This is the 15th book in the Bibliophile Mystery series and it is the first book I have read from this author. With that said, you can jump right into the series and you don't feel lost as Kate Carlisle does a great job of introducing you to the characters. I will definitely look at reading more of this series in the future. ( )

The author really knows how to craft a mystery and it took me a long time to narrow down the solution to two of the characters. The settings were also good, San Francisco, Dharma, and Scotland. The only unbelievable part of the story is just how bad ass almost every character in the story is, and why is the lovely commune under such tight surveillance? ( )

Little Black Book is the next book in the popular Bibliophile Mystery series, and while I really think that cover is beautiful and was excited to have Brooklyn and Derek visit Scotland, I was a bit disappointed in this book overall. Brooklyn is starting to really get on my nerves and I am getting a bit bored with the fact that everyone seems to be an 'expert' in everything. Derek can just about call up anyone and voilà, problem solved. You need a private plane? No problem. You need a decoder? No problem. You need this? No problem. For me, this aspect is getting a bit out of hand and I am having difficulty just focusing on the story.

Let's start with Brooklyn. I normally love her character and in the earlier books, loved how eccentric she was. She was also smart and while she did jump into situations, it wasn't because she was silly. I get that she is married and is worried about Derek, but being married doesn't mean you lose your brain or your common sense. She constantly ignores good advice from Derek and follows him into dangerous situations when she knows that he is quite capable of dealing with them and is only putting herself, and him, into danger by doing so. I rolled my eyes a few times in this book over Brooklyn. Derek however, I still love as a character. He was a lot more fun though, when he was mysterious and we didn't know a lot about him.

The writing style is usually crisp, with a lot of twists and turns, and while I enjoyed the mystery, I did find it a bit muddled at times, as if the author wasn't sure where she wanted to go with an idea. I loved the fact that part of the story took place in Scotland, but am also concerned that people are going to expect Brooklyn and Derek to have to go to all these places to make things more exciting. I don't mind a trip here and there, but this is a cozy mystery novel, not a spy novel, you know? And I feel like some of the elements I really enjoyed in the earlier books are missing from the past couple of novels. And there were some things that both Brooklyn, and Derek, missed that were so obvious which didn't really ring true to their personalities.

Verdict
Little Black Book is one of those books that I liked, but didn't love. Something has been off these past couple of books where both character and story development has been lacking. I used to really enjoy Brooklyn's personality and her bookbinding experiences, but now feel they are overshadowed by other things happening around her, but those things are starting to slowly turn me off from these books. Everyone is so perfect, everyone has money, everyone is paring off together, and it is starting to get cloying. When done well, the writing is really, really good though, so I will probably read one more in this series to see what happens next. I really miss the feel of the earlier books in this series. ( )

Derek has received a rare first edition of REBECCA but the sender is unknown. Brooklyn assumes that it was really meant for her because the book needs some TLC, however when Claire Quinn arrives at their door asking about the package, matters take a different turn. Claire , an expert on antique weapons that Brooklyn worked with on THIS OLD ATTIC, is concerned about her missing aunt and the only clue she has is the receipt for the package sent to Derek. Claire becomes a target of several burly men (who later turn up dead) and she has no idea why. Derek and Brooklyn believe that a code found in the book could be the answer but the code has to be broken. Enlisting not just Brooklyn's family in Dharma but Derek's in UK, the three head to Scotland to try to find the missing aunt and solve the mystery.

Great mystery with characters coming back from previous adventures and more reveals of Derek's past. GREAT! ( )

This being my first introduction to author Kate Carlisle's delightful, "A Bibliophile Mystery" series, I was surprised to discover that this was the sixteenth book in this series. As cozy mysteries go, this had a bit more gravitas and less silliness than many, which I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated. Plus, the protagonist and her posse head off to Scotland to dig deeper into the mystery - a destination I hope someday to explore.

The premise of the story is Derek Stone, husband of bibliophile Brooklyn Wainwright, receives in the post a first edition of du Maurier's, "Rebecca" from a shop in Scotland. The sender is not identified in the return address nor within the book itself. Then Claire, a former colleague of Brooklyn, shows up on their San Francisco doorstep fretting that her Aunt Gwyneth has disappeared without a trace back in Scotland. Attempts are made on Claire's life and the group heads off to Scotland to get to the bottom of the goings on.

This was a fun, richly descriptive mystery with a number of red herrings and quirky characters. The writing is very good and the tension remains taut throughout the story. Thankfully, I was not at a loss in spite of how far into the series I had started. But at some point, I'll head back to the beginning to get myself caught up. It's just that much of an enjoyable and fun series. ( )