Brooklyn Wainwright was looking forward to her trip to Edinburgh, Scotland to attend the annual Book Fair. As a book restoration expert, the fair was a great chance to see old friends and learn about the latest techniques in her field as well as peruse a wide variety of old and unusual books. Running into and catching up with her old boyfriend Kyle McVee was a pleasant added bonus.

A fellow book enthusiast, Kyle excitedly tells Brooklyn about a rare book he has discovered, a book of poems by Scottish poet Robert Burns that contains a scandalous secret that will rock the British monarchy and shock the world as well. He trusts Brooklyn with the valuable book for her to verify its authenticity, as well as for safekeeping, due to some uneasy threats he has recently received. When Kyle is discovered murdered, and the murder weapon is Brooklyn's bookbinding hammer, all eyes turn to her as the prime suspect.

Luckily, Brooklyn's pal, Derek Stone turns up in time to keep the Edinburgh police from taking Brooklyn into custody, and between the two of them, along with Detective Investigator Angus MacLeod, they begin to investigate who would have killed Kyle and how the Robert Burns book that Brooklyn has in the hotel safe figures into the scheme of things. And the list of suspects soon grows like a weed! Could the murderer have been a fellow bookseller who coveted the book; a jealous husband trying to regain his wife's affections from Kyle; a band of jolly ruffians from the Robert Burns Society; or the mysterious young lady who claims to be Kyle's previously unknown wife? The possibilities are endless, and it's up to Brooklyn to figure out who before someone manages to snuff out her life as well.

IF BOOKS COULD KILL: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle is a charming, thrilling cozy that is downright hilarious at times. Carlisle's cast of unusual and unique characters, such as Brooklyn's wacky hippy-dippy parents, her best friend Robin, and the decadently handsome Derek Stone, are just delightful, and her heroine Brooklyn is a savvy, smart gal who just happens to stumble into mayhem and murder at every turn. Brooklyn is pretty feisty too, and her run-in with the deliciously evil Mink La Beouf was just priceless. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I intend to go back and find the first book, HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER, and I look forward to the next story, THE LIES THAT BIND, due out in February, 2011.

Book Summary

Murder is easy-on paper.

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is attending the world- renowned Book Fair when her ex Kyle shows up with a bombshell. He has an original copy of a scandalous text that could change history-and humiliate the beloved British monarchy.

When Kyle turns up dead, the police are convinced Brooklyn's the culprit. But with an entire convention of suspects, Brooklyn's conducting her own investigation to find out if the motive for murder was a 200-year-old secret-or something much more personal.