Sometimes, three books in a series are enough. I’m not sure if Victoria Gilbert is going to continue the series after A Fatal Booking,, the third Booklover’s B&B Mystery, but this one was enough for me. I was a little disappointed in the heroine’s decision at the conclusion of the book, and it was her boyfriend, an intelligence agent, who had the TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) moments. While I can’t go into detail or risk spoilers, he made some unexpected mistakes.

Charlotte Reed inherited Chapters Bed & Breakfast from her great-aunt Isabella, and she has enjoyed hosting the different events with book-related themes. But, Charlotte is getting a little restless. Her true love is teaching, and she’s trying to decide how she can go back to that. Maybe she should hire someone to manage the B&B. In the meantime, she’s hosting a small book club that’s hosted by someone she used to teach with. Lora Kane’s book club is having a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, and they’ll also discuss the new Hans Christian Andersen collection that Lora illustrated.

Charlotte notices a great deal of tension in this group. Even before the group arrives, a local resident expresses his dislike for one of the members. He accuses her of knowingly destroying one of his boats. And, others in the group have problems with her as well. It doesn’t really come as a shock when Charlotte finds her body in the garden after the tea party. But, now she’s stuck with the entire dislikable group because they’re told not to leave town.

Although, Charlotte always keeps Detective Amber Johnson in the loop, she and her neighbor, Ellen Montgomery, dig into the background of each guest. It comes as no surprise that most of them had the means to kill the victim. But, who had the motive?

As I said, I was disappointed in this mystery, but others might like it more than I did. Charlotte and all of her closest friends seem dissatisfied with their lives at the present time. Charlotte, Ellen, and Charlotte’s boyfriend, Gavin, all seem to be a little off.

That’s enough for me. Now, I’ll be curious as to whether this one was enough for the author, too. I wonder if A Fatal Booking is the last in the series. If you read the book, I’d love to know what you think.

Victoria Gilbert’s website is http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com

A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert. Crooked Lane Books, 2022. ISBN 9781643859149 (hardcover), 304p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent an ARC, hoping I would review it.