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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Bodie Island Lighthouse in Nags Head, NC was opened for operations in 1872. The 156 foot tower (equivalent to a 10 story building) has 200 steps and nine landings. The author has used the Lighthouse as the setting for the Lighthouse Library Mysteries. This is the first in the series which currently has nine titles in the series, with the most recent published in 2022.
Lucy leaves her position as librarian at Harvard Library and comes to the Outer Banks to visit family and take a temporary job in the newly opened Lighthouse Library located inside the historic tower. As part of the grand opening activities is a display of a set of first edition Jane Austen novels. At the Grand Opening reception, the chairman of the Library Board is killed and the first of the Austen books is stolen from a locked cabinet built especially for the collection. When Lucy’s Aunt Ellen, the Head Librarian, is targeted as the prime suspect, Lucy takes on an investigation to find the real murderer. As the first in the series, this book introduces a cast of characters including some potential suitors for Lucy, employees of the Library including the library cat named Charles, Lucy’s aunt and cousin and a collection of Library Board members and patrons. The book is reasonably well written. The “mystery” is fairly predictable but enjoyable. I am confident that the series will get stronger in subsequent titles and look forward to reading the next. Recommended for readers of cozy mysteries, books about books, romance and libraries.
Lucy Richardson is the kind of assistant librarian you'd want working for you. She has rather rapidly left her Boston home to escape a bad relationship and gone to a fictional library set inside a real lighthouse in North Carolina's outer banks. There's a library gala as the book opens to honor the exhibition of a precious set of Jane Austen first editions that are on loan to the library for a few months.
It's quite a party. Lucy is there as the newest staffer, and the woman who wanted her job but was utterly unqualified to have it is there as well. That's just the beginning of the tension in the room. Also in attendance is the chair of the library board and his wife, who seems to be openly cheating on him. That's the perfect recipe for murder, and before the gala ends, that's exactly what happens to the library chair. The culprit appears to be the head librarian, but Lucy is convinced that things aren't how they seem.
Then some of the precious books go missing in subsequent days.
There's no dearth of suspects, and Lucy must deal with all of them, quietly asking her questions and thinking through the answers she gets, solving this a piece at a time.
This is a fun first book in a series, and the audio edition is magnificently narrated. Elise Arsenault has one of those ageless voices that make even the most abysmal audiobooks a real pleasure to listen to. Her diction is stellar. That's important to someone who probably could use some hearing aids. I kind of wish she had just read this without accents. Lucy, despite her Boston origins, had no accent, but Arsenault insisted on giving all the southerners accents. That's just not necessary as far as I'm concerned. Quite frankly I can probably imagine those more accurately than she can portray them. But it's still an excellent narration.
It's quite a party. Lucy is there as the newest staffer, and the woman who wanted her job but was utterly unqualified to have it is there as well. That's just the beginning of the tension in the room. Also in attendance is the chair of the library board and his wife, who seems to be openly cheating on him. That's the perfect recipe for murder, and before the gala ends, that's exactly what happens to the library chair. The culprit appears to be the head librarian, but Lucy is convinced that things aren't how they seem.
Then some of the precious books go missing in subsequent days.
There's no dearth of suspects, and Lucy must deal with all of them, quietly asking her questions and thinking through the answers she gets, solving this a piece at a time.
This is a fun first book in a series, and the audio edition is magnificently narrated. Elise Arsenault has one of those ageless voices that make even the most abysmal audiobooks a real pleasure to listen to. Her diction is stellar. That's important to someone who probably could use some hearing aids. I kind of wish she had just read this without accents. Lucy, despite her Boston origins, had no accent, but Arsenault insisted on giving all the southerners accents. That's just not necessary as far as I'm concerned. Quite frankly I can probably imagine those more accurately than she can portray them. But it's still an excellent narration.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
I enjoyed it. I really like the characters in this series. Although Lucy seems a bit of a nuisance with her wrong conclusions and calling the police with her ideas. Id like to see her develop her "skills" and be less, I don't know, less of an annoyance to the police. Quick read and not entirely predictable.
By Book or By Crook kicks off a delightful cozy mystery series by Eva Gates, a pen name of Canadian mystery author Vicki Delany.
Lucy Richardson, a 20-something librarian newly arrived on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, makes a charming (and reliable) first-person narrator. The library and town are full of interesting characters, some sympathetic, some decidedly not. Lucy is fiercely loyal to her new boss, head librarian Bertie, and loves her new job as assistant librarian and her little apartment on the fourth floor of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, just below the big light. And she’s excited about the library’s upcoming exhibit: a complete set of Jane Austen first editions. But when one copy goes missing, and the unpleasant chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy’s innate curiosity and desire to recover the book lead her to investigate… with or without the approval of the police.
I thoroughly enjoyed making Lucy’s acquaintance, along with her library, her fellow librarians, her aunt, uncle, and cousin Josie (a fantastic baker — the descriptions of her confections had me practically drooling!), detectives Sam Watson and Butch Greenblatt, and mayor (and former heartthrob) Connor McNeil. Oh, and I mustn’t forget Charles, the library cat, who is as much a character as any of them (though not in the least anthropomorphised.) Even the less sympathetic characters, like the arrogant young woman who wants Lucy’s job despite her lack of qualifications and an eccentric local book collector, are interesting; Gates avoids turning them into mere caricatures (a pet peeve of mine, since it has become quite common in light cozy series.)
Gates (Delany) knows how to plot a good mystery. There are plenty of red herrings, and I can honestly say that the real culprit only crossed my mind once or twice as I considered the suspects. Lucy’s involvement in the investigation arises naturally out of her character, and her relationship with the police is more plausible than in many cozy mysteries. She’s also smart. If there’s one thing I hate in a mystery series, it’s a protagonist who is TSTL*, constantly getting herself (it’s almost always a woman) into dangerous situations that any reasonable person would have seen coming. Thankfully, Gates avoids this pet peeve as well. Lucy may occasionally find herself in a dangerous situation, but it’s not through any major fault of her own… and furthermore, she keeps her wits about her when she does.
There’s a hint of possible romance in Lucy’s attraction to two of the characters, but it’s clear that any romantic relationship, if one does develop, will do so slowly, over several books.
About the only thing I had a hard time swallowing is the library itself. Not that it doesn’t sound charming — who can resist a library in a lighthouse, after all? But this library/lighthouse seems to resemble the Tardis: it’s bigger on the inside. The truth is, no lighthouse tower could encompass the library described in this book; there simply wouldn’t be room. A lighthouse with an attached house could do so, perhaps, but not a single tower like the real and iconic Bodie Island Lighthouse. (To be fair, Gates/Delany acknowledges this in the afterword.) You’ll have to forcibly suspend your disbelief on that one point… but it’s worth it for this appealing series.
* TSTL = too stupid to live
Lucy Richardson, a 20-something librarian newly arrived on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, makes a charming (and reliable) first-person narrator. The library and town are full of interesting characters, some sympathetic, some decidedly not. Lucy is fiercely loyal to her new boss, head librarian Bertie, and loves her new job as assistant librarian and her little apartment on the fourth floor of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, just below the big light. And she’s excited about the library’s upcoming exhibit: a complete set of Jane Austen first editions. But when one copy goes missing, and the unpleasant chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy’s innate curiosity and desire to recover the book lead her to investigate… with or without the approval of the police.
I thoroughly enjoyed making Lucy’s acquaintance, along with her library, her fellow librarians, her aunt, uncle, and cousin Josie (a fantastic baker — the descriptions of her confections had me practically drooling!), detectives Sam Watson and Butch Greenblatt, and mayor (and former heartthrob) Connor McNeil. Oh, and I mustn’t forget Charles, the library cat, who is as much a character as any of them (though not in the least anthropomorphised.) Even the less sympathetic characters, like the arrogant young woman who wants Lucy’s job despite her lack of qualifications and an eccentric local book collector, are interesting; Gates avoids turning them into mere caricatures (a pet peeve of mine, since it has become quite common in light cozy series.)
Gates (Delany) knows how to plot a good mystery. There are plenty of red herrings, and I can honestly say that the real culprit only crossed my mind once or twice as I considered the suspects. Lucy’s involvement in the investigation arises naturally out of her character, and her relationship with the police is more plausible than in many cozy mysteries. She’s also smart. If there’s one thing I hate in a mystery series, it’s a protagonist who is TSTL*, constantly getting herself (it’s almost always a woman) into dangerous situations that any reasonable person would have seen coming. Thankfully, Gates avoids this pet peeve as well. Lucy may occasionally find herself in a dangerous situation, but it’s not through any major fault of her own… and furthermore, she keeps her wits about her when she does.
There’s a hint of possible romance in Lucy’s attraction to two of the characters, but it’s clear that any romantic relationship, if one does develop, will do so slowly, over several books.
About the only thing I had a hard time swallowing is the library itself. Not that it doesn’t sound charming — who can resist a library in a lighthouse, after all? But this library/lighthouse seems to resemble the Tardis: it’s bigger on the inside. The truth is, no lighthouse tower could encompass the library described in this book; there simply wouldn’t be room. A lighthouse with an attached house could do so, perhaps, but not a single tower like the real and iconic Bodie Island Lighthouse. (To be fair, Gates/Delany acknowledges this in the afterword.) You’ll have to forcibly suspend your disbelief on that one point… but it’s worth it for this appealing series.
* TSTL = too stupid to live
I really had a hard time getting into this book. The main character seemed like a wimp and the two love interests were introduced early enough that it immediately pinged my "love-triangle detector" and everything else was just down hill from there.
Out of the 4 supposedly mystery books I read this last week, 3 of out 4 had love-triangles! Stop the madness, please!
Out of the 4 supposedly mystery books I read this last week, 3 of out 4 had love-triangles! Stop the madness, please!
A new series that features a library in a lighthouse complete with it's own cat, a Himalayan named Charles? How could I not try it? This is a cute series with decent writing featuring a sense of place. Lucy Richardson has recently fled from her life in Boston after turning down a proposal from her long time boyfriend and family friend. Her wealthy family "indulged" her desire to become a librarian and be independent. However, she was still expected to go to the endless parties, soirees and more that her wealthy parents expected her to attend. After turning the proposal down (one that she views as half hearted and expected), she quits her job working at the Harvard Library and goes to visit her aunt and uncle in the Outer Banks. Happily, the local library has a temporary opening - assistant librarian. The job includes a cozy studio apartment on the fourth floor of the lighthouse turned library. However, there is a problem.
There are some powerful people who think that the library is an unnecessary expense and should be closed. Louise Jane, an annoying woman with wealthy family connections, wants the job. She isn't at all qualified unlike Lucy who has a masters in library science, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get Lucy fired. However, things are not all bad at the Lighthouse Library.
The head librarian, Bertie, has managed to snag the Austen Collection as a temporary exhibition. This includes first editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma and more as well as Jane Austen's notebook. The exhibition proves to be immensely popular, attracting people to the Outer Banks who are not there just for sun and fun. Soon the library is putting on special programs, reading groups and more.
During a special reception for the opening of the exhibition, the head of the library committee is murdered. Then the Austen books start disappearing. This could be a fun series. Time will tell. I wish there had been less about Lucy's curly hair and what she's wearing on a daily basis, but at least most of that is in context. For fans of the author, Eva Gates is actually a synonym for Canadian author,Vicki Delany.
The next one comes out in September of 2015.
There are some powerful people who think that the library is an unnecessary expense and should be closed. Louise Jane, an annoying woman with wealthy family connections, wants the job. She isn't at all qualified unlike Lucy who has a masters in library science, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get Lucy fired. However, things are not all bad at the Lighthouse Library.
The head librarian, Bertie, has managed to snag the Austen Collection as a temporary exhibition. This includes first editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma and more as well as Jane Austen's notebook. The exhibition proves to be immensely popular, attracting people to the Outer Banks who are not there just for sun and fun. Soon the library is putting on special programs, reading groups and more.
During a special reception for the opening of the exhibition, the head of the library committee is murdered. Then the Austen books start disappearing. This could be a fun series. Time will tell. I wish there had been less about Lucy's curly hair and what she's wearing on a daily basis, but at least most of that is in context. For fans of the author, Eva Gates is actually a synonym for Canadian author,Vicki Delany.
The next one comes out in September of 2015.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No