I’m Jane Hunter, a sixty-year-old former university librarian. I retired early, not by choice, but because I didn’t quite fit the new “branding” the university had adopted. Sadly, they felt I had outdated ideas, while I thought some of their new plans were ridiculous. So I made the tough decision to leave. I’ve always been a sensible person and retiring, rather than being fired, looked like my best option.

But with a less-than-generous pension and being two years shy of taking even early social security, I needed a new job. Thankfully, I found one at Aircroft, a glamorous 1920s estate outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In a stroke of luck, I was hired as a cataloger for a large collection of rare books and ephemera, a portion of which is focused on Golden Age mystery authors and their works. It’s pretty much a perfect position for me. Or would be, except for my new boss.

Aircroft, and the book collection, are owned by a young man named Cameron Clewe, who’s closer in age to my thirty-year-old daughter than to me. He’s rich, handsome, and quite intelligent, but Cam also possesses a glaring lack of social skills. I quickly realized this is due, in part, to his struggles with anxiety, OCD, and a touch of agoraphobia, but honestly, when we met, I feared working with Cam would be like dealing with a particularly prickly porcupine.

But it’s not like I hadn’t dealt with similar, or worse, behavior during my university career. Besides, I was likely to run into Cam’s personal assistant, Lauren, or his live-in chef, Mateo, and housekeeper, Dia, more than him. And while Aircroft has an abundance of guest rooms, I chose not to live there. Like Lauren, I preferred to return to my own space at the end of the day. I loved my new space too—after selling my house and downsizing, I was fortunate enough to rent an above-the-garage apartment from a retired newspaper reporter, Vince Fisher. At first worried Vince might harbor a more than platonic interest in me, I was relieved when I met his girlfriend, Donna Valenti, and realized we could all be friends. (Sure, I could meet someone new. I’m not that old. But after my disastrous former marriage I have no interest in dating again).

As far as a typical day, I had the perfect schedule planned. I’d wake up and enjoy a light breakfast before driving to Aircroft. When I arrived, I’d grab a mug of coffee from the estate’s well-equipped kitchen and then head to the library to work on my cataloging projects. Around lunch time I’d take a walk in Aircroft’s gorgeous gardens before heading back inside to work.

But on my first actual day at work, the Monday after Aircroft had hosted a weekend charity benefit, I arrived early and discovered a body in the library.

Not just any body either. This was the young woman Cam had been dating, at least before their unfortunate break-up, which I’d witnessed during my tour of the grounds.

Now, in order to keep my job, I have to help Cam prove that someone else—from among the numerous guests, his staff, or others the dead woman had wronged—is the killer. It’s going to take his intellect, connections, and money, as well as my research and social skills, to prove his innocence.

If, of course, he truly is innocent.

A Cryptic Clue, A Hunter and Clewe Mystery Book #1
Genre: Traditional
Release: July 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

A retired librarian gets back to the books—and into a devilish murder case—in acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert’s new series, the perfect literary adventure for fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay.

Sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, forced into early retirement from her job as a university librarian, is seeking a new challenge to keep her spirits up and supplement her meager pension. But as she’s about to discover, a retiree’s life can bring new thrills—and new dangers.

Cameron “Cam” Clewe, an eccentric 33-year-old collector, is also seeking something—an archivist to inventory his ever-expanding compendium of rare books and artifacts. Jane’s thrilled to be hired on by Cam and to uncover the secrets of his latest acquisition, a trove of items related to the classic mystery and detective authors. But Jane’s delight is upended when a body is discovered in Cam’s library. The victim, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, was the last in line of Cam’s failed romances—and now he’s suspect number one.

Cam vows to use his intelligence and deductive skills to clear his name—but with a slight case of agoraphobia, rampant anxiety, and limited social skills, he’ll need some help. It comes down to Jane to exonerate her new boss—but is he truly innocent?

About the author
Raised in a historic small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian. Now retired, she worked for over 30 years in the library field as a reference librarian, research librarian, and university library director.

Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, and the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Victoria lives in North Carolina.

Linktree: linktr.ee/victoriagilbertauthor

All comments are welcomed.