A Murder for the Books is the first book (and only book
to date) in this series. Librarian Amy
Gilbert moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic town in Virginia. Amy left her previous job at an academic
library under embarrassing circumstances and running a small town public
library is new for her. She uses her
research skills and some logic to dig into the library archives to solve a
murder.
I enjoyed Gilbert’s writing. The mystery was interesting and honestly I
didn’t figure out who the villain was or the reason for the murder before the
conclusion of the book. Unlike the other
two series, there isn’t a dog or cat involved with any of the characters. Props to Victoria Gilbert for staying away
from that cozy mystery trope.
This series currently has three books -- start with By Book or by Crook. Librarian Lucy Richardson
works and lives in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library with her roommate and
library cat Charles. After leaving her
job at Harvard Library, she is thrilled to find a job in this small Outer Banks
library. Then a priceless first edition of
a Jane Austen novel disappears and the chair of the library board is murdered.
Lucy suddenly finds herself involved in a murder investigation.
Of the three series, this one was probably my least
favorite. However, I love the idea of a
library in a lighthouse. How amazing would it be to work and live there? There is, of course, a bit of a love triangle
and your typical cozy mystery quirky characters make appearances. I thought the series had concluded after the
third book; it looks like a fourth book will be published in June 2018.
This is the most robust series on the list. There are eight books to date and the series starts
with Books Can Be Deceiving. Lindsay Norris
is the new director of the Briar Creek Public Library and is enjoying working
with her best friend Beth, the children’s librarian. She faces a bit of an uphill battle with her
library board and one particularly bitter employee. Things get a little bit more exciting when
Beth’s boyfriend, a famous author, is found murdered and Beth is the main
suspect.
This is my favorite series of the three. The depiction of library life is pretty
realistic and as a librarian I appreciate that.
Lindsay has a Crafternoon group that meets once a week at the library to
talk about a book and work on a craft.
The group is made up of mostly women and they discuss pretty much
everything including the book of the month.
McKinlay includes recipes at the end of her book along with discussion
questions for the Crafternoon monthly book.
There are also instructions for some of the craft projects. I highly recommend McKinlay’s other book
series, The Cupcake Bakery mysteries, and the Hat Shop mysteries. McKinlay’s writing is full of humor and
likeable protagonists.
Pick up one of these mysteries, get yourself a cat, and
enjoy an afternoon of reading books about books.
(cat not available for check-out)
~ Amy, Adult Services
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