One Book in the Grave by Kate Carlisle

"There is so much to think about in this cozy. I focused on the life led by a character named Max. Love gets him in a basket of trouble. He finds it necessary to change his whole life. There is hate and jealousy. Jealousy can lead to all sorts of dangerous tendencies. Some might call one character a Psychopath. Then, there is the book love throughout the book. A book is used to carry a mystery letter. The title of the book is "Beauty And The Beast." I especially loved the romantic relationship between Brooklyn and Derek. How quaint each of Brooklyn's siblings are named after a place. There is also the wonderful vocation of bookbinding. The process of papermaking is written about. I tried to follow the technique closely. I couldn't. I just ended up knowing paper is so beautiful for books. There is gilding, and there are many colors like purple and vermillion. These are only a few of the issues covered in the mystery written by Kate Carlisle. There is also a cultish church and thoughts about survivalists...."

도난당했던 초판본 책인 Beauty and The Beast를 복구하게 된 여주인공, 3년 전에 죽은 줄 알았던 지인의 생존, 남녀 간의 질투와 탐욕, 사이비 종교의 광기, 미스터리한 죽음들과 추적, 가족들의 재발견, 새로운 출발 등이 중심 내용이다. 초반에는 긴장감 있는 이야기가 독자들의 관심을 끌기에 충분하지만 중반은 좀 지루한 편이고 이야기의 템포가 늘어지는 느낌이다. 다행히 막판에 이어지는 반전이나 이야기의 결말은 무난한 편이다. 중장 편이지만 책의 구성이나 문장의 표현 등이 비교적 쉽기 때문에 속도감있게 읽을 수 있는 작품이다.