Thursday, January 13, 2022

Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library

Title: Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library
Author: Holly Danvers
Published: February 8th 2022 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Lakeside Library Mystery #2

First Sentence: Change. So much had happened in the last nine months, Rain Wilmot almost didn't recognize her own life.

Blurb: A glowing wood stove, a cozy log cabin, and shelves full of books are all Rain Wilmot needs to ride out the Wisconsin winter, now that she's made her family's Lofty Pines library her year-round home. But the warm-hearted librarian's blood runs cold when local man, Wallace Benson, is found dead during the annual Ice Fishing Jamboree.

After Benson's body is found in his ice shanty, Rain recalls that she recently saw the victim in her library, borrowing a few cookbooks to prepare for the fishing tournament's communal "chili dump." She later finds these same books returned to the library's drop box, with an enigmatic note from Benson to Rain.

As Rain seeks to understand the message, the prime suspect becomes Rain's friend Nick, who was the last person to see Wallace alive and who returned to the Jamboree with a nasty cut on his hand. The knife found in his tackle box only makes Nick's troubles worse. But Rain keeps fishing for other suspects. Was the killer Danny, who lost his arm to a logging accident involving Wallace? Or Danny's bitter father, whose dreams of retirement were dashed by his son's accident?

With the help of her friends Julia and Jace, Rain sets out to hook the real culprit and clear Nick's name. But can her sleuthing skills protect her from a killer who'd like to take her out of circulation? (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Another series where I am going to part ways.

From the beginning, the who-done-it was obvious. The author spent most of the book, which could have been skimmed without losing any context, beating around multiple bushes while dragging her readers through uninteresting dialogue before revealing the absurd reason and murder weapon.

Don’t be disheartened by this series; there are better cozy mysteries out there. So, keep looking, and soon you will find the right author, setting, and series which works for you.

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