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Thursday, June 13, 2024

The Stranger in the Library - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Stranger in the Library (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #11) by Eva Gates

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history. Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that a reproduction of a famous painting has gone missing.

No one knows why anyone would bother stealing the picture is of no value–the real, priceless painting is under lock and key at the art show itself. Lucy gets an invite to the glitzy opening night for the real show, where she notices unusual tension among the show’s organizers. Then, the man scheduled to give the welcoming speech fails to arrive, and a party-goer is discovered drowned in a fish pond.

Meanwhile, Louise Jane is totally captivated by Tom Reilly, a handsome, charming art dealer lurking at the edges of the receptions on both nights. Tom slipped away from the party early, and he cannot be located by the police. Who, Lucy asks, is Tom Reilly, the shadowy figure threatening to break Louise Jane’s heart?

Something is afoot in Nags Head, and it’s up to Lucy and her friends to get to the bottom of it before it’s not just paintings being framed.

Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoy this series so of course I had to pick up this newest book.

My Impression: I've enjoyed this series from the beginning and I was so excited to check in with Lucy, Connor and the rest of the Lighthouse Library crew.  I do love a cozy mystery with a fun bookish setting and this book had that in spades - plus an art heist.  

Lucy and Connor are adjusting to married life and are getting back to the regular life after their European honeymoon.  This starts off with a major art exhbit both at the library and at a local landmark.  Strange things start happening, people start disappearing, a dead body shows up, and Louise Jane and Charles the library cat are right in the middle of things adding their own special dash of chaos.  

This is a good cozy series with likable characters, a fun bookish element, a unique setting, and clever mysteries.  I really enjoyed this mystery and my visit to the Lighthouse Library!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely!  Eva Gates/Vicki Delany is one of my favorite cozy authors and I always enjoy her books.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you are a fan of cozy mysteries this is a series not to be missed.  While the mystery is standalone the relationships between the characters will be more enjoyable if you start earlier in the series.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for the review. I too enjoy bookish settings in the book itself.

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    1. My friend is trying to write a cozy, so she is on the lookout for good cozies to read right now. I'll share your review with her.

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  2. I read the first in this series and I liked it pretty well. I'm glad to see it has continued to be fun.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  3. I read the first one in this series or one of the early ones anyway, and liked it, but just haven't found space to read any more. Great to see Lucy and Connor together.

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  4. I read the first couple of books in the series and enjoyed them. Another series I need to catch up with.

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