The author of By Book or By Crook returns to the Outer Banks and the Lighthouse Library, where Lucy Richardson must shed light on a shocking murder… the attention of not one, but TWO eligible men. But then her socialite mother, Suzanne, unexpectedly drops in, determined to move Lucy back to Boston—and reunite her with her ex-fiancé.
To make matters worse, Suzanne picks a very public fight at the local hotel with her former classmate Karen Kivas. So, when Karen turns up dead outside the library the next morning, Suzanne is immediately at the top of the suspect list. Now Lucy must hunt down a dangerous killer—before the authorities throw the book at her poor mother…
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The second book in this series was more entertaining and kept me guessing until the end. Who would want Karen dead? And what is going on with Lucy mom? What happened in high school that was still haunting her to this day? All questions that are answered in a way that keeps you wondering until all is revealed.
A very nice, easy little read. Lucy is the librarian at the Lighthouse Library on the peninsula in Outer Banks Crossing. She lives in the lighthouse with the library cat, Charles. Lucy is enjoying her time at the library, time with her two beaus, time to read, seeing her cousin who runs the local bakery/restaurant, and running things at the library with the manager, Bertie, children’s librarian, Ronald, and library historian, Charlene, when her mother breezes into town from Boston to try to convince Lucy to come home and marry her former boyfriend. Her mother was originally from OBX and runs into old schoolmates at the now somewhat dilapidated hotel she frequented for years. Not eager to regain her former friendships, she is less than pleasant to either individual. Unfortunately for her mother, one of the old schoolmates winds up dead the next day and she is the prime suspect. Lucy takes it upon herself to help find the real killer, of course. Her investigating leads her to suspect many of the other characters before finally ending up helping figure out who dunnit. A very nice read with likeable, believable characters. I would definitely read more in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series.
Who knew life in a library on the Outer Banks could be so interesting? -the last sentence of Chapter 17. That just says it all about this whole series. I have tried starting this series twice before but I just couldn’t get into it until now. I pretty much knew why Mom was coming for a visit from the get go but it was still interesting reading.
Loved it
Really liked the story and the characters
WHAT. A. STUPID. WAY. TO. END. A. BOOK.
THIS is what comes from stupid asinine love-triangles. STUPID. ENDINGS.
And the think that torques me the most is that you don’t know how Lucy resolves her stupid dilemma in the next book [since there is a preview at the end of this book and there is NO FREAKING MENTION of said dilemma]. E R G H!!!!
And while we are at it, can we talk about this obsessive single-mindedness of Police Detective [or chief or whatever he is] Watson? He is obsessed with Lucy and the idea that she is committing crimes right under his nose and I swear would love any and all excuses to lock her up with no trial or evidence. I seriously doubt that ANY police detective, officer or chief in REAL FREAKING LIFE would behave this way and it is INSULTING to the reader to create such a character and assume that we, the reader, will be totally okay with it.
And since I am totally grousing, PLEASE!!! Someone do something to Louise Jane and put us all out of our misery. What a horrible, hideous, cunning, snotty person. She makes my skin crawl. She needs to go the HECK AWAY.
Once the reveal happened and all the truth came out, I liked Lucy’s mom a lot more than I did when she first arrived in Bodie. I still think she is rich and pretentious, but I can also see what was driving her and I do believe, that on some level, she missed her daughter. But at least twice during this reading I went and thanked my Mom for NOT being one of “THOSE” kind of moms.
I had no idea who the killer was and that [again] is always refreshing. This was a good lesson in obsession and delusion and how far that will take you. I liked the side mystery of the “gray lady” and all that entailed. And I still like Lucy and her cohorts very much. If we could get rid of Louisa Jane and that blasted love-triangle, these would be really excellent books.
Only three more to go. Sigh.
Good beach reading (orwhen you want to be at the beach).
A thoroughly enjoyable read with a great setting–I love lighthouses, and this one was super interesting! The characters were realistic, and the mystery was fine, but I was able to figure out the culprit too soon in the story. Otherwise, it’s a great cozy mystery–I’m sure others will like it!
Love this series can’t wait for more books!
Interesting plot
I love this entire series, if you haven’t read others, you are in for a treat. The pages fly by as I become involved in the life of the main character as she solves mysteries. The plot is well crafted and is intriguing. My only complaint is that the next book does not come quickly enough!
It was not what I thought it would be. There were some quirky characters and laughable situations. There were several story lines all woven together. I really enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed thus book very much! I absolutely love the setting with the library in a lighthouse and adore the main character Lucy! And don’t forget Charles the cat!!
Booked for Trouble is the wonderful second book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates. In book 2, Lucy gets an unexpected visit from her mother, Suzanne, who is trying to persuade Lucy to move back to Boston. Lucy continues to dodge her mom’s attempts to guilt her into coming back home and back into a life she wasn’t happy with as the story unfolds. Not only is Suzanne pressuring Lucy to leave the Outer Banks, she is also causing scenes with hotel employees that she went to school with – very public scenes.
When her classmate, Karen, is found dead outside the lighthouse the morning after a book club meeting, in which Suzanne also attended, all fingers point at Suzanne. As Lucy is trying to get a little more settled into her home and job at the lighthouse library, she now has to figure out who killed Karen and why. She knows her mother didn’t kill anyone but as the evidence mounts and clues show up, Lucy must up her game to keep her mother out of jail for a crime Lucy knows she did not commit.
Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money but she doesn’t act like it or flaunt her family’s riches. Even with her mother in the Outer Banks, Lucy is still pretty down-to-earth and likeable. She doesn’t put on airs or look at anyone as being beneath her. I love Charlene’s continued obsession of rap music and her passion for wanting to share, especially with Lucy’s upper crust mother. The love triangle possibility is still on the table and being explored but it doesn’t overstep the death of Karen. I like how the romance is a subtlety that adds substance to the story without taking charge or undermining the death. All of the secondary characters are unique in their own way and believable. I enjoy both Connor and Butch’s characters so much and know who I’m rooting for but you’ll get no hints from me. Charles, the library cat is a delightful addition to the cast. I love that the library has a pet.
The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. An enjoyable second book in the Lighthouse Library series, Booked for Trouble is engaging, doesn’t divulge the suspect right away, and keeps the reader guessing. I’m really enjoying this series.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This cover is absolutely gorgeous!!
We return to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library shortly after the last book, By Book or By Crook ends. The Jane Austen books are still on exhibit but the crowds have died down and the Lucy has had time to really settle into her new job. That is until her mother, Suzanne, shows up for a surprise visit intending to convince Lucy to leave the Outer Banks and return to Boston. Her mother’s plans get sidetracked when she runs into a couple of former high school classmates. One seems to forget she is married and wants to date her and another has a few terse words for the socialite. Karen Kivas is now a hotel maid and their little argument just happened in front of a bunch of witnesses. They do make up just a bit at a book club meeting but then the only witness is Lucy. So when Karen’s body is found outside of the library the next morning, Suzanne is the prime suspect. Not one to sit idly by, Lucy checks out every other person that could have wanted the maid dead trying to catch the real killer before her mother is forced to check in to the state prison.
I am so happy I was able to read this book within a week of reading the first book in the series. I had hated for the last book to end so it was pure pleasure to jump right into this one.
Lucy is enjoying her job, but not everyone is still convinced she should have the job. There is even someone that wants to shut down the entire library. The last thing Lucy needs is a surprise visit from her mother, but she will make the best of it and try to get it through to her mother that she is not leaving her job. I loved the addition of Suzanne to this mix of characters. She is really not a friendly woman. She holds herself in very high regard and cannot fathom that she is a murder suspect. Her interactions with Lucy’s friends, co-workers, and other people in her sphere really drives this story in several directions. Some had me scratching my head and others had me laughing out loud. Oh, and, Suzanne is not a cat person, but Charles was not holding back any of his kitty attentions
The mystery portion of the story had several twists that drew me deeper and deeper into the story. There weren’t too many suspects, but I just couldn’t pin the real culprit down until it was spelled right out for me in the text. Just the way I like it.
Again, the setting of the library in a lighthouse means the reader has to stretch their imagination. The author admits that with an Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, and I had no trouble with that at all. She has created a wonderful masterpiece in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.
Even with Suzanne’s efforts to curb and romantic notions for Lucy, the romantic triangle between Lucy, the mayor, and the detective continues to press forward. In fact, on the final page of this book, Lucy realizes something that could have her needing to make a big decision. Luckily, the next book, Reading Up A Storm is on my TBR shelf and I hope to be reading it soon.
Another delightful cozy mystery from Eva Gates! I loved it!