Hello, I’m Charlotte Reed and I live in Beaufort, a historic coastal town in North Carolina. Although I was a high school English teacher for most of my adult life, I’m now the owner of Chapters, a bed-and-breakfast I inherited from my great-aunt, Isabella Harrington.

My days include a lot of mundane activities, like planning meals and housekeeping, but the events we offer our guests do add some fun and excitement. You see, Chapters is a literary-themed B&B. Somehow, Great-aunt Isabella amassed a substantial personal library, and when she converted Chapters into a bed-and-breakfast she decided to make good use of her books. Each guest room is themed, like our Mystery Suite or Children’s Room. Not only are the rooms decorated to match, they also include shelves of books representing the appropriate genre. So, along with the extensive library, my guests can access a bounty of reading material!

That’s not the only aspect of Chapters that reflects a literary bent. We also offer weeklong celebrations of authors and books. This includes special activities like costume parties, themed dinners, excursions, and book discussions.

Currently, I’m preparing for a week honoring mystery author Josephine Tey. Even though most of her books are set in the 20th century, one of her most famous stories, The Daughter Of Time, features Tey’s detective sleuthing the 15th century from his hospital bed. He uses research and deduction to determine the guilt or innocence of Richard III in relation to the deaths of his two nephews. So for this week, I thought it would be fun to include a medieval-themed costume party and dinner. This has involved a lot of extra research!

Anyway, you asked about an average day in my life, so let me lay that out for you. I like to get up early and take a walk, often ending up at the Beaufort waterfront, where sailboats, yachts, and smaller vessels are docked. I make sure to return from my walk in time to help Alicia serve breakfast to our guests. Once everything’s cleared away from that meal, I complete other necessary tasks, like helping Alicia clean and tidy the guest suites and public areas, or working in the English-style garden at the back of the house. I also plan future events, handle reservations and promotion, and manage supply orders and general finances. When we’re having special events, I have to make time to decorate the house and our back patio too. As you can see, my days are filled with work.

Chapters also hosts a book club for local readers. We meet to discuss a book or author once a month. My good friend, Julie Rivera, who owns an independent bookstore in Beaufort, helps me with these gatherings.

You may notice that I don’t mention any personal social activities – something my mom says needs to change. But I’m so busy, I really don’t have the time for such things. Well, that’s not entirely true. I suppose I could make time; I just don’t have the inclination to do so. While it’s been three years since my dear husband was killed in a tragic accident, I still have no desire to date or socialize beyond the book club and a few lunches or dinners with Julie. I also visit my family, who live in Virginia, from time to time, but that’s about it. Most of my activities outside of work, like walks on the beach, or visits to some of the other quaint towns in the area, are solitary excursions. It’s fine, despite what my mom and sisters say. I really don’t feel lonely. I have my guests, a few friends in town, and – most importantly – my memories.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one other person I talk to from time to time – my next-door neighbor, seventy-something Ellen Montgomery. Since our backyards adjoin, we often chat about gardening and related topics. She’s a retired film and TV location scout, so she can also share fascinating stories from her travels. The only thing is, although I own Chapters outright, Ellen controls the trust that Great-aunt Isabella created to help keep the house and grounds in good repair. When I run short of cash, which sometimes happens in the winter months, I have to ask Ellen for money from the trust, which is embarrassing. But I’ve recently resolved to get past that and get to know Ellen better. For one thing, I suspect she can probably tell me more about my great-aunt, whose past is quite a mystery to me and my family.

Anyway, that’s my life. Not very exciting, is it? Sometimes I wish something would shake things up, although, as Ellen said recently, “be careful what you wish for.” But honestly, what could happen in a quiet town like Beaufort? There isn’t much crime; certainly nothing serious. I don’t think there’s been a murder for over thirty years, and what are the odds that anything would happen at Chapters to change that statistic?

Although, I guess you never know. . .

Booked for Death is the first book in the NEW “Booklover’s B&B” mystery series, released August 11, 2020.

A book lover’s B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder–and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth.

Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader’s paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It’s the perfect literary retreat–until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.

The victim’s daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.

Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt’s name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer’s death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer–or end up writing her own final chapter.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Raised in a historic small town near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian. Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and the Book Lover’s B&B series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel. She lives near Winston-Salem, NC with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Check out her website for more information on her books and links to all her social media accounts at victoriagilbertmysteries.com.

All comments are welcomed.