| Title | : | Fatalities and Folios (Poe Baxter Books, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 170 |
| Publication | : | Published August 23, 2022 |
When Poe Baxter fled her job as an English professor, she was thrilled to be launching into her career as an antiquarian book dealer with a trip to Edinburgh. But she soon finds that her queries into a particular book’s provenance are drawing some less desirable attention to her and her best friend Beattie. Not everyone is interested in sharing this particular story.
Will the women be able to discover the book’s origins without bringing about their own ends?
Fatalities and Folios (Poe Baxter Books, #1) Reviews
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2,5 stars. DNF at Page 139. * SPOILER ALERT * I like to relate a little with the main female character. But in this book, she drinks a lot of alcohol during the day. Besides, after she was stolen from a rare and antique book from the safe in her room and had received it back because it was left somewhere in the hotel, she didn't suspect anything ... Also, the e-book I read in Scrib has many errors, and some paragraphs have been omitted in several passages; which made me a little confused about the understanding of the story.
SYNOPSIS: "When Poe Baxter fled her job as an English professor, she was thrilled to be launching into her career as an antiquarian book dealer with a trip to Edinburgh. But she soon finds that her queries into a particular book's provenance are drawing some less desirable attention to her and her best friend Beattie." -
"When Poe Baxter fled her job as an English professor, she was thrilled to be launching into her career as an antiquarian book dealer with a trip to Edinburgh. But she soon finds that her queries into a particular book’s provenance are drawing some less desirable attention to her and her best friend Beattie. Not everyone is interested in sharing this particular story. Will the women be able to discover the book’s origins without bringing about their own ends?"
My thoughts:
Two women travelling the world in search of rare books and solving murders along the way may sound like a great concept but I'm not convinced that these two are the ones to pull it off. Poe and Beattie are lifelong friends and know each other well. Seriously though, WHO travels with a pet hamster? That just seemed a bit too out there to be believable.
This particular story of the Scottish book on sea monster stories and its curse was interesting. The people the women meet such as the brothers and the inspector drew me in. The dialogue was good. It was hard to know for sure who to trust and who actually may have believed in the curse. Suspicion as to who the killer was and why they did it shifted several times. The ultimate takedown was okay and the later debriefing over pints in a pub answered a lot of questions.
As always, ACF Bookens managed to work in brief mentions of her other two series within this book.
There is no doubt in my mind that ACF Bookens is a talented storyteller.
However, like almost all of her other books, this one has far too many typos/errors. I noted 24 as I read. For instance:
- In the first chapter, Poe says she has been to Scotland two times before but in the next chapter says this is her first trip. Huh?
- At one point the Inspector's last name is replaced with the last name of another character.
- There is an unfinished sentence that ends with the word "the".
- Grammar issues such as present tense rather than past tense.
- phrasing that makes no sense (extra words, duplicate words, incorrect words)
I know that typos can appear during the process of converting the writers text into various book formats, but a thorough editing and proofreading of the converted formats should have caught the vast majority of the issues.
Regardless of how good a story is, 24 typos/errors is just unprofessional, annoying and very distracting to most readers. I'm certainly not an English major. Back in high school (mid 1970's), I was at best a C+ in English.
I've read Ms Bookens other two series and enjoyed the stories (yes, while griping of errors) and at least for now will continue with those series.
I had pre-ordered the next 2 in this series but have since cancelled them. I'm not convinced that the premise of the two women travelling the world with a pet hamster in search of rare books and solving murders is my cuppa. I'm also not willing to continue being bombarded with so many typos/errors.
For the story alone, I would give this book 3.5 stars but all the typos drops this to a 2.5 for me. JMO -
3 stelle e mezza
Ho sentimenti contrastanti su questo libro... Mentre l'idea alla base mi è piaciuta, non altrettanto posso sempre dire della sua realizzazione. Tralasciando alcuni errori che un qualsiasi editing avrebbe visto (tipo sbagliare un pronome o lasciare una frase tronca a metà), l'azione si svolge in due diverse città scozzesi che, se i miei ricordi sono giusti, sono a un paio di ore una dall'altra, ma negli ultimi capitoli vengono fuse in un'unica città, una cosa letteralmente impossibile. In più ho sentimenti contrastanti riguardo alla protagonista, soprattutto non mi è piaciuta la sua tendenza a ubriacarsi a ogni pie' sospinto. Sinceramente non so se proseguirò questa serie... -
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I was excited to start this new series by ACF Bookens. This series follows Poe Baxter who just got a new job as an antiquarian book dealer. With her best friend Beattie she travels to Scotland to buy her first book after Sea Monsters. I enjoyed visiting Scotland in this book and it was fun to recognize the names of some places I've visited myself. The theme of books and travel seems like a fun one, but I am wondering how this will work out as the series progresses in terms of recurring side characters and love interests.
While this is a first book in the series I thought the book did a good job of getting into the meat of the story and the mystery relatively quickly. I do have to say I didn't find the mystery as engaging as some of the other books by this author, it's hard not to compare it with her other series. It did keep me guessing and wondering who the murderer was and what the book had to do with it.
I liked Poe, she seemed like a sensible character who shared her suspicions and theories with her friends and acquaintances instead of pursuing them on her own. I liked how the characters all worked together to figure out the mystery. I liked her friendship with Beatie and seeing how she approached this new job. It was also fun to see an older main character in a cozy series.
There's also a pet hamster that plays a role in the series, but I am not yet sure what to think of him. There aren't many scenes where he plays an important role and traveling with a hamster in a small cage just seemed kinda sad.
I thought it was nice there were some more touristy and fun scenes interspersed with the mystery. It made for a nice mix. I also liked how it made sense they become part of the mystery as it ties in with the book they've been buying. There was a bit of a romance set up, but with the way the book ends I am not sure what's going to happen with that. I liked the romances, but it also felt like it progressed a bit quickly and wish there had been a bit more build up and getting to know each other.
To summarize: This was a solid start to this new series. I liked the theme of book buying and travel and how we get to visit Scotland with Poe in this first book. The mix between the mystery and the more fun and touristy scenes was well done. I liked how the mystery was tied in with the book they're buying, but I wasn't as engaged with the mystery as I would've liked. I liked Poe so far, she seemed sensible and likeable. I liked how Poe and her friends all work together to solve the mystery. I wasn't sure about the pet hamster, he only made a few appearances and it just seemed kinda odd how they travel with him. The romance progresses kinda fast and I am not really sure how that's going to play out with them traveling to another location next. All in all a good start to this new series and I look forward to the next one. -
A lighthearted romp through Scotland with 2 ladies aged in their 40s. Poe and Beattie are chasing after a very old and valuable book of ancient Scottish fairytales and stories about sea monsters. Loch Ness Monster anyone? For the record, Beatte is a transgender female although there was only one mention of this in the first chapter. Beattie is also the expert in antiquarian books, while Poe is the expert in fairy tales and old stories. This book also involves a murder and Poe and Beattie have to find out who the murderer is. That was enough for me to originally give this 4 stars. BUT, then I came across a rather annoying editing error that was jarring. One female making a dramatic "entrance" after pouring beer over someones head and storming OUT of the door. That should have been an exit, not an entrance. I would have given this 4 out of 5 stars, but with that editing gaffe, I'm going to give it 3 stars!!! I do plan to read more books in this series only because I absolutely LOVE antiquarian books!!!!
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I enjoyed the audio of this first in series and will be listening to the next book soon.
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It had a lot of promise: rare books, librarians, mystery. But the plot didn't make sense to me. So they are going to buy a book, and to investigate the provenance, they visit the former owner, and find him dead. Then, they assume his murder has something to do with the book. Why? He sold it months ago. It's just an assumption; you're supposed to suspend your disbelief. There's also this strange addition of romance for no reason, and why do they keep doing their nails?
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A fun new cozy mystery in Scotland!
Fatalities and Folios is the beginning of a new cozy mystery series and I was looking forward to reading it. It was enjoyable but needs some editing and there is a lot of winking. Odd but whatever. The story was good but started off a little slowly. Poe and her transgender best friend Beattie work for Poe's Uncle's rare book business. Poe's first job is to go with Beattie to Scotland to get a rare book on sea monsters. They find a former owner of the book they are trying to obtain dead. They meet two brothers who help them solve the case. The characters are likable. The mystery is decent. There are only a few suspects and I wasn't sure until the end. This book had a lot of potenial and I plan to read the next book in hopes that it is better. #FatalitiesAndFolios -
Books, high tea, shortbread, and a pair of Outlanders
Not to mention a setting in my favorite city (outside of Israel) – Edinburgh. The author provided a lot of local background in addition to literary tidbits and a list of yummy foods.
For me, conservation and preservation of books & art is about passing down the lore of our ancestors. We can learn about each other and ourselves by delving into the psyches of why specific cultures think the way they do. Some peoples lived their lives based on fear of the elements, yet others embraced them. The differences have fascinated me since I was a young child and I unashamedly continue my passion for folklore and fairytales (especially retellings).
Almost any story/novel/tale that has old books or priceless art stress the importance of provenance. The cozy takes us beyond the mere proof of ownership in that the one in question lists details about the book itself. Readers learn a wee bit about bookbinding, glues, threads, etc.
One of the characters has two rules for books (as much as possible) and I do agree. The same pertains to art and cultural finds, IMHO:
belong to the public
should remain in their home country
Some sage advice from the author:
Know your worth
Increase your wealth in order to share it
Gonna make me some Earl Grey and scones before starting book #5 ‘Spines and Slaughter’. I definitely want to catch up on this series as well as others by this author. -
I finished Punishable by Death so I was eager to start another series by ACF Bookens. This one was good but it felt a little bit like Scooby Doo and the Gang. When the killer was captured, I truly expected them to say, "I would have gotten away with it if it were not for you meddling kids." Though in this story, the kids were well over the drinking age. As with her other book, the description of the location, the history of sea creatures, and the food made me want to travel to Scotland and consume as much cider, bangers, and scones as I could and you think everyone is the killer until they narrow it down in the end (like Punishable by Death). It was a very entertaining read and I'm sure I'll choose another. One last note. The hamster, I'm not sure why he was included. When he would sporadically appear, I was like, who is this? oh yes, it's the hamster. He was not a key component and he would not have been missed.
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I was given book 4 in this series free and started to read and decided no, I'm going to do this right I will read the first book and go from there, that's what you're supposed to do, right? Anyway, I did and got acquainted with the characters. It's a mystery crime story of two friends, women that are in the Rare Book business and they go searching wherever they think the book is and find it and take it back home with them. It's not as easy as it seems especially when murder becomes involved, over a book. Follow the leads that are given to them and now instead of just two Rare Book dealers now they are investigating a murder? it was a ok story and I will give it another few chances to see if I can get into the series like I have on some of the other A.C.F. Bookens books. I just had a hard time getting into the story it just didn't seem all that interesting to me,but in all fairness just because I feel this way doesn't mean you will!
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A new series from a cozy mystery author who I've read 2 series of her books in the past, St Marins bookshop and Stitches in Crime.
This series is about a rare book buyer, Poe Baxter sourcing books from around the world for clients. She travelled this time with her best friend from schooldays and colleague Beattie and her hamster Butterball.
When a rare book which purports to have a curse upon it comes up for sale, Poe's first job is to buy the book for a client who wishes to donate it to the Scottish library. When the seller is found dead, Poe and Baxter are drawn into the mystery of who did it and why. The book is set in Scotland, a country close to my heart.
I'll admit, I didn't take to the book as I have the other 2 series, I didn't dislike it but I didn't fall in love immediately with it, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. That said, I'll buy the next book in the series to see where the story goes. -
I quite like this author’s other series, and was really curious to start with this one as well.
There are a lot of typos and editing details, I think some other reviewers had it worse than me but still the book needs to be re-checked. But luckily it didn’t affect my reading too badly.
This story is set in Edinburgh, and I liked how the characters went to pubs and drank a lot, it’s quite the accurate reflection of how locals spend their time here.
However, if someone reading this book really thinks that men in Scottish pubs start spontaneously telling each other stories about monsters and magical creatures, they would be so disappointed when they actually visit.
The rest of the story was ok, cute but not super good. I had my expectations relatively low so I wasn’t exactly disappointed, and overall it was a nice read. -
It was supposed to be a simple buying trip for Poe Baxter; a single purchase designed to get her feet wet in her new profession as a book dealer. Instead, Poe finds herself wrapped up in a mystery that takes her on a chase for clues all over the country of Scotland.
This one just isn't for me. There were errors throughout my copy, a plot hole or two and inconsistencies in the storytelling. Poe seemed too giddy for her 47 years and unfit/untrained for her new profession. The buying trip was referred to as a vacation though it appeared to be a work venture - one in which pets should not be involved.
Though I liked the story as a whole, there was just too much background noise. I wasn't enamoured with the main character so this series will be a miss for me. -
Good Premise that Didn’t Work
Somehow I missed how she was named Poe. Her best friend Beatie was odd. I have thought about the previous sentence since I wrote it and decided to expand. Beatie is transexual and went from a male to female when younger. That is fine, except she/he is involved with the brother of Poe's boyfriend. He is for all intensive purposes straight, as is the brother. I would think that Aaron(brother) might notice that he is kissing another man. This was not expanded on and seems to be a add on to take advantage of the current climate not to have a real character.
The idea of buying a rare book that had a curse could have been okay but the plot just fell apart. No, I will not be reading any more of this series. -
I wanted to like this book I really did, heck it’s by one of my favorite authors so I thought it would be good. But I was wrong, so very wrong. I got to 5% and could go no further. I just couldn’t wrap my head around finding old books for people as an actual job. I have attempted to read a similar series a few years back but that “job” is just a stumbling block for me. Is it a real job in the real world? Who knows, but if it is what a great job - free travel, browsing bookstores or auction houses for old books - would be a dream come true. But that’s what that job is in my mind, just a dream.
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This was enjoyable. A good solid cozy mystery and start to a new series.
I have read other books by this author and enjoy her writing style. She writes likable, relatable characters in interesting locations doing investigations and enjoying what are - usually - small towns with all the requisite " characters" who make things exciting.
One thing I particularly liked about this book was that the main character is a book buyer who travels around the world buying rare books. It's fun that she takes her hamster, Butterball, along with her on her adventures.
The murder investigation was swell- structured and a goos story. I would read future books in this series. It was fun. -
Hamster in a supporting role
I gotta admit that it was the hamster on the cover that encouraged me to buy this book, but once I got into the story I found it an exciting, well-written story. While some other reviewers have criticized the hamster as irrelevant to the plot, I thought he was cute anyway. But of course, you shouldn't tote your hamster on international trips - they prefer to stay at home.
