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Booked for Murder (Vigilante Magical Librarians Book 1) Kindle Edition

by R.J. Blain (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,619 ratings
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Life as a bodyguard and driver for the rich, famous, and powerful is dangerous on a good day, and after sustaining a crippling injury while on duty, Janette’s left with few options. Having signed a ‘for life’ contract but unable to work, she uses her skills to disappear.

Her new life as a librarian suits her. Nobody cares she limps and sometimes requires a cane to walk. She’s wanted for her knowledge, not her lethal magic. She’s surrounded by books, a woman’s best friend. But when her former employer’s best friend is murdered on the steps of her library, old loyalties and secrets might destroy her—or set her free.

Teaming up with her co-workers to find the killer might keep her from being booked for murder, but unless she’s careful, she’ll find out exactly how far her ex-boss will go to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Her. For life.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Vigilante Magical Librarians
  2. Print length
    456 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    August 18, 2020
  6. File size
    4500 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A magical being with a penchant for fast cars, a background as a bodyguard, and the power to manipulate blood, Janette's not your typical librarian. Blain's treatment of her exsanguination abilities rivals any procedural's blood-splatter talk. She's also crafted an engaging, compelling protagonist, giving her a promisingly layered relationship with Hampton, who technically owns her as part of a for-life contract he insists she once signed despite her claims of amnesia.

Blain's carefully detailed world abounds with twists and turns, all tightly and vividly drawn, all set inside a singular magical world. Her cast's motivations prove compelling and even relatable, for all their magical prowess. For readers excited about magic librarians cracking a case, this will hit the spot.

Takeaway: A magic librarian sleuth takes on a compelling murder mystery in the first entry in the Booked for Murder series.

Great for fans of: Ilona Andrews' Magic Bites, Shelly Laurenston's The Unleashing

~ Booklife Reviews (Editor's Pick ⚡️)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07XH3NN5V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Page Publishing; 2nd edition (August 18, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 18, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4500 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,619 ratings

About the author

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RJ Blain

RJ Blain

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RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
2,619 global ratings
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5 Stars
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Wasn't sure I'd like it but wow! All I can say is give this series a try , its great!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book! WANT MORE
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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This was a great read. Loved the story line and the characters really jumped off the page. I want to read more of this series and see where it goes. The intrigue and mystery are so fascinating.. Yes, it is a series. There is more to come. And I want every word.
One person found this helpful
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Books and Blurbs
4.0 out of 5 stars Another hit
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2020
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I really enjoy narratives penned by R.J. Blain - they are inventive, complex and often hysterical. This is the introduction of a new series, and while it has the same flavor as the more popular 'Romantic Comedy with a Body Count' collection, it does not appear to be set in the same world. The rules are far different, with a class system that seems an odd blend of Democracy, Aristocracy and Feudalism.... though I'm still unsure of the Democracy part.

Here, in this world, Adepts of a certain magical percentage, are more highly valued than their less talented brethren, though 'Mundanes' - who lack magical talent, are also highly prized if they are 'pure', though not for power or position, but breeding potential due to quirky DNA that might produce a high percentage offspring. It's complicated on every front, and when politics get involved (when doesn't politics get involved?) it becomes even MORE complicated... and deadly.

Fast, woven and witty, this was an enjoyable ride I am eager to continue. I am still trying to understand the system they work in and under, and why 'for life' contracts seem so acceptable to so many... when they appear more like slavery on first inspection. The information is juggled throughout the plot, dropped here and there in rain drops of knowledge, but by the time Book 1 came to a close, I still did not have a full grasp of the hows and whys of this complicated and often nefarious, world. I'm looking forward to seeing how Book 2 expands and explains.

Pros:
~ Funny. Very, very funny.
~ Magical talents are as diverse as the people that own them.
~ Librarians. What is not to love about that?

Cons:
~ R.J. Blain is talented... and repetitive. It feels like almost every character in every one of the novels, no matter the series, share the same sarcastic wit, creating conversations that follow the same format in every world. That is not to say those conversations are not entertaining, for they surely are, but they quickly become familiar. Snark, wit and humor, while desired, usually doesn't apply to every person you meet.

Perspective
First Person, Single POV

Ending Type
Mild Cliff

Rating
R, for violence.

Romantic Dynamic
M/F

Character Age Range
Adult
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CEMattoxS
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
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Wonderful story, this series is a lot of fun, and a great beginning. Who doesn’t like a vigilante librarian? Fun premise, Janette is the usual smart, witty protagonist that RJ tends to give us, she just has a few physical challenges to overcome. Looking forward to more in this world/series.
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Diane D. (genre fiction biblioholic)
3.0 out of 5 stars Some entertaining interaction, but "investigation" goes in talky circles W/O RESOLUTION!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2020
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This isn't a cliffhanger per se, but the multiple-political-assassinations investigation goes practically nowhere. When the book ends (over yet another group gathering, with food) they're still debating all the same angles and permutations of which factions have which motives (either directly or as a framing misdirection) for killing the sponsors of a bad-news-except-for-a-privileged-few bill, as when they first came together in enlightened self-interest, seeking to take matters into their own hands. "Vigilante" is meant more as humor, btw, than an accurate description of their PI-ish role, since the protagonists (Janette, Bradley, plus assorted librarians, parents, and a couple others) all reluctantly concede that even greedy, bigoted architects of would-be social disaster and tyranny should not be murdered.

Speaking of the social structure, it shares certain elements (though not all) with Ms. Blain's Royal States romantic UFs written under the nom-de-plume Susan Copperfield, and with Ilona Andrews' "Hidden Legacy" series: highly-magical adepts with wealth and influence, some lower-status individuals in sworn/contracted service, and others lacking access to even necessary resources. Easily-predicted love-interest-to-be Bradley Hampton and his parents (despite the emotional distance presented in Janette's initial embittered-PoV musings), prove to follow the pattern of Copperfield protagonist Royals: surprisingly egalitarian and socially aware. There is a tinge of preachiness here and there in the narrative, such as re. unfortunate attitudes toward the handicapped (including how the presumed temporary nature of the cast/medical boot on Janette's foot lessens the ~stigma~).

Until I hit the (lack of) conclusion which decided me firmly in the negative, I had been pondering whether I could stretch to generously rounding up, in optimistic hopes for the future trajectory of this lightly entertaining bunch of characters. It already objectively didn't deserve a Goodreads 4/5, given its repetitious use of various speculations, a number of slightly flat/strained humorous motifs (for example, Janette loves so-spicy-it's-incendiary takeout Chinese; "orange chicken" appears 44 times!), and Janette's frustration with her physical limitations (I didn't have Search count how many times she said or thought "This sucks"). There is some drama and action, and some clever and fairly original use of magic, but not a large percentage of the total page time. As for the romance, it's mainly a matter of teasing from friends, low-key recognition of attraction and concern, and parental plans — not so much as a kiss happens here in book 1.

Also, even considering the book's length, about a dozen highlights is too many to have due to issues of iffy, confusing, or outright wrong syntax, grammar, spelling, etc., including a mismatch (1X) and an ambiguity (1X) re. who'd originally made a certain remark referred to a bit later In the same scene; "contaminates" (v.) in place of "contaminants" (pl. n.), "benefactors" (donors) in place of "beneficiaries" (recipients), and "securities" (tradable financial assets) in place of "security" (protection); a should-be-plural apostrophization error ("Hampton's"); and an "I" s/b "me" (in a compound object of "for").

I do seem to wind up saying these sorts of things about Ms. Blain's books repeatedly, don't I? But I can't resist her intriguing premises, like this one: fun fantasy murder mystery with a bodyguard-turned-librarian sounds 100% up my reading alley. I probably will read the rest of this series someday... assuming I can find the later volumes on sale or in KU. $6 was too much to have paid for the amount of gripping story progression I found in this one.

P.S. I hope I fully recreated all the points I'd drafted before trying to type this review in the dinky Kindle for Android "Before You Go" one-paragraph-visible interface (with this stinkin' arrow-key-less virtual keyboard) made me lose a whole chunk out of the middle with an inadvertent selection action. There isn't even any Undo I could've used if I'd realized immediately what had happened. *sigh*
33 people found this helpful
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barnhart72
5.0 out of 5 stars urban fantasy
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
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Love the story, love reading the author the writes
One person found this helpful
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Rhonda Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Characters
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023
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First, I love reading, so a librarian heroine caught my interest. Then finding out she was a super powerful bodyguard for a rich single handsome man was icing. The heroine is definitely a character I admire. She put her life on the line for the man she was guarding, and barely lived through it. She did not come out whole. But circumstances have found her in the middle of an investigation into serial killings of certain politicians. I liked the storyline and characters very much. What I was not happy with the book did not wrap up nicely. There was no big cliffhanger, but there was no resolution either. I bought the next book because I did love the characters. I found out this is to be a 5 book series, and only 2 are out now. The other thing that I did not like was there was a lot of redundancies. By that I mean the main character repeating the same complaint or history over and over again. So much it was noticeable. But I still liked the book obviously from my 5 star rating.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Shannon Scollard
5.0 out of 5 stars New favourite read!
Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2021
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I picked up Booked for Murder for two reasons - 1 - who could resist Vigilante Magical Librarians?!!!! Really - that was the hook right there! And 2nd because at the back of one of Ms. Blain's other books she mentioned that people were disappointed that all of her work was not like some of her work. Really?

This was very different than the other series I have read but in a really good way! I love the characters in this book! They are quirky and fun and every so snarky! I love that these librarians are taking justice into their own hands! I love that there is a focus on learning and the love of books shared by very different people. And the world is so very cool!

This is a MUST read for anyone who loves UF and thinks that a librarian would make an amazing a vigilante!
One person found this helpful
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M. J. R. ORTON
5.0 out of 5 stars Golly what a fascinating context
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2022
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Wow!
The series name really does summarise the plot: in a high magic contemporary urban setting, a team of vigilantes are forced together by an assassination on the steps of their library.
I’ve been a fan of this concept since Barbara Gordon became Batgirl, but this iteration of the concept is so neatly crafted.
Off to book 2 straight away!
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Freya Hahn
5.0 out of 5 stars Strong character, captivating story
Reviewed in Germany on March 11, 2022
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I had so much fun reading this book. The characters are as usual full of loveable flaws and the interaction between them remind me so much of real life struggles in relationships, relationships to be. Couldn't put the book down until last page. Enjoy reading
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TheOneTree
5.0 out of 5 stars My fave so far from Ms. Blain
Reviewed in Australia on January 30, 2023
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No Spoilers...

This is one of those books that you pick up and think 'this'll be good' only to realise, that when you've reached the end, it was 'damn, that was so good I need to read the rest of the series now!'

Of course, I'd forgotten that I'd already read this one. I'd picked it up elsewhere. But when I was offered this one at a price not to be sniffed at, I just HAD TO BUY IT and read it... again.

I'm not the least bit sorry I now own this book on three platforms... yes three - I also have the audiobook too. Because it's that good.

So, I leave the ball in your court. If some crazy person likes it enough to buy it that many times, then it has to be good, right?

Checklist:
Library
Books
A person of the feline variety
Books
A really gawjus guy
Coffee
Books
Excitement plus
HEA

I also confess to snickering and yes, the occasional *snort* also came out unexpectedly, but I admit nothing. Nothing, I tell you! *snicker*

Just buy the damn book already. It's great.
One person found this helpful
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2kkei
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story setting, but a very badly constructed and paced delivery
Reviewed in Japan on May 2, 2021
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I've read the short description on the back after I read the book and I have to say it sounds about 10 times more exciting than this book is. It also features a couple of wrong details and is a pretty misleading description in general.

For the first couple of chapters I actually felt like this was a pretty interesting set up and story, and was pretty hooked.
Unfortunately, the actual delivery is...quite slacking. This is not a well-built or well-paced book.
After the first few chapters, it kind of stops. The 30% chunk following the beginning consists of nothing but characters talking in the exact same setting of the main character's apartment. They talk, and talk, and talk, with lengthy dialogues or main character's inner monologues, about things that happened, will happen, or may happen, but they hardly really do anything.
Besides a short outdoors episode towards the very end of the book, the characters just change locations to hospital rooms or other homes to talk about the same topic in lengthy and repetitive dialogues for the duration of the whole book.
The lengthy dialogues seemed to kind of run away from the author and no one bothered to edit them to make sure this book actually has some sort of movement and tempo.
In addition, the text is also plagued by what I can only categorize as the author's desire to show off her research skills that also has somewhat gotten away from her. You, the reader, get explained a lot of things. In lengthy, detailed, and a kind of obnoxious way that kind of assumes readers need to be explained all these things without bothering to question the actual necessity of putting all these explanations into the book. You get a lecture on anatomy, on libraries, on guns, on some other things, but more importantly some very boring and obnoxious explanations about politics and legislation.
There is very very little story progress in the whole book. Mostly because the characters are too busy repeating their dialogues in circles and mansplaining things to each other and the reader.
This planned to be 5-book series, but judging from this book it's probably going to be a 1-book story stretched over 5 books by thick loopy dialogues and explanations.
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