Rare books and antiquities expert Brooklyn Wainwright is thrilled to be invited to the fiftieth birthday party of her neighbor Suzie’s aunt Grace. A retired founder of a major video game corporation, Grace is a larger-than-life character who’s turned her Lake Tahoe mansion into a fun house, full of everything from pinball machines and giant props to secret passageways and trap doors. Brooklyn is most excited to catalog Grace’s extensive collection of rare paperback pulp fiction.

Part of the fun involves a séance, but after the lights flicker, one guest is dead, poisoned by a cocktail intended for Grace. It seems someone is determined to turn Grace’s playful palatial estate into a house of horrors. Brooklyn suspects the key to the killer’s identity may lie in the roman á clef Grace has written about her life. With Grace in great peril, “must-read” takes on a whole new meaning, as Brooklyn tries to stop a murderer who’s through playing around… ( )

Now here is a bibliophile book that truly lives up to it's name. The main character has a bedroom that is filled with books, she finds books all over the mansion, even in the wine cellar. She repairs books and reads books. A pretty good English Manor mystery is the center of the book about a group of computer game company employees trapped in the snow, lots of fun to read. ( )

Brooklyn has been invited to the 50th birthday party of her friend Suzie's aunt Grace at her isolated country home located on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Grace had been the owner /primary designer for a computer game developer and she has taken her skills and incorporated them into the design of her retreat home - moving walls, hidden accesses and holographic changes.

One of the early "events" for the celebrations, is a séance where one of the guests is poisoned - but the poison was meant for Grace! A massive snowstorm arrives shortly after Gabriel who helps keep the remaining guests "safe" while waiting for the police.

This was so much fun - not just figuring out the whodunnit but also trying to picture the various changes as they happen. ( )

I loved the cover and was hoping this would be like the Booktown mystery series which I've enjoyed, but I just couldn't get into this one.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. I enjoy this series and like the main character, Brooklyn. The fact that she is a rare book restorer adds to my liking this. Books about people who work with books always make the top of my list.

Brooklyn goes to a 50th birthday party for an eccentric millionaire, Grace, the Aunt of her neighbor Suzie. She has built her mansion like a fun house, with changing walls, trap doors and every sort of entertainment you can think of. I love the descriptions of the house, although a cage that captures people and a trap door that you fall through to the cellar seem a bit extreme. And hard to believe that no one has gotten killed before.

At a seance, when one of the party guests is poisoned, it seems the poison was intended for the hostess. The group of people is told not to leave the house, and soon become snowed in. Another attempted murder soon takes place and Brooklyn begins sleuthing to find the killer before it is too late.

There are lots of suspects to chose from. Several unlikable characters, and others who stand to gain financially from Grace's death. One thing that seemed weird to me was that even being trapped in a house with a killer, no one really panicked or seemed very worried. I know I would want out of there as soon as possible. ( )

I'm sorry to say that this installment does not live up to the previous ones in the series. It started out nicely, but several shallow plot twists (some of which make no sense) take this one off the rails. I have to think again about reading the next one. ( )

I want to visit Grace's house! It sounds like so much fun! And the food...what did they do with all the leftovers? ( )

Excellent book! Will read more by this author to bad I have to wait till June to do so! ( )

One of the stronger entries in this ongoing series. The setting is a bit over the top -- a large secluded country home with walls that change, hallways that disappear, and trapdoors that catch visitors unaware. Hello, can you say lawsuit? And some of the characterizations are a tad off: ok, so the builder of said house thinks its all in good fun, but even when murder and attempted murders start piling up, she still thinks its a good idea to continue terrorizing her snowed in guests? And no one tells her to stop? And while there is no Minka this time out, there are other characters equally abrasive. Apparently this author doesn't know how to write antisocial with any degree of subtlety. Everyone is either cloyingly sweet or rancidly bitter. So don't look for any nuances here, but for the most part that's probably not necessary to the primary objective.

The mystery is solid. There's even a convincing red herring. For a change, the lead is almost always seriously engaged. Usually she has a habit of taking mental timeouts no matter the situation to swoon over the nearest sexy male, but in this case her boyfriend is away and thus not exuding his usual pheromonal distractions over her cognitive abilities. I guess that means we'll get a double dose in the next installment. ( )

This is the sixth book in the A Bibliophile Mystery series. There is also a novella e-book.

Brooklyn Wainwright and her neighbors, Vinnie and Suzie, are on their way to spend a relaxing week with Suzie's Aunt Grace at her Lake Tahoe extravagant home. Aunt Grace will be celebrating her 50th birthday with her family. Aunt Grace has made it known that she will have an important announcement at her birthday party. Many members of her family believe she about to rewrite her will and possibly leaving out some of her family.

To start the week long party, Aunt Grace has a tarot card session,even though she is not an experienced reader of tarot cards. But Brooklyn is a little more aware of what the cards say and becomes concerned that something terrible may happen to one of the guests. The next evening Grace is set to have a seance. As she is about to begin, her close friend brings her an iced tea. She places it on the floor and asks everyone else to do the same, as it interferes with the spirits. shortly thereafter, Bella who is sitting next to Grace, gasps and slumps forward. As they check on Bella, Gabriel notices that in fact she is dead and the smell of almonds is very apparent. The first thought was why would anyone want Bella to die. But everyone soon realized that the poison had been in Grace's drink, so she must have been the intended victim.

So Brooklyn and Gabriel set out find the killer. Grace has written a book and had passed out copies of the manuscript the first evening. Brooklyn set out to read the book, in hopes that it will provide a clue. Grace herself said of the book that the names had been changed to protect the guilty. Possibly Madge, who I verbally abusive to everyone, and is Grace's sister-in-law. Sybil, who is the wife of Grace's ex partner Peter. She is very secretive and hardly talks with anyone. Kiki, who is Grace's niece was considered until she was pushed down the staircase.

Grace's house would be something to see. It's like a giant game-board, similar to a game that Grace designed. Hidden wall that move, trapdoors and a giant mouse trap that when triggered can entrap a person. Brooklyn bedroom even has book shelves mounted to ceiling and will lower to be able to retrieve the books.

This is a very well written story that will keep the reader guessing. This series is definitely one of my favorites. Certainly looking forward to the next book. ( )

This is the sixth book in the A Bibliophile Mystery series. There is also a novella e-book.

Brooklyn Wainwright and her neighbors, Vinnie and Suzie, are on their way to spend a relaxing week with Suzie's Aunt Grace at her Lake Tahoe extravagant home. Aunt Grace will be celebrating her 50th birthday with her family. Aunt Grace has made it known that she will have an important announcement at her birthday party. Many members of her family believe she about to rewrite her will and possibly leaving out some of her family.

To start the week long party, Aunt Grace has a tarot card session,even though she is not an experienced reader of tarot cards. But Brooklyn is a little more aware of what the cards say and becomes concerned that something terrible may happen to one of the guests. The next evening Grace is set to have a seance. As she is about to begin, her close friend brings her an iced tea. She places it on the floor and asks everyone else to do the same, as it interferes with the spirits. shortly thereafter, Bella who is sitting next to Grace, gasps and slumps forward. As they check on Bella, Gabriel notices that in fact she is dead and the smell of almonds is very apparent. The first thought was why would anyone want Bella to die. But everyone soon realized that the poison had been in Grace's drink, so she must have been the intended victim.

So Brooklyn and Gabriel set out find the killer. Grace has written a book and had passed out copies of the manuscript the first evening. Brooklyn set out to read the book, in hopes that it will provide a clue. Grace herself said of the book that the names had been changed to protect the guilty. Possibly Madge, who I verbally abusive to everyone, and is Grace's sister-in-law. Sybil, who is the wife of Grace's ex partner Peter. She is very secretive and hardly talks with anyone. Kiki, who is Grace's niece was considered until she was pushed down the staircase.

Grace's house would be something to see. It's like a giant game-board, similar to a game that Grace designed. Hidden wall that move, trapdoors and a giant mouse trap that when triggered can entrap a person. Brooklyn bedroom even has book shelves mounted to ceiling and will lower to be able to retrieve the books.

This is a very well written story that will keep the reader guessing. This series is definitely one of my favorites. Certainly looking forward to the next book.

( )

Kate Carlisle has taken one of the most popular traditional mystery conventions,the country house mystery, and made it her own.

Our favorite freelance bookbinder, Brooklyn Wainwright has been invited to a fiftieth birthday party at the home of Grace Crawford. The aunt of Brooklyn's neighbor Suzie Stein became acquainted with Brooklyn when she'd had some of her books rebound. Due to Grace's immense and varied collection of valuable books, they'd become friends.

Grace's home, a mansion near Lake Tahoe, had been paid for by her lucrative video game business, and was equipped not only with a conservatory, a ballroom, a game room, a library, numerous bedrooms, and a guesthouse, but with a full staff including chef, bartender, housekeeper and various other domestics.

It's worth mentioning that Grace, a software designer, had the house built to her specifications, resulting in some quirky features.

Grace's weekend guests number almost a dozen people, including her business partner, her attorney and a couple of the game designers, not all of whom are fans of Grace's. This results in some interesting interactions and conflicts between members of the group when the house is isolated by a severe snowstorm. In grand country house tradition, although the power is out, the house has a backup generator. The roads are impassable, but luckily there are enough provisions for a dozen people for a long weekend. And of course the storm cripples cell phone service as well.

Carlisle has taken all the elements of a traditional country house mystery and constructed an enjoyable (and for some of us, slightly nostalgic) that hooks the reader from beginning to end.
My only problem with the book is the lack of a dramatis personae. Perhaps it's just a poor memory, but I found it difficult to keep track of the characters belonging to the names.

I've always been fond of Brooklyn, and she grows more delightful with every appearance. It's wonderful to see such a successful, independent, self-employed woman! ( )

In the sixth book in the Bibliophile Mystery series, Brooklyn is going to Lake Tahoe with her friends, Suzie and Vinnie, for a house party to celebrate Suzie's Aunt Grace's 50th birthday. It is a gala, week-long event with lots of food and games. Yes, games because Grace made her fortune creating games and though retired is still part owner of a very profitable game company. The party consists of a variety of folks, family, co-workers and a librarian who is cataloging Grace's vast library. When one of the guests accidently drinks Grace's iced tea and dies, it becomes obvious that someone does not want Grace to see another birthday.

Well, this entry in the series was a bit different. The story takes place inside Grace's mansion which is slowing being snowed in. It has sort of Agatha Christie vibe and Brooklyn even refers to And Then There Were None. Brooklyn is missing her guy, Derek, who is out of the country working and we really don't get to hear much from her family. The change is nice because it forces Brooklyn to deal with some of her issues alone or to rely on others. Now I have to wait for the next one. ( )