Deadly Ever After: A Lighthouse Library Mystery

Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates is the 8th A Lighthouse Library Mystery. I thought this story was well-written with developed characters. The story moved along at a quick pace with vivid descriptions. It is always a pleasure to visit the Outer Banks where Lucy Richardson works at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. She lives in her Lighthouse Aerie and will miss it when she marries. Connor McNeil and Lucy are engaged with plans to wed the following year in August. They have been searching for a home to purchase with no success. I love the characters in this charming series. They are a friendly bunch who care for one another. I like how the library staff are there for one another. The descriptions of the library are delightful. I would love to live in an apartment above the library. I, like Lucy, imagine the characters come alive at night when the library is empty. Lucy will miss her cozy abode. The whodunit was a fun one to solve. There are several people who could have offed the victim. The clues are subtle and can easily be missed. There is humor scattered throughout the story. Lucy manages to get herself into sticky situations plus doing things she does not want to do. There are subplots that enrich this book. Charlene is smitten with a visiting researcher, but Lucy fears she will get her heart broken. Bertie and Louise Jane are spending quite a bit of time behind closed doors. Connor and Lucy are trying to find a home to purchase. Lucy’s mother was very gracious. She is a kinder soul than I. I cannot imagine looking after Evangeline. Deadly Ever After can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading all the books in this engaging series. It will allow you to get to know the characters and see how far they have come since By Book or By Crook. I look forward to my next visit to the Outer Banks. Deadly Ever After is an entertaining cozy mystery with engagement party poopers, house hunting hardships, book club conversation, a misty marsh, flashing lights, a terrible threat, and an affectionate fiancé.

Deadly Ever After emphasizes once again why I love this series! Descriptions of this fabulous setting are so perfect that I can almost picture the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library and hear waves crashing on the shore. The characters frequently have new surprises and are delightfully ready to step out of the pages into real life. The complex mystery is intriguing, and whodunit was one of the last people I would have expected. I have enjoyed following Lucy and her friends since her move to Bodie Island and subsequent success as the assistant library director. Far different from the prestigious position she had before, she knows that the relocation and accepting the position are among the best decisions she has made; accepting Connor’s proposal is icing on the cake. She and Connor, now the mayor of Nag’s Head, had been close friends when she visited her beloved Aunt Ellen as a teen, and they began dating after Lucy moved here. This is the kind of awesome place I would love to work and live for a year or ten! The only minor drawback is Louise Jane, a somewhat irritating native of the island who claims to know where all the ghosts hang out, including in the lighthouse. She resented Lucy getting the position she wanted and her opportunity to live in what Lucy dubbed the “Lighthouse Aerie”, a tiny apartment that was part of her employment package. Another benefit is Charles, the gorgeous, fluffy library cat. He spends nights in the Aerie with Lucy, waits in the library to greet her when she has been out, and lives a cat’s dream life. There is an engagement party on the beach for Connor and Lucy. When only the catering staff from her cousin Josie’s successful bakery and immediate family were left on the beach, two very late, uninvited guests arrive. They are Evangeline, the wife of Lucy’s father’s law partner, and her son Ricky. Ricky is the man Lucy had always been expected to marry until she said no and escaped Boston for the Outer Banks. It seems Ricky may want another chance. His parents are in dire financial straits and they would love a fresh infusion of money, not realizing Lucy has none of the family wealth. The next night, Ricky and Evangeline ran out on the dinner they invited Connor, Lucy, and her family to. After dinner, Ricky’s father Rich, who nobody knew was in town, was found murdered outside the restaurant. Lucy has helped with several murder investigations since moving to Nags Head despite the local detectives assuring her that they can handle things. When people she cares about are accused or involved, however, she cannot resist helping. She really wants to stay out of this one, but she two of the persons of interest are not guilty. The whodunit is elusive; it was honestly someone I least suspected! The author teases our imaginations with humor and fun ideas! One of her most enjoyable word pictures is, “Charles put his paws over his eyes. . . I briefly considering putting my paws over my own eyes.” For those who enjoy well-written cozy mysteries with lovable, eclectic characters, intrigue, humor, and a setting that is a touch of heaven on earth, I highly recommend this novel and series! From a thankful heart: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Lots of changes are coming to the Lighthouse Library, but nobody expects murder to come with them. And when the death isn’t on the library grounds, Lucy has a brief hope to not get caught up in the investigation, until she realizes that her family’s caught in the middle of it. One of the things this series always does for me is to carry me away in the story. I’ll get caught up in Lucy’s social whirl, and get distracted by all the sparkly red herrings, to the point that I’m unable to outthink the plot. This is a gift I treasure. Give me a tricky puzzle to keep me distracted and I will thank you for it. Lucy and Connor have me charmed and quite thoroughly hooked. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for them next. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.