Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Something Read Something Dead (Lighthouse Library, Bk 5) on + 644 more book reviews
Dollycas's Thoughts
We are back in North Carolina just in time for Josie and Jake's wedding. Jake and Josie have plenty of love but very little time. Josie owns the local bakery and Jakes owns a restaurant. All they want is a simple wedding with no big fuss and one that is within their budget. As the date draws near Josie's grandmother has real concerns about this wedding. Email invitations and people left off the guest list have her in a real tizzy. She will not stand for small and simple. Like a hurricane, she blows into town with the âLouisiana Mafiaâ (aunts and cousins). She has tasked cousins Florence Fanshaw and Mirabelle Henkel with planning the most over the top wedding possible. She also decides the simple shower at the lighthouse library and reception at Jake's restaurant will never do and Gloria takes over those plans too. Unfortunately, Mirabelle is also searching for a new husband herself and she seems to have set her sights on JAKE!
Things kick off with Lucy's shower with a few Louisiana adjustments. But it doesn't end well. Mirabelle dies shortly after eating the gluten-free goodies Jodie had made just for her. The police decide Josie had the motive, means, and opportunity to pull it off. Lucy knows she didn't do it. Seriously, first Josie would never kill anyone. And second, Josie would not be stupid enough to kill her cousin and have all the evidence pointed right at her. Clearly a set up, Lucy is on the case and she intends to catch the real killer and throw the book at them so that Josie and Jake can start the next chapter of their lives without Josie behind bars.
I absolutely love the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library on the Outer Banks. The author takes poetic license with the place for it to house all the wonderful things it does. Readers imaginations are easily stretched to believe it too. All the books and rooms and Lucy Aerie apartment on the 4th floor reached by climbing all those steps. I can envision it all perfectly. The structure itself has a little trouble in this installment and I was drawn right into the process and cost of handling the issue.
The characters Ms. Gates has created have become old friends. I was taken aback by the way Grandma Gloria took over everything, not caring at all about Josie's wishes, but I had to deal with something similar when I was married 36 years ago. Instead of a grandmother, it was my mother driving me crazy for opposite reasons though. Gloria wanted things grander, my mother was very budget oriented. Both were determined to have their way. My mother didn't like the colors I had chosen for the bridesmaid's dresses or the style. She thought they were too expensive and our trip to buy dresses turned into a trip to buy fabric and not in peach but lilac. The pattern silhouette chosen was nowhere near what I wanted either and they ended up costing more because we had to pay a seamstress to make them. Both she and I loved to sew and she really thought we could make the six dresses ourselves. And that was just the bridesmaid dresses, I won't go into my dress or the food or the other things she tried to take over. Thankfully like Josie, I had great friends, family, and a wonderful man that help me pick my battles. Can you tell I really identified with this part of the story? Of course, no one died at my shower ð but there were a few stressful moments.
All the subplots flowed into the main plot very nicely. I truly enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded and the way the library's monthly book club selection Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers played into the story. Several more suspects were noted and I had a delightful time following all the clues and detours right along with Lucy. The killer was on my radar but I couldn't fully commit until the very end.
This is a wonderful addition to this series. The characters are genuine, the setting ideal, and the mystery kept me guessing. This book can be read on its own but I recommend them all.
We are back in North Carolina just in time for Josie and Jake's wedding. Jake and Josie have plenty of love but very little time. Josie owns the local bakery and Jakes owns a restaurant. All they want is a simple wedding with no big fuss and one that is within their budget. As the date draws near Josie's grandmother has real concerns about this wedding. Email invitations and people left off the guest list have her in a real tizzy. She will not stand for small and simple. Like a hurricane, she blows into town with the âLouisiana Mafiaâ (aunts and cousins). She has tasked cousins Florence Fanshaw and Mirabelle Henkel with planning the most over the top wedding possible. She also decides the simple shower at the lighthouse library and reception at Jake's restaurant will never do and Gloria takes over those plans too. Unfortunately, Mirabelle is also searching for a new husband herself and she seems to have set her sights on JAKE!
Things kick off with Lucy's shower with a few Louisiana adjustments. But it doesn't end well. Mirabelle dies shortly after eating the gluten-free goodies Jodie had made just for her. The police decide Josie had the motive, means, and opportunity to pull it off. Lucy knows she didn't do it. Seriously, first Josie would never kill anyone. And second, Josie would not be stupid enough to kill her cousin and have all the evidence pointed right at her. Clearly a set up, Lucy is on the case and she intends to catch the real killer and throw the book at them so that Josie and Jake can start the next chapter of their lives without Josie behind bars.
I absolutely love the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library on the Outer Banks. The author takes poetic license with the place for it to house all the wonderful things it does. Readers imaginations are easily stretched to believe it too. All the books and rooms and Lucy Aerie apartment on the 4th floor reached by climbing all those steps. I can envision it all perfectly. The structure itself has a little trouble in this installment and I was drawn right into the process and cost of handling the issue.
The characters Ms. Gates has created have become old friends. I was taken aback by the way Grandma Gloria took over everything, not caring at all about Josie's wishes, but I had to deal with something similar when I was married 36 years ago. Instead of a grandmother, it was my mother driving me crazy for opposite reasons though. Gloria wanted things grander, my mother was very budget oriented. Both were determined to have their way. My mother didn't like the colors I had chosen for the bridesmaid's dresses or the style. She thought they were too expensive and our trip to buy dresses turned into a trip to buy fabric and not in peach but lilac. The pattern silhouette chosen was nowhere near what I wanted either and they ended up costing more because we had to pay a seamstress to make them. Both she and I loved to sew and she really thought we could make the six dresses ourselves. And that was just the bridesmaid dresses, I won't go into my dress or the food or the other things she tried to take over. Thankfully like Josie, I had great friends, family, and a wonderful man that help me pick my battles. Can you tell I really identified with this part of the story? Of course, no one died at my shower ð but there were a few stressful moments.
All the subplots flowed into the main plot very nicely. I truly enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded and the way the library's monthly book club selection Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers played into the story. Several more suspects were noted and I had a delightful time following all the clues and detours right along with Lucy. The killer was on my radar but I couldn't fully commit until the very end.
This is a wonderful addition to this series. The characters are genuine, the setting ideal, and the mystery kept me guessing. This book can be read on its own but I recommend them all.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Something Read, Something Dead is the fifth installment in the A Lighthouse Library Mystery series set in North Carolina's Outer Banks and featuring assistant librarian Lucy Richardson. Lucy is looking forward to her cousin Josie O'Malley's upcoming wedding to Chef Jake Greenblatt, and is excited to host the bridal shower at the Bodie Island Lighthouse/Library.
Josie and Jake have planned a simple affair, but all that changes when Josie's overbearing grandmother Gloria arrives in town from New Orleans with Josie's distant cousins and decides to take over all of the planning. Her cousin Florence has an event planning business but other cousin Mirabelle has bullied her way into the company and is running roughshod over Florence and is determined to make the fledgling business a household name. When Mirabelle starts changing all of Josie's plans and then has the audacity to start flirting with Jake, Josie is almost ready to call off the wedding.
Trying to keep things light and festive for the shower Lucy has invited all of Josie and her Aunt Ellen's friends as well as fellow library employees. Josie is supplying the desserts and Mirabelle is insistent that gluten free treats are provided. When Mirabelle drops dead after eating the desserts nobody is really heartbroken until Josie ends up being the prime suspect. Determined to clear her cousin's name Lucy sets out to track down a killer.
In addition to the murder the secondary story line involves the deteriorating foundation of the lighthouse and the fears that the library will be forced to close, meaning Lucy and Charles, the library cat may soon be out on the street.
This addition to the series was not my favorite although I really can't put my finger on why. Maybe because there was not much mention of the library employees who've always helped Lucy with her investigations in the past, there is not the usual banter between Lucy and her nemesis, Louise Jane or it could be that Lucy doesn't ever seem to pull a shift at the library but instead is always dashing off to follow a hunch making me wonder how she manages to hold on to her job. But, as a faithful reader of the series I will be looking forward to the next installment.
Josie and Jake have planned a simple affair, but all that changes when Josie's overbearing grandmother Gloria arrives in town from New Orleans with Josie's distant cousins and decides to take over all of the planning. Her cousin Florence has an event planning business but other cousin Mirabelle has bullied her way into the company and is running roughshod over Florence and is determined to make the fledgling business a household name. When Mirabelle starts changing all of Josie's plans and then has the audacity to start flirting with Jake, Josie is almost ready to call off the wedding.
Trying to keep things light and festive for the shower Lucy has invited all of Josie and her Aunt Ellen's friends as well as fellow library employees. Josie is supplying the desserts and Mirabelle is insistent that gluten free treats are provided. When Mirabelle drops dead after eating the desserts nobody is really heartbroken until Josie ends up being the prime suspect. Determined to clear her cousin's name Lucy sets out to track down a killer.
In addition to the murder the secondary story line involves the deteriorating foundation of the lighthouse and the fears that the library will be forced to close, meaning Lucy and Charles, the library cat may soon be out on the street.
This addition to the series was not my favorite although I really can't put my finger on why. Maybe because there was not much mention of the library employees who've always helped Lucy with her investigations in the past, there is not the usual banter between Lucy and her nemesis, Louise Jane or it could be that Lucy doesn't ever seem to pull a shift at the library but instead is always dashing off to follow a hunch making me wonder how she manages to hold on to her job. But, as a faithful reader of the series I will be looking forward to the next installment.
Kristina A. reviewed Something Read Something Dead (Lighthouse Library, Bk 5) on + 1528 more book reviews
Something Read, Something Dead can be read as a standalone if you have not indulged in the previous books in A Lighthouse Library Mystery series. I always enjoy Eva Gates descriptive writing which brings the story to life. I can imagine the beautiful library, the town, the characters, and Lucy's adorable apartment inside the lighthouse. There are a variety of new characters as Grandma Gloria descends on the town with a group of relatives. Gloria is a Southern lady who believes in proper etiquette and extravagance (which she expects Josie's parents to pay for, of course). Gloria brings along her own wedding planners to carry out her instructions (oh dear). Mirabelle has her own agenda and is happy to cause mischief wherever she goes. The adorable library cat, Charles is back, and he provides some laugh out loud moments. After Mirabelle's death, Lucy is not about to let Detective Yarmouth pin the crime on Josie. Lucy immediately starts asking questions so she can quickly close the books on this terrible incident before Josie begins a new chapter of her life married to Jake. The mystery has multiple suspects (all with good motive to harm Mirabelle) plus misdirection to send readers down the wrong path. I was able to identify the killer long before the reveal, but it did not hinder my reading pleasure. There are references to Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers and her main character, Lord Peter Wimsey sprinkled throughout the story. The Outer Banks sounds like a beautiful place to live and work. I believe many of us would want to work and live in a library that is inside a lighthouse (it must be a large lighthouse). It is such a shame that Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is suffering from foundation issues which will be costly to repair. Let us hope that the townspeople will rally around and help with the expensive renovations. I liked the reference to Daryl Wood Gerber and her French Bistro Mystery series (entertaining cozy mystery series). Something Read, Something Dead will delight cozy mystery readers with its engaging characters, charming library, delectable sweet treats, and a bewildering whodunit.
