Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.
It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property - not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.
Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst ... she enjoys her job and the cute apartment in Vera's house that comes with it. One night a stranger named Muriel Delgado shows up at the door and the next day Jordan is abruptly fired. She wants to know why and starts investigating who Muriel is and how she has such a hold on Vera. When Jordan is involved in a hit and run, she is even more determined to find out what's going on.
I wasn't crazy about this one. Jordan doesn't have a lot of friends and it was weird and unbelievable that she wasn't able to reach the few that she has so had to depend on her not-so-smart Uncle Kevin (who works for Vera) and acquaintances. There was a lot talk about characters from what I'm assuming are Nero Wolfe's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references. The ending was convoluted and must tie into a plot from a Nero Wolfe book.
Though this is the third in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone. It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice. As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read. There are recipes at the end.
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