Cover Image: Murder at the Lakeside Library

Murder at the Lakeside Library

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Member Reviews

I loved this cozy mystery. The main character, Rain, is a recent widow who goes back to Wisconsin to restart her life. Personally, I understand the emotions she feels, and know the author understands how it feels to lose someone so close. I loved how Rain's old friends helped her through the mystery and her changing life. The plot was challenging, and I felt I couldn't figure out whodunnit. I was satisfied with the ending. I can't wait to read the next story in this series. I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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#netgalley #murderatthelakesidelibrary

I love cozy mysteries and even more if they have the word ‘library’ in the title. This was a good mystery in a Lakeside town. Rain, our main character, returns to her family cabin after losing her husband in an accident and reconnects with her former best friend Julia.
Before her first day at the lake is over though, they find a dead body on Het property. Who is this man and what is the link to a book her grandfather wrote decades ago?
Together with Julia, and Julia’s policeman brother Jace, Rain discovers who the murderer is but more importantly, a long buried family secret.

Great read!

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This was a good debut. I liked the description of the setting; I felt like I was at the lake and cabin. The characters were likable. One thing that I found that disrupted the flow of the narrative was when the author would stop to describe something in two or three ways before moving on. It felt excessive and broke the rhythm of my reading. The plot was intricate. For those who like to figure out the murder mystery before the author's reveal, you won't be able to. Like in an Hercule Poirot novel, there's a big explanation/reveal scene at the end in which all is explained. I would probably read another book in this series, because I liked the characters and the idea of a lakeside library.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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I love library or bookstore cozy mysteries and with the visual delights of the book cover it was even easier to imagine the peaceful and wonderful experience of visiting a lakeside library. Holly Danvers is a pseudonym used by Holly Quinn and has written an intriguing mystery in the beautiful setting of Lofty Pines, Wisconsin.

Rain Wilmont is returning from Florida to a family-owned cabin with hopes of a peaceful summer healing her heart following the death of her husband and even being a suspect in his death. But life on the lake is anything but peaceful with discovery of a murder victim in the first hours of her arrival "at home." It's an interesting story related to a question asked by many generations that is still relevant, "Can one return home again as an adult and be happy?" Will memories of happier times spent with family and friends now be marred by rumors and tragedy? Until we learn the answers to these questions, Rain’s forever friend Julia provides the best comic relief with her unique version of swearing so she doesn’t return to teaching in the fall as she describes "like a drunken sailor."

As many love to barbecue all year-round now but especially when fresh ingredients may be sourced from local farmers' markets it was a pleasure to view a recipe at the end of the cozy for one of the menu items served at a barbecue that sounds easy-to-prepare and positively delicious.

For readers who love to travel you may be interested to note that there is a Lofty Pines Resort with over 350 feet of prime lake frontage nestled among the pines on the northwest corner of Big St. Germain Lake, between Minocqua and Eagle River. There may not be a library onsite but it might be fun to read the opening of this series during a visit. I couldn't wait to travel there to read the opening book of the series and without a doubt I'm ready for my next armchair travel to Lofty Pines.

My sincere thanks to Holly Danvers and Crooked Lane Books for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#MurderattheLakesideLibrary #NetGalley

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Another great cosy crime from Crooked Lane, and one I’ll definitely review in an upcoming Beginning Cataloguing Monthly.

After her husband’s death, Rain comes to stay at her family’s lake house, which she hasn’t visited for a number of years. There she reconnects with old friend Julia and her brother Jace, and discovers her Mum Willow has been letting fellow Lakers borrow books from their private library. Everyone wants to know when Rain will open the library for the summer.

All is going well until an unknown man is murdered right outside. Rain, Julia and Library volunteer Marge help Jace (who is the local police officer) get to the bottom of the crime.

All in all this was an entertaining tale with a great cast of characters. Will definitely be recommending in my newsletter.

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Murder at the Lakeside Library started off really well. I was intrigued by Rain's backstory, but once she actually got to her family's property and the victim's body was discovered, the book seemed to unravel and lose my interest. When Rain solved the mystery, it seemed more like a coincidence or accident than any clever deduction on her part. I was very disappointed.

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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 the body of Thornton Hughes, a real estate buyer, on the premises. A fishy rumor surfaces when Rain learns that Willow had been spending a lot of time with Thornton. The town even thought they were having an affair. While theories swirl about Thornton's death, Rain takes it upon herself to solve the case to exonerate her mother. As more clues surface, Rain will have to piece together the mystery.

This the the first in a new series. I was not familiar with the author, but as a retired librarian, I am always drawn to books about libraries. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and the characters the author introduced were very well described and developed as were the scenic descriptions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book. I look forward to the next book in the series.

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This is a great story if you like cozy mysteries with great characters and interesting plots and twists.the setting makes you long for spending time in an area like this with your own family. How ever you may not want to discover a body though. I’m looking forward to what the author brings in in the next one

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I started this book yesterday and I can’t put it down. But I do love a good murder mystery. Rain goes to her family cabin to get away and clear her head to have a whole world wind of things happen on her first day of her “Getaway”. It is a great mystery story. This is my first book by this author but I’m looking forward to reading more.

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A mix of things that I liked and didn't like in this debut novel. An interesting plot and great distractions along the way was somewhat diminished by a lack of focus. I felt both Rain and Julia pivoted too often in their focus on the murder. Thoughts and comments frequently seemed to change directions and occasionally reverse completely. I enjoyed the lake side descriptions and feel of the community, however I never could "relax" around the characters.
The concept of a lakeside library and all that entails was new and interesting. To have an author in the family who houses the library was a bonus.

I appreciate Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this interesting book.

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Life has been rough for Rain Wilmont since the death of her husband in an accident, which has left her confused and grieving. The weather is improving however and she is finally leaving her old life in Milwaukee behind. Instead she plans to spend a relaxing, familiarly pleasant summer at her family's lakeside home in Lofty Pines just as she did throughout her childhood. With best friend Julia, who owns the cabin next door, Rain begins to reconnect with her old life and hopefully a future to look forward to until a dead man is found on her land.

With the responsibility of reopening the Lakeside Library left on Rain's shoulders, as her mother is busy all summer, she is anxious to help the police solve the case before everything gets out of hand. Julia's police officer brother Jace, isn't so keen to have her assistance but the victim died on Rain's property so how can she just stand by and not help?

Everything Jace and his team discover seems to further their case of Rain's family being involved in the death of Thornton Hughes but she knows her parents, and is sure they can't be involved. Then a discovery is made which changes everything.

The first in a new series this book does quite a lot of scene setting, painting a picture of idyllic summers spent in a beautiful location before real life intervened. With Julia, who is a little more reckless than her best friend, to back her up, Rain has the potential to become a serious thorn in Jace's side both professionally and personally in future outings to Lofty Pines.

The storyline was good and the clues discovered allow a satisfying number of red herrings as well as a surprising ending which was in no way far fetched as everything ultimately fitted together very nicely, thank you.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of Rain's adventures in the future.

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-A good cozy mystery about Rain a recent widow who returns to her family cabin on the lake where she find a dead body reconnects with a childhood friend and solves a mystery and a murder and maybe a sweet romance.
enjoyed reading.
voluntarily reviewed.

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Rain Wilmont returns to her family’s cabin in Lofty Pines in Wisconsin after the death of her husband. Soon after, she rekindles a deep friendship with her best friend Julia, from her childhood. Julia informs Rain that the library will be opened for the season but Rain isn’t given a choice.
A body is found on the property who is discovered to be Thornton Huges, A real estate buyer who is not a very likeable person.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was the first in the series. I loved how two people that were close as children met again and started where they left off. The characters were lovely and cheerful and had me smiling in some scenes.
I give this 5 stars and I would definitely read this series.

I requested and received an advanced copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I am always drawn to cozies (or any books really) about books, and this was no exception. Parts of this story were a bit thin, but overall I enjoyed it. And, it made me nostalgic for the Northwoods vacations I had growing up. My customers will appreciate the recommendation on this one, as many are also Wisconsinites! Thanks!

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The first in a new cozy series set in Pine Lake, Wisconsin, a fictional town. Rain, newly widowed goes to the family summer cabin which also has a small library. But there is also a dead body. Rain and her bff Julia set out to solve the mystery. Starts slow but ends up quite nicely. Thanks #netgalley for the eARC.

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A cozy mystery centered around Rain who has returned to her parents summer home on the lake. Reunited with Julie, a childhood friend they begin to reopen a small library, willow, her Mother had started.
A man is murdered by her outhouse and thus causing Rain and Julie to become detectives. A bit a romance, family mystery will keep the reads attention. A crozy for a spring evening.

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Recent widow Rain moves in to her family's lake side cabin to take time to recover and start over. When someone is murdered on the property, she finds herself involved in the investigation with her childhood friend Julia.
There were so many things I enjoyed about this series starter. The location felt as if you were on summer vacation. Boats on the lake, sunburns and barbeques.
At times it felt as if elements of the mystery overshadowed parts of the story I would have preferred spending more time on, such as Rain's family issues, the loss of a husband she both misses and resents, and opening the seasonal library that operates out of her new home.
Hopefully I'll get more answers as the series continues. #netgalley #MurderAtTheLakesideLibrary

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. The opinions in the review are my own.

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The first in Holly Danvers' A Lakeside Library Mystery series was a mixed bag for me. There were too many unanswered questions, with over the top angst attached to those questions. The dialogue at times was infantile, certainly uneven. The setting was lovely and the idea of a cabin library intriguing, however the promise was not fulfilled in the execution.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Sweet little cozy mystery based in Pine Lake, Wisconsin. I loved following Rain and her Lakeside friends get together to solve the murder in the story. I felt like I was part of the plot working along with the characters enjoying their time at the lake, finding clues, and solving the mystery, Highly recommend this to all mystery and lakeside fans.

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A library mystery series is one of my favorite to read.

Witty, enjoyable read like a cozy mystery book should read. Characters who make you laugh, you find relatable and enjoy their story make it that much more enjoyable.

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