Dorothy St. James
Author of The Broken Spine
About the Author
Series
Works by Dorothy St. James
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- McFalls, Dorothy
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- [excerpt from author's website]
Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.
Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn't as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. - Birthplace
- New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
The author's dedication for the opening novel of a new series is beautifully written as her personal tribute to librarians. It also brought to mind the librarians that have touched my own life over the years.
"For the librarians
Those who inspire
Those who teach
Those who are the warriors
And for those who introduced me to the power of the story, I’m forever grateful."
I loved how the cozy began with "A (VERY) SHORT HISTORY OF BOOKS By Trudell Becket, Assistant Librarian."
It was the show more perfect introduction to Trudell (Tru for short) Becket, Assistant Librarian at a public library in Cypress, South Carolina, and her passion for the town and library that has been the center of her world both professionally and personally for the past 13 years. Duggar Hargrove, the town's new town manager has plans for Cypress...big plans. Duggar wants to modernize every aspect of Cypress and as part of his big plans the library will also be modernized replacing books with computers and tablets. Head librarian, 79-year old, strict Mrs. Farnsworth and Tru both have trouble fathoming a bookless library but Tru has plans of her own even though she dare not breathe a word to Mrs. Farnsworth. As Tru begins to put her plans into effect a stray tabby cat has decided to investigate the library. The stray cat charms his way into Tru's heart and she names him Dewey and is a welcome addition to this wonderful cozy.
For all who love books, for all who love libraries, for all who love librarians, for all who love playful and purring felines, for all library patrons, this cozy is simply enchanting from cover-to-cover. I can't wait to continue reading this series. It's a bibliophile's delight! show less
"For the librarians
Those who inspire
Those who teach
Those who are the warriors
And for those who introduced me to the power of the story, I’m forever grateful."
I loved how the cozy began with "A (VERY) SHORT HISTORY OF BOOKS By Trudell Becket, Assistant Librarian."
It was the show more perfect introduction to Trudell (Tru for short) Becket, Assistant Librarian at a public library in Cypress, South Carolina, and her passion for the town and library that has been the center of her world both professionally and personally for the past 13 years. Duggar Hargrove, the town's new town manager has plans for Cypress...big plans. Duggar wants to modernize every aspect of Cypress and as part of his big plans the library will also be modernized replacing books with computers and tablets. Head librarian, 79-year old, strict Mrs. Farnsworth and Tru both have trouble fathoming a bookless library but Tru has plans of her own even though she dare not breathe a word to Mrs. Farnsworth. As Tru begins to put her plans into effect a stray tabby cat has decided to investigate the library. The stray cat charms his way into Tru's heart and she names him Dewey and is a welcome addition to this wonderful cozy.
For all who love books, for all who love libraries, for all who love librarians, for all who love playful and purring felines, for all library patrons, this cozy is simply enchanting from cover-to-cover. I can't wait to continue reading this series. It's a bibliophile's delight! show less
Tru is not following the rules and, well, … sometimes a librarian has to do what a librarian has to do. When the town library upgrades to digital and removes every print book, Tru and a band of friends have taken it upon themselves to save as many as they can by secreting the books bound for the landfill into a secret basement room. When the man who ordered the books gone is found murdered, Tru, one of the more vocal against this idea, is on the shortlist of suspects.
From the start of the show more book, which began with a short history of the printed book (very informative I must say) until the last page, this book was pure reading enjoyment. The big question is…” Why did the library have to ditch the books in order to go digital?” I thought about my city library with its maker lab, 3D printers, digital music stations, and hacker labs and yet, on the day before the pandemic shutdown, they checked out a record 206,000 books. My heart bled for Tru and her flummoxed patrons. The next question that nagged at me was of course, “whodunnit?” I thought I knew, just because that person was very unlikeable I suppose, but then it could be this or that other person for really good reasons, but I really liked most of those people. I was right, but for all the wrong reasons, which is just fine with me. it was fun getting there.
More important than a good mystery at the beginning of a new series are the characters. The author doesn’t skimp here at all. From Tru’s core circle of friends and acquaintances to her regular patrons, each adds a bit of story goodness. Then there are the secondary characters, the ones you just know you are going to love to hate in the coming books. Then there is Dewey. I knew from his first page he was going to be wonderful.
So why should you read this book? Because it is enormously entertaining with characters that you will become attached to, characters that you will become attached to with a spunky protagonist that represents the book lover in all of us. show less
From the start of the show more book, which began with a short history of the printed book (very informative I must say) until the last page, this book was pure reading enjoyment. The big question is…” Why did the library have to ditch the books in order to go digital?” I thought about my city library with its maker lab, 3D printers, digital music stations, and hacker labs and yet, on the day before the pandemic shutdown, they checked out a record 206,000 books. My heart bled for Tru and her flummoxed patrons. The next question that nagged at me was of course, “whodunnit?” I thought I knew, just because that person was very unlikeable I suppose, but then it could be this or that other person for really good reasons, but I really liked most of those people. I was right, but for all the wrong reasons, which is just fine with me. it was fun getting there.
More important than a good mystery at the beginning of a new series are the characters. The author doesn’t skimp here at all. From Tru’s core circle of friends and acquaintances to her regular patrons, each adds a bit of story goodness. Then there are the secondary characters, the ones you just know you are going to love to hate in the coming books. Then there is Dewey. I knew from his first page he was going to be wonderful.
So why should you read this book? Because it is enormously entertaining with characters that you will become attached to, characters that you will become attached to with a spunky protagonist that represents the book lover in all of us. show less
Charity Penn is settling into her new life in Camellia Beach, SC running the chocolate shop she inherited. While still trying to solve some mysteries about her mother, she's making new friends, learning to trust people again, and getting involved in local events. Camellia Beach is gearing up for its beach festival and Penn has agreed to help organize the event. Famous singer Bixby Lewis, who used to date Penn's half-sister Tina, is in town to perform. Two other groups featuring local show more musicians are also going to perform, despite bad blood between two of the musicians. When one of the performers is found dead by a beach bonfire and strange attacks on Penn's chocolate shop start happening, Penn knows she needs to investigate before more people are killed.
I like the quirky, unusual characters in this series. Penn has some serious issues with trust and personal space, but given her background that's understandable. I like her as a main character because she's different....not a tropey formula MC. I like the fact that residents of Camellia Beach are finally treating Penn as one of their own, not as an outsider. There is some excellent character development for Penn and a couple of the other characters in the series in this second book. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book! Penn's on-going struggle to solve her issues with her biological family adds an interesting secondary storyline to this series. At times, I really want to jump into the story and knock her relatives around a bit for being jerks. This secondary plot line doesn't get in the way of the mystery, but enhances it. The mystery moves along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and some unexpected twists. The story held my attention from beginning to end. All in all, a very enjoyable cozy mystery.
The cover is colorful and cute, as usual. And, there are some yummy recipes in the back of the book! :)
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
I like the quirky, unusual characters in this series. Penn has some serious issues with trust and personal space, but given her background that's understandable. I like her as a main character because she's different....not a tropey formula MC. I like the fact that residents of Camellia Beach are finally treating Penn as one of their own, not as an outsider. There is some excellent character development for Penn and a couple of the other characters in the series in this second book. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book! Penn's on-going struggle to solve her issues with her biological family adds an interesting secondary storyline to this series. At times, I really want to jump into the story and knock her relatives around a bit for being jerks. This secondary plot line doesn't get in the way of the mystery, but enhances it. The mystery moves along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and some unexpected twists. The story held my attention from beginning to end. All in all, a very enjoyable cozy mystery.
The cover is colorful and cute, as usual. And, there are some yummy recipes in the back of the book! :)
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
This was a fun end-of-summer read. I enjoy these Southern Chocolate Shop mysteries a lot. They're fun and a great cozy mystery. I usually know who the villain is before the end, but that's okay. I still enjoy the books.
These are great characters. I love Penn and Harley and Bertie and all of them! They're complex and well-rounded characters. They're fun and there isn't one of them that gets on my nerves.
The plot lines are always complex. Yes, I usually guess who the villain is before they're show more revealed, but that doesn't mean the plot lines aren't complex enough. They are. There are usually a few red herrings in the mix and it can keep you guessing.
I do recommend this book, though I recommend starting at the beginning of the series with Asking for Truffle so you can learn more about the interpersonal relationships. Each mystery can be read as a stand alone so you don't have to go back to the beginning of the series, but I find it best so you can understand character dynamics. show less
These are great characters. I love Penn and Harley and Bertie and all of them! They're complex and well-rounded characters. They're fun and there isn't one of them that gets on my nerves.
The plot lines are always complex. Yes, I usually guess who the villain is before they're show more revealed, but that doesn't mean the plot lines aren't complex enough. They are. There are usually a few red herrings in the mix and it can keep you guessing.
I do recommend this book, though I recommend starting at the beginning of the series with Asking for Truffle so you can learn more about the interpersonal relationships. Each mystery can be read as a stand alone so you don't have to go back to the beginning of the series, but I find it best so you can understand character dynamics. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Members
- 589
- Popularity
- #42,597
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 61
- ISBNs
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