A Death Long Overdue: A Lighthouse Library Mystery

A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates is the 7th A Lighthouse Library Mystery. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading this charming series in order. The author has created a great cast of characters which includes Lucy, Connor, Bertie, Charlene, Ronald, Aunt Ellen, Josie, and Charles. They feel like old friends. I like catching up with all of them even Louise Jane. The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is a magical place. I can envision the library thanks to the authors vivid word imagery. I just love Lucy’s adorable little apartment. The mystery was intriguing. I thought it was well-plotted with interesting details. There are a variety of suspects along with good clues and a red herring or two. It was fun following along in the investigation and seeing how it all came together. I enjoyed the library exhibit that included a card catalog, library withdrawal cards (the card you signed when you checked out the book), and a Commodore 64 (I had a Commodore 64C). The ending will have fans of the series smiling (I wish I could say more but I do not want to spoil it for you). A Death Long Overdue is a delightful cozy mystery with a card catalog, a discourteous former library director, a disrupted reunion, a curious cat, and a forbearing beau.

It is July in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and I am excited to be back at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library with Lucy, Charles, and her friends and co-workers. Charles is the library cat who lives in the Lighthouse Aerie (top floor apartment) with Lucy. I have loved this series from the start, and this mystery is the best so far. The characters are engaging and three-dimensional, there are beautiful descriptives of the island and Lighthouse Library, and the mystery challenging. There is a healthy helping of LOL humor, too! Lucy spent many summers on Bodie Island during her childhood. For Lucy, being with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Josie was her happy place. When she had to get away from adult life in Boston, it seemed natural to come here. Not only did she find a job that she loves – Assistant Director at the Lighthouse Library – but she also found her true love. Connor, with whom she had a sweet teenage romance with many summers ago. Bertie, the library director, has the 40th reunion celebrating the first day of their undergraduate classes for fellow librarians to attend. The reception is being held at the Lighthouse Library. The surprise attendee is Helena, who retired as director of the library when Bertie replaced her ten years ago. Bertie invited Helena, never dreaming that she would attend. Helena was an excellent librarian but not a people person; most people didn’t like her. This evening, it was evident why. With the exception of Bertie, Helena was abrupt and at times rude to fellow librarians past and present. Louise Jane, “LJ”, imagines she knows more than everyone else about Bodie Island’s history, particularly its ghosts and folk lore. When one of the ladies attending the reception learned about LJ’s knowledge of the island and ability to communicate with spirits, she wanted to have a walk down to the marsh near the library. Several of the women who were riding together went on the walk, as did Helena and Lucy. On the walk, they heard what sounded like a splash, then someone thought they saw a crocodile until realizing it was a body. Sadly, it was too late to help Helena. Helena’s death was learned to be murder, and because it did not happen on library property, Lucy did not get involved. At first. As she began to hear stories about Helena’s life on Bodie Island and a huge theft that happened during the time she was there, she became curious. LJ got involved in her own way, wanting to do a séance to find out what the spirits knew about Helena’s murder. There are so many great things in this mystery! Meeting Bertie’s classmates was enlightening, as was meeting Helena’s identical twin sister. LJ can be a pain in the best of times, but she is good for much comic relief. Descriptives of the library and island made me wish the library and “aerie” were real! I love Lucy’s fanciful imagination regarding books in the library and the characters within them. Charles is quite the helpful, delightful library cat! The mystery is fabulous, and it was impossible for me to guess more than part of the solution. Whodunit was not a surprise, but the depth of deception surely was. I highly recommend this novel for fans of well-executed cozy mysteries, cats, libraries, and lighthouses. From a thankful heart: I received an eARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

library, librarian, library-cat, amateur-sleuth, murder, theft, family-dynamics, friendship, deceit, small-town, situational-humor, verbal-humor***** The head librarian in this Outer Banks seaside lighthouse brings together her old friends from college and on a whim invites a cranky retired librarian who once worked there. All were having fun, including the overbearing self centered volunteer theoretically helping with refreshments who decides that all need to go out for a walk in the dark for whatever misguided reason. It could have gone well anyway except that the odd librarian wound up dead in the marsh. And it turned out to be murder. Lucy is the assistant librarian with the mayor for her boyfriend, an apartment in this same lighthouse, a good relationship with the local law, and a talent for sleuthing. No apparent motive, odd clues, and a possible tie to a priceless necklace gone missing twenty-five years earlier make it really different. Great read in a fun series that doesn't require reading in sequence! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!