the echo of old books

 I received this book as part of my Christmas Book exchange. Check out my blog if you are interested in the Exchange. What is it about books about books? And when you throw in a mystery, what could be better. Ashlyn has a super power I wouldn't mind having. Old books have an appeal all their own.

I loved the descriptions of Ashlyn's bookstore. I could see myself getting lost in there for hours. And the fact she gets to go into people's houses to see their private libraries, I wish I had that job. I enjoyed the characters, they ran the whole range of emotions. It was fun to see their interactions and how they handled the unknown. I don't know about everyone but it has always been a secret fantasy of mine to discover a manuscript that has a secret behind it. And if it involved people I know, that would be perfect. Ms. Davis builds the story one step at a time. There is no skipping around or ahead everything has its order to be discovered. 

Psychometry is a great word. The ability to discover facts by touching something. That could have good outcomes and bad. And in bookbinding you would never know which until you touched the book. And touching someone could have incredible consequences. Ultimately this book is about forgiveness and how far people will go not to forgive someone. The dual timelines are done really well. You won't have any confusion remembering which one you are in, as sometimes happens with this format. I also liked how parts of the story mirrored each other. Even through the timelines are years apart, humans act the same. Through it all there is hope. And when Ashlyn and Ethan figure out who Belle and Hemi were it felt like the happy ending they would have found for themselves if things had been different.

Categories for this book: forgiveness, second chances mystery, books

My rating: ☕☕☕☕☕

Available in ebook or paperback