Murder at the Lakeside Library is a quick read. Dealing with the death of her husband and her parents' separation, Rain travels to her family's cabin. Shortly after arriving she discovers a dead body by the outhouse.

A good part of the plot was spent on Rain's coming to terms with her husband's death, her parents absence and reconnecting with old friends. Rain and her friend Julia worked together to solve the mystery, along with Julia's policeman brother. This is a cozy mystery, nice, light reading, perfect for a trip or mental break.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the setting in a lake community in Wisconsin and liked that the murder happened immediately with the rest of the story dealing with finding the motive and the murderer. I thought it was unusual that two of the characters were talked about a lot, the main characters mom and dad, but never actually appeared in person during the timeframe of the story, even though it took place at their lakeside cabin. The story had an abundance of unnecessary details, description, and repetitious dialogue. Some of the descriptions seemed very childish and out of context, such as “he moved like a sloth from South America” and another one “he’ll open up like a flower.” These had absolutely nothing to do with the storyline, the characters, or the age group (all 30+) of people in the story. It almost seemed as if the author was using fillers like these to just add to the word count of the book. The actual plot was pretty good for a cozy and there was a twist or two at the end that was interesting.
If you are really into cozies, you might enjoy this one, but it was just not one of my favorites.

Libraries is one of my favorite cozy settings, and this one was a lot of fun. Great atmosphere and mystery, with twists to keep it interesting while containing enough clues to keep the reader along the right track.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

A Nancy Drew mystery for adults. I want a lakeside cabin. A quick summer read. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This was a really cute story! The friendship between Rain and Julia was endearing, charming and quirky. The tight-knit community was heart warming and typical of small town communities that I know, so was very relatable. The story line was a little choppy, but overall a fun mystery! Loved the bookish/library theme and really looking forward to reading more of the author’s books.

I enjoyed the first book in the Lakeside mystery series. The characters are smart and refreshing. Rain comes back to her family’s cabin after the death of her husband to regroup and grieve. Three generations of her family have used this location and set up a seasonal Library for the local community of “Lakers”. When Rain’s guest discovers a dead body by the outhouse, a mystery unfolds like no other pulling Rain out of her shell and into the community to solve it and clear her father’s name.

I think I particularly enjoyed this book because my own family has a seasonal home in the Poconos that is reminiscent of the Lake Pine community. I am looking forward to other books in this series. Great start.

Murder at the Lakeside Library was an enjoyable read. Rain was dealing with the death of her husband and her parents' separation when she traveled to her family's cabin. When she gets there, she discovers a dead body by the outhouse.

A good part of the plot was spent on Rain's coming to terms with the recent events in her life. The mystery was there and Rain and her friend Julia did some sleuthing, but for the most part, it seemed the clues came as Rain was trying to figure out family issues.

This was a decent cozy mystery. I was not highly invested in it, but found it entertaining. I will likely read the next book in the series.

When her husband dies, Rain Wilmot leaves Milwaukee and moves to the family cabin at Lofty Pines in the Northwoods. She meets up with her friend Julia and husband Nick, neighbors at Pine Lake. Rain had only been there one day when a body was discovered on her property and the murdered man had ties to Rain's mother. Julia's brother, Jace, is in charge of the police there and begins investigating. When new facts come to light about Rain's family and suspicious people prowl around her cabin, she starts her own investigations.
A cozy mystery, in a pleasant setting with characters that are well developed and everything is tied up nicely at the end.
Thank you for this e-copy of "Murder at the Lakeside Library".

http://www.sholee.net/2020/12/The first half was quite a breeze to read through as it's uneventful until the second half kicked in with more action thrown into the frenzy. With the plot twist towards the end, it sure made the story worthwhile with that unexpected ending. Overall, an easy read to fill the Christmas and New Year holiday gap!

I've enjoyed how the two best friends finally reconnected with the murder bringing both of them closer. The adventure they got into trying to solve the murder mystery was quite uplifting but it wasn't the hype for me. It just fell short on adrenaline with the characters didn't quite connect to me at times. Maybe I was expecting more since it's themed with 'library'.mpov-murder-at-lakeside-library.html

I thought this books was a good first in a series book. While the storyline was similar to many cozy beginnings, the author gave a different feel by having her come to a summer like home! The Lakers were a cast of characters that were like able and will be interesting to encounter in future novels! I’d recommend this book, and I’d be happy to read the next installment!

Murder at the Lakeside Library is the first in a new cozy mystery series. Rain Wilmot has just returned to her family's waterfront log cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin after the untimely death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain's corporate job and comes with an informal library that Rain's mother, Willow, used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when she discovers a body.

I enjoyed this book. The crime happened almost immediately, there are two plucky heroines, a library with secrets, and a beautiful setting.

The story did drag in some places and there was an over abundance of descriptions about people’s hands. That could have been better used developing the MO a little more and introducing some more suspects. But, as it’s the first book in the series, I expect things will improve as it moves along. I look forward to seeing what book 2 has in store for Rain, Julia, and the rest of the Lakers!

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

interesting addition to the cozy mystery genre. Rain returns to her family home, hoping to heal after the loss of her husband.
Upon her arrival, she finds the residents eager for her to open the small library her family owns, but unfortunately, she also finds a dead body, which leads to a whirlwind investigation.

This book was very engaging and fun to read. The characters were personable and believeable. The plot was well thought out. The character of Rain was complex, and her humility was displayed throughout the book. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers and look forward to more books by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book of a new series set at a northern Wisconsin lake. The author did a great job describing the surroundings I really would like to visit this lake! The characters are also realistic, as is the plot. There were buried (literally) family secrets revealed in this book that many did not know. The plot seemed to move along a steady pace as the amateur sleuths found new clues. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

After I finished reading this book, I immediately felt the desire to read its sequel. Murder at the Lakeside Library tells a story with many twists and turns, with a surprising end, which makes it a page-turner. I loved this book, and recommend it to all to read as I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did. I am very glad for having received an advance copy, it was a delight to read this book.

Love this book! I have never read anything by this author but was intrigued by the title and the cover. How can you go wrong with a mystery taking place at a lakeside library? I was immediately drawn to the characters, very likable and relatable. Interesting plot in a well developed setting. I have never been to the northern lakes area but the author's descriptions made it sound just beautiful. I do hope there is more to come in this series. I'm a fan already!

The only thing on Rain’s mind was to get to the cabin, close the door behind her and shut out the world, and hopefully deal with the betrayal she suffered and the death of her husband. She packed her entire life in Milwaukee and now needed the time to heal, reflect, and recover.

However, Lofty Pines had something else in store. Rain’s first day back at Lofty Pines was packed full of memories, raw emotion, and a shocking discovery. Julia, her long-time friend, and neighbor invaded her privacy upon arrival and immediately started on Rain to reopen the community library. Until the body was discovered … and life took a 90-degree turn.

The plot unfolded at a steady pace throughout with a “Murder She Wrote” type feel as Rain and Julia interfered in the investigation, more than once, in an attempt by Rain to understand her parents’ involvement in the murder.

Although an easy, relaxed read, I was disappointed by the lack of character development, and the book required some polishing as the descriptive words got a tad overwhelming and took away from the flow of the story.

I received an ARC from #Netgalley.

Rain is a young widow traveling to her family's lake front home to get over her husband's death. Her parents are both away. Rain arrives and meets her neighbour Julia who was her best friend in her youth. Julia tells her that she and another neighbour are anxious to open the family's lending library and is holding a meeting that evening to discuss it. Rain is a little tired and anxious, wanting to have a quiet time with lots of rest and reading, but agrees to go ahead with it. One of the older library friends arrives with her dog, who gets off his leash and runs to back of the property where an old outhouse stands. As they run after the dog, they find a man's body outside the outhouse. Julia knows he's renting a house on the other side of the lake. Her brother is a police officer and arrives with his partner, and crime scene officers are on their way.

Over the next few days, Rain and Julia try to find clues to why the man was killed on her property and what they discover surprises them. The story had some good scenes and surprises, but I felt there was too much repetition of what happened, told to each character a couple of times. But I enjoyed the parts about driving the pontoon boat around the lake and going into the deceased's home to find clues. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cozy mystery.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The characters are likeable enough and there are some good twists to the story. The ending was abit anticlimactic. #MurderattheLakesideLibrary #NetGalley