this is the 256th in my series of forgotten or seldom read books

Final Proof by Marie R. Reno, Popular Library 1977 mass market paperback, mystery

This is one of those books I read something about somewhere, very possibly in a Friday Forgotten Book post, and based on the review decided to try it. I found a copy on Paperback BookSwap, and when it came, I tossed it onto the TBR shelf. Last week, needing a “waiting room book”, I grabbed it and started reading.

This is a cozy, the dynamic being an female amateur detective working with the investigating cop on a nuder case Needless to say, a relationship ensues.

Marcia Richardson is editorial director at the Book Circle, a major book club similar to Literary Guild and Book of the Month. She is murdered  at home while reading the galley proof of a novel the company is considering for purchase. Karen Lindstrom works for Richardson, and wants to know who did it and why, and whether it has a connection to Book Circle.

Karen meddles, pokes and prods, and is soon spending a lot of time with the (single, handsome) Inspector who is in charge of the case. Sparks fly, clues are considered, suspects eliminated, and finally the case is solved, as the now couple go happily off.

The author uses the usual technique of having her characters run over and over the list of possibilities each time some new hint of a clue appears, has her characters talk endlessly about who might or might not have done what when, and it seemed to me all that accomplished was to stretch the thin plot to a still-thin 196 pages. To say more would be a spoiler.

This appears to be a stand alone novel, not part of a series.