I really liked this book, but I felt that there were lulls in the story that needed some help.. However I found this to be really enjoyable and entertaining and would recommend.

The problem with re-reading a well-written book is that when the next one you try is not, you not only notice it really fast, you can grow to resent it. Or perhaps that’s just me, but hear me out.

The author has eight books listed at Fantastic Fiction, under three different pen names, with the oldest published in 2021, and four out this year; this means that either she’s publishing old manuscripts all at once, that she writes Nora Roberts fast, or that the books are not getting enough editorial input.

My vote is for the third option.

The story is narrated exclusively from Rain’s point of view; we soon learned that she’s been recently widowed, that she’s struggled with infertility, that her late husband cheated on her, and that her relationship with her parents has been strained for a while.

Between grief and other, less easy to classify, emotions, she quits her job and decides to move back ‘up north’ to her family’s summer house. She’s not happy to find out that she’s expected to run the community’s ‘little free library’ this summer, what with her mother off in Africa somewhere, her father off to Japan somewhere, and the neighbors assuming it will be business as usual regardless.

And that’s all before a dead body is found in the property, with one of her family’s ‘sacred’ possessions (aka, one of the few remaining copies of her grandfather’s out-of-print books) nearby.

Despite the, “working class small community” veneer, it’s clear the people who own property around the lake don’t live there year round but only visit over the summer, so the “working class” part of it just doesn’t work, and that made the whole, “but whatever will the community do if there’s no free library at Rain’s family’s cabin?” bit feel even more contrived than it’s usual for these type of cozy mysteries.

That wasn’t the worst part, however.

The prose in rather tortured, with some truly astounding word choices. I can take “glaringly beautiful”, but “she jutted out a hand” and “she jutted a thumb” annoyed me. Then we have “the calm lake expressed the opposite of her inner turmoil”, which made me wince.

I kept going, though, because quitting at barely seven pages seemed unfair.

Sadly, it didn’t get better; beyond the language, there was the repetition–three times in the first chapter we were told that Rains great grandfather build the cabin “with his own two hands” out of “hand hewn logs”; barely into the second chapter, I had already counted five instances of “she hadn’t come back to the lake for so long”.

Then there’s the weirdly clunky dialogue:

“The Lakers had some of their best discussions right there. Yep, we sure did!” (Julie to Rain, Chapter 1) [Note: here “Lakers” means the families spending the summer at the lake]

I was really struggling, when this line popped up at 20% in:

“Your brother is pretty amazing, taking on this kind of work. … He’s taken up quite the noble cause” (Rain to Julia, Chapter 5)

A doctor? A teacher? No; a cop.

In a book published in 2021, a year after the murder of George Floyd, during which weekly stories of police abuse made the news, we have the protagonist proclaiming that being a cop is ‘a noble cause’, and his sister rhapsodizing about how selfless and generous said cop is.

I read a couple of pages more before accepting that the writing would not get better, even if I could stomach the copaganda.

Murder at the Lakeside Library is a DNF.

Rain's husband Max has recently passed away and she is finding life difficult, understandably, so she leaves all that life behind and travels to the family home in Lofty Pines. The cabin is next to a beautiful lake, where Rain and her best friend Julia, along with other families, spent idyllic summers, relaxing, swimming, fishing and also reading, her passion!

Next to the home is a library, established by her grandmother and run by family and other local helpers. It has fallen to Rain to reopen the Lakeside Library for the summer and she sets about this with her best friend Julia. Easy enough you might think, it will occupy Rain and make the loss of Max a little less painful but a body is found murdered on Rain's property and of course Rain wants to help find out the truth and how this has happened to Thornton Hughes. She connects with Julia's brother who is the local police officer, to find out who this stranger is and why has he been murdered!!

This is the first book in a series featuring the Lakeside Library, it's an easy enjoyable read and I look forward to reading book 2 & 3.

Rain seemed extremely clueless at some points in this first installment of lakeside library mysteries. The best part about this book was Rain and Julia’s friendship which made me long for a friend like that!

In Lofty Pines, there’s a woman looking for a distraction after the death of her husband, a cabin library in need of a librarian, and a dead body by the outhouse. Yes, Murder at the Lakeside Library is most definitely a cozy mystery.

Author Holly Danvers has tapped into perhaps the coziest of backdrops for a mystery. Log cabins, a lakefront community, and a library? Her vivid descriptions of Wisconsin, complete with tranquil wilderness and an idyllic mainstreet, had me practically packed and ready to move north for the summer. Unfortunately, it’s not all fishing and bonfires, and it’s clear very early that the murder rate is about to skyrocket.

Fortunately, Rain Wilmont is on the case. Having spent her summers at the cabin growing up, as an adult she’s ready to return to more comfortable quarters. While certainly a strong character with grit, she’s navigating a difficult point in her life, and Danvers skillfully weaves this turmoil—from the death of her husband to more complicated secrets—into the story. What’s more, it plays against the murder investigation she’s pulled into. As Rain finds herself questioning her past, she probes deeper into the death of a mysterious man found near her cabin, ultimately unwinding both sets of questions in tandem.

While Danvers has no problem delving into the darker side of these mysteries, that’s not to suggest she doesn’t know how to let her characters have fun. This is a cozy, after all, and she packs in enough levity to keep things lively—particularly in scenes featuring Rain’s ragtag group of investigation pals.

With a solid mystery, an inviting setting, and plenty of drama, Murder at the Lakeside Library is the first in a cozy series worth checking out.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in Wisconsin in the Northwoods. The MC, Rain, has just returned to the Northwoods after the death of her husband Max (who was cheating on her). She arrives and finds a dead body near the outhouse of the lake house. She works with her long-time friend Julia, and Julia's brother Jace (the local police), to solve the crime. I thought the author did a good job keeping it interesting and setting the pace of this new series. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

This is a darling little cozy mystery that draws you in and moves you along pretty well in the storyline. Set along a lake in Pine Lake, Wisconsin, you can feel the relaxing nature of the setting. That is, until a dead body is discovered close by. All of a sudden, there is an air of mystery and fear as they work to determine who is the deceased and who is the culprit. The story is filled with twists and turns, humor and a splash of romance. I enjoyed both the storyline and the characters and look forward to reading more of this series. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Rain returns to the family lakeside cabin for a relaxing summer. What she ends up with is a nosy neighbor who pesters her to open the family library that is attached to the cabin along with a dead body behind the outhouse. The story was slow and the characters were just ok. The author made the setting beautiful but the story not so believable.

Great cozy mystery could not put it down would recommend if you want a really good book and a quick read .

I received this book as an early giveaway. I loved the characters and the mystery itself.
I loved that I did not guess the villian and I also love the fact that it showed less than perfect characters.

Def a nice read and a cozy mystery.

It’s super refreshing to see a cozy mystery set somewhere that isn’t New England or a hot southern state. With all the cozy mystery vines: a cabin, lake, library, MURDER! That you’d expect. The whole affair thing was a little too much for me, because it’s one of the things I never enjoy in fiction, but I did love how everything was resolved… a little amateur sleuthing never hurt anyone. Maybe other cozy mysteries should be set in Wisconsin just to have something different.

Rain moves back to her childhood home on a peaceful Wisconsin lake hoping to find solace after the untimely death of her husband. To her dismay both her parents are away for the summer working and left her to run the unofficial library that’s in an annex of their cabin. Rain decides after reconnecting with her friend Julia that it will give her something to do. When one morning a body of a stranger is discovered on her property. Who was this man. No one knows much about him but rumpus persist about him “cavorting” with her mother. Rain and Julia decide to do some sleuthing and try to solve the murder before Rain’s father becomes the prime suspect.

Things I dislike liked :
How it reminded you repeatedly in the frist couple of pages that Rain was made at her husband for something he did, and for a cozy mystery it was slow and I mean very slow .
What I did like:
The family history, the friendships, the library,
Will I read more of this series, it hard to say .

Rain lost her husband in a motorcycle accident and moves to the family cabin in Pine Lake, Wisconsin. She is hoping to have a quiet summer to readjust to her new life. Instead, she is thrown into prepping her home library to be open to the lake community for the summer and solving a mystery when Thornton Hughes is found dead by the old outhouse.

This new cozy mystery series written by Holly Danvers is full of excitement, family secrets, reuniting of old friends, and a book that changes Rain’s life. I love the characters! Rain and Julia make the perfect modern Nancy Drew team. I especially enjoyed Julia with her bright pink hair, creative school-appropriate swearing, and always being there to support Rain. I also loved the lake setting for the book. It was a fun read I had a hard time putting down. I can’t wait to read the next book, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library coming out in February! This book also includes a recipe for Pesto Chicken Marinade! If you are a cozy mystery fan, you will love this new series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was given a free ARC for my review on NetGalley.Murder at the Lakeside Library is a definite page turner to add to your reading.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great mystery that kept me guessing until the end, I can't wait to read more.

Really enjoyed this book in a new series. Will be looking at more from this author. Excellent plotting and a good storyline.👏👏👏👏👏

This book is about a woman named Rain who returns to the family lake house after the death of her husband. So she sells everything and goes to the family cottage which has a library attached to it that she has to open for the seasonal visitors. In the novel she reacquaints herself with childhood friends when she discovers a body near the old outhouse on the family property.

Rain teams up with her friend Julia to solve the mystery of the murder of the dead man. There are some fun and embarrassing moments while they try to discover the killer. Not to mention Julia's brother who is the local policeman and is quite hunky. I would have liked maybe a few more clues before the killer is identified , but this is a good start to a series and I hope I can read the other books when they are released

It is a cute fluffy mystery that has helped me get back into reading.

Thanking you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

I like this author's writing style, for sure! It felt slow in a cozy sort of way, but the writing itself flowed so smoothly that it was easy to breeze through the book.

What I didn't like, however, was the crude language used and the mystery itself.

While I had figured out whodunnit, it was literally impossible to figure out the motive. There were absolutely no clues as to all the background of the murderer. The only way you end up finding out is after the suspect is caught and the police reveal the details behind the murder. So that part bothered me simply because, for me, the point of reading a mystery is to collect clues as you read and try to puzzle it out before the sleuth reveals it all.

All in all, it wasn't my favorite book, but it wasn't terrible either.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a complementary e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

I wasn’t too impressed with the first book in this new series. It took a while to get into. I felt like for a murder mystery there wasn’t a whole lot of investigating going on between the main characters. They seemed to stumble upon the answers that they were asking but not really doing anything about. The characters could be likeable as time goes on but it felt like they acted opposite to how people really act. Especially in the beginning. Things got better as the book went along but it’s definitely distracting to begin with.