The Bodies in the Library

A First Edition Library Mystery, Book 1

By: Marty Wingate

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Hayley Burke's fresh start as the curator of The First Edition Society's library in Bath, England, is about to take a rotten turn in this charming new mystery series from USA Today best-selling author Marty Wingate.

Hayley Burke has landed a dream job. She is the new curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library. The library is kept at Middlebank House, a lovely Georgian home in Bath, England. Hayley lives on the premises and works with the finicky Glynis Woolgar, Lady Fowling's former secretary.

Mrs. Woolgar does not like Hayley's ideas to modernize The First Edition Society and bring in fresh blood. And she is not even aware of the fact that Hayley does not know the first thing about the Golden Age of Mysteries. Hayley is faking it till she makes it, and one of her plans to breathe new life into the Society is actually taking flight - an Agatha Christie fan fiction writers group is paying dues to meet up at Middlebank House.

But when one of the group is found dead in the venerable stacks of the library, Hayley has to catch the killer to save the Society and her new job.

©2019 Marty Wingate (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This series debut will delight lovers of literary-themed romance and mystery; the perfect companion, of course, is the nearly eponymous Christie work, but fans of Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (2014) should also be steered toward Wingate’s latest.” (Booklist)

“Cozy Mystery fans, rejoice! The Bodies in the Library is the first in a fresh and lovely new mystery series by Marty Wingate that checks off some of my favorite boxes: a library of rare mystery novels; a setting steeped in history; lots of intriguing characters; and a valiant cat named Bunter. The plot gently unfolds as our spunky protagonist gathers clues - with a little help from Dame Agatha and a benevolent ghost - in order to solve a rather coldblooded murder that kept me turning pages and guessing to the very end." (Kate Carlisle, New York Times best-selling author of The Book Supremacy)

“Hayley Burke thought her new job at the First Edition Society would be a walk around the Royal Crescent, that is until bodies start piling up in the library. Marty Wingate’s smart new mystery, The Bodies In The Library, is better than a buttered scone and a pure delight.” (Lorraine Bartlett, New York Times best-selling author of Yule Be Dead)

Excellent Who-Done-It Mystery

The book has a slow start, but I promise that every detail of the slow start becomes important later in the story. Press on so you can enjoy the ride!

Fun First in the Series

When Hayley Burke lands the job as curator of Lady Georgiana Fowling's First Edition library, she may have bitten off more than she can chew. When a group of fiction writers decides to meet at Middlebank House and one of their number ends up dead in the library, Hayley has some catching up to do . . . in reading and solving a murder. Glynis Woolgar, Lady Fowling's former secretary, is challenging the new curator at every turn and if Hayley wants to keep her new job, she will have to convince the stifling Ms. Wollgar that their is room for both the old and the new. Great start to the series.

Great read

Enjoyed this while on vacation and it kept me awake wanting to hear more about the book

The Bodies in the Library

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery by Marty Wingate. It kept me interested from beginning to end. The reader was wonderful and the cast of characters were interesting. This was definitely a cozy mystery and I highly recommend it. I look forward to listening to the sequel soon.

ok

It's ok. The mystery is pretty good.I might get the next book in this series

A Body In The Library

A fun cozy with all the usual suspects. Wannabe authors attempt to write updated versions of established detectives introduced by the masters. Agatha Christie's main characters interact with zombies and have super powers. And of course a real body is found in the library.

Mystery Is Set in Bath

The setting, Bath, and the topic, a museum of mystery authors books, is what appealed to me. My preference is for third person storytelling, and this one is in first person so it took a while to get used to. It wasn’t a bad read, it just wasn’t a driving mystery that grabbed you. I could easily put it down then get back to it. Maybe the biggest issue with this novel is that it’s a story about a woman— her insecurities, her romances, her work as a curator, and her daughter….oh, and a murder mystery tacked on. The murder mystery was secondary and many times I wanted to say, “Keep on track! Who cares about your daughter’s diorama, all the tea breaks, and your worthless boyfriend.” I doubt I’ll read the other two books in the series as I’ve had enough of the protagonist.

Loved it, and great narration.

I really liked this book. I could relate to the characters and the plot kept me guessing as to who dun it. I also really loved Fiona's narration. I felt she really made the different characters easy to distinguish. Looking forward to reading the next one.

Not what I expected.

Absolutely not what I expected. I am sorry, well no I am not sorry! I feel disappointed.

Good

The characters were well developed. The narration was great. The story dragged. The plot continued to loop around and I found myself skipping whole chapters and I don’t feel I missed much. The book is maybe 10 hours it needs to 7.