In Bookplate Special by Lorna Barrett, Tricia Miles has had to deal with a houseguest who overstayed her welcome by two weeks. Pamela “Pammy” Fredericks was Tricia’s roommate her first year at Dartmouth, and she came to visit ostensibly for just a weekend but in reality for at least two weeks. After Pammy caused problems in Tricia’s mystery bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, and got caught stealing a check from the store, Tricia asks her to leave. That day Pammy tries to find work in Tricia’s small town of Stoneham, ultimately getting hired to wait tables by Tricia’s sister, Angelica, in her restaurant, Booked for Lunch. That afternoon Tricia goes to take out the trash at her sister’s restaurant and discovers the body of Pammy face down in the dumpster.
Meeting Captain Baker of the sheriff’s department, Tricia inserts herself into the investigation. However, she finds herself clashing with Captain Baker over her withholding evidence as she uncovers signs of Pammy’s having committed blackmail. But a break-up with Russ leads to more than just angry sparks flying between them.
Bookplate Special was a good book that I enjoyed listening to. I liked the elements of the plot, with all the details of life going on around Tricia during the investigation. We get to see Mr. Everett and Grace, senior citizens, get engaged and plan a wedding in the span of a week. We also learn about a group of people calling themselves fregans, ones who try to avoid food waste by climbing in dumpsters behind grocery stores and taking anything they can salvage. The organized group does this for environmental purposes, but Pammy got involved because she wanted to save money in order to avoid having to work. This desire for free money led Pammy to practice blackmail.
I was disturbed by the way that Tricia treats the police investigation with unprofessionalism, especially given her love of all kinds of mystery books. She should know better than to hold back evidence and then be offended when Captain Baker is upset at this. For example, Tricia gives a box of books left by Pammy to the Friends of the Public Library sale, spluttering that these were just books, when she of all people should know that anything related to the victim of a crime might be evidence. Her repeat of such behavior several times became not just annoying, but disturbing.
Cassandra Campbell performs the audio edition of Bookplate Special, using good voices for the characters and making the energy flow between Tricia and Captain Baker.
I had a good time listening to Bookplate Special and appreciated the story. One of Barrett’s strengths is the way she weaves everyday life into the midst of the plot of her books, giving us a whole village to connect with. I give this book five stars.
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