I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder at the Lakeside Library
by Holly Danvers
Series: Lakeside Library Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on July 13, 2021
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound
Also in this series: Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library, Read to Death at the Lakeside Library
In this series debut perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Miranda James, Rain Wilmont must discover the killer, before the book closes on her life.
Rain Wilmont has just returned to her family's waterfront log cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin after the untimely death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain's corporate job and comes with an informal library that Rain's mother, Willow, used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when she discovers the body of Thornton Hughes, a real estate buyer, on the premise.
The community of Lofty Pines starts pointing fingers at Willow, since she has been unusually absent from the library this summer. A fishy rumor surfaces when Rain learns that Willow had been spending a lot of time with Thorton. The town even thought they were having an affair.
While theories swirl about the Thorton's death, Rain takes it upon herself to solve the case to exonerate her mother. As more clues surface, Rain will have to piece together the mystery. But if she isn't careful, she may be the next to end up dead in the water in Murder at Lakeside Library the first in Holly Danvers' new Lakeside Library mysteries.
Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers is a wonderful mystery with great characters and a lovely setting.
Will Rain and Julia figure out who killed Thornton before Rain’s father is arrested?
Rain Wilmot
Rain is our main sleuth. She just moved to her family’s cabin at Pine Lake after her husband’s death. Rain is hoping for peace and quiet. However, her mother Willow thinks that Rain needs her people, the Lakers, to help bring her back to life. Oh, boy, does that happen. On Rain’s first day at the lake cabin, she and her friends find a dead man. It is rumored that her mother may have been having an affair with Thornton, the deceased. Besides the murder, she has to open the small seasonal library that her mom runs out of the original cabin on the family property.
I like Rain, and I was rooting for her from the beginning. She is a strong character with lots of damage that she needs to work through. Rain has a lot of courage, and it was nice to see her sorrow and mourning turn to smiles and self-assurance. It looks like her summer will be fun times and lots of books. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
Julia
Julia is Rain’s partner in crime and our other sleuth. These two grew up as best friends, seeing each other every summer at the lake. Julia is a teacher, so she doesn’t swear. Where Rain is tall and thin with long dark hair, Julia is short and shapely with bright pink hair. Yes, I said pink; she lost a bet with her students and has to have pink hair through the summer. Julia is the mother hen. She always thinks of the food and logistics of their clue hunting trips.
Julia is such a sweet character. She is the perfect best friend, and she has a heart of gold. Her husband Nick is extremely nice too. The two of them are an entertaining couple.
I think that Rain and Julia could compare with Nancy Drew and George Faye or sometimes, dare I say, Lucy and Ethel. Some of the stuff these two do makes you smack your head.
The Mystery
The Mystery is quite complicated and even more so than our sleuths came up with. There are lots of moving parts, red herrings, and times when Rain literally dismisses the culprit because she doesn’t recognize him. The ladies find more clues than the police, who won’t share their information.
Five Stars
Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers is a fabulous start to a new mystery. I can’t wait to see what other trouble Rain and Julia can get into over the summer. My rating for Murder at the Lakeside Library is five stars. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it.
Coming in February 2022
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.
Until the next time,
About Holly Danvers
Holly Danvers grew up devouring every mystery novel on the shelf of her local library. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and 3 chickens, where she’s already plotting her next novel.
Jen, thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you loved the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!! 🙂
Love the cover! Can’t wait to read the book.