Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers

Item: Read to Death at the Lakeside Library
Rating: 4
Author: BaronessMom

Posted March 19, 2023 by BaronessMom in #BookishRecipe, #SummerReadsWithTheBaroness, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library

by Holly Danvers

Series: Lakeside Library Mystery #3
Series Rating:

Published by Crooked Lane Books on August 8, 2023
Setting: Wisconsin
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 288
Format: Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Books-A-Million
Also in this series: Murder at the Lakeside Library, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Rain Wilmot must find a novel solution in order to catch another killer—before her book club members are picked off one by one.

Summer is in full swing as tourists flock back to the Northwoods and travel to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. For Rain Wilmot, owner of the Lakeside Library, this is the perfect opportunity to bring back her mother’s summer book club. But the summer sun starts to really heat up when one of the club’s members, Lily Redlin, is found dead in her own home not long after the first meeting.

Alongside her sidekick and neighbor Julia Reynolds and the charming Jace Lowe, Rain discovers that the murder is seemingly inspired by the book club’s recent selection of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, Sparkling Cyanide. But who would kill Lily, and more importantly, why?The deeper Rain goes into the story, the more confusing and complicated the plot becomes. Was Lily murdered to cover up a tragic accident involving an old classmate years earlier? Or were the rumors true—did Lily really possess priceless original Laura Ingles Wilder manuscripts and someone killed her for them? And who stands to gain the recently inherited piece of waterfront property that Lily received from a long-lost relative?

With a long list of suspects and motives, Rain realizes that all leads come back to people involved in the book club. Rain and her friends take a page from Agatha Christie’s book by hosting a reenactment of the club’s first meeting to flush out the killer. Will Rain’s plan succeed—or will this librarian’s book be checked out for good?

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers is an excellent story with a marvelous mystery and a blooming romance.

Will Rain and Julia figure out who killed Lily?

This installment starts with a meeting of the Lakeside Library book club. Let me say that I wish there were a book club like this one near me. Anyway, the book club ladies get a little overzealous in discussing the book Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie. Rain and Julia decide to stop by Lily’s cabin to ensure Lily will attend the next book club meeting. However, they find Lily’s door open and Lily’s dead body near it.

Then someone starts trying to blame the book club members for the murder. Add to this that there is also a local old closed case that the victim may have been a party in and a large inheritance from a long-lost relative, and we have a reason for our sleuths to be on the case.

The three sleuths keep things lively. Marge is the wildcard in the detecting department, as you never know when she’ll come up with something that no one else knows. Rain and Julia worry about Marge’s memory in this installment. Ms. Danvers has a touch of real life in all her stories. This one is Marge’s age and ability to remember things. Although, Ms. Danvers handles it well and shows the young women’s concern and love for their older friend.

Rain gets a new companion in this installment, a beautiful dog they all seem to adore.

The Victim

Lily Redlin is an accountant with dreams of moving from her house in town to the lake cabin she just purchased. Lily is a serious book nerd. Although, I think her home in Lofty Pines is gorgeous, with a library and a secret room. Who wouldn’t want to live there? Lily had planned to be a journalist, but events in her life led her to be an accountant instead. I liked Lily even though she was a bit intense.

Four Stars

I enjoyed being back in Lofty Pines with Rain, Julia, and Marge. These ladies always seem to fall into some mystery. Rain and Julia are like Lucy and Ethel but with corpses and into the comedy aspect. My rating for Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers is four stars. I highly recommend this book and the series. I am already looking forward to the next installment.

There are recipes at the back of the book. They are Authentic Wisconsin Old-Fashioned Cocktail, Marge’s Salted Caramel Apple Pie, The Homemade Caramel Sauce, and The Apple Pie Assembled.

Lakeside Library Mystery

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers.

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.

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