This is the final book of the series, of which I have read them all, and I will miss this prim and proper mystery-solving librarian. In each of the 12 cozies Miss Zukas (with the unique first name of Helma) is endearing despite taking herself too seriously. Her friend Ruth is the complete opposite of prim and proper, yet once again the pair end up solving the mystery before the local police. The setting is the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Bellehaven, and so I was especially thrilled to discover the first five books in the series at a used book store in Friday Harbor, in the San Juan Islands, which is the same geographical area as Bellehaven. Coincidence? I don't think so! ( )

As the book opens, librarian Helma Zukas has finally accepted police chief Wayne Gallant's proposal. Before she has a chance to tell her family, she gets an urgent call from her mother. Helma's Aunt Emily was alone in the retirement home apartment she shares with Helma's mother when a burglar broke in. Now the man is lying dead in the parking lot, having fallen from the apartment's 4th floor window. The police have questions, but Aunt Em's memory isn't good on the best of days. Helma must try to figure out the motive behind the burglary and recover her aunt's missing possessions while fending off her mother's attempts to plan her wedding for her.

This is the final book in one of my favorite cozy series, and I couldn't have asked for a better ending. It had all of the elements I've enjoyed in the series – Helma's no nonsense personality paired with her unconventional best friend Ruth; Helma's library colleagues and her eccentric boss, Miss Moon; Helma's neighbors at the Bayside Arms; Boy Cat Zukas; Carter Houston, the homicide detective Ruth loves to torment; and of course, the gallant Chief Gallant. Helma solves the crime with her usual efficiency, and all of the ongoing series threads are neatly resolved. Turning the last page was a bittersweet moment for me. It's hard to say goodbye to characters I've enjoyed so much. Somehow I missed a book along the way so I'll have the pleasure of one more “new” adventure with Helma. I'll save it for a rainy day. ( )

I'm sorry to see this series end. Miss Z is once again embroiled in mystery when the apartment shared by her aunt and mother is broken into and the intruder killed. First one robber, then two are reported, throwing the police into confusion. Hints are given that new relationships between her mom and TNT, as well as Ruth and Detective Carter end the book. ( )

I get the impression that this is the last book in this series and that is a good thing. I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first in the series. I think Miss Zukas has run her course.

Miss Zukas is getting married but first she must solve the mystery of who broke into her mother and aunt's apartment. One man has fallen through the window to the sidewalk below but Aunt Em cannot remember as well as she used to and it isn't until a few days later that she remembers there were two burglers. ( )

Chief Wayne Gallant has finally popped the question to librarian Helma Zukas, and she said yes. Then a burglar hits her mother and aunt's apartment while her aunt is home. The would-be burglar ends up falling four stories to the ground below. No one is really sure what happened because her aunt has significant memory lapses. When the police recover the body, there are still things missing from the apartment. The things stolen probably have more sentimental value than monetary value. At the library, Miss Moon's bestseller display is not very popular among the local authors. It's just so sad that this is the last visit with Helma, Ruth, Chief Gallant, Helma's mom, Aunt Em, Detective Carter Houston, TNT, Walter David, the library staff at Bellehaven Public Library, and Boy Cat Zukas. This last installment brought back memories of previous installments as I read the book. There are still so many unanswered questions about what will transpire in the future. I also felt we never had complete resolution on on the final outcome of the person arrested in Detective Houston's case. I enjoyed the author's note at the end of the book. We'll miss you, Miss Zukas. ( )