The Lies That Bind (A Bibliophile Mystery #3) by Kate Carlisle

The strength of lead character Brooklyn Wainwright carries what could have been a case of the "swooning damsel" and this lends itself nicely to learning how to balance her steadfast independence with her situational dependence on others.

The secrets of the dark "stranger," what connections there could possibly be between the victims and the seemingly innocent, and what the romantic interest's true intent could be really do keep the pages turning. The conversations and situations are realistic and entertaining without being too simplistic or over the top, given the circumstances.  There is enough detail in Brooklyn's life, job and neighbors to imagine walking into such a circle of individuals.

Yet another case of having picked up a sequel, the story does fairly well standing alone, but there are some of the characters' nuances toward each other that are a bit confusion without knowledge of the full account of previous events (which are constantly alluded to throughout).  However, as murder-mysteries go, it is kind of exciting not knowing the full history of the characters when the plot does twist. Perhaps it is more ironic or more in-line with the character; one can't be sure.

What you can be sure of is that the previous books from this author's series will soon be on the "to-read" bookshelf!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7843546-the-lies-that-bind