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.
Murder at the Library: A North Dakota Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – North Dakota
Publisher : Ellen Jacobson (August 5, 2023)
Paperback : 314 pages
ISBN-10 : 1951495519
ISBN-13 : 978-1951495510
Kindle ASIN : B0B9T85PL8
Libraries are full of books . . . and deadly secrets.
When Thea Olson agreed to volunteer at her local library, she anticipated shelving books, not stumbling across a dead body.
Concerned her brother, the acting chief of police, is in over his head, Thea is determined to find out whodunit. She investigates the murder with the assistance of her grandmother and the handsome new library director.
Just when the trio of amateur sleuths hit a dead-end, a snarky chameleon appears in the library with cryptic clues for Thea. At first, she thinks she’s hallucinating. But once Thea accepts the fact that the obnoxious reptile is real, she realizes he might just help her crack the case.
Can Thea discover who the murderer is before someone else is taken out of circulation?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Welcome to Why, North Dakota where they have a buffalo that roams the town, an acting chief of police, a new library director, and a murderer.
Thea Olson comes from a long line of librarians but has good reasons for not getting a Library Science degree. So instead of following in her grandmother’s footsteps, she just volunteers at Why’s library. With her grandmother retiring as the library director Thea is sent to the airport to pick up her replacement, Hudson Carter. Coming from Florida he isn’t dressed for the North Dakota weather and his luggage was lost on the trip. These three hit it off immediately which is a good thing because Hudson and Thea find a dead body in the library the morning after his welcome party. Thea is worried her brother, the acting police chief, isn’t ready to handle a murder investigation so she, her grandmother, and Hudson team up as the ‘Three Investigators’ to help him solve the case. There is another mysterious team member who apparently calls the library home, that is if Thea isn’t losing her mind. Is that really a sarcastic little chameleon trying to give her clues about the murder?
Can the ‘Three Investigators’ help book the killer? or will they be bowled over before they have the chance?
I enjoyed meeting the residents of Why. Thea is a great protagonist with a heartbreaking past. She has leaned on her grandmother, Rose, since. Her grandmother stole my heart. She cares about her family, her library, and her community and she will go to great measures to help and protect all three. She also has a delightful little secret. Hudson and Thea have romantic tension flowing. I love the way they banter back and forth. Thea’s grandfather has a unique hobby and a definite point of view. She is close to her brother, the acting chief of police too. The man can smell what his grandmother is cooking from miles away and during a meal, she comes up with ways to get him to share information about the case. All the core characters the author has created are clever and well-developed for the first book in the series. I became invested easily in their lives.
I loved that humor was laced throughout the entire story. The arrival of Bufford, a name Thea uses for the giant friendly town buffalo had me in stitches. And lines like this “We’re packed in here tighter than the bras in my underwear drawer” is just one example of the passages that had me giggling. The chapter titles are fun too.
Along with the humor, there is a complicated mystery to solve with more suspects than I could imagine. Twists, turns, and precise misdirections kept me guessing. When Thea started laying out the clues and her theory I was right there with her but nervous about her plan. In the end, the reveal and takedown were pretty anti-climatic but gave me all the answers I needed.
Murder at the Library gives the series a captivating start with engaging characters, an interesting mystery, and tons of humor. I enjoyed the North Dakota setting and Hudson’s introduction to it. I just found out he is a crossover from the author’s Mollie McGhie series. I am excited to visit these characters and the town of Why again soon and will be checking out that other series.
I purchased this book from Amazon. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About the Author
Ellen Jacobson is a chocolate fanatic and cat lover who writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies. After working in Scotland and New Zealand for several years, she returned to the States, lived aboard a sailboat, traveled around in a tiny camper, and is now settled in a small town in northern Oregon with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon. Find out more about Ellen and her books on her website HERE.
Also written by Ellen Jacobson
Find all of Ellen’s Books HERE.
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