Long Overdue At The Lakeside Library
A glowing wood stove, as a reprieve from the cold and ice, a cozy log cabin, and shelves full of library books are all Rain Wilmot needs to ride out the Wisconsin winter, now that she’s made her family’s Lofty Pines library her year-round home. But the warm-hearted librarian’s blood runs cold when a local man, Wallace Benson, is found dead during the annual Ice Fishing Jamboree.
After Benson’s body is found in his ice shanty, Rain recalls that she recently saw the victim in her library, borrowing a few cookbooks to prepare for the fishing tournament’s communal “chili dump.” She later finds these same books returned to the library’s dropbox, with an enigmatic note from Benson to Rain.
As Rain seeks to understand the message, the prime suspect becomes Rain’s friend Nick, who was the last person to see Wallace alive and returned to the Jamboree with a nasty cut on his hand. The knife found in his tackle box only makes Nick’s troubles worse. But Rain keeps fishing for other suspects. Was the killer Danny, who lost his arm to a logging accident involving Wallace? Or Danny’s bitter father, whose dreams of retirement were dashed by his son’s accident?
With the help of her friends Julia and Jace, Rain sets out to hook the real culprit and clear Nick’s name. But can her sleuthing skills protect her from a killer who’d like to take her out of circulation?
The Details
Series: A Lakeside Library Mystery – Book #2
Author: Holly Danvers
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Library
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1643858904
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
The Review
Long Overdue At The Lakeside Library is the second book in the “Lakeside Library Mystery” series. This series is growing quickly and is fast becoming a favorite. The characters are wonderful, inquisitive, intelligent, and kind. The location is to die for! The very idea of a lakeside log cabin library just gives you a feeling of peace and contentment. The mystery is thought-provoking without being too high-handed. Ice fishing takes on a whole new meaning in this delightful story.
Rain is a wonderful character. Her desire to spend all of her days reading and helping others find books is admirable and a secret wish for many bibliophiles. In the latest additions to the series, it is the annual chili and ice-fishing jamboree, and Rain is smack in the middle of it all. Her family’s cabin library is overflowing with patrons, and everyone is enjoying the fishing and the camaraderie. But not everything is honky dory. As the chili dump gets closer, murder invades the festivities, and Rain’s best friends are at the center of all the action. Rain and friends work the investigation and find several suspects, even though the police are determined to pin the murder on her friend Nick. Evidence suggests that several people had motives to kill the victim, and any one of them had the opportunity.
Things take a turn, and Rain finds herself in danger. Someone thinks she is getting too close to solving the crime and that someone isn’t going down without a fight. Clues are followed, suspects questioned, and chaos ensues. Before long, Rain and friends have found the killer, and the crime comes to a satisfying conclusion. But not before, Rain and company put themselves in a life-threatening situation. The lakeside cabin library is adorable and will keep readers amused, and might even give them a desire to experience what life is like out on the ice.
There are a few issues with Long Overdue At The Lakeside Library, I disapprove of love triangles, and the characters need to mature a bit more. Julia in particular, but Rain as well. I knew who the killer was instantly, but the mystery was interesting enough to read through to the end. I think most readers will enjoy this book and will learn a thing or two about life out on the ice in a place that turns cold weather into an event. I look forward to seeing where the author takes Rain in the next installment.
The Author
Holly Quinn is both an avid reader and crafter. Holly sold her artistic creations locally and dreamed of one day opening a gift shop to sell local artists’ handiwork. But, instead, she began writing about it, and thus her journey began.
Readers will enjoy other books in this series, including the first book, Murder at the Lakeside Library or another of Holly’s series such as book one in the “A Handcrafted Mystery,” A Crafter Knits a Clue.
Represented by: Spencerhill Associates
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