A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert [review]

A Cryptic Clue is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Victoria Gilbert.

Title: A Cryptic Clue
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Series: Hunter and Clewe, Book 1
First Published: July 11, 2023
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley

*** Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***

60-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 meagre pension.

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?

A unique pairing of amateur sleuths

What caught my attention almost immediately is the unusual pairing of Jane and Cam – one, an older, retired woman with a grown daughter, and the other, a younger, socially awkward man. It seems a bit odd on the surface, but as you read on, you realise what a perfect sleuthing duo they will make, especially as they share one big thing in common – a love of classic detective stories.

Jane and Cam are both really interesting characters that could carry a story in their own but are much more interesting paired together. They seem to bring out something more in each other – Jane has the maturity and life experience to help Cam overcome some of his anxieties and social interactions, while Cam has the means to help Jane make the most of her forced retirement. Together they complement each other’s skillset and there is a quickly growing mutual respect between them.

It’s also pretty clear that there is going to be ZERO romantic tension between the two and their relationship as boss-employee, and later on, sleuthing partners, adds a nice tone to the books.

Aside from Jane and Cam, there are several other characters that I think will be recurring in future books, including Cam’s assistant Lauren, Jane’s landlord Vince, and Vince’s ‘friend’ Donna. All three are nicely developed supporting characters that add to interesting dynamics.

Their first case

The murder is a personal one for Cam – the victim is his ex-girlfriend and her body was found in his library. Cam knows he’s the prime suspect and will do whatever he can to clear his name. While he originally hired Jane to catalog his book collection, he quickly sees a kindred spirit in her and the two set about solving the crime.

While Jane is new to the area, she quickly makes some valuable connections, and Cam’s access to resources helps the pair a lot. I really enjoyed the interactions between all the characters – there are so many personalities in the mix that you see a lot of different relationships unfolding.

Cam and Jane very quickly develop a mutual respect and they work well as a partnership to try and solve the case. The mystery is well-paced and interesting, with lots of secrets, family intrigues, multiple suspects, and several twists. I also appreciated how realistic Jane’s reaction was to finding a dead body (so many other sleuths are quite calm about but Jane reacted much more how I expect a real person to react!)

All in all, A Cryptic Clue is a great series starter and I’m already in love with the Jane and Cam duo. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book!

Quote from A Cryptic Clue