On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
A Death Long Overdue: A Lighthouse Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 6, 2020)
Hardcover: 372 pages
ISBN-10: 1643854585
ISBN-13: 978-1643854588
Paperback Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (April 13, 2021)
ISBN-10: 1643856804
ISBN-13: 978-1643856803
Kindle ASIN: B083RYX5WH
When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.
It’s summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James’s college class is having their 40th-anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what’s scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.
Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn’t much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she’ll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she’s left high and dry…and right in the killer’s crosshairs.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Library Director Bertie James’ is hosting a reunion to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her college class at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. Lucy, Charlene, and Ronald have all agreed to be servers of the wonderful food Josie is providing. Louise Jane is there too but it definitely not to serve food. Lucy and Charlene have pulled together old library items for a display to represent how libraries have changed over the years. All the attendees except one love the display. Special guest Helena Sanchez, former director of the Lighthouse Library, finds something disturbing among the artifacts.
After the event, several members of the group decide to take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier where Louise Jane starts telling one of her ghost stories. When they reach the pier there is something floating in the water. Lucy realizes it’s Helena Sanchez. She and Ronald quickly jump in to try to save her but the former director is gone.
Lucy is just haunted by the death and finds herself delving deep into the investigation. Doing so puts her front and center on the killer’s radar. Will she get the whole story or will her own book end several chapters before it is supposed to??
Truly one of my all-time favorite cozy mystery series, it took cancer to keep me from reading and reviewing this book when it was originally released. I timed my review now to coincide with the paperback release this week.
I love the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. It is a fantastic place that can truly only exist in our imaginations as no real lighthouse could hold all the books, treasures, rooms, offices, and Lucy’s Aerie apartment. As soon as you understand the mystery of the place you will be able to enjoy every wonderful event there to the fullest.
Ms. Gates has created wonderful characters. The librarians are truly like family and I love the way they all pitched in to make Bertie’s classmates welcome. I really appreciate the way the characters continue to grow and evolve in each new story. Connor really impressed me this time. That man has the patience of a saint.
The mystery this time was especially intriguing. The victim was rude and very unlikeable from the get-go and it seems she made her share of enemies in her not so illustrious life. This means plenty of suspects for the police and Lucy to wade through. A few people were floating in my suspect pool immediately but some terrific twists eliminated every one of them. I loved Lucy’s idea for revealing the real culprit and all the clues that brought the killer into clear focus. Ms. Gates sure knows how to spin a tale that keeps her readers on their toes.
A special subplot had me holding my breath a few times. When that was allowed to play out I let out a huge exhale and was grinning ear to ear.
I really enjoyed the trip back in time regarding libraries. Back in the day, the local library was one of my favorite places so I was very familiar with all the old relic artifacts that were part of the library’s history.
A Death Long Overdue
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Vicki Delany 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. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library books for Crooked Lane.
Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It crime writing festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Author Links –
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com.
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor.
Twitter @vickidelany@evagatesauthor
Instagram: vickidelany
The Rest of the Series
Coming May 11, 2021
Written as Vicki Delany
Find more books by Vicki Delaney here.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Love this series, but I’ve lost track of it over the past couple of years. Thanks for the reminder to add it to my TBR list.