I just did something I very rarely do and entered a series at book 6 instead of starting at the beginning. I was tempted when I came across this eye catching cover and a blurb which promised me a library in a lighthouse!

Read and Buried turned out to be a charming and fun cosy mystery. There was indeed a library in a lighthouse and Lucy, an assistant librarian, who lived in an apartment on the fourth floor. There was also a cat called Charles. Cats seem to be very common in cosy mysteries, especially the ones involving libraries.

The story was entertaining, the characters were interesting and the dialogue was fine. I enjoyed the way Lucy interacted with the local police which was more realistic than is often the case in this genre. Overall I was glad I had read it and will look out for those first five books to find out more about Lucy and the cat.

I'm completely caught up in this series after reading this book and as always, I'm really anxious for another book in the series. It's always fun how the book that the library book club is reading goes along with the mystery, and there's some type of Outer Banks historical tie-in as well. This book had all of the above as well as a happy historical ending for the family that it affected.

The showdown was pretty exciting and oddly enough it was out among everyone at the Settlers' Day event. Lucy found out that sometimes the biggest pests can come in handy by saving a person's life. The whole story had revolved around a mysterious map and page of lettering that had been found under the library, so it was interesting to see everyone working together toward the end to decipher the code and find out what exactly had been hidden there for 150 years. Charles the cat may not have caught himself a killer this time, but he was very useful in getting rid of a library intruder. I really hope that another book in the series will be coming now that the series has a new publisher home.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. This book publishes on October 15, 2019.

This is the sixth book in the Lighthouse Library series. I love the setting of a library in a lighthouse on the Outer Banks in North Carolina even though it’s an impossibility. The author is careful to include that note at the beginning. I wonder if someone complained after visiting the Bodie Island lighthouse?
During the construction to repair the library an old metal box is found. It contains a Civil War era diary and two loose pages. The loose pages are the most interesting part of the find. One page is a map and the other contains what looks like a code.
The same night the book is found a man is found dead in Bertie’s office. Who killed him is a mystery. With the added mystery of how to figure out the code and what it represents on the map this book the reader is entertained throughout.
The culprit ends up being someone I’ve been waiting to see on the wrong side of the law. It always seemed like it was just a matter of time. The code has an interesting ending as well. This was a fun book to read.

The sixth book in Eva Gates Lighthouse Library Mystery series is again set on North Carolina's Outer Banks. This novel opens with work being done to shore up the historic library and a coordinating children’s construction zone where the young library guests can practice their digging skills and pretend to be part of the construction project. Lucy, the protagonist of this series is in the library when the construction foreman comes in to announce all the library staff needs to follow him outside. As it turns out, all the digging has uncovered a small tin box which contains a diary another sheet of nonsensical writing, and a map. Speculation abounds as to whether or not it is a treasure map or something else relating back to the “War Between the States”.

The library staff and uninvited members of historical society have crowded into the director’s office, all intent on examining the contents of the box. As soon as the director sees the document and the lack of any buried treasure, she announces the book will be locked until their rare documents specialist can examine it, as she is the only one who is trained in handling old documents without destroying them.

Later that night, Lucy discovers someone has broken into the lighthouse and one of the people who were in the office earlier in the day is dead, clearly murdered. Lucy vows this time she is not going to get involved in the search for the killer and is going to focus her efforts on trying to break the code that will reveal the message from the author of the boxes contents. As expected, circumstances and her natural inclination toward solving puzzles keeps pulling Lucy back into the investigation.

There are some regular secondary characters including Louise Jane, a local storyteller and sometimes Lucy rival for the library position, Conner, the mayor and Lucy’s boyfriend, Sam Watson, the chief investigator for the police department as well as the library director, the rare documents specialist, and some town residents who appear briefly, but help round out the reader’s knowledge of the community.

Throughout the book there are two mysteries, first is who is the murderer and second is what is the significance of the coded message found in the box. The two investigations intertwine nicely and help to pull the reader through the book at a steady pace. Both investigations reach a satisfying conclusion. There were both reasonable clues and some good red herrings that help keep the reader on their toes. After the mysteries are solved, there is a nice, short wrap-up that helps tie off any loose threads.

The book works well as a stand-alone, however if the reader plans on reading the series, there are some secondary storylines that build as the books develop and it might be more enjoyable to read the series from the beginning. This series is a good cozy series, with some interesting glimpses of life on the wild coast of the Outer Banks which also adds to the book itself. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and who might enjoy a virtual trip to the coast. My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Digital Read copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Read and Buried by Eva Gates is the 6th book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, and another great addition. Lucy Richardson is a librarian on the outer banks of North Caroline. The library is in a lighthouse, and Lucy lives above the library. The library is undergoing repairs to fix the foundation. When a metal box is found buried under the foundation, everyone wants to get a hold of the papers inside. When the body of a man in the historical society, is found in the library after he broke in, and someone else stole the papers, Lucy is determined to find the killer. I found this book to be awesome, the clever mystery and the romance with Lucy and Conner. I can't wait for the next book in the series, Ms. Gates never lets me down. I have never been to North Caroline, but the descriptions of the area and light house makes me want to travel there. I strongly recommend this book/series for any cozy mystery lovers.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. Thank you.

Librarian Lucy Richardson finds out just how fast news and rumors spread when an old metal box is found buried at the foot of the lighthouse library. Inside the box is a weather diary, a map and possibly some sort of code. The next thing you know multiple people are trying to get their hands on the map and one of those people ends up dead.

This easy to read cozy has an interesting cast of characters and a great setting. I have not read the other books in this series but had no trouble following along.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Lucy Richardson, and all our favourite librarians at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are back for their 6th adventure, with a story to captivate the masses!

It's the height of summer, and the famous lighthouse is undergoing repairs. Meanwhile the rest of the town is preparing for the big Settler's Day festivities. When the construction crew uncover an old box, containing a diary from the 1800s with a mysterious map, Lucy and her fellow librarians must use all their best decoding skills to decode the artifacts. However, their job gets even more perilous when a member of the historical society turns up dead at the library. Who would kill over a map? It's up to Lucy to try to find the answer!!

I'm a big fan of books about books, and it doesn't get more interesting than a library in a lighthouse! Perhaps it's the author's description of the lighthouse being "bigger on the inside, like the Tardis", or the fact that she always delivers a fantastic mystery. Let's call it both!

This mystery was very captivating!! Lucy's book group is reading The Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, and there a lot of similarities between the book they're reading and the mystery itself. I really enjoyed how the author ties in the fictional book with mystery. Afterwards I was left with a craving to pick up the classic by Jules Verne. Any book that makes me want to read more, is a great book!!

I really enjoyed the way the author described the history in the Outer Banks, and the activity leading up to the Settler's Day festivities. The reader gets a real feel for the history surrounding Bodie Island, and why this map and diary could be so important.

If you're looking for an unputdownable cozy mystery that will help you soak up those last few rays of summer, with a captivating mystery and a little toe curling relationship (because I absolutely adore Connor and Lucy together!), then pick up Read and Buried today. This is definitely a series that should be on your reading list!

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Review will be posted on the blog on October 15, 2019. Please advise if you would like it posted earlier.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library's foundations are being repaired when the construction company finds a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary. Also included are a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks and a page written in an indecipherable code. Many people want to see the papers but head librarian Bertie locks up the diary in her office and insists they come back the next day. However, that same night, Lucy and her boyfriend, mayor Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Jeremy had broken into the library and now the map and the coded page are missing. The library staff and the Nags Head community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break-in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code at any cost.

This was another quick entertaining read in the Lighthouse Library mystery series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I am enjoying this series with a fun concept of a library in a lighthouse and a great setting in Nag's Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. What a great place it would be, to be able to live and work in a lighthouse as our resident librarian Lucy has the pleasure of working in the library and living on the fourth floor.
It is summer and construction workers are digging around the foundation of the lighthouse repairing a crack when they stumble upon a metal box. Everyone held their breath to see what treasure might be in the box but it only contained a personal diary of a lady in the 1870's talking about the weather. It did contain a roughly drawn map of the area and note that appeared to be written in code. Maybe it is a map of a buried treasure... There are plenty of quirky characters, including those in the local historical society, history buffs, local professors and others interested in the contents of the box. Whatever it is, certainly it couldn't be worth killing over but while the library is closed and no one there, someone broke in and one of the historical society members is found dead with the map and code missing.
Even though, Lucy has promised her boyfriend Mayor Connor McNeil not to get involved, she is pulled in to help Detective Sam Watson find out what she can. This is an entertaining read as she weeds through suspects, another break in during a seance, and danger. The answer to the puzzle is an interesting find that applies to the family history of one of the library patrons and a positive outcome. Great addition to the series!
I received a complimentary ARC of the book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I enjoy this series and read each book as soon as it comes out. I'm a North Carolinian...and it's set in one of my favorite spots on the NC coast -- Nag's Head! I've been to the tippy top of Bodie Lighthouse and gone out on the walkway. All 214 winding metal stairs. I'm afraid of heights, but still enjoyed the view! Each time I read this series, I do have to remind myself that author's often take license with real places. Bodie Lighthouse is not large enough on the inside to house a library, or an apartment. It's barely bigger than the staircase to the top. But, because I love the idea of a library inside a NC lighthouse....I'm willing to forget that I've been to the real place. :)

This time around, foundation and repair work is ongoing at the lighthouse. A crack had formed at the base of the lighthouse and it was in danger of collapse. So lots of construction workers and heavy equipment are at work around the library to fix the problem. When a construction crew finds a mysterious metal box buried under the lighthouse, Lucy finds herself in the midst of mystery. The box contains a civil war era diary and a map of the Outer Banks written in code. Problems immediately start. All sorts of people want to see the artifacts....and then a library board member is found dead inside the library. Break-ins at the library continue as the whole town gets in on the attempts to decipher the code. Is an old secret worth killing for?? What does the code mean and why murder for it?

I enjoyed the plot of this newest book! The mystery was engaging and hooked my attention right away! There were plenty of suspects and some interesting investigation as Lucy worked to solve the case.

Read and Buried is the 6th book in the Lighthouse Library series. Eva Gates is a pen-name of Vicky Delany.

Great book! I will definitely be awaiting the next book in this series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is book 6 in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series and it can be read as a stand alone. The book club at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth to coincide with the repair to cracks in the foundation to the library. When the contractor finds an old tin box with a Civil War era map of the island the public is going crazy hunting treasure with someone willing to murder to get that box. Now Lucy and her friends must solve the murder before any more people die. A good story with lots of Civil War stories. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really love this series! This is the sixth book in the Lighthouse Library series. First off, I would love to live and work in the lighthouse library! It sounds amazing, aside from the whole murder thing going on. I've read all the others in the series and highly recommend those as well. I love the scenery and the mystery is always good.

This was the first book of Eva Gates I've read.
I will be reading more from this author.

I found it to be an enjoyable read with nicely developed characters, and a fun take on the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.

My only complaint about the book was the main characters statement every few pages. "I'm not getting involved this time!" When she was obviously involved, and was why everyone she made the statement to rolled their eyes.

The Lighthouse Library series never disappoints! Read and Buried picks up with the stabilization of the lighthouse, and while digging, the construction crew finds a metal box with a diary and map enclosed. While the meaning of the map and coded message are unclear, murder quickly follows and Lucy is once again working to discover whodunit.
Absolutely delightful, Gates presents a clever plot, an enjoyable cast of characters and a wonderful setting. I also really enjoy how she weaves the book club's current read into the plot. I highly recommend this book and series to mystery lovers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for an ARC in exchange for review.

Read and Buried is the 6th installment in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. When I did a request for the ARC I knew it was #6 and being a lover of series and a stickler for reading them IN ORDER, I went back to the beginning and started with By Book or by Crook. Enjoyed it so much I kept on going and here I am totally up to date with the series. It's a great little cozy series and has kept my interest throughout, something that can't be said for all series. They've got themselves another fan and I'll be keeping my eye open for the next in the series. I can highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Okay cozy, but a bit predictable.

<i>Read and Buried</i> is the sixth book in the Lighthouse Library series. For me it was the first in the series. I don't think I missed any important background information. Although I did wonder how often murders seemed to happen around the library.

During construction works a box is found buried next to the lighthouse. The box contains an old diary, a map and a sheet with a coded message. Everyone in the area that considers him- or herself a history buff claims they should be the first to examine the diary. Bertie decides to lock the box in her desk and ushers everyone out of her office. That night, after a date with her boyfriend, Lucy comes home to find the door to the library smashed in, a man dead next to Bertie's desk and the map and message gone.

The man, Jeremy Hughes was of the unsavory sort, so there is no shortage of possible culprits. Was it the wife he cheated on, the ex-girlfriend he lied to, the current girlfriend he lied to, or just a coincidence that Jeremy and the killer were at the same place at the same time? Though, determined not to get involved, Lucy gets involved. Everyone else seems to get themselves involved with cracking the code. Jeremy really wasn't well liked.

The story didn't really click with me, but it was a nice read.

It is always a delight to visit the Lighthouse Library. An unusual discovery leads to murder and mayhem. Love the construction playground. Some interesting history.

First and foremost thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me to chance to review yet another Lighthouse Library Mystery novel! I have absolutely adored this series and I reccomend it to everyone looking to start in the cozy mystery department!

Read and Buried takes us back to Nags Head and the crew that surrounds the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. This time around, there’s some buried treasure, a mystery past and present, and lots of fun to be had. I loved the added context of the buried box and the whole added information regarding the Freedman’s Colony and the Civil War tension. I happen to love historical fiction just as much as anything else I read and so I thought it was the perfect addition to this novel, just an extra added layer of intrigue and mystery.

While this series is light on the romance and at times feels almost PG rating in terms of kissing scenes or romance altogether, I did enjoy seeing the tender moments between Lucy and Connor. The romance here is like that sickly sweet, PG romance. I don’t hate it for this context, really, but it’s almost like they’re middle schoolers who are in their first relationship. Like I said, I don’t hate it, but it feels as though their relationship isn’t advancing. Hopefully we’ll see this play out more in the following novels, which I will for sure be reading.

I have to admit I was thoroughly shocked by the outcome of the murder mystery, as well! I honestly didn’t see it coming, which is one of my favorite parts of this series; the mystery aspect here is always really well done. Overall this novel was really a high point in the series. It was hilarious, I was literally laughing out loud at some points, and then it was really heartfelt at other times. It was such a great book with all the historical, sweet, cozy, romance, murder-y, and mystery aspects I wanted. I’m already looking forward to my next visit to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library!

Finally, I got a chance to read the latest installment in the Lighthouse Library Mystery!! This was one of my very first picks on NetGalley but it kept getting bumped because others I chose later had earlier deadlines. I've read all of the books in this series and just love the setting of a library in an old lighthouse.

While the lighthouse is undergoing some much-needed repairs, a box is discovered buried nearby. It contains a map, a diary, and a page of gibberish...or is it a coded message? Without the key, the Bodie Islanders can't figure out what the message says or where the map might take them. Lucy, her boyfriend Connor, and the other librarians and patrons set out to find the key, or at least to find out who killed the man in the library office!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a great cozy mystery. I loved how justice prevailed, and old crimes came to light. I loved how the author wove the past crime with a current murder case. Some characters are likeable and some you want to not like, but for some reason you can't stop reading about them. I can't wait for the next one in this fabulous series.