I was first introduced to the Library
Lover’s Mystery series when I read a review of the third book by Dollycas at Escape
with Dollycas Into a Good Book. Being a fan of both cozy mysteries and
libraries, I hurried off to my library, borrowed the books, and devoured all
three as quickly as I could.
Lindsey Norris heads the public library
in Briar Creek, a small coastal town in Connecticut. In the first book, she’s a recent arrival,
having been downsized from her job as an archivist at Yale at around the same time
she discovered her law-professor fiancé in bed with a grad student. Her close friend Beth, who recommended her
for the job, has been the children’s librarian there for several years. The town boasts the usual complement of
engaging and/or eccentric secondary characters, including Lindsey’s landlady Nancy
and her nephew Charlie, an aspiring rock musician; Milton, the 82-year-old yogi
and library supporter; Mary and Ian, who run the local restaurant; and Mary’s
brother Sully, an ex-Marine who runs a water taxi and tour boat business – and
is apparently interested in Lindsey.
There are also portly chief of police Daniels, who is out of his depth
with murder, and Daniels’ second, Officer Emma Plewicki, who is a bit more on
the ball. Other library staff members,
patrons, and townsfolk round out the cast of characters.
In the first book, Books Can Be Deceiving,
Beth’s fiancé, an award-winning children’s book author/illustrator, is murdered
in his island home shortly after breaking up with Beth and immediately after
she discovered he had plagiarized her art and ideas for his next book. Chief Daniels sets his sights on Beth as main
suspect, but Lindsey is determined to prove her friend’s innocence.
Due or Die finds the newly-elected president of the Friends of
the Library accused of murdering her husband.
Lindsey’s investigation is complicated by her acquisition of a puppy
left in the book drop, the anger of the outgoing president and threats by one
of his ardent fans, and a nor’easter that knocks out power, and the destruction
of the library’s storage shed.
The third book, Book, Line, and Sinker, brings treasure hunters to the town’s
islands – real ones, intent on finding one of the buried hoards of notorious
pirate Capt. Kidd. Also in town is
Lindsey’s former fiancé, John, who wants her back. (Not if Sully has anything to say about it!)
Tensions escalate between treasure-hunt promoter Trudi Hargrave and Lindsey’s
friend Milton, an environmentalist. When
Trudi’s body is found in the excavation pit on Pirate Island, Milton becomes
the chief suspect… and then the treasure map disappears. As usual, Lindsey tries to come to her
friend’s rescue and find the map, encountering a fair bit of danger herself
along the way.
What
works: This series is a lot of
fun. I really like Lindsey; she’s got
the perfect blend of smarts, loyalty to her friends, courage, and blind spots
for a cozy heroine. The decisions she
makes aren’t always wise, but her motives and reasoning are clear. It’s also fun to watch the developing
relationship between Lindsey and Sully.
I would like to see more of Sully; it seems to me there are depths there
that haven’t yet been revealed.
The mysteries are fairly well-plotted,
and move along at a good pace. While I
usually spotted the murderer before the solution was revealed, the author
managed to surprise me with an unexpected twist at least once in each
book. Her prose style is solid and very
readable, with a good balance of description, explication, and action. For the most part, her secondary characters
avoid the cardboard-cutout syndrome; we may not spend a lot of time with them,
but most of them (victims excepted) have enough quirks or break enough with
stereotype to hint at a real, believable person. Some of the recurring characters also develop
as the series goes on, particularly Chief Daniels.
The books are quick reads; none of them took
me much more than an hour or an hour and a half to finish. I’m putting that in the plus column, because
sometimes, that’s exactly what I’m looking for: a light, engaging book that
doesn’t take a lot of time or mental effort to read. (My sister calls that kind of book “mental
popcorn” – a snack, rather than a full meal.)
Drawbacks:
The series faces the usual problem of all cozy series with an amateur detective: the unlikelihood of a law-abiding citizen
becoming involved in so many murders and contributing substantially to their
solution. (Not to mention the number of
murders that seems to happen in all these small towns. Their per-capita murder rates are so high,
you wonder why the inhabitants don’t just move away.) If you love cozy mysteries, you’ve already learned
to suspend your disbelief on this issue, so it shouldn’t bother you too
much.
My
conclusion: If you like light or cozy mysteries, this is a
well-written and truly enjoyable series.
The only reason I didn’t rate it higher is that it is mental popcorn -- but very tasty caramel popcorn, not the bland
plain kind.
Rating: 3 ½ stars
Recommended if you like: cozy mysteries, village/small town mysteries,
libraries
EDITED TO ADD: I'm counting these 3 books toward the Cruisin' through the Cozies 2013 challenge.
Category:
Mystery
Series:
Library Lover’s Mystery #1, #2, and
#3
Publisher:
Berkley Prime Crime
Book
Source: Public library
EDITED TO ADD: I'm counting these 3 books toward the Cruisin' through the Cozies 2013 challenge.
These sound lovely and perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon. Sometimes caramel popcorn is a good snack for in-between full course meals!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I'm eager for the next one, which comes out in early November.
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