Cover Image: Murder at the Lakeside Library

Murder at the Lakeside Library

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Member Reviews

This is a nice cozy mystery set in a beautiful lakeside cottage. The mystery is very original. Liked the atmosphere of the story and the tense scenes.

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An excellent start to a wonderful new series! I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens next.

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Murder at the Lakeside Library is a fantastic cozy mystery by Holly Danvers.
This is the first book in a new series by the author and I really enjoyed it.
I loved the location of the lake. The characters were well written.
The mystery was perfectly paced and kept me guessing until the very end.
I look forward to more books in this series.

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What a fun start to a new cozy mystery series. I thought the mystery was well done and I enjoyed getting to know Rain as the main character. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the arc. Very entertaining read. The characters were not one dimensional and did bring a lot of spark to the story.

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I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I liked the lakeside setting in Wisconsin. It gave me an appreciation for the area and why people would like to live in the remote area. I felt the characters were developed rather well. That Rain would want to leave her city corporate surroundings after the death of her husband and bask in the solitude of the lakeside cabin was realistic. I liked Rain's friend, Julia. She is an energetic character and a good balance to Rain's reluctance to get active in society again.

The murder plot was a bit complex and I am not sure it all worked together well. There had to be quite a bit of explanation in the denouement, often an indication the plot was not clear. Much of the novel dealt with relationships as Rain tries to understand how the murdered fellow relates to her family and neighbors. There is also just the hint of perhaps a future budding romance for Rain.

This is a good novel for readers who like a cozy mystery set in an interesting location with likable female characters and the potential for future mysteries.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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A good start to a new cozy mystery series set in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin, a lakeside community. The main character, Rain, grew up going to the family cottage on the lake and participating in the water ski club, but hasn't been there in several years. She is returning for the summer after some major life changes. She plans to spend a solitary summer getting herself back together, but from the start things do not go as planned. It starts when she reconnects with her childhood best friend that summered in the house next door and then they find a dead body. The story had a good flow and I liked the characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Rain Wilmot’s husband died in a motorcycle accident. Of course, she’s mourning him but is also angry after finding out he’d cheated on her. Feeling the need to get away where she has peace and quiet and can just think, she heads to the family cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. Her mother is out of the country on a volunteer mission and her father is in Japan on business. She’ll have plenty of peace and quiet.

Except, it doesn’t really turn out that way. Her friend, Julia, reminds Rain her mother ran a small public library in an outbuilding next to the cabin. There are books to unpack and catalogue, details to work out, and a schedule to make.

Unfortunately, one of the details is solving a murder. A dead man is found on the property with a book written by Rain’s grandfather next to him. She’s never seen him before and has no idea why he would be there.

It turns out, the man lives on the lake, too, and is not well-known or well-liked. Except by Holly’s mother, which causes gossip. Then a man fitting her father’s description is seen in town when he should be in Japan. Rain needs to find out just what is going on to avoid the police looking at her family as suspects.

Danvers writes description well, giving readers the peaceful feeling of sitting by the lake and listening to the cry of a loon. For my taste, there was too much backstory and description, especially at the beginning, and it slowed the story. The plot is a complicated one and sometimes repetitive information distracts from the action. Rain and Julia are likable characters, Marjorie, who helps in the library, and her cocker spaniel, Rex, are delightful. Look for the recipe for pesto chicken with pasta at the end of the book, great for a summer barbeque.

Danvers also writes the Handcrafted mysteries (3) using the pen name Holly Quinn. Look for book two, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library in February 2022.

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I really enjoyed this first book in the Lakeside Library series. Love the Northern Wisconsin setting, a place near and dear to my heart, which greatly added to my enjoyment.

I liked the premise, a small library at the family's Northwoods cottage, which Rain, recently widowed, takes over. I see a lot of potential for this series in future books.

Recommmended!!

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Rain goes home to mourn her husband and ends up having to solve a murder and defend her own mother from the murder charge while avoiding being the next victim. Can she? Read and find out.

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Murder at the Lakeside Library is the first in the A Lakeside Library Mystery series by Holly Danvers.
This easy to read Cozy has just enough plot tiwsts to keep you guessing to the end. The characters are relatable and likeable. You get friendship, humor and a hint of a possible romance.
Overall, a great start to a new series. I plan on reading the next in the series.
I was given an ARC by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

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A good start to a brand new cozy series. I liked the premise and the setting for the story and the mystery was interesting. The ending was awesome and probably my favorite part of the book. Looking forward to more of this series!

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I liked this book. I thought it had a nice beginning for a new series. I enjoyed the scenes around the lake and learning about the history of the characters.

However, I thought the story was "wordy." That's the first word that comes to mind. I felt like it was prodding through trying to get to the point sometimes. I hope that when I read the second book, the author will have left a lot of the descriptive portions and focus on the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

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This was a middle of the road cozy for me. I enjoyed the first half, but the second half got really repetitive. I also thought the motive for murder was a bit weak. I will continue with the series.

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Thirty-two year old Rain Danvers had the un-expected task of opening the Lakeside Library from Memorial Day to Labor Day that year - a task she did not need. She had come to her family’s retreat house to do just that after her husband had passed away. A task that was only made more difficult when the body had been discovered behind the outhouse the very day she arrived at Lofty Pines Lake.

This book appears to be the beginning of a cozy mystery series that is set in the colorful Northwoods of Wisconsin. As expected, along with the library, there is a nice three-season lake, eccentric characters, and a great many intelligent people who are more than willing to help the police solve crimes. The result is a great cozy that should lead to a great series.

My only concern is the constant need to serve beer (or other alcoholic beverages) at every event - social, work related, or otherwise. Yes, this is Wisconsin, one of the beer capitals of the world; but, having lived there, I know that even Wisconsinites have events that do not include beer. The author needs to find a better balance. I give the book four stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

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The premise and storyline sounded interesting and had potential but fell short of hitting the mark for me. First books in a series sometimes seems to struggle to find direction and tell a cohesive story. The dialogue and phrasing was often clunky and gestures and actions of the characters were overblown. This wasn’t a bad read by any means but could have been so much better with a bit more depth to the characters and the mystery.

As stated earlier, I think the series has potential. Even though this first installment ended up being just an ok read for me, I always want to give an author and a new series a fair shot and I’ll be planning to read more in the series.

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Book one in a cozy mystery series about a cabin that houses a lakeside library, yes please! This was a great start to this series, I have already added book 2 to my wish list.

Holly Danvers did a great job of leading you in different directions and leaving you guessing who the killer was. Looking forward to learning more about Rain, her family, and the lakeside cabin that has been in their family forever.

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This book was an interesting one. On the one hand I thought it was well written and I liked the main character and the setting but on the other hand it fell short in a few areas for me. I felt like there weren't enough characters/suspects to keep things interesting. I also wanted less awkward dialogue and the pacing felt off for the firs half of the book. Overall it was okay but not a great one for me.

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This book was such a joy! Interesting plot, likable characters and a smooth reading style. I chose this book from a 'new to me' author not knowing what I would get, but was surprised to find it's the same author I've read three times before, but under a different name.

Rain Wilmot is recovering from the sudden death of her unfaithful husband. With so many emotions going on, Rain seeks the solitude of her family cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin.

As Rain prepares to open the informal family library for the summer with two friends, they discover a dead body in the woods. It seems that someone is trying to frame one or both of her parents for the murder so it's up to Rain and her friend Julia to find the real killer.

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Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers. I had hoped this would be a nice cozy mystery series and was interested in reading the first book, but was soon disappointed with both the plot and pacing of the book. I picked this book up several times, and finally had to force myself to finish it...unfortunately this book wasn't for me.

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