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

Amazon

Goodreads

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.

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

Amazon

Goodreads

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:

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

Goodreads

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: