Murder at the Lakeside Library
The Blurb
Rain Wilmot has just returned to her family’s waterfront log cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin, after the untimely death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain’s corporate job and comes with an informal library that Rain’s mother, Willow, used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when she discovers the body of Thornton Hughes, a real estate buyer, on the premises.
The community of Lofty Pines starts pointing fingers at Willow since she has been unusually absent from the library this summer. A fishy rumor surfaces when Rain learns that Willow had been spending a lot of time with Thornton. The townspeople even thought they were having an affair.
While theories swirl about Thornton’s death, Rain takes it upon herself to solve the case to exonerate her mother. As more clues surface, Rain will have to piece together the mystery. But if she isn’t careful, she may be the next to end up dead in the water.
The Details
Series: A Lakeside Library Mystery – Book #1
Author: Holly Danvers
Genre/Category: Cozy
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1643856324
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
Murder at the Lakeside Library the first book in the new cozy series, “A Lakeside Library Mystery.” Rain is recently widowed, and she is having trouble getting through the grief and anger. Her husband had cheated on her while they were trying to have a baby just before he died, and she can’t deal with his death, work, and everything else. She sets off to hide out at her family’s lakeside cabin and library in Wisconsin. She reconnects with her childhood friend, Julia, immediately, and some of the older neighbors. But unexpectedly comes across a body near the old outhouse on her first day.
The few characters that are in this book are interesting but have room for much-needed growth. The location of a lakeside cabin that also has a library open to the public sounds lovely. The victim is known in the town of Lofty Pines but not well-liked. He has secrets, and small towns are famous for not allowing people to keep secrets for very long. Rain and Julia decide it is up to them to solve the murder, even though Julia’s brother is in charge of the investigation. There is a fair amount of action throughout the story, twists and turns, and suspects with motives. They do uncover the killer but almost get themselves hurt in the process.
In general, I found this book filled with too much introspection, with not enough background to tell the reader who the characters are or what part they will play in future books. Rain seems to be a bit immature in her way of looking at life, and her difficulties stem a great deal from her inability to express her feelings and learn to handle her issues. The investigation was minimal as far as the police side; why wouldn’t the cabin and library, and even the lake surrounding Rain’s property be sealed off until the police finished their investigation? The killer just didn’t work for me or the motive. I did not like that this story set up a possible love interest for Rain, which is far too soon in the series or with the character’s initial situation.
The lakeside location and library are great for this first book, and there is a town, but it isn’t described in enough detail to make any buildings or businesses stand out or add intrigue for future volumes, and using the library and the lake as the focus makes you wonder where the author can go with such a limited setting. Murder at the Lakeside Library is not a terrible start for a new series, and it has potential, but it will need to grow considerably in the next volume to keep readers interested.
The Author
Holly (Danvers) Quinn is both an avid reader and crafter. Holly sells her artistic creations locally and dreamed of one day opening a gift shop to sell local artist’s handiwork. Instead, she began writing about it and thus her journey began. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and three chickens, where she’s already plotting her next novel.
Another series by Holly readers may enjoy from the “A Handcrafted Mystery” series, book one, A Crafter Knits a Clue.
Represented by: Spencerhill Associates
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