Showing posts with label Eva Gates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eva Gates. Show all posts

Friday, October 11, 2019

Book #Review & #Giveaway ~ Read and Buried (A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 6) by Eva Gates ~ #CozyMystery ~ @vickidelany @evagatesauthor


Read and Buried: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates



Book Details:

Read and Buried
A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 6
Cozy Mystery
Crooked Lane Books
October 15, 2019
Hardcover: 325 Pages
ISBN-10: 1643852337
ISBN-13: 978-1643852331
Digital ASIN: B07P9MQV3F



About the Book:

Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

Read My Review Here:

https://reviewsbysaph.blogspot.com/2019/10/book-review-read-and-buried-lighthouse.html

About Eva Gates:



Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library books for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It crime writing festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Author Links:

Website: www.vickidelany.com www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor;
Twitter: @vickidelany @evagatesauthor
Instagram: vickidelany
Purchase Links - Amazon B&N Kobo

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

October 7 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
October 7 – Babs Book Bistro - SPOTLIGHT - Sapphyria's Books
October 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 8 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
October 8 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
October 9 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST
October 9 – eBook Addicts – RECIPE POST
October 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
October 10 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
October 10 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 10 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – The Bookwyrm's Hoard – REVIEW
October 11 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
October 11 – The Book Diva's Reads – SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
October 12 – T's Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 13 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
October 14 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 15 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 15 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 16 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 16 – Diane Reviews Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 17 – Curling up by the Fire – REVIEW
October 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 17 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST
October 18 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
October 18 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIW
October 18 – Reading Authors – REVIEW

Enter the Giveaway:

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Monday, October 7, 2019

Book Feature & #Giveaway ~ Read and Buried (A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 6) by Eva Gates ~ #CozyMystery ~ @vickidelany @evagatesauthor

In remembrance of Barbara "Babs" Hightower of Babs' Book Bistro


Read and Buried: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates



Book Details:

Read and Buried
A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 6
Cozy Mystery
Crooked Lane Books
October 15, 2019
Hardcover: 325 Pages
ISBN-10: 1643852337
ISBN-13: 978-1643852331
Digital ASIN: B07P9MQV3F



About the Book:

Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

About Eva Gates:



Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library books for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It crime writing festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Author Links:

Website: www.vickidelany.com www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor;
Twitter: @vickidelany @evagatesauthor
Instagram: vickidelany
Purchase Links - Amazon B&N Kobo

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

October 7 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
October 7 – Babs Book Bistro - SPOTLIGHT - Sapphyria's Books
October 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 8 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
October 8 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
October 9 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST
October 9 – eBook Addicts – RECIPE POST
October 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
October 10 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
October 10 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 10 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – The Bookwyrm's Hoard – REVIEW
October 11 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
October 11 – The Book Diva's Reads – SPOTLIGHT
October 11 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
October 12 – T's Stuff – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 13 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
October 14 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 14 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 15 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 15 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 16 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 16 – Diane Reviews Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 17 – Curling up by the Fire – REVIEW
October 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 17 – Ascroft, eh? – GUEST POST
October 18 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
October 18 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIW
October 18 – Reading Authors – REVIEW

Enter the Giveaway:

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Book Review: Reading Up a Storm (Lighthouse Library Mystery #3) by Eva Gates @evagatesauthor


Book Details:

Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley 
Publish Date: April 5, 2016
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451470958
ISBN-13: 978-0451470959


About the Book:

Misfortune blows into North Carolina’s Outer Banks when a dead body in a boat on the shore leaves local librarian Lucy Richardson racing to solve a strange new mystery....

After a successful party at Bodie Island’s Lighthouse Library, librarian Lucy Richardson is ready to curl up with her cat, Charles, and a good book. But her R and R is cut short when she notices some mysterious lights leading a small boat to crash into the coast. 

The two shipwrecked seafarers survive the ordeal—but one of them shows up dead ashore a few days later. Lucy finds herself again roped into a murder investigation and navigating a sea of suspects, all of whom had motives to deep-six the deceased. And this time, she has a sinking feeling that finding the real killer won’t be so easy..


Reading Up a Storm is a fantastically written cozy mystery in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates. I love the setting, the characters, and the mysteries in each book in the series. Having a library set up in a lighthouse is quite a unique theme. As a Michigan resident, our state is surrounded by water, thus lighthouses, as well. My family and I love to visit some of the lighthouses when we can. Since reading this series I've found myself trying to fit a library into the lighthouses we visit, just because. Of course, that's not realistic, but it sure is fun trying.

Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money but she doesn't act like it or flaunt her family's riches. She's pretty down-to-earth and likable. I enjoy her interactions with the mayor, the police, her fellow librarians, and the citizens that have been created in the author's Outer Banks world. They are all one-of-a-kind. The developments in Reading Up a Storm bring outsiders into the area and another murder mystery unfolds. The author masks the suspect, bringing in several characters, newcomers and long-time residents, who have the right motive to have committed the crime. As she's done in the other books, Lucy takes it upon herself to help solve the murder.

The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. An enjoyable third book in the Lighthouse Library series, Reading Up a Storm is engaging, doesn't divulge the suspect right away, and keeps the reader guessing. This is a really great cozy mystery series. Each book has been better than the last, and that's saying something since I've loved all of the books so far. Reading Up a Storm adds another wonderful book to my shelf. 

I purchased this book myself.


Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Book Spotlight, Review, & #Giveaway ~ The Spook in the Stacks (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) by Eva Gates #CozyMystery @vickidelany @evagatesauthor


The Spook in the Stacks: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates

About the Book:


The Spook in the Stacks 
A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 4
Cozy Mystery
 Crooked Lane Books 

June 12, 2018
 Hardcover: 250 Pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1683315803 
Digital ASIN: B075QJ59PX

 

Halloween in North Carolina’s Outer Banks becomes seriously tricky when librarian Lucy Richardson stumbles across something extra unusual in the rare books section: a dead body.

Wealthy businessman Jay Ruddle is considering donating his extensive collection of North Carolina historical documents to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, but the competition for the collection is fierce. Unfortunately, while the library is hosting a lecture on ghostly legends, Jay becomes one of the dearly departed in the rare books section. Now, it’s up to Lucy Richardson and her fellow librarians to bone up on their detective skills and discover who is responsible for this wicked Halloween homicide.

Meanwhile, very strange things are happening at the library―haunted horses are materializing in the marsh, the lights seem to have an eerie life of their own, and the tiny crew of a model ship appears to move around when no one is watching. Is Lucy at her wit’s end? Or can it be that the Bodie Island Lighthouse really is haunted?

With The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on everyone’s minds and ghoulish gossip on everyone’s lips, Lucy will need to separate the clues from the boos if she wants to crack this case without losing her head in The Spook in the Stacks, the delightful fourth in national bestseller Eva Gates’ Lighthouse Library mysteries.


About the Author:


Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than twenty-five books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing three cozy mystery series: the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House and, under the pen name of Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series, for Crooked Lane Books.

Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.

Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com

Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
June 10 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW 
June 10 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW 
June 10 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT 
June 11 – The Book's the Thing - REVIEW, GUEST POST 
June 11 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
June 12 – Valerie's Musings - REVIEW 
June 12 – Varietats - REVIEW, GUEST POST 
June 12 – Rosepoint Publishing – SPOTLIGHT 
June 13 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW 
June 13 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
June 13 – The Power of Words – REVIEW 
June 14 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
June 14 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
June 15 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW 
June 15 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT 
June 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy - AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
June 16 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW 
June 16 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST 
June 17 - Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
June 17 - A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT 
June 18 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW 
June 18 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
June 18 – The Book Diva's Reads - CHARACTER GUEST POST 
June 19 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW 
June 19 – Curling up by the Fire – REVIEW 
June 19 – Mysteries with Character - AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
June 20 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW 
June 20 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
June 20 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT 
June 21 – That's What She's Reading - REVIEW, GUEST POST 
June 21 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog - CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
June 22 – MJB Reviewers - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
June 22 – The Montana Bookaholic – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
June 22 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
June 23 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
June 23 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!  

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Book Review ~ The Spook in the Stacks (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) by Eva Gates #CozyMystery @vickidelany @evagatesauthor


The Spook in the Stacks: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates

About the Book:


The Spook in the Stacks 
A Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book 4
Cozy Mystery
 Crooked Lane Books 

June 12, 2018
 Hardcover: 250 Pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1683315803 
Digital ASIN: B075QJ59PX

 

Halloween in North Carolina’s Outer Banks becomes seriously tricky when librarian Lucy Richardson stumbles across something extra unusual in the rare books section: a dead body.

Wealthy businessman Jay Ruddle is considering donating his extensive collection of North Carolina historical documents to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, but the competition for the collection is fierce. Unfortunately, while the library is hosting a lecture on ghostly legends, Jay becomes one of the dearly departed in the rare books section. Now, it’s up to Lucy Richardson and her fellow librarians to bone up on their detective skills and discover who is responsible for this wicked Halloween homicide.

Meanwhile, very strange things are happening at the library―haunted horses are materializing in the marsh, the lights seem to have an eerie life of their own, and the tiny crew of a model ship appears to move around when no one is watching. Is Lucy at her wit’s end? Or can it be that the Bodie Island Lighthouse really is haunted?

With The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on everyone’s minds and ghoulish gossip on everyone’s lips, Lucy will need to separate the clues from the boos if she wants to crack this case without losing her head in The Spook in the Stacks, the delightful fourth in national bestseller Eva Gates’ Lighthouse Library mysteries.

Purchase Links:

 Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub


I am incredibly happy that there is a 4th book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates. Thank you so much to the author for finding a different publisher. Thank you also to Crooked Lane for scooping up the next book in the series for publication.

This book features a wealthy gentleman shopping for the best library to house his extensive collection of  documents featuring the history of North Carolina. When he is found dead in the Lighthouse Library during a ghostly lecture, Lucy and the rest of the librarians must find a killer. A wonderful book full of twists turns and red herrings. There are a number of potential suspects and the race to figure out who did it is on.

I love the setting, the characters, and the mysteries in each book in the series and The Spook in the Stacks just adds another wonder book to my shelf. Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money but she doesn't act like it or flaunt her family's riches. She's pretty down-to-earth and likeable. I love Charlene's obsession of rap music and her passion for wanting to share. The love triangle is still present throughout most of the book but it doesn't overstep the death of Jay Ruddle. All of the secondary characters are unique in their own way and believable. Oh, and how could I forget about Charles?! The library cat is a delightful addition to the cast.

The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. A fantastic cozy mystery and addition to the Lighthouse Library series, The Spook in the Stacks is engaging, doesn't divulge the suspect right away, and keeps the reader guessing. I certainly hope there is a book 5.

My Rating:


Saturday, April 28, 2018

Book Review: Booked for Trouble (Lighthouse Library Mystery #2) by Eva Gates @evagatesauthor


Book Details:

Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley 
Publish Date: September 1, 2015
ISBN-10: 045147094X
ISBN-13: 978-0451470942


About the Book:

The author of By Book or By Crook returns to the Outer Banks and the Lighthouse Library, where Lucy Richardson must shed light on a shocking murder…

Lucy has finally found her bliss as a librarian and resident of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. She loves walking on the beach, passing her evenings with the local book club, bonding with the library cat, Charles, and enjoying the attention of not one, but TWO eligible men. But then her socialite mother, Suzanne, unexpectedly drops in, determined to move Lucy back to Boston—and reunite her with her ex-fiancé.

To make matters worse, Suzanne picks a very public fight at the local hotel with her former classmate Karen Kivas. So, when Karen turns up dead outside the library the next morning, Suzanne is immediately at the top of the suspect list. Now Lucy must hunt down a dangerous killer—before the authorities throw the book at her poor mother…


Booked for Trouble is the wonderful second book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates. In book 2, Lucy gets an unexpected visit from her mother, Suzanne, who is trying to persuade Lucy to move back to Boston. Lucy continues to dodge her mom's attempts to guilt her into coming back home and back into a life she wasn't happy with as the story unfolds. Not only is Suzanne pressuring Lucy to leave the Outer Banks, she is also causing scenes with hotel employees that she went to school with - very public scenes.

When her classmate, Karen, is found dead outside the lighthouse the morning after a book club meeting, in which Suzanne also attended, all fingers point at Suzanne. As Lucy is trying to get a little more settled into her home and job at the lighthouse library, she now has to figure out who killed Karen and why. She knows her mother didn't kill anyone but as the evidence mounts and clues show up, Lucy must up her game to keep her mother out of jail for a crime Lucy knows she did not commit. 

Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money but she doesn't act like it or flaunt her family's riches. Even with her mother in the Outer Banks, Lucy is still pretty down-to-earth and likeable. She doesn't put on airs or look at anyone as being beneath her. I love Charlene's continued obsession of rap music and her passion for wanting to share, especially with Lucy's upper crust mother. The love triangle possibility is still on the table and being explored but it doesn't overstep the death of Karen. I like how the romance is a subtlety that adds substance to the story without taking charge or undermining the death. All of the secondary characters are unique in their own way and believable. I enjoy both Connor and Butch's characters so much and know who I'm rooting for but you'll get no hints from me. Charles, the library cat is a delightful addition to the cast. I love that the library has a pet. 

The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. An enjoyable second book in the Lighthouse Library series, Booked for Trouble is engaging, doesn't divulge the suspect right away, and keeps the reader guessing. I'm really enjoying this series. 

Note: I was finally able to read the entire series in March 2018 (my TBR pile is pretty tall) and am just now able to write reviews for them. You'll see reviews for the rest of the series soon - including The Spook in the Stacks, book 4, releasing in June 2018.

I purchased this book myself.

My Rating:


Thursday, April 26, 2018

Book Review ~ By Book or by Crook (Lighthouse Library Mystery, Book #1) by Eva Gates @evagatesauthor


Book Details:

Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery (Book 1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: February 3, 2015
ISBN-10: 0451470931
ISBN-13: 978-0451470935

Amazon

About the Book:

Get bound up in murder in the first Lighthouse Library mystery!

For ten years Lucy has enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but she has not enjoyed the demands of her family’s social whorl or her sort-of-engagement to the staid son of her father’s law partner. But when her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy realizes that the plot of her life is in need of a serious rewrite.

Calling on her aunt Ellen, Lucy hopes that a little fun in the Outer Banks sun—and some confections from her cousin Josie’s bakery—will help clear her head. But her retreat quickly turns into an unexpected opportunity when Aunt Ellen gets her involved in the lighthouse library tucked away on Bodie Island.

Lucy is thrilled to land a librarian job in her favorite place in the world. But when a priceless first edition Jane Austen novel is stolen and the chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy suddenly finds herself ensnared in a real-life mystery—and she’s not so sure there’s going to be a happy ending.... 


By Book or By Crook is a wonderful first book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates. The premise of a library inside a historic lighthouse is what drew me to the series. I'm glad I found my way to North Carolina and into the Lighthouse Library Mysteries. The setting is wonderful and perfect for a cozy mystery series. The author does a great job with character development and world building throughout the series.

Lucy leaves her job at Harvard Library and her 10-year relationship with Ricky to spend some time in the Outer Banks with her Aunt Ellen and cousin Josie. Hoping to work through her relationship woes, Lucy instead finds that she fits in among most of the residents in the Outer Banks. Things being to look even brighter when she obtains a job in the local library - a library that just happens to be housed inside a historical lighthouse. Unfortunately, after clearly indicating at a library function that he plans to eliminate Lucy's position, the chair of the library is found dead on one of the upper floors of the lighthouse library. Lucy and her boss, Bertie, are now prime suspects in his death.

To make matters worse, there is a thief among them. The library has been authorized to house a genuine set of first edition Jane Austen novels. Someone is pilfering them one at a time, making not only the library look bad, but also the employees charged to care for the collection. Instead of just having to worry about a murderer, now Lucy, Bertie, the police, and library employees have to keep a look out for a thief. 

Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money but she doesn't act like it or flaunt her family's riches. She's pretty down-to-earth and likeable. I love Charlene's obsession of rap music and her passion for wanting to share. There is the potential for a love triangle but it doesn't overstep the mysterious death of Mr. Uppiton or the thefts of the Jane Austin books. All of the secondary characters are unique in their own way and believable. Oh, and how could I forget about Charles?! The library cat is a delightful addition to the cast.

The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. An enjoyable start to the Lighthouse Library series, Book or by Crook is engaging, doesn't divulge the suspect right away, and keeps the reader guessing. I enjoyed the book a lot.

I purchased this book myself.

Note: I was finally able to read the entire series in March 2018 (my TBR pile is pretty tall) and am just now able to write reviews for them. You'll see reviews for the rest of the series soon - including The Spook in the Stacks, book 4, releasing in June 2018. 

My Rating: