THE LIES THAT BIND is the third in a mystery series about a bookbinder living in San Francisco. Brooklyn has just restored an almost-first edition of 'Oliver Twist', when she hears that it is being passed off as the genuine article by her boss in an auction. The intention is good - money will be raised for Bay Area Book Arts, their place of work and home to a friendly cat as well as thousands of rare books. But Brooklyn has serious reservations, worried about losing her reputation if the truth is discovered. Nobody likes her boss Layla and when this woman is shot dead during Brooklyn's bookbinding evening class, it looks as though THE LIES THAT BIND have come back to haunt her.

The story is character based and there is some rather slow setting up of alibis and lack of them, with little in the way of police evidential procedures. However the interaction between all the motley crew, from a sexpot to a boss from hell, gay girl sculptors, a nervous fiancée and an English personal security expert guarding an uncooperative Scandinavian, gives plenty of life and interest, and the constant theme of rare and valuable books is a reader's delight. I could have done without the added distraction of a Wiccan mother and her auras and remedies, which took the story different directions without adding a sub-plot. San Francisco itself plays a frequent part in the telling, the views, different districts and steep roads all shown as Brooklyn experiences them.

Whether you enjoy a cosy mystery or you want to know more about old book restoration, THE LIES THAT BIND is a fine read.

Book Summary

One bookbinder. One bully. One beau. Looks like someone has got to go...

When it comes to rare books and antiquities, Brooklyn Wainwright is a master. Which is why she's returned home to San Francisco to teach a bookbinding class at Bay Area Book Arts. Unfortunately, BABA director Layla Fontaine is a horrendous host who pitches fits and lords over her subordinates. With the help of her beau, British security officer Derek Stone, Brooklyn manages to put up a brave face and endure.

Unfortunately, someone else is not so forgiving. Layla is found dead of a gunshot wound, and Brooklyn is bound and determined to investigate. But when Layla's past ends up intertwined with Derek's, Brooklyn realizes that the case is much more personal than she thought—and that the killer might want to close the book on her for good.

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