#FlashbackFriday – Booked for Trouble (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) by Eva Gates #Review / #Giveaway @BerkleyMystery

We return to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library shortly after the last book, By Book or By Crook ends. The Jane Austen books are still on exhibit but the crowds have died down and the Lucy has had time to really settle into her new job. That is until her mother, Suzanne,  shows up for a surprise visit intending to convince Lucy to leave the Outer Banks and return to Boston. Her mother’s plans get sidetracked when she runs into a couple of former high school classmates. One seems to forget she is married and wants to date her and another has a few terse words for the socialite. Karen Kivas is now a hotel maid and their little argument just happened in front of a bunch of witnesses. They do make up just a bit at a book club meeting but then the only witness is Lucy. So when Karen’s body is found outside of the library the next morning, Suzanne is the prime suspect. Not one to sit idly by, Lucy checks out every other person that could have wanted the maid dead trying to catch the real killer before her mother is forced to check in to the state prison.

I am so happy I was able to read this book within a week of reading the first book in the series. I had hated for the last book to end so it was pure pleasure to jump right into this one.

Lucy is enjoying her job, but not everyone is still convinced she should have the job. There is even someone that wants to shut down the entire library.  The last thing Lucy needs is a surprise visit from her mother, but she will make the best of it and try to get it through to her mother that she is not leaving her job. I loved the addition of Suzanne to this mix of characters. She is really not a friendly woman. She holds herself in very high regard and cannot fathom that she is a murder suspect. Her interactions with Lucy’s friends, co-workers, and other people in her sphere really drives this story in several directions. Some had me scratching my head and others had me laughing out loud.  Oh, and, Suzanne is not a cat person, but Charles was not holding back any of his kitty attentions 🙂

The mystery portion of the story had several twists that drew me deeper and deeper into the story. There weren’t too many suspects, but I just couldn’t pin the real culprit down until it was spelled right out for me in the text. Just the way I like it.

Again, the setting of the library in a lighthouse means the reader has to stretch their imagination. The author admits that with an Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, and I had no trouble with that at all. She has created a wonderful masterpiece in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.

Even with Suzanne’s efforts to curb and romantic notions for Lucy, the romantic triangle between Lucy, the mayor, and the detective continues to press forward. In fact, on the final page of this book, Lucy realizes something that could have her needing to make a big decision. Luckily, the next book, Reading Up A Storm is on my TBR shelf and I hope to be reading it soon.

Another delightful cozy mystery from Eva Gates! I loved it!