This is such a fun series and I loved this newest installment! It mainly focuses on Lucy and Connor's new house on the beach, so I did miss being in the library as much as in the past, but the whole gang did appear in this book, along with a few new faces. It deals with old family memories, a little of the supernatural, and lots of community (and food!). I do recommend reading the books in order to get the full background of the characters and settings, but it works as a standalone for those new to the series. I can't wait to see what happens next! Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy.

A good book and the beach are meant to be together. Add in a lighthouse, a library, and a clever cat and you have cozy mystery heaven. In Eva Gates ninth volume of her Lighthouse Mystery Series, librarian Lucy Richardson has left the comfort of the library aerie to move into her new house with fiancé Connor. The traditional Nags Head beach home is undergoing major renovations and the secrets of the previous owner are exposed. I received this book from NetGalley as an advanced reader copy and binged the previous eight books before I read it. The only thing that is truly disappointing is that I will have to wait for the next book to be published.

Lucy is happily renovating her house with her fiancé Connor. The house is steeped in history and they know of the family that they brought it from. The a dead man is found in their house and someone is trying to scare Lucy of by 'haunting her'. This is a fun story full of twists, turns and likable characters. I'm really bad at figuring things out or seeing things coming in a mystery, so this had me entertained from top to bottom. Cute story, and anything with an adorable cat gets an extra star from me. The book club tie-in was a clever idea as well. I did not realize it was one from a large series, but you didn't need to know that to enjoy the book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest two cents of a review.

If I learned one thing by reading the ARC of #DeathbyBeachRead provided by #NetGalley, it's that I have missed out on reading the wonderful books that preceded this one by Eva Gates.
This book has everything that a fan of cozy mysteries could want - characters that leap off the page with their relatability and excellent dialogue, a mystery that is intriguing and keeps you turning the pages, settings that are rich and fun to visit, and an overall well-written and fun-to-read book that you don't want to put down.
Gates delivers all of those as she presents a tale that, although it is the ninth in the series, stands on its own well while making the new reader of her series want to go back and read what has come before.
I highly recommend this book and series!

This is my first Eva Gates book and it was very entertaining. It's one of the Lighthouse Library Mysteries and I didn't feel lost by not reading the previous books. I wanted to move into Lucy and Connor's home and community. it felt so alive. The big reveal was surprising and satisfying.

This was a great read! I loved the ending and how everything worked out for all parties involved. If you like short reads that have a bit of mystery, murder, love, and a bit of a twist, then this book will be for you. This type of book is one of my favorites to read. If they belong in a series, you have the ability to read them out of sequence without feeling like you are missing most of the storyline.

A copy of this book was provided to me from NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the story woven through out. The characters were well developed and the story flowed very well. It was a quick read that kept me guessing to the very end.

Gates' latest entry in the Lighthouse Library series is as good as all of the others! Lucy and Connor are working on their dream house when a dead body is discovered. While solving the murder, Lucy meets new members of the community and wrestles with people of the past. A fun read!

I immensely enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of quirky characters and figuring out the mysteries. This was my first Eva Gates mystery and definitely not my last. I cant wait to read the beginning of the lighthouse library mysteries.

So Lucy and Connor still have not made it to the altar. Maybe the next book. This author really enjoys drawing things out!

In Death by Beach Read the duo do at least manage to move in together. Their new home is a beautiful house on the beach which maybe comes with its own resident ghost. It certainly has lots of surprises. Of course one of them is a dead body and Lucy is set on more detective work.

One of my favourite things about this book was that at last Lucy decided to fight back - with words any way. In previous books I have been irritated by the way she accepts people who are really rude to her. In this one she slams a few doors in people's faces and gets some good verbal responses in. Go girl!

Nice characters, a good story, a cute cat. All very enjoyable and I am still looking forward to the wedding.

Having already read the rest of the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, I was eagerly anticipating the latest installment, Death by Beach Read. It definitely did not disappoint. This series has followed the romance of Conner McNeil and Lucy Richardson from the time that they reconnected as adults through their recent engagement and now buying and renovating a house together and planning their wedding. All this while also solving numerous murders along the way.

This particular installment highlights the author's in-depth character and storyline development as she introduces a couple of new characters with deep connections to the community and other intricately entwined relationships to create a complete and complex backstory for individuals who were previously only tangentially involved in Connor's and Lucy's lives. I was extremely pleased to see a former nefarious character who had escaped severe punishment, due to the police being able to prove more than minor involvement in a previous murder, get their very deserving fate. As with all of Ms. Gates' books, this story contained a significant number of twists, turns and red herrings that leaves the reader guessing until the end as to the identity and motive of the killer, who actually justified her actions because "everything was always someone else's fault." With the new characters and relationships that have now been introduced, I feel that the author has many more stories to tell and installments to write for this series in the future.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Love this series! The mystery always keeps you guessing right till the end. The eccentric people and library customers make it fun and always provide ample suspects. It is nice to see the main character growing and moving into a house.

I love this series so hard! Visiting the lighthouse library, solving mysteries, interacting with all the townspeople and library visitors...it's just so much fun. But now Lucy and Connor have bought a house and she's moving out of her aerie. Will things still be the same going forward? I'm thinking yes as she's already stumbled upon a mystery related to their new house.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Incredibly, I have actually read another book in this series! It was part of the big stack of library books I took home for over winter break. Anyhow, I liked this second entry (for me) into the series, and the ninth book overall. Eccentric small town characters! A lighthouse! Charles the cat! A library nemesis!!!! Four stars from me.

The 9th instalment featuring librarian Lucy Richardson. Lucy and her fiancé have moved into their new home, a historic cottage on the beach. Their home has a dark past which impacts their bright future when they find a body in the kitchen. This is one of my favourite cozy mystery series. Lucy and the eccentric supporting cast are a delight as usual. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was great. This is the first book I have read in the series. The mystery and suspense was great. Lucy and Connor bought an old house they are fixing up. This house has a lot of history. Lucy returns one night to find a dead body in the house with no idea who the killer is. I can’t wait till the next book in the series.

Except for the ending where she did the dumbest thing ever to confront the murderer, this was a lot of fun the mysteries were fun and had good twists, nice to see most of the characters soften their edges, and the surprises with the house were fun.

In the middle of renovations, past residents use a concealed entry to sneak in and search for old treasure in Lucy and Connor’s house. Unfortunately, a disagreement among the thieves leaves one of them murdered -- an unpleasant surprise for Lucy.

Eva Gates combines family history with current events to plot an intriguing mystery in the latest Lighthouse Library Mystery series. Thanks to Ms. Gates’ creative storytelling, this ninth entry offers fresh perspectives while incorporating a suspense-driven pace.

This is a great mystery. If you enjoy whodunnit novels, you will be captivated by this one. Great characters, strong protagonist and a fun read. I really like Eva’s writing style. I’ll be getting more of her books for sure.

This is a delightful, charming, and intriguing story! The first book I’ve read by Eva Gates, and definitely not the last.

In the small community of Nags Head, located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Connor McNeil, a dentist, and the Nags Head Mayor along with his fiancé, Lucy are searching for a house to buy to begin their lives together. They end up with a great deal on an old house that hasn’t been lived in for many years. It was built in 1923, and with years of neglect, needs lot of work. Connor, who grew up in the Outer Banks, loves the history and it had been his dream to own one of the grand old houses. Although in disrepair, Connor and his dad know they can do much of the work themselves.

Lucy is a librarian, working at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. Lucy isn’t much help with the ongoing construction although she does have a keen sense of discovering answers when presented with problems. While Connor is out of town and Lucy wakes up in the middle of the night to some creaking sounds in the old house, she immediately is determined to find out what is causing them. Upon a few other unexplainable noises and circumstances, which have now involved the police, Lucy is fully onboard to find some answers.

The characters in this book are well developed and some of the quirky personalities come right through the pages. This is a delightful, intriguing story that is both entertaining and charming. Absolutely loved the setting of the small town, and all the characters that brought this story together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions and comments are my own.