A Body In The Works…
The ninth in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series and the arrival of Spring coincides with the new house for Lucy and Connor. Just as things are going smoothly everything is thrown into chaos with the discovery of a body in the kitchen. An entertaining cosy mystery with twists and turns aplenty, likeable protagonists and a colourful cast of characters not to mention a well described backdrop. A worthy addition to the series, and fully in keeping, but could happily be read as a standalone.

Death By Beach Read (Lighthouse Library Mystery #9)
Eva Gates
In the 9th Lighthouse Library Mystery readers return to Nags Head for a visit with the characters they have come to love in the previous novels. The main characters are Connor and Lucy; he is both the mayor and dentist in Nags Head, and she works as a librarian at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.
Lucy has been busy between work and planning their wedding. Connor and Lucy have purchased a historic beachfront home; it has been empty for over forty years and needs a lot of TLC. They moved in and continue remodeling it with the help of Connor’s father and friends. The home is rumored to have a ghost; it definitely has a mysterious history and lots of secrets.
Connor goes out of town on business for a few days leaving Charles, the cat, to guard the house and Lucy. While he is gone Charles and Lucy hear a strange noise. Lucy doesn’t take it serious thinking all old houses make settling noises. When the couple notice signs pointing to a break in the couple realize something strange is going on. The couple arrive home from a night out to find a dead man in the kitchen. The unknown man had been strangled with Charles’ leash. Eventually the man is identified as Jimmy Harper the twin brother of Ralph. Jimmy had entered the house through a trap door in the pantry. Lucy notices other strange things happening in their home, and she is determined to figure out what is going on, and who killed Jimmy.
This book is a delightful cozy mystery. This is the type of book I like to take on vacation with me. The setting is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The places are real but the lighthouse is too small to house a library. Author Eva Gates is a great writer. While this is the 9th book in this series it stands well alone. The award for best character goes to Charles the cat. If the author were to ask for my advice I would suggest she add a bit more romance between Connor and Lucy, after all they are engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed Death By Beach Road!

This was an easy and quick read. The story starts out with some mystery and possible ghosts haunting a family home. The sorry keeps you interested in seeing what happens next. Very enjoyable and would recommend.

I got the privilege to get a early copy of this books thanks to net gallery. I can’t say how much I enjoyed it. Lucy and Conner are a delight. The books starts them fixing up the house and things start happening while Conner is away. A murder happens of course. I didn’t expect the guilty party. This book was a delight to read. I be going back and reading the series from the beginning.

⭐⭐⭐⭐+
This is #9 in the Lighthouse Library Mysteries. Although there are recurring characters and this is my first read it wasn’t too difficult to catch up.
Lucy is the Librarian at Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. She and Connor are buying a 140 year old historical cottage on Nags Head Beach from Ralph and Jo Harper. The cottage is a bit of a fix-it-upper but they are excited with the challenge until one night they find a man they don’t know dead in their kitchen. The man is identified as Jimmy Harper, Ralph’s twin brother. It appears he found a way into the cottage via a trap door in the pantry.

Aww YES! The plot thickens!!

Personal note: The Outer Banks were always our “go to Vacation Destination Place” for years ~ well until we moved to Southern California. Still has a soft spot in our hearts as we always had a wonderful time.
We usually stayed in Kill Devil Hills and Yes! We did visit the Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. When I saw the lighthouse pictured on this adorable cover I thought ~ that Lighthouse looks like Nantucket not Cape Hatteras which I know has vertical diagonal stripes.
Awww but there is indeed another Lighthouse at Bodie Island and that is the pic on the cover.

Aww I love this story on so many levels.
Did not know that Eva Gates also wrote by another of my fav authors ~ Vickie Delany!
Just read a horror story that just didn’t work for me so this indeed brought a smile to my face!
Awww totally looking forward to the next Lighthouse adventure!!

Once again loved the ‘author’s notes’ one of fav parts of a novel as typically give the inside scoop behind the authors inspiration for writing this story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lance Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 7, 2022

Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates is the ninth book in this cozy mystery series and was another excellent addition to the series. I always enjoy visiting the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library and Nags Head. The beautiful North Carolina setting described by Ms. Gates always makes me want to move their and become a part of this vibrant group of characters.

I felt like I was visiting old friends when I began reading. Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home which is a work in progress. Although the home was originally a family home, it hadn't been lived in for over fifteen years. The plot is tightly woven with characters who are not only likable but entertaining as their conversations often caused me to smile, a few deft twists and turns and a dramatic reveal that had me gripping my ereader. This was another enjoyable reading experience and I hope there will be many more in this series.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the characters and the story is so interesting. I found it to be a fast read. I was definitely surprised by who the killer is. #DeathbyBeachRead #NetGalley

This was a fun cozy mystery read, contemporary and fresh with the classic signifiers of cats and cooking. I enjoyed the librarian/library connection and much appreciated the author's note at the end explaining the Nag's Head lighthouse is real, while the library is fictional. That's cool. Why not?
As a mystery, I found it engaging with some nice local history adding richness. Sometimes the exposition felt tedious, but that may be an editor's job to notice/fix.
This is the 1st I've read in this series; I hope to read more.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. (Thank you! I love this series).

Lucy is back!! Lucy is the local librarian who relocated from Boston to the Outer Banks of NC. She and Connor have moved into their fixer-upper. A home they bought from a local fisherman who was looking for the right family to buy it and make it their home. Rumor in the town is the house is haunted by the original homeowner who was a rumrunner during prohibition. Lucy is home alone since Connor is away for a conference and the cat wakes Lucy. When she goes to investigate, the slider is open and there are footprints that were not there before in the house.

A few nights later, Lucy and Connor come home to find a dead body in the kitchen. Upon closer look, they realize he has a tie to the house. Why was he there? How did he get in - everything is locked up tight. As the case is moving along, there are other forces at play - will it be solved in time or could Lucy be the next victim??

This series is fantastic. I feel like I know each of the members that continue to repeat in these stories. I am really enjoying and hope to read about Lucy and Connor's wedding in the next book.

A very good cozy with lots of twists and suspense. Characters you can love that are true to life. Makes me want to take s trip to the outer banks.

This was my least favorite story in the series so far. The mystery was slow to start and wasn't very compelling. The motive for a lot of the action was pretty weak.

The day after I finished I couldn't remember most of the final details without re-reading.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you have been a fan of this series, as I have been, you will enjoy this latest addition. Without giving too much away, life has changed for our main character, as she and her fiancee have purchased a house together. So some big changes with Lucy moving out of her lighthouse apartment and into their new home together. The house itself is historic and has a history. Knee deep in renovations, and ongoing preparations for their wedding, in addition to their everyday jobs, it isn’t long before a body shows up just a little too close to home for comfort. We get to spend some more time with the familiar cast of family, friends and work colleagues, along with some new names added to the mix. It is an intriguing story line, made all the more charming by the setting and familiar faces. Be sure to pick this one up when it releases! You won’t be sorry. A great summery, beach read for 2022.

This is a great book, I really enjoyed it! I love the setting, and all the characters. There’s an old mystery to solve, and a new mystery, it kept me guessing. They find a member of the family who used to live there dead in the kitchen! Everything in this book is just so interesting, the air of mystery holds throughout, I couldn’t stop reading! Truly a gem!

Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates is the latest book in her Lighthouse Library Series. I have read all of this series thus far and very much enjoy it. The setting of a library housed inside a lighthouse is just dreamy. In this installment, Lucy and Her Fiancé have just bought a home and are renovating it, when a dead body turns up on the kitchen floor.. One of my favorite aspects of this mystery is how it was tied to events which happened some 40 plus years in the past, While I did suspect the murderer fairly early on, it was still a captivating mystery that kept me coming back for more. I will definitely read more from this author and I hope this series continues for many more stories!

This is a wonderfully fast moving, captivating, and enjoyable read. The description of Nags Head in present and historic times was beautifully done, just enough to let your imagination carry you away! A murder mystery that is more fanciful than frightening.

In this 9th Lighthouse Library mystery Connor and Lucy begin to restore their new historic house as Lucy plans their wedding.

Lucy hears unusual sounds when Connor is out of town and she spends her first night alone in the house. She doesn't want to make a big deal of it, thinking it's just her imagination.

Lucy realizes it wasn't her imagination when she and Connor find a dead body of a man they don’t even recognize in their kitchen.

They find that their new home has a lot of baggage and history. Lucy is determined to figure it all out so they can truly claim their new house as their own.

Lucy has a way of attracting trouble, and this book does not disappoint! Lucy and her fiancé are attempting to remodel their newly acquired beach house when they learn of the troubled past that comes with this house. Chalking this up to superstition, they forge ahead with repairs, but things do not remain calm for long.

I absolutely adored this book! I had anticipated it to be pretty predictable, but the end of the story really had me guessing. I also really enjoyed Charlie's role in the story, and his heroic devotion to his owner!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is a charming and cozy read. I did not know it was part of a series and am interested in reading the others in this series. Loved the descriptions of the Nags Head area and the old beach cottage. Liked the characters and felt vested in the outcome of their stories. Thanks for letting me read this!

It was interesting to include a story based on the new house that Lucy and Connor are renovating. I do like the characters in the book and how they fit together. At times there were some continuity slip-ups but it didn't really take from the story. The culprit isn't really a surprise but there is a good bit of action getting to the conclusion.

3.5 ⭐s!
An engaged couple buys a fixer-upper and ends up getting (much) more than they bargained for.

There is no denying that Eva Gates has a way with words! Her writing style is cozy and comforting and her inclusion of so many rich details paints an extremely realistic picture. The plot of the story is insanely well thought-out and intricately woven; however, the pacing was a bit tricky for me at first. In the first chapter, we are introduced to quite a few characters. Though all are equally lovable (barring the few that aren't meant to be) and valuable to the overall plot, it was a bit tough at first to keep them straight -- but it becomes easier as each becomes more and more well-known!

Once the mystery itself picks up more, the plot quickens and there is almost a shift: painting a picture of a charming town with a rich and mysterious history becomes a fast-paced murder mystery with twists and turns. The aforementioned cast of characters comes in handy for sure! Overall, I look forward to reading more by Eva Gates and may hold off on buying my own fixer-upper for a while. (:

Review also posted on The Storygraph; many thanks to NetGalley, Eva Gates, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!