Whispers in the Reading Room
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 by Shelley Gray
Historical Mystery
Zondervan
Litfuse Publicity Group, Zondervan, and Shelley Gray are excited to partner together to bring you the newest Chicago World's Fair Mystery, Whispers in the Reading Room.
Lydia's job at the library is her world
---until a mysterious patron catches her eye . . . and perhaps her heart.
Just months after the closure of the Chicago World's Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.
Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.
Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn't merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.
Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks---the man so many people fear---is actually everything her heart believes him to be.
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Meet the Author
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 Shelley Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail. Here's my review of this thoughtfully crafted novel:
First, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank
you” to Shelley Gray and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Whispers in the Reading Room"
to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really
appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy
available to me.
“Whispers in the Reading Room” by Shelley Gray is a thoughtful read. Shelley Gray has a gift for language that
transports the reader to the 1890s with her prose. The characters are multi-faceted and
enjoyable. The plot is thick with lots
of twists and turns.
Lydia Bancroft adores her job at the library. She takes notice when Sebastian Marks, an
intriguing stranger, begins to frequent the reading room because he apparently
loves books as much as she. But then he
rescues her from a violent suitor and it appears that Lydia’s quiet life is
about to turn upside-down.
It took me longer to really engage this story than Gray’s other novels. The story line did take a bit of time to
develop, but overall, this was an enjoyable book.
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