Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643854588
Crooked Lane Books
372 Pages
$20.90; $12.99 Amazon
October 6, 2020
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It's summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James's college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over they years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what's scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.
Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn't much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she'll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she's left high and dry...and right in the killer's crosshairs.
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Lucy Richardson is Assistant Library Director at the Lighthouse Library in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She also lives on the very top floor along with her cat, Charles. The director, Bertie James, is meeting with several women of her college class, and Lucy, and another employee, Charlene, have been putting together a display of items to show how libraries have changed over the years.
When the women arrive everything seems to be going smoothly -- at least until the old director, Helena Sanchez, shows up and starts making snide comments. It's apparent some of the women don't like her, but no one tells why. While looking at the display, Helena sees an old card from a book pocket and gasps. Shaken, she won't say why. Then Bertie and some of the women -- courtesy of the fact that library volunteer Louise Jane has been telling "ghost stories" decide to take a walk down the pier. But when Lucy sees something in the water, and that something turns out to be Helena, suddenly things take a nasty turn.
When it's learned that Helena was murdered, the women involved are told they can't leave until the culprit is found. But then Lucy notices that the card is missing along with a letter opener, and tells her policeman friend Sam Watson, even though neither of them know what it means. After finding a major clue, Lucy gets curious, and starts asking questions. Questions that no one wants to answer...
This is the seventh book in the series, and I have to say that I'm glad I continued to read it. I was not impressed by the first, but they've been steadily improving, and this one might be the best of the lot. While I do enjoy the fact that Lucy's an intelligent woman who knows how to get things done, I do also wish she'd develop a bit of a backbone when it comes to Louise Jane.
And there's the rub: Louise Jane is probably the most unlikable character that I've ever come across. She's mean-spirited, lazy, and lies. Not someone you'd want to hang out with in real life. She's determined to live in Lucy's apartment (please, no) and in making Lucy's life miserable. What gets me is everyone just shrugs like 'what can you do?' around her. Hello! You can tell her where to get off, that's what. She might have been amusing if she weren't so nasty and accepted the fact she's not qualified to work nor live in the library, but no one will tell her that. She won't actually work in the library, either. She goes around telling her stories wanting to be the center of attention. I keep hoping that she'll be the next victim but I'm always disappointed. Oh, well...(actually, it's because I detest the 'evil nemesis' portion of any book, and maybe if she'd actually realize she's a horrible person...
Anyway, now that I'm off my rant...the mystery was a delight to read. It was well thought out and had just enough intrigue to make us want more. Finding the body made Lucy wonder who hated her enough to kill her, but when she finds the other clue, she starts to put it together slowly; piece by piece until she figures it out.
I actually had it figured out before Lucy did, although I enjoyed watching her thought process as she deciphered everything. She pretty much has a one-track mind and doesn't think of anything else around her while she's trying to help Sam solve a murder. Which comes to the next subplot, and one that was rather humorous. Since I can't tell you what it is because you'll probably be able to deduce it yourself the moment you read it, I hope that you will find the entire situation as entertaining as I myself did. Unfortunately, I can't even give you a clue. but let it suffice to say that it will be worth the wait.
Some of the secondary characters are interesting, those women that know Bertie, and others are downright sad in the way things have turned out for them. But then again, life doesn't always offer us everything we want, and we have to either deal with it or work harder to get it. Still, it was engrossing to watch the dynamics between them all -- much as I imagine old friends come to be to each other.
There is also a surprise concerning Helena that no one saw coming, and a secondary mystery that only adds to the story, bringing with it a little bit of suspense that eventually comes to a head when Lucy figures out how to trap a killer. All in all, a very nice read with a very nice ending and something to look forward to in the next in the series. Recommended.
More on Eva Gates's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/
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