Whose Body In The Library

A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 13

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:   9798892424370

Crooked :Lane Books

304 Pages

$29.99; $14.99 Amazon

June 26, 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While Lucy McNeil is enjoying her new job as the mother of twin boys and library director, new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest has just arrived at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, reporting for duty.  But life throws a wrench on Nichelle's first day when she finds a body on the steps -- a body that bears a startling resemblance to her father, who disappeared on a fishing trip to the Outer Banks thirty-eight years ago.

Fingerprints confirm the dead body is indeed Nichelle's father, now living in Nags Head under the name Brian Saunders.  Brian had been befriending older lonely women in exchange for money, but was he working alone?

Detective Rhonda Thomas is on the case, and the suspect list is only getting longer.  Sorting through the wronged women and their relatives, Detective Thomas discovers Nichelle's own brother Brad had been in Nags Head a few days before the murder happened and has been lying about his whereabouts.

Hoping to clear her brother's name. Nichelle decides to investigate what happened.  With seasoned sleuth Lucy's gentle encouragement for the amateur, Nichelle is in for an exciting and dangerous first week at the library.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ 

Once again we venture back to Nags Head, North Carolina and the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.  This time out, Lucy McNeil has a new job as director of the library, and there is a new librarian, Nichelle Gilchrest.

Nichelle is in her 50's and starting over with  a degree in her pocket and her nerves on edge as to whether she'll fit in or not.  That feeling doesn't change when she opens the library doors the next morning and finds a body on the doorstep.  Moreover, that body could be her long-long father, who deserted the family thirty-eight years ago and presumed drowned at sea during a fishing trip.

Now the new detective, Rhonda Thomas, is warning Nichelle to stay out of it, and Lucy is trying not to get involved, with her new job and new twins taking over her life.  But when Nichelle's brother becomes a sudden suspect, she's determined to find the truth, but doesn't know how to go about it.

With the help of Louise Jane, whose never-ending 'knowledge' of people and things in the Outer Banks, Nichelle is learning who might be responsible.  But can she keep herself safe or will she walk into the arms of a killer?...

This is the latest book in the series, and I have enjoyed them.  I love every time I get to visit the Outer Banks, and with Lucy and her friends.  But this time out is different.  Lucy is a side character, and the mystery seems to focus on Nichelle (as it should, since she is the new character) and Louise Jane (whom I have never been fond of).  But I have to say that I cannot warm up to Detective Thomas.  She's not likable, and doesn't seem to want to make friends of the residents, which I think she should do since it's a small community.  You can be professional and still have friends that you deal with.  Sam Watson proved that.

There is very little of the other characters that we've grown to love as well, so we're in new territory all around here.  The way we keep Lucy in the story is the difference in which it is written.  First person for Nichelle, third person for Lucy.

The mystery is written well, as always; and I enjoy Ms. Gates so much that I read her books straight through.  This one is no different.  The plot keeps you guessing, although I did figure out the murderer before Nichelle; but when she figures it out herself, there's more work to be done before the murderer can be apprehended.

There are clues throughout, and descriptions of the area aplenty which always add to the story.  When the ending comes it is put together well, and I will read the next in the series.  Recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Whose-Body-Library-Lighthouse-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FQHC3T7T/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8227469880

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Shot Through the Book

 A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 12

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9798892420440; 9798892242322

Crooked Lane Books

272 Pages

$22.80; $19.99; $14.99 Amazon

May 6, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The upcoming YA book festival at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is bringing in renowned authors from all over the world.  When best-selling author Todd Harrison unexpectedly visits librarian Lucy McNeil at her Outer Banks beach house after a meeting, she is puzzled by his presence, since they're virtually strangers.  After she steps inside to get him a drink, she's shocked to discover that he's been murdered on her desk in the few minutes she left him alone.  

Not knowing why he wanted to meet with her in private, or how someone managed to kill him in the time it takes to make lemonade, Lucy is determined to help with the investigation and figure out what happened.  When Heather Harrison, Todd's widow, shows up in town, her motivations aren't inspired by grief.  She's intending to use her husband's tragic death to launch her candidacy for state senator and her first order of business is to go after the local police force -- and Lucy herself.

Caught between an intrusive fan club mourning Todd, squabbling authors, fighting for prominence in his absence , and a politically ruthless widow, Lucy must roll up her sleeves and catch the killer before the chapter closes on justice.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy McNeil is happily married to Mayor Connor McNeil, and works at the Lighthouse Library.  The employees are organizing an event to bring in young adult authors, and especially well-known author Todd Harrison.  But the night of the meeting, which Lucy was unfortunately late to, Todd shows up at her house unannounced.  He states he'd like to speak with her about him, and being a good host, she asks him to wait on the deck while she gets them some iced tea.

But when Lucy returns a short time later, Todd is dead...and whoever killed him is long gone.  After telling the police that she only met him that day and didn't know why he was at her house, she thought would be the end of it.  But it wasn't.

The widow was blaming her for the death, town teens are haunting the place where Todd died (her home) and her life has just been upended once more.  Lucy is trying to stay out of the investigation, but things keep going wrong and she keeps getting pulled in.  Will she find a killer or will she put herself in danger once again...

This is the twelfth book in the series, and I have read them all.  I've come to grow fond of all the characters, and watched them change over time, which isn't a bad thing at all.  This book was different in that it centered around Lucy and her relatives weren't in the book much, which is fine; there was enough action with the other characters to keep things interesting.

Lucy isn't happy that the teens are haunting her home, and even Connor is getting tired of cleaning up the 'tributes' to Todd.  When Lucy finds out that it's not going to end, she goes into hyper mode to figure out who the true murderer is.  

I really enjoyed this book, except for one part at the end, which I won't name here, but I was disappointed that it was even mentioned, much less added.  Those who have read the book will discover what I am talking about (hopefully) and those who have not read it -- maybe it won't change your perception at all, since it is my own opinion.

Other than that, I liked the way the story came together, and the killer was definitely a surprise; still, no one knows what goes on in the mind of a murderer, right?  It made the story more believable and gave it more push.  I do enjoy Ms. Gates's writing, and I love this series especially.  (I read other of her series as well and enjoy them as much).  When you find a talented writer, you know it, and Ms. Gates fits the bill.

In the end, everything came together nicely, and gave us a look as to what is to come in the next book.  I look forward to it immensely.  Recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Shot-Through-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DCFLVP6W/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7826610950

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

The Stranger In The Library (A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 11)

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639106608

Crooked Lane Books

304 Pages

$29.99; $17.99 Amazon

June 4, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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 it: the picture is of no value -- the real, priceless painting is under lock and key at the 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.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Librarian Lucy McNeil is recently married and returned from her honeymoon in Europe, happy to be home.  She's involved in displaying Impressionist art in the library, a co-project of a traveling art show, and they are displaying reproductions of art, which are meant for library visitors to learn about the genre.  While the opening goes well, Lucy is amused once again by Louise Jane, who has a painting by one of her ancestors at the opening, a well-known Outer Banks artist.  But the next day they notice the painting is missing, and no one seems to know where it has gone.  Even though they report it to the police, it now has to take a back seat, because Lucy, her cousin Josie, and Louise Jane have discovered the body of one of the show's organizers.  

What Lucy wants to know is are the two crimes connected, and if so, how?  Even if Detective Sam Watson asks for Lucy's impression of some of the suspects, she's more concerned with the painting, as it wasn't valuable but sentimental.  Why would someone steal it at all?

But there's also the problem of Louise Jane being attracted to Tom Reilly, a man who claims to be an art dealer, but he disappears and can't be found.  While Louise Jane refuses to believe anything bad about him, Lucy isn't so sure.  And finding him might be just as difficult as finding out why the painting was taken, and why the organizer was killed.  Can she once again enter a murder investigation but without putting herself in danger?...

This is the eleventh book in the series and I have read them all.  While I will admit that it took me a few books to warm up to the series, I now love it.  I have fully immersed myself in the Outer Banks without actually visiting there, and the populace in this book makes you want to do so.  The characters are quite human, and actually have human interests.  By that, I mean that they don't spend their time sitting around drinking, but they also watch television, go shopping, etc.  It's the same type of lives that we, outside the books, live.  This is what makes them so endearing, and the author has done a wonderful job of it.

But back to the book -- when the painting is discovered missing, I, along with Lucy, am wondering why anyone would want it at all.  But then there's a surprise in store (and I won't mention it here) that helps in the investigation, and we only have to decipher the clue.  Hah!  Easier said than done.  Especially when Lucy is pretty much on her own this time, since Sam is concerned with finding out who killed the Person in the Pond.  Two very different mysteries, with possibly two different reasons.  Or is it?

When the ending comes, I have to say that I figured out the killer earlier than Lucy, but then again, as I've said many times before, I read a lot of mysteries, so this is how my brain works. However, finding the reason why was a bit more difficult, and worth the read altogether.  

There's a bit of a twist at the end, and it makes everything even more worthwhile.  Again, I love this series and would have no problem recommending it to anyone.  You can read this as a standalone, but it will make you want to go back to the beginning and see how it all began.  Recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Library-Lighthouse-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0CH9J39DV/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6115402759

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Death Knells and Wedding Bells (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #10)

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639102723

Crooked Lane Books

272 Pages

$13.99; $26.99 Amazon

June 6, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lucy and Connor planned for the perfect Outer Banks wedding  -- and that's exactly what they got.  Aside from typical rumblings of familial tensions, the late spring weather allowed for a beautiful day, the food the delicious, and everyone had a good time, until one of the guests goes missing.

Before Lucy can look forward to the rest of her life in Nags head and the work she does at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, she gets a phone call from her boss, Bertie James.  Eddie, Bertie's friend, never made it back home after the reception.  Initially, Lucy doesn't think anything of it -- sometimes wedding guests simply have a little too much fun.  But this quickly turns to something darker when she discovers the body of a wedding guest strangled in a locked closet, and the police immediately start asking questions about Eddie.  Lucy must figure out if the two are connected before it's too late -- both for Bertie's friend and the rest of her wedding guests.

With the Classic Novel Reading Club reading the Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe -- Lucy wonders if the master of the macabre can assist her investigation or if the hunt for the killer's identity will remain as nothing more than an unsolved mystery.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy and Connor have finally gotten married, and they couldn't be happier.  The wedding came off beautifully, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Everyone, it seems, except a small few who probably shouldn't have attended anyway.  But before Lucy can enjoy married life, she receives a call from her boss Bertie James -- and Bertie is worried about her friend Eddie, who never returned from the wedding after telling her he needed to find his tie.

This wouldn't be a big thing except another one of the wedding guests has been found murdered by Lucy and Connor, and even though this shouldn't affect them at all, Lucy can't help but wonder who killed the man.  Was it Eddie?  Or another disgruntled guest?  It's obvious that either another guest or staff at the wedding did the deed, but with so many people, it's going to take a lot of questioning by Detective Sam Watson and the new detective in town, Kyle North.

Lucy doesn't like Kyle or his way of asking questions, and tries to stay out of his line of fire.  He's got his sights on a certain person, and she's sure he's wrong.  Now Lucy might be in the fight of her life, finding the truth, and protecting those she cares for...

This is the tenth book in the series and I have read them all.  I love this one the best.  It has plenty of action, and we get to meet more of Lucy's family, albeit some more than others.  Gloria, Lucy's Aunt Ellen's mother-in-law, is back once again, and making everyone crazy around her.  I don't know why, but I find her hilarious (sorry, Ellen).  There are also a couple of minor subplots that are interesting, and I don't want to say any more so as not to spoil the book for others (you must read this one!)

But finding the killer this time out isn't going to be as easy as before.  Lucy has to use all her powers of observation and asking the right questions to put things together.  I did know who the murderer was before her (but then again, as I've stated before, I read a lot of mysteries, so there's that).  I still enjoyed Lucy sifting through clues, and watching her do so was the best part of the book.  I also loved that Connor tried to protect her as well, which sat right with me.

When the ending comes, the climax is almost pulsating, and definitely worth waiting for.  Lucy pulls all her wits about her, knowing that she needs to if the truth were to come out.  As I stated above, this, I think, is the best book in the series so far, but it can be read as a stand-alone.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Knells-Wedding-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BDF18V3Y/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5086835761

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/ 

Death by Beach Read (A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Eva Gates

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781643859101

Crooked Lane Books

288 Pages

$26.99; $12.99 Amazon

June 7, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's spring in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home at last, a historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach.  The house needs a lot of renovations, but they worked hard over the winter to get it ready.  Lucy is now happily immersed in her work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, planning her wedding, and decorating the house.  That is, until a dead body disrupts their peaceful new abode.

The first night Lucy's alone in the house, with the company of Charles the library cat, she hears sounds.  Investigating, they see footsteps in the dust of the unfinished living room, and the door to the outside is open.  Lucy's reminded that the house is said to be haunted.  Forty years ago the teenage daughter of the owners fled in the night, and never again stepped foot inside her family home.

But the sounds have an all-too-human origin and one evening Lucy and Connor find the dead body of a man they don't even recognize in the kitchen.  They soon realize he has a long-time connection to their house.  Lucy's forced to find out what happened all those years ago and why it's threatening her happiness today.

Meanwhile, the Classic Novel Reading Club is reading The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a book about another old house full of secrets.  Can Lucy find parallels to her own situation in Hawthorne's fiction before the killer strikes again?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy Richardson and Connor MacNeil are engaged, and have found a house in which to begin their life together.  It's a beach cottage previously owned by Ralph Harper, the cottage has sat empty for decades, not wanted by Ralph nor his sister Jo, but he's refused to sell until now, stating that he knows Lucy and Connor will take care of the home.

But since it's been empty, there are many renovations that need to be done, and are being handled by Connor and his father, Fred.  Still, Lucy doesn't mind living in the home while everything is being fixed, and her co-worker Louise Jane is ecstatic because now she's living in the library loft once occupied by Lucy.  But it doesn't stop Louise Jane from telling tales about the house, especially that it's haunted.  While Lucy refuses to listen, one night while Connor is out of town she hears noises, and awakens to find footprints in the dust in the living area and her patio door ajar.  Not telling Connor, she still refuses to believe it's a ghost.

But when Connor returns home and they go out one evening, they return to the house only to find a dead body in the kitchen -- which turns out to be the twin brother of Ralph Harper.  Jimmy Harper has been gone for decades, the black sheep of the family  who's spent time in jail for various crimes. 
They've come to believe that he was searching for something valuable, but everything worth anything Ralph has already removed.  To add to the mystery, Jo hasn't stepped foot in the house for decades, ever since she was chased away by the ghost of her grandfather.  Since then, she's lived with Ralph and refused to leave the house except for short walks.  Now Lucy wants to know who's going into her home when she's away, and more importantly, who is the person who killed Jimmy, and why? 

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all.  In my opinion, this is the best of the series. I love mysteries, and I especially love historical mysteries within them.  Since the original mystery is decades old, that needs to be solved also, and Lucy is on top of both.  She likes Ralph and when she meets his sister Jo, she likes her too, and doesn't want to believe that either one of them killed Jimmy.  But the suspect list is sparse, since there aren't a lot of people around who knew the man and would have a reason forty years later to kill him.

Yet there most definitely is someone stalking Lucy, and she wants to know who it is, and why.  She can't put her head to planning her wedding or decorating her new home until she knows what is going on, and she's not getting the information she needs from the Harpers.

I think part of the reason I like this book the best is the fact that Lucy finally grows a spine and stands up to people.  It's about time that she stopped allowing everyone to walk all over her and push her around just because it was the path of easiest resistance.  It's good seeing this 'new' Lucy; she finally is able to say no to people and it helps in her investigation.  It also strengthens (believe it or not) her relationship with Louise Jane, who had always pretty much been a nemesis until this point.

In the end, when the killer is revealed, it comes as a surprise, which is a good thing, and the reasons are as old as time itself.  The mystery is solved (as we know it will be) and Lucy and Connor can look forward once again to planning their wedding, and I hope that we as readers will be right there with them.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Beach-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/1643859102/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4309116292

More on Eva Gates's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Deadly Ever After (A Lighthouse Library Mystery Book 8)

Author:  Eva Gates

Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781643855882

Crooked Lane Books

$26.99; $12.99 Amazon

May 11, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Librarian Lucy's wedding is at stake when a murder interrupts her engagement celebrations.  To make it down the aisle, she'll have to find the killer to save the date...

They're getting married!  Lucy Richardson and Connor McNeil have announced their engagement.  Their friends throw a party for the couple at Coquina Beach, close to Lucy's beloved Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.

As they're packing up the presents and the (few) leftovers from Josie's Cozy Bakery, who should arrive, but Richard Eric Lewiston III, Lucy's former almost-fiancé and his overbearing mother Evangeline.  Push comes to shove when Evangeline makes no secret of why she's here: to get Lucy and Ricky back together.  

Lucy isn't tempted in the least, and Ricky is nothing but embarrassed at his mother's desperate ploy.  Before returning to Boston Evangeline throws a dinner party at Jake's Seafood Bar for a reluctant Lucy and her family.  Lucy hopes to get the dinner over with and see Evangeline and Ricky returning to Boston.  But when a body is found at the restaurant's kitchen door, Lucy is again forced to unwillingly put on her detective's hat and do what she can to save her family and engagement.  Meanwhile, the classic novel reading club is reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, and open war breaks out in the Lighthouse Library when Lucy agrees to temporarily take care of a dog named Fluffy, but Charles the library cat has other ideas.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy's finally getting married to the love of her life, dentist and mayor Connor McNeil.  She's happy and content...until during her engagement party there are party crashers - specifically, her ex-boyfriend Richard Lewiston III and his mother Evangeline.  It's soon obvious to everyone that Evangeline is there for one purpose only: to get Lucy back together with her son,  But Lucy has no intention of doing so, and even Ricky knows it will never happen.  Evangeline isn't about to give up, and throws her own little dinner a couple of nights later.  

But after the party a body is discovered behind the restaurant, and it changes the entire game.  Now there's an investigation, and everyone who knew the man is on the suspect list.  With ties to Lucy's father Millar, things get heated and it's Lucy who has to figure out why he was there and who hated him enough to want him dead.  Unfortunately, things at Evangeline's hotel get hot, too.  They've demanded she remove her barking dog, and Lucy is the lucky person who needs to take Fluffy.  Now if she can get her to get along with her cat Charles, everything will be fine.  Or will it?

This is the eighth book in the series, and I've read every one of them.  I do believe that the series just keeps getting better, and this book proves that.  We have Lucy trying to plan her wedding and it's interrupted by a murder.  No surprise there, but the victim is one.  (And, because this is an early ARC, I am not going to tell you who it is).  Things are getting dicey because of it, and soon Lucy discovers that more than one person who's involved has a secret or two; and those could disrupt more than one life.  Lucy, however, is good at keeping secrets and does so again.

Then there are a couple of visiting professors from England, and her friend and co-worker Charlene seems drawn to one, but Lucy is concerned, wondering if he has secrets of his own, and vows to warn her, but every time she tries to, something gets in the way.  There's also little Fluffy, whom Lucy had thrust upon her, and Charles isn't happy about it; and Ricky - whom it appears isn't quite over Lucy at all.

There are plenty of secrets and lies, and everything is woven together in an intriguing tale that draws us in from the beginning and keeps us reading in one sitting.  It's an enjoyable story that's a great addition to the series, and I really had a lot of fun reading it.  Lucy has turned out to be a great character, and even though I have never warmed up to Louise Jane, she's toned down a bit in this story and I really liked that.  I also liked the fact that Lucy and her mother are growing closer, which is also welcome.  

All in all, when the murderer is discovered, everything comes together in a neat little package and the reason why is, of course, as old as time.  The book was very good and I enjoyed it tremendously.  I hope others will, too.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Ever-After-Lighthouse-Library/dp/1643855883/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3609366883

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Read and Buried (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #6)

Author:  Eva Gates
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781643852331
Crooked Lane Books
$18.99; $12.99 Amazon
October 15, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations.  The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit.  Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact.  Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library.  Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library -- the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy -- or his killer.  When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do -- get involved in the case.  Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page.  But when the library has a second break-in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy is in the middle of her performance review with library director Bertie.  When the owner of the construction company (who were hired to do repairs on the lighthouse) tells them they need to come outside now, it's Lucy who has to enter the pit to see what they've found.  It's an old tin box, and Zack, the owner's son, brings it to the surface.  What's discovered inside is an old Civil War diary which contains nothing more than weather patterns; but what's odd is it also contains a map with numbers and a piece of paper with coded writing.

When the historical society members arrive at the library, they want to see the diary.  But since there's been too much havoc, Bertie tells them they have to wait until tomorrow.  Lucy has a date with Connor McNeil, during which they look at the copy Lucy's made of the page with the code.  Try as they might, they can't decipher it.

When they call it a night and Connor brings Lucy back to the library (where she lives on the fourth floor) they see the door is completely demolished.  Calling to police, they are instructed to wait outside; but Lucy, hearing her cat Charles' wails, rushes in.  There they find the body of one of the society's members, Jeremy Hughes, and the two pages are missing from the diary.  Now the police are trying to find a killer - someone who wanted those pages badly, and it seems that all anyone else is interested in is figuring out the code.

Trying to fend off questions and figure out what the code means, Lucy must call on all her wits to figure out who wanted it enough to kill...

This is the sixth book in the series, and while, for the most part, I have enjoyed them, I began to wonder about this one.  It seems that no one really cares - except the police, of course - who killed Jeremy.  All anyone is interested in is the code and what it means.  Half the town thinks it's buried treasure.  So in essence, the murder takes second place to figuring out the code.  Then, with Bertie's blessing, copies of the code are passed around like candy, even though she really doesn't want anyone to have anything to do with it.  The townspeople are given copies if they ask, even if Lucy protests. 

But the kicker was the scene in which Louise Jane shows up at Lucy's apartment late one evening.  Now I'm going to be blunt and say that I absolutely detest  Louise Jane.  There's no reason for an 'evil nemesis' in a book.  Louise Jane completely ruins the books for me.  She's nasty, snide, controlling, pushy, snarky, etc., and I have to wonder what the heck is wrong with Lucy?

Why did she just allow Louise Jane into the lighthouse when she was in bed in her pajamas?  Since she knew she was downstairs via an intercom, why didn't she tell her no, she wasn't going to allow her in.  Why did she go along with it when Louise Jane pushed her way into her apartment and said she was going to conduct a seance?  Why, when Teddy and Grace found out Lucy didn't know about it, do the right thing, apologize and go home?

Lucy has no backbone.  She allows Louise Jane to steamroll over her every chance she gets.  Lucy needs to grow a pair and tell her she’s not going to allow her to push her around any more.  Honestly, Louise Jane adds nothing to the story line, and detracts from it constantly.  She's like having an insect fly around your head.  It's annoying, you want it gone, but it won't leave.  She's annoying right to the end of the book.  Even when Louise Jane makes herself finally useful to Lucy toward the end, she doesn't do it without self-aggrandizement.   I also thought it would have been better without the slapstick It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World scenario, but that's neither here nor there. 

The murderer was found of course, and everything came together nicely; and while I did like the resolution of the murder and the reason for the diary, it was the presence of Louise Jane who ruined the book for me - without her antics, this would definitely have been a four- or five-star book.  Sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Read-Buried-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/1643852337/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2902771885

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Something Read, Something Dead (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #5)

Author:  Eva Gates
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683319504
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$21.51; $12.99 Amazon
March 13, 2019

✮✮✮

Winter falls on North Carolina's Outer Banks as Lucy Richardson and her friends joyfully help her favorite cousin, Josie O'Malley, plan her wedding.  The owner and head baker of Josie's Cozy Bakery and her fiancé, chef Jake Greenblatt, want a small, simple wedding.

But to their horror, Josie's imperious grandmother, Gloria, descends with the "Louisiana Mafia": a gaggle of aunts and cousins who intend to take control of the wedding plans.  Gloria doesn't do small and simple, and cousin Mirabelle has her own ideas for Josie's wedding, something grand and lavish - and paid for by Josie's parents, of course - that will kickstart her fledgling event planning business and get her work shown on the covers of wedding magazines.  To make matters worse, Mirabelle focuses her full Southern charm on the prospective groom...and Jake doesn't seem entirely adverse to her affections.

To smooth the waters, Lucy hosts a bridal shower at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.  But it turns deadly when Mirabelle collapses - soon after eating the gluten-free treats Josie prepared specifically for her.  Now, to save her favorite cousin from prison, Lucy will have to bring a crook to book.

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Lucy Richardson's cousin Josie is finally getting married.  She and her friends are planning the wedding, which will be a simple one.  But they aren't counting on Josie's grandmother Gloria to come swooping in and change everything to the way she wants it.  Along with Gloria is her daughter Mary Anna, and nieces Mirabelle (who is in the wedding) and Florence.  It seems Florence and Mirabelle have an events business, and Gloria has decided they will plan the wedding.

Mirabelle is nothing if not obnoxious, and begins changing things to her liking, including changing the "colors" to one Josie can't stand.  It doesn't help when Mirabelle meets Josie's fiancé Jake she immediately begins flirting with him.  After a disastrous meeting between everyone, Josie gets angry and storms out.  Later on, she mentions how she'd like Mirabelle to be 'bumped off' in front of Lucy and her boyfriend Connor, who is also the mayor.

But during the wedding shower Mirabelle is taken ill and dies at the hospital.  Suddenly Josie's words come back to haunt her and it looks as if she might be the only person of interest.  It doesn't help that the library has a problem with its foundation and needs to be repaired but the money just isn't there, so it's in danger of being permanently closed.  Now Lucy has two things to worry about, but first and foremost is finding out who killed Mirabelle so the wedding can get back on track.

With Lucy and her friends hot on the trail of a killer, she'll need to stay on her toes if she wants to find out the truth and keep herself alive...

The first thing I have to say is when a story begins by irritating you, it doesn't bode well.  Josie's grandmother is past overbearing, and during this, her mother is worthless.  After years of being married, she still won't stand up to her.  First of all, if I was getting married and someone decided to “plan” my wedding, I’d ask them who was getting married.  If they said, “you are” then I’d tell them, “Glad you remembered that.  Since you acknowledged the fact I’m the bride, you can also acknowledge the fact that I will do the wedding my way, and if that doesn’t sit well with you, you know where the airport is.”

I'm not saying the book doesn't get better and eventually someone doesn't stand up and take control, but it goes on far too long for my liking.  Not to mention Lucy doesn't have a backbone either.  I've never understood why books need to have an "evil nemesis" in them to be a good book.  Yet Louise Jane comes in, pushes Lucy's buttons, and Lucy winds up apologizing - for doing nothing.  It's time Lucy grew a spine where Louise Jane is concerned.  It doesn’t make the book an enjoyable read; it's just annoying.

As for much of the rest of the plot, let's put it this way:  Would you want to be in a room listening to a bunch of catty women sniping at each other, while one of them constantly spent her time pointing out your many flaws and doing whatever she could to get rid of you?  Add to that weepy women who proclaim how much they love each other?  Well, I don't.  And that’s much of what this book is, unfortunately.  (Trust me, I'm all for strong female friendships, but everyone sitting around while one is getting pushed around and not saying anything?  Nope.)  I also didn't understand why Aunt Ellen didn't tell Florence to leave her home immediately after she found out that Florence was telling tales to the police about her daughter.  A woman like that wouldn't sleep one more night under my roof.  See what I mean?  No backbone.

As far as discovering the murderer, I found that pretty easy.  I knew who it was by the second chapter of the book; but watching Lucy put it all together took quite a bit longer.  While the ending of the book was satisfactory, and it all came together nicely, I just didn't care for the fact that some of the women were allowing themselves to be pushed around by others.  A decent book, but I felt that it could have been better.

https://www.amazon.com/Something-Read-Dead-Lighthouse-Library/dp/1683319508/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2729699868

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

The Spook in the Stacks (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #4)

Author:  Eva Gates
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover: Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683315803
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$$18.34; $7.80 Amazon
June 12, 2018

✮✮

Wealthy businessman Jay Ruddle is considering donating his extensive collection of North Carolina historical documents to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, but the competition for the collection is fierce.  Unfortunately, while the library is hosting a lecture on ghostly legends, Jay becomes one of the dearly departed in the rare books sections.  Now, it's up to Lucy Richardson and her fellow librarians to bone up on their detective skills and discover who is responsible for this wicked Halloween homicide.

Meanwhile, very strange things are happening at the library - haunted horses are materializing on the marsh, the lights seem to have an eerie life of their own, and the tiny crew of a model ship appears to move around when no one is watching.  Is Lucy at her wit's end?  Or can it be that the Bodie Island Lighthouse really is haunted?

With The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on everyone's minds and ghoulish gossip on everyone's lips, Lucy will need to separate the clues from the boos is she wants to crack this case without losing her head...

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Lucy Richardson is assistant librarian at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, where she also lives on the top floor.  It's close to Halloween, and even though she doesn't care for the holiday, the employees are decorating the library with themed decorations, due to library volunteer Louise Jane McKaughnan.  Louise Jane is also a thorn in Lucy's side, because she wanted Lucy's job - not caring that she didn't qualify for it.

Jay Ruddle, a wealthy man who has an extensive and valuable North Carolina historical collection is considering the library to house the documents.  On one of his visits he wants to look in their documents room, which is kept locked.  But when he doesn't return Lucy goes looking for him and finds him strangled.  No one seems to know how or when anyone entered the room, and no one seems to know who killed him.

There is also the matter of Ruddle's granddaughter Julia, whom regular resident Theodore "Teddy" Kowalski, seems to have taken a liking to; but Ruddle's employee Greg has taken a definite dislike to him.

Now Lucy and her friends need to find out who killed the man and why if they want to even be considered for the collection; but was the death about the collection or was it something else entirely personal?...

This is the fourth book in the series, and unfortunately, I found it rather boring.  I really tire of the 'evil nemesis' in cozy mysteries (and other books) and Louise Jane is one of the worst.  Does this woman suck lemons every morning?  Because it seems her goal in life is to harass and pick at Lucy at every opportunity and no one - not even Lucy - tells her to knock it off and act her age.  It's very tiresome and I wish she'd just disappear forever.  After all, she's a volunteer and doesn't need to be at the library on a daily basis, causing trouble.

Lucy also states how she doesn't have a sense of humor, and I believe it.  She's one of the most boring women imaginable.  She's just plain dull, and without the interaction of the usual cast of characters to help her along, one sees just how lifeless she truly is.

The book itself was just so-so, with local legends seemingly coming to life on Halloween, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested.  What really irritated me the most was that Teddy actually did something heroic, and in return a nasty trick was played on him.  Lucy, who knows his past, didn't bother to say anything to him about it, which is unforgivable, in my opinion.  It makes her a bad friend indeed.

I also felt it was wrong to try and force Julia into a relationship that wasn't good for her and seemed rather manipulative.  In the end, when the murderer is discovered, it only reinforced the fact that some things and people are better left alone.  Not the best entry in the series, and I really wish I could recommend this book, but it's not to be.

https://www.amazon.com/Spook-Stacks-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/1683315804/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2709142546

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

Booked for Trouble (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #2)

Author:  Eva Gates
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback (LP); Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781410486585; 9780451470942; 1515900450
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$22.94; $7.99; $33.25; $5.99 Amazon
September 1, 2015

✮✮

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, 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...

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When Lucy's mother Suzanne comes for a visit, Lucy is sure that she's there to take her back to Boston to marry her childhood friend Ricky.  Shortly after arriving at her hotel, Suzanne encounters Karen, a friend from school she'd rather not see, and makes a snarky remark to her about being a hotel maid.  The next evening, the two meet again at Lucy's book club, and the morning after that, Lucy finds Karen's body outside of the lighthouse.

It also turns out that a valuable necklace is missing from the hotel, and due to a suspected theft over thirty years ago, Suzanne is considered the likely culprit.  Lucy, of course, refuses to see her mother unjustly accused, and decides to find the killer herself.  But she also has to convince Suzanne she's not returning home and juggle two potential suitors in the process (and I can do without love triangles, thank you very much).

This is the second book in the Lighthouse Library Mysteries, and I really wanted to like it.  Sadly, I like Lucy less than I did in the first book.  She seems superficial - obsessed with everyone's looks and what they're wearing.  She even mentions how she's a "winter" (do we care?) but we've never gotten a clear view of what she looks like except for her curly black hair.  There is more than enough descriptions of clothing but not enough of people themselves.  We really never get to know much of anything about anyone; there's no character development.  And Lucy, the woman who lives alone in a lighthouse, is (still) afraid of ghosts.  Really?

The plot itself is decent in the beginning, but we never learn much about Karen except that she was a habitual complainer and no one cared for her.  Still, Lucy thinks she needs to find the killer and goes about trying to do so; but honestly, her thoughts wander and she sort of bumbles her way through things.  She doesn't seem very intelligent, which is unfortunate; because she's really bad at managing her own life, even if she's good at being a librarian.  I honestly would have liked to see her develop a backbone along the way.

I just didn't feel this book 'grab' me in any sense of the word.  The murder seemed to take second place to Suzanne trying to get Lucy to come home with her; she didn't seem to care that Lucy didn't want to marry Ricky.  Mothers like that I can do without.  There was so much focused on this subject that I lost interest in the murder.

In the end, finding out the killer and the reason why seemed rather weak to me.  It just didn't appear to be too realistic.  I never felt Lucy (or her mother's) life was truly in any danger, and there was no leading up to the climax.  Suzanne seemed just as gullible as Lucy, so at least I know who she gained her lack of intelligence from. 

All in all, an okay read for an evening, and since I've already bought the third book in the series I will read it, but unless it seriously improves I probably won't follow it past that point.  For the record, I do like this author; I just don't care for this series.

https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Storm-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/0451470958/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2183166369

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/

By Book or By Crook (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #1)

Author:  Eva Gates
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; MP3 CD; Digital Book; Audio CD
ISBN #:  9780451470935; 9781494564667
Berkley Publishing (Tantor Audio)
352 Pages
February 3, 2015

✮✮

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.

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Lucy Richardson has moved to the Outer Banks from her comfortable home in Boston, ostensibly to escape an unwanted marriage proposal.  She's been lucky enough to find a job working for a library in a renovated lighthouse, her last library job was at Harvard.

This library has been able to secure a set of first edition Jane Austen books, and a notebook written by the lady herself.  On opening night, the library chair makes a few choice remarks about Lucy receiving her job over a local resident - even though Lucy has a degree and the local, Louise Jane, does not.  Mr. Uppiton, the chair, also gets into an argument with the head of the library, Bertie, very loudly, with Bertie making a threat toward him.

Later on that evening, Mr. Uppiton is found dead, Bertie is in the room with a broken bottle in her hand (most likely the murder weapon, but we are never told so), and Lucy, along with the rest of their friends, is convinced she's innocent of the crime.

But finding the killer isn't going to be easy when you're the 'new kid in town'.  Especially since Lucy is still on the suspect list herself.  All she knows is that in order to keep the library alive she needs to keep Bertie out of jail, and she'll do whatever it takes, even if it nearly kills her...

I really wanted to like this book.  It's got books, a cat named Charles, and Jane Austen.  What could be better?  Unfortunately, there's so much wrong with it.  With Lucy living in the lighthouse on the fourth floor, she has to climb 100 steps (she said herself) several times a day and isn't even winded?  Can you imaging climbing that several times a day?  How did they get plumbing all the way up there?  I wouldn't think it would be feasible.

Louise Jane was just a nasty piece of work.  There wasn't a single redeemable quality about her that I can think of.  As for Lucy, she's dumber than a box of rocks.  She lives alone in a lighthouse but is afraid of ghost stories?  She knows Louise Jane baits her and takes it every time instead of walking away?

She says she's never had a date, but recounts a story about an evening out with an ex-boyfriend - an ex-boyfriend she's slept with, no less.  What does she consider dating?  Also, there are two men chasing her practically right from the first pages of the book.  I can see this turning into a love triangle - and that's never good in the long run.  Really, how happy would you be if the situation were reversed and it was a guy and he was dating two women at the same time?

Unfortunately, the library in a lighthouse just didn't make sense, and all the to-do about people visiting merely because of the Jane Austen collection - and Jane Austen did not live by sea.  She lived in Chawton, Hampshire, which is inland; and this is a big deal if you're speaking of Jane Austen.

I felt the mystery wasn't given as much attention as it should have, with more being paid to what people were wearing and what they ate, so when we finally figure out who the murderer is I really didn't care; and the reason why didn't seem believable.  Sorry, but this book just wasn't my cup of tea; hopefully the series will improve with the next book.

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Crook-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/0451470931/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2180520099

More on Eva Gates's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/eva-gates/