Holly Danvers

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers takes us back to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin where Rain Wilmot is getting ready to host her first book club discussion. The group will be discussing Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide. I like how the author tied Sparkling Cyanide into the story. Lofty Pines is a charming town with friendly residents (well, most of them). It is summer and the weather is perfect for spending time on the lake. Rain and her best friend, Julia, do not miss an opportunity to take a dip in the lake. The library is busy as people stop by to pick up books to read while lounging by the lake (or to read after dinner while relaxing on their deck). The mystery begins at the book club meeting where the group has a lively discussion about Sparkling Cyanide. Lily Redlin, who got a little hot under the collar at the meeting, is found dead in her home the next day. After the book club meeting, I knew who would die and how. I soon identified the guilty party. The why took longer to discover. Rain and Julia are eager to dig into the crime. The pair come up with justifications for why they should not turn over the information they have uncovered to the police (aka Julia’s brother, Jace). The case details are repeated way too many times (preliminary details repeated three or four times before Julia and Rain begin sleuthing). The case is neatly wrapped up at the end. Rain, who thinks about her deceased husband, Max often, is ready to date (seems too soon since she often recalls Max and how much she loved him). Rain is attracted to Julia’s brother, Jace Lowe (and it is obvious to everyone). I wish there had been less time devoted to romance. I lost track of how many times Rain admires Jace’s attributes or thinks about him. I did like the addition of Bento. He is a Siberian Husky that Rain adopts. I am a fan of Siberian Huskies. They are loving and intelligent dogs. While Read to Death at the Lakeside Library is the third A Lakeside Library Mystery, it can be read as a standalone. The needed background information on the characters is provided. I want to like A Lakeside Library Mysteries, but they are not a good fit for me. It is an easy-to-read story with likeable characters and a quaint area. I like that the library is in a log cabin. The author also incorporated information about the state and creation of the Wisconsin Old-Fashioned Cocktail (recipe at the end of the book). Read to Death at the Lakeside Library is lighthearted tale with an energetic book club discussion, lounging by the lake, a Wisconsin cocktail, an unexpected death, an adorable dog, and a romantic prospect.… (plus d'informations)

This latest in the Lakeside Library series features a re-enactment of a mystery scene from Sparkling Cyanide by Dame Agatha Christie. When a member of the Lakeside book club dies in mysterious circumstances, librarian Rain and sidekick Julia suspect foul play. The involve themselves in trying to solve the crime.

There are a lot of characters in this novel, and I had to make a list to keep up with them. Some of the things they did seemed silly to me. Although it is part of a series, I read it as a standalone. It would have helped if I read the previous ones in order though. In addition to the mystery and the hair raising ending, there is a lot of description and romance and other adventures. I wondered if this librarian ever worked at the library! For me, these other sidebars got in the way of the mystery, which was solved rapidly at the end of the book. I would prefer more mystery and less other stuff. It is not a difficult read, maybe a good beach read.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.… (plus d'informations)