet’s clever and mischievous little black tuxedo cat who can escape from anywhere and climb up drain pipes to get into any building and who helps to direct Violet, along with her books, which keep directing her to the works of Poe to help solve the mystery.
Rachel Dulude reads the audio version of this book. She keeps the story moving and enjoyable.
I don’t usually like books with fantasy in them, but the touch of fantasy found in this one just seemed to serve to accentuate the fun of the book. It is a light and pleasing book, which I give four stars.
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