Verse and Vengeance: A Magical Bookshop Mystery by Amanda Flower

              There are some book series I eagerly await the arrival of the next book in the story.  The Magical Bookshop Mysteries is definitely one of those series.    

           While it’s great that bookshop owner Violet Waverly and Police Chief David Rainwater are officially a couple, it means they both have to do those couple things they would never actually do on their own.  For Violet it is participating in The Tour de Cascade, a bike race her grandmother Daisy, the new mayor of Cascade Springs, has organized.  The race is something Rainwater wants to do, and Violet agrees to give it a try.

                Their race is cut short, though, when a man is killed on the course.  The deceased is Joel Redding, a private investigator who was far too interested in Violet and her bookshop, Charming Books, for Violet’s liking.  Now that he is dead, Violet is even more interested in finding out why Joel was watching her so intently.  Not fond of the man, killing Joel is not something she would do.  But she has to wonder who did want him dead, and why.

                Wrapped up in the mystery of Joel’s death is a student of Violet’s, Jo.  Jo comes to Violet for help after Joel’s death, but she runs away before Violet can do anything.  With Jo having handled the bike Joel died on, she is a suspect the police really want to talk to.  If only they, or anyone else, could find her.

                I am so glad to see Violet and Rainwater’s relationship is going well.  Their relationship is to the point that Violet is considering telling Rainwater the truth about the shop.  Explaining to him the shop’s special powers.  Rainwater already suspects there is something different about Charming Books.  He just doesn’t know specifically what.

                Something I was also really happy to read about was the use of gloves when handling old documents.  Then, when Violet didn’t have gloves, she thought about how she should.  I don’t know how many times I have watched people touch old, sometimes ancient, items with their bare hands, leaving potentially damaging oils behind.  The amount is countless.

                With the progress of Violet and Rainwater’s relationship, I have to wonder if the series will continue.  I have read more than one series where the romantic relationship gets to a certain point and then the series ends.  I certainly hope that’s not the case for this series, because I would love to read new books from it for a long time.