Read to Death at the Lakeside Library

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library
Holly Danvers
320 pages
Crooked Lane Books

From Goodreads: Summer is in full swing as tourists flock back to the Northwoods and travel to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. For Rain Wilmot, owner of the Lakeside Library, this is the perfect opportunity to bring back her mother’s summer book club. But the summer sun starts to really heat up when one of the club’s members, Lily Redlin, is found dead in her own home not long after the first meeting.

Alongside her sidekick and neighbor Julia Reynolds and the charming Jace Lowe, Rain discovers that the murder is seemingly inspired by the book club’s recent selection of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, Sparkling Cyanide. But who would kill Lily, and more importantly, why?

The deeper Rain goes into the story, the more confusing and complicated the plot becomes. Was Lily murdered to cover up a tragic accident involving an old classmate years earlier? Or were the rumors true—did Lily really possess priceless original Laura Ingles Wilder manuscripts and someone killed her for them? And who stands to gain the recently inherited piece of waterfront property that Lily received from a long-lost relative?

With a long list of suspects and motives, Rain realizes that all leads come back to people involved in the book club. Rain and her friends take a page from Agatha Christie’s book by hosting a reenactment of the club’s first meeting to flush out the killer. Will Rain’s plan succeed—or will this librarian’s book be checked out for good?

I fell right into this new cozy by Holly Danvers; it has such an energetic pace I couldn't help to keep reading. Rain is definitely a character you can't help but root for. Despite a tough past, she has such an infectious energy and is extremely kind to her friends and neighbors in Lofty Pines. So it's no surprise that when of her new book club members if found murdered, she starts investigating with her best friend Julia. The book club contains a wide cast of characters (and suspects!) but as each woman was investigated by the duo we got to know them better.

This cozy has some of the best aspects of other cozies: idyllic setting, spunky heroine, slightly disgruntled law enforcement contact, BFF and partner in crime, fluffy pups, and a friendly local library. Still, as I was reading this book felt surprisingly refreshing. Rain is definitely a part of that because her character is so awesome, but she and Julie egg each other on and push themselves further than other cozy heroines. Rain and Julie have a precious friendship, which really shone through at the ending of the book. 

This is the third book in the series but I had no problem jumping right in. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book, which comes out in August so mark your calendars! As always, opinions are my own.