The Spook in the Stacks
Halloween in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is always special. This year it becomes seriously tricky when librarian Lucy stumbles across something extra unusual in the rare books section: a dead body.
Wealthy businessman Jay Ruddle is considering donating his extensive collection of North Carolina historical documents to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. Unfortunately, while the library is hosting a lecture on ghostly legends, Jay is murdered in the rare books section. Now, it’s up to Lucy Richardson to use her detective skills and discover who is responsible for this wicked Halloween homicide.
Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery – Book #4
Author: Eva Gates/Vicki Delany
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Library
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Rating:
The Spook in the Stacks is a delightfully fun read that doesn’t require it to be Halloween to enjoy. Lucy is a mild-mannered Librarian whose only real goal is to be happy. Whether that is with the town mayor, Conner, or by herself doesn’t matter. She loves her job and her small apartment high above the Lighthouse Library, and she has no intention of leaving either any time soon. Her fur companion, Charles is the perfect library cat, and her protector when she thinks things may not be what they seem to be inside the old Lighthouse.
The characters throughout this book and the series are very well written. They have complexities and habits that are woven into the story seamlessly. They are typical of a small town and yet uniquely different in many ways. Lucy’s boss and the ever-present, Theodore make the story come to life as unknown facets of their life and character are slowly revealed to the reader.
Of course, Nags Head is a beautiful location filled with history and charm. During Halloween, there is any number of ghost stories in the small sleepy town that rival those of locations much older and far more historical. Yet it appears every time a person walks down the sidewalk they trip over a new historical fact or myth. The character of Louise Jane brings all the stories to life at the library for young and old.
The plot is kept in mind throughout the action at all times. There are no deviations along the way from the murder to the solution, and although the solution comes unexpectedly, it is handled with care and heroism. The writing is smooth, clean, and filled with enough detail to keep the reader engaged.
I happily recommend The Spook in the Stacks to readers of all ages. If you enjoy a fast-paced, original mystery with wonderful characters, lovely locations, and libraries filled with books, you will enjoy this book and series.
About the Author:
Vicki Delany (Eva Gates) is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy.
Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.
Represented by Bookends LLC.
Contact Vicki: vicki@vickidelany.com
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