The Sleuth's Conundrum

The Librarian Sleuth #3

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

Adam and Tara are sucked into a police investigation that might get Tara killed. Can Adam keep her safe or will he lose her forever?

Tara James, the local librarian assistant, is afraid her past will catch up to her when an infant is abandoned outside the Tipton County Library. Will news of the abandoned baby stir up publicity and force her to go on the run again?

Librarian Nancy Daley’s world has become complicated. Carter is pushing to set a wedding date, a woman was left for dead on the side of the road, and Tara, her assistant, is acting strange. Nancy is working every angle she can think of, but the case goes from bad to bizarre. Can she find the baby’s mother, help Tara, and plan her wedding without upsetting her life’s delicate balance?

Slow news days become a thing of the past for local reporter Adam Stacy when a dead body is discovered on the side of the road. Was the woman murdered or was it an accident? Adam’s feelings are growing for Tara, but she appears to have secrets she’s hiding. Is she somehow connected to the abandoned infant?

When things go from bad to worse Adam does everything in his power to protect Tara, but will it be enough?

225 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2019

About the author

Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in Montana. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can sign up for Kimberly's newsletter via her website at: https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

Reviews

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet mystery

Tipton, Oregon is once again faced with a mystery. This time, things are bigger and more dangerous than Nancy, the librarian sleuth, is prepared for. It was clear that Tara had a secret which had her skittish and ready to run. Little did she expect the people of this sleepy town would have her wanting so much to stay.

I liked Tara from the start and was very curious about what her past contained. I was quite surprised to learn what she was running from, though looking back, I laugh at some of the possibilities I considered. The clues were there, I just hadn't thought it through.

The events Tara was running from left her with a suspicious attitude towards most people. And she questioned God's care for her because of the bad things that had happened. I found it sweet how Adam was able to encourage her to trust him, and more importantly, to see that just because bad things happen doesn't mean that God doesn't care.

Adam had a sweet, protective nature, and even knew how to defend himself and others. Yet he wasn't the strong, always-has-the answers type. When questioned by Tara at one point about how they were going to get out of the situation, his answers were consistently "I don't know". I like that he had questions and had to trust the Lord instead of his own strength.

I loved how Adam wasn't afraid to call Tara out on her lack of faith. Their relationship was realistic even though they fell for each other quickly. Things weren't all just sweet moments, though, as they got on each other's nerves as well.

The fact that Adam had taken cooking classes so he was a good cook was a plus. Oh, and I'm jealous of his beautiful backyard. Just sayin!

Though the story isn't super long, I had to read it in spurts due to work and other activities. The mystery had me intrigued and I found myself pondering it throughout the day. It wasn't necessarily that I was wanting to drop everything to hurry and get to the end; I was enjoying mulling over possibilities.

 The Librarian Sleuth Series is best read together. Things wrapped up pretty well for Nancy and Carter and I didn't feel that there were loose ends, so this might be the last story. Then again, some characters still need happy endings for themselves!

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy The Sleuth's Conundrum.
Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.

[Edward Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tipton, Oregon, has suddenly started jumping with more crime than the sheriff’s office can handle so Sheriff Daley asks her daughter, Nancy, to figure out who left a week-old baby on the porch of the library while the department is busy trying to solve the death of a young woman found on the side of the road. Nancy’s day job is librarian at the public library, but she loves nothing better than trying her hand at solving mysteries. The baby on the porch is certainly that. Who would have left a baby on the porch of a library? Why would they leave her there when Oregon has a Safe Haven law with designated places for taking a newborn baby when the mother is unable to care for it? Who was the woman found by the roadside? Could it be the baby’s mother? Was it a hit and run? Nancy can’t take time thinking about the dead woman because she needs to focus on the baby. To add to the mystery, her assistant librarian who found the baby, has been keeping everyone at arm’s length since arriving in town two years earlier. Several situations in the story arouse the curiosity of the reader and seem to be clues, but what seems like a clue may not be one. For those who enjoy romance, you will want to read closely to see where wedding plans fit into her priorities. Another romance seems on the verge of blooming but what will happen as the past seems to be interfering with the present? The sleuth has her work cut out for her all through the pages of the story. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[MEB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this Librarian Series. Then again, I love this author's work. Always clean cut and interesting, a teenage daughter or an elderly mother could read any of them.

This book starts out with three 'mysteries' right off the bat. I was immediately sucked into their world again (Tipton, Oregon) and while I like to think I can figure out the 'whodunnit' pretty quickly, I didn't! Enjoyable from start to finish, I can relate to the characters, and have pictures of them in my mind. I do love "series" books, and this doesn't disappoint. Repeat characters from the other books are woven in, yet even if you didn't read them in order, or read any, it all works. Looking forward to #4.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third book in the series centers more around Tara, a librarian assistant. Nancy is the librarian, but she doesn’t just solve mysteries before the end of a book she’s reading. She likes to solve real life mysteries.

Tara is a very private person and no one knows much about her past. When she finds an abandoned infant at the library, her mysterious past and present day mysteries collide.

The series is fun to read. I enjoyed learning more about Tara and why she seems unfriendly.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but this review is my own honest opinion.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does a dead body, a stalker and an abandoned baby have in common? This is definitely a romantic suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. Tara and Adam are drawn to each other but will the past and the present keep them from a future together? Nancy is on the case again. I loved how the author had so many things going on in this book and brought it all together. Another good one in this series. I received a copy of the book from the publisher.

[Melissa Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A newborn baby, a mystery, possible homicide, secrets from the past and new love. All of these things and more are found in this exciting new story. At different times while reading, I thought I knew "who done it" only to learn I was mistaken. The author kept me interested and curious as to what would happen next. Awesome story. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

[Snickerfritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me guessing to the end

Generally, I prefer romance to mystery, but I will take both together when they are done right. This is such a novel. It has twists and turns and red herrings galore, but it was clean, well-written, and unpredictable. I always enjoy a good series where you learn more of the characters as you go along, so it was fun to see them progress in this one.

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful mystery. There was a lot of levels of danger and mystery. It really pulled at my heartstrings having a baby caught in the middle of it all. I liked the conclusion to the series keeping Nancy and Carter as a second main thread. I enjoyed Tara and seeing her story.

[John E. Allman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book Continues the " Can't Put It Down" theme from the previous books on the series.


I'm sad there is only one book remaining before I have to start new series which most assuredly will. What a great author!

[Julie Holdsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I guess since I was one of the first to read this book it had a lot more typos. Hopefully, they get fixed and you can enjoy it without the mistakes.

[Hunter Q Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best in the series

This is the best in the series so far. However, there is another book to read. It will have to be good to top this one.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This book starts with the young woman who finds an abedenion baby that was left in front of the. Library.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Nancy is such a trip! Hope there are more than three. Plenty of action to keep the story moving.

[Wendy Sparkes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the 1st 2 books in this series, but struggled to get into this one, having to lay it aside and try again a week or so later.
While I got into it better the second time round, I just couldn't connect with the characters or the storyline as I had in the previous 2 stories.

[Margaret Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think each book in this series has been better than the one before. Lots of good plot twists, red herrings, cliff-hanging chapter ends, and well-written characters. I wouldn't recommend reading this late at night :-)

[D'anah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

I love these stories. The puzzles, the tension, the community, the relationships as well as the romance (of course). This book is especially good, like how it explains Tara's story. A neat tie-up for the ending too. Great!

[Deon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on #KindleUnlimited

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Daley's life has really turned into a conundrum. Her fiancé is pushing for a wedding date. Meanwhile, there is a dead woman, an assistant who is acting strange, and an abandoned baby. How is she going to figure this all out and still keep her sanity?
I love this series. Nancy is one character that I can relate with. I love to read so working in a library would be ideal for me. However, the rest of her life is a little to crazy for me. Lol. This story is one that kept me turning the pages in order to see who did what and who is the mother to the adorable baby. I have fallen in love with the town and the characters there. I look forward to another story in the series. I received a copy from the author. A review is not required.

[Becky Dempsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment in the Librarian Sleuth series. In it, we get to know Nancy's assistant, Tara, better. The mysteries of the book were unique and kept me guessing who was behind them and I was kept in the dark until the very end (which doesn't happen very often for me). It was nice to see familiar faces that we met in the first two books, but it isn't absolutely necessary to have read them first (I still would recommend reading the books in order, though). This book has the continuation of Nancy and Carter's love story with them planning their wedding.


I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

[Renate Deutsche Oma · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the local law enforcement, life in Tipton had gone from somewhat boring to nutty in a matter of a week when a baby is left on the library's steps. An intriguing mystery and romance addressing safe haven law, drug cartel, running from one's past, self doubt, rejection and small town friendships. In the end good prevails over evil. As an avid reader, who visits her local libraries often, I enjoy this series.

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sleuths Conundrum is the third book in The Librarian Sleuth series. I found this to be a great romantic suspense story. The characters are well developed, likable, and relatable. The storyline was well written and captured my interest from the start. This is an intriguing story with secrets from the past, an abandoned baby, a body on the side of the road, and a wedding to plan.

I am looking forward to reading more books from this author.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.