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A review by moondance120
To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton
3.0
" The trouble is with the 'L'."
Clare Henry works with her grandfather, Chester, at The Rescued Word. The shop repairs old typewriters and restores old books. Clare discovers numbers and letters etched on the letter bars of an antique typewriter that belongs to a family friend. A stranger threatens Clare when she refuses to sell the typewriter. The following day he is found dead in the alley behind the shop.
This is an interesting first book. I really loved the information about book restoration. The inner workings of old typewriters was fascinating as well. The town of Star City sounds like a place that I would want to visit. Particularly the shops in Bygone Alley. Clare's best friend, Jodie, and ex-boyfriend, Creighton are siblings that work as police officers. They both have to step back when Clare is questioned regarding the murder of the mysterious man.
A side story of motorcyclists rescuing mountain goats adds a romantic interest for Jodie and more suspects for Clare. A geologist, Seth, pursues Clare and adds a bit more romance to the story.
The storyline involving the silver mines and ownership of land was interesting and something that I didn't know anything about. I didn't realize how important this would figure into the mystery when I first read about the silver rush at the beginning of the book.
I admit that I didn't pick up who the murderer was until Clare did. I followed a couple of red herrings and suspected an innocent character for a while.
I enjoy Ms. Shelton's other series and look forward to adding this one to my list of books to read. It's setting in Utah also helped me fulfill a spot in another challenge.
3.5 stars
Clare Henry works with her grandfather, Chester, at The Rescued Word. The shop repairs old typewriters and restores old books. Clare discovers numbers and letters etched on the letter bars of an antique typewriter that belongs to a family friend. A stranger threatens Clare when she refuses to sell the typewriter. The following day he is found dead in the alley behind the shop.
This is an interesting first book. I really loved the information about book restoration. The inner workings of old typewriters was fascinating as well. The town of Star City sounds like a place that I would want to visit. Particularly the shops in Bygone Alley. Clare's best friend, Jodie, and ex-boyfriend, Creighton are siblings that work as police officers. They both have to step back when Clare is questioned regarding the murder of the mysterious man.
A side story of motorcyclists rescuing mountain goats adds a romantic interest for Jodie and more suspects for Clare. A geologist, Seth, pursues Clare and adds a bit more romance to the story.
The storyline involving the silver mines and ownership of land was interesting and something that I didn't know anything about. I didn't realize how important this would figure into the mystery when I first read about the silver rush at the beginning of the book.
I admit that I didn't pick up who the murderer was until Clare did. I followed a couple of red herrings and suspected an innocent character for a while.
I enjoy Ms. Shelton's other series and look forward to adding this one to my list of books to read. It's setting in Utah also helped me fulfill a spot in another challenge.
3.5 stars