Crime and Parchment

Rare Books Cozy Mystery, #1

by

Daphne Silver

Intriguing mystery and family drama on the trail of the ancient literary artifact.

Crime and Parchment is the first book in author Daphne Silver’s promising Rare Books Cozy Mystery series featuring Library of Congress rare books librarian Juniper Blume, her sister, Azalea, and the fabled jewel-encrusted gold covers of the ancient Book of Kells. 

The story unfolds from the point of view of the main character, Juniper Blume, a young rare books expert and librarian at the U.S. Library of Congress. After years away, she finally returns to her grandmother’s home in Rose Mallow, Maryland, after her soon-to-be ex-brother-in-law contacts her and claims to have found the lost covers of the renowned Book of Kells, which have been missing for over 1,200 years. Her homecoming is quite emotional when she and her dog, Clover, show up unannounced at her Nana Z’s former home, now the Wildflower Inn, her sister’s fledgling boutique hotel. The sisters’ reunion is not a joyful one and exposes the heartbreak they both have experienced since the death of their beloved grandmother. Azalea is at her breaking point and reveals a lot of what she’s been going through during Juniper’s long absence: adjusting to motherhood and life with her precocious and almost four-year-old daughter, restoring and converting the large family home, and her pending divorce from her childhood sweetheart, Rory Walsh. 

The mystery kicks off quickly but unexpectedly with Rory’s failure to show up for his scheduled meeting with Juniper and her subsequent discovery of the body of a local girl at the location instead. Word spreads immediately through the small town, and naturally, everyone equates Rory’s disappearance with guilt that he’s the murderer. 

Coincidentally, a film crew staying at the Wildflower Inn is in town to document the announcement of the search for the same Book of Kell’s artifacts by the star of the television show, Professor Treasure Hunter, Orson Bradford. As it turns out, Juniper and Bradford have a history. He’d made a pretty clumsy and public pass at her at a high-profile professional conference where they’d both been speakers the previous year. When he sees her at his press conference, he immediately approaches her to apologize for his past behavior and appears interested in forging a future working relationship. However, it is his friend, the current head of the local founding family in Rose Mallow, Leo Calverton, who piques Juniper’s curiosity. 

With Juniper under scrutiny by the police as the person who discovered the murdered woman and the sister-in-law of the missing Rory, it becomes critical that she find the real killer and, hopefully, Azalea’s missing spouse. The resolution is exciting and surprising, and the ending proves to be full of promise for future additions to the series. 

I recommend CRIME AND PARCHMENT to cozy mystery readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.