Briar Creek has finally thawed after a thankfully cold but peaceful winter for newlywed Lindsey Norris Sullivan and her husband. But not for long. The mayoral lection takes a heated turn when a body is found in the back of candidate Ms. Coles car. Seeing an opportunity to use this to his advantage in the upcoming election the current mayor leads the way in a character assassination on Ms. Cole and by association Lindsey and the library. Lindsey’s not going to sit idly by when her friend is framed for murder! Another fine installment in The Library Lover’s Mystery series and not one you want to miss and Allyson Ryan brings the characters to life in the audiobook version!

This is the twelfth book in the series and the third I have read or listened to. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The mayor is a bully and his identity is tied up being the mayor. He makes Eugenia Cole’s life miserable. He constantly adds to his smear campaign against Eugenia.

I found Eugenia’s story fascinating. I need a boss like Linsey Norris, always watching out for her employees. I’m glad Lindsey and her friends stand by her and convince her not to withdraw from the election.

I strongly suspected the killer early on and was glad that I was correct.
I love this town and hope to visit again in the near future.

I was given an advanced copy from Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

When I received this audiobook from Netgalley and Dreamscape Media I realized I was 2 books behind in this series! So, I promptly bought the 2 books I was missing in audio format so that I could be all caught up!

I loved being back in Briar Creek and seeing what all the characters have been up to while I've been gone. Listening to all the events, intrigues and mysteries was wonderful! I loved watching the change in Miss Cole, watching her come out of herself has been wonderful.

The narrator Allyson Ryan was enjoyable to listen to, and brought the location and the characters to life for me. I will definitely continue this series in audio format.

I love this series and I was excited that I scored an audiobook ARC. Lindsey and Sully are now married, but I didn't notice much change in their relationship. I actually thought we saw less of Sully in this book. Instead, we see a bit more of the library staff which is fun.

The library is the scene of another murder. Unfortunately, Ms. Cole is the suspect this time. A body is found dead in the trunk of her car. Lindsey can't believe that Ms. Cole is actually the murderer so it must be someone who wants to discredit Ms. Cole. And who would want to do that? Perhaps someone who sees her as a threat to their career? Ms. Cole is running for mayor and the current mayor couldn't be more unhappy about having a challenger - he has been running unopposed.

As a suspect, we see more of Ms. Cole in this book, but it is also because of her campaign. She is about town more as she has speaking engagements. We also get more of the children's librarian, Beth, because she is Ms. Cole's campaign manager. Both of these characters are fun but they've always been on the periphery in the other books in the series that I've read. So it was nice to have the characters more fleshed out. Ms. Cole really shined and I think it will be great if she becomes mayor.

Killer Research is book 12 in the Library Lover's series but it is only the 4th one that I've read. I discovered the series with book 6 which I picked up at a charity book sale right before book 10 came out. I skipped to that one. I hope to one day find the time to read the rest of the series, but my experience shows that you don't have to read them in order or even need to have read the previous books to enjoy the story.

The audiobook was well done. Allyson Ryan is the perfect narrator for the story. She was pretty close to the voices I already had in my head for these characters, so it was easy to follow the story.

If you are looking for a quick, fun read that isn't holiday-themed, then I highly recommend picking up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday, Nov. 8 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/11/a-couple-of-charming-cozy-mysteries.html

Killer research by Jenn Mckinlay
Narrator, Allyson Ryan
Book 12 in a series. After the last two books focused on Lindsey and Sully’s wedding, I’m glad to move on to another topic. I was a bit bored with all the wedding talk. Getting to know more about Ms. Cole, the lemon, was enjoyable.
I also always like hearing about the book club topics and other books the author mentions during the course of the story.
Narrator very good as always.
I absolutely agree about Colin Firth and the lake scene!
Thanks to Netgalley.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This cozy mystery is #12 in the series, the first in the series I have read. Lindsey Norris, Library Director in the seaside village of Briar Creek, finds herself investigating a murder. Plus there's a heated race for mayor going on, with librarian Ms. Cole running again against incumbent Mayor Hensen. And Ms. Cole is the main suspect in the murder! Lindsey knows her well and knows she didn't do it.

Things I liked:
First off, I LOVE the narrator, Allyson Ryan. She really brings the words to life. Her voice is rich and gives inflection and character to everyone she voices. I have listened to other audiobooks narrated by her, and when I recognized her voice in this audiobook, I was pumped. I knew it would be good, at least from an audio perspective. I think, but am not sure, that Ryan narrated other audiobooks in this series as well.
I loved the setting! As a current library and information science student, it was perfect for me. Lots of library and book talk. Jane Austen makes an appearance!
I liked the way the book wrapped up. Without spoiling it, Lindsey talked through her path to solving the mystery. If you haven't figured it out by that point, don't worry because all will be explained!
The characters were likable, except when they weren't, which was because they were the bad guys. Then they were unlikeable. I was able to keep the characters straight (sometimes I am easily confused). The story was easy to follow and, as a cozy mystery, nothing too crazy or uncomfortable happened. Sometimes you just want a happy murder mystery, right?

Things I Disliked:
This section will be short, not much to dislike here! I wondered what state they were in. It may have been mentioned and I missed it, and it has possibly been mentioned in earlier books in the series that I have not yet read. Just was wondering, then it was eating at me. Definitely East coast, but other than that it could possibly be many different states.
The characters didn't really grow and change throughout the book, and many weren't really developed, just giving the reader (or listener ) a surface perspective. But as I mentioned, it's a cozy mystery, so for that purpose, typically character development isn't a huge strength due to the nature of the work.

I would definitely recommend giving this book a listen. Reading would be good also, I bet, but as I mentioned, this narrator is PHENOMENAL, so give the audiobook a try if you can. I am seeking out the rest of the series. Must not be the only one as I am on a hold list with multiple people ahead of me for Book #1.

Happy reading!

I'm a sucker for a librarian/detective--because all great librarians are detectives of a sort! This is a fun entry in this series. I especially love how Lindsey and Beth's relationships with Ms. Cole have both changed and deepened. Beth is a brilliant campaign manager for Ms. Cole.

The plotting is good. I'll admit that, looking back, I can't recall all the details (which is often the case in my escapist cozy reads). Audiobooks are a bit harder for me that way. But I enjoyed the entire listen, and the killer was neither painfully obvious nor ridiculously obscure.

Thanks for another lovely visit to Briar Creek!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Killer Research is the 12th book in Jenn Mckinlay’s Library Lover’s Mystery series but, like most cozies, it can also be read as a standalone! This book will keep you guessing until the very end. Jenn has a way of making her character’s come to life and after 12 books I am 100% invested!

Ms Cole, also know as The Lemon thanks to her sour disposition, is running for mayor in Briar Creek. The current, and long time running, mayor, Mayor Henson, isn’t too happy about the fact that someone is running against him. Just as the election starts heating up, things take a turn for the worse. Ms Cole finds a dead body in her trunk and not just any dead body but the body of a man that she dated forty years ago! If you’ve ever lived in a small town then you know how the rumor mill starts! Not only is Ms Cole now a murder suspect but this could ruin her political career before it even gets started. Don’t worry, I’m sure with the help of Lindsey, Sully, and the rest of the crafternooners Ms Cole’s name will be cleared and the real murderer will be brought to justice.

The library lovers series has been a favorite of mine since I read the first book years ago. Ms. Cole is running for mayor of Briar Creek against the current mayor, Hensen. Lindsay and the crafternoon club go out to the library parking lot with Ms. Cole to get yard signs from her car when they notice that all the yard signs are on the ground and her trunk is still tied shut. When they open the trunk the find a dead man in the trunk of Ms. Cole's car. No one believes that Ms. Cole is a killer, but that doesn't stop the current mayor from saying she is a murderer to try to get the voters on his side. It is later determined that the victim was Ms. Cole's former flame. Lindsay does her best to figure out who the true killer is and who would want to frame Ms. Cole.

I listened to the audio version of this book. I loved the narration. Allison Ryan does an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life. I loved how just changed her voice for each of the characters to make them their own person. I especially liked how she portrayed the reveal. It really brought the scene to life. I really felt like I was there. I listened to this in two sittings. The paced was good and I was able to breeze through the book. This was the best of both worlds. The writing and narration came together perfectly to create a wonderful listening experience.

A very engaging cozy mystery. A fabulous who-done-it that keeps you guessing until the end. Very well written, a great cast of characters that intertwine seamlessly. The narrator, Allyson Ryan does an excellent job.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media LLC for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Great town to visit with good characters. I can never wait to see what Beth is dressed as when we start the book. Ms. Cole really shines in this one. It is good to get her back story and show why she was such a lemon. I like she has developed friendship with the others in the library. Lindsey and Sully are a great team. The mystery kept me guessing. I also enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a HUGE Jenn Mckinlay fan and the library lovers mystery. This is the first I've listened to this series on audio. I thought the narration was great. The story was intriguing and I was surprised up until the end as the pieces continued to fall into place. Briar Creek is most definitely my favorite communities and I enjoy going back for more. Lindsey Norris sure has a way of uncovering the truth without even meaning to. One of the best cozy series.

I was so excited to see the newest Library Lover's Mystery! It is a solid cozy mystery series with characters I cannot wait to hear more about. In Killer Research, Mrs. Cole shines. I loved seeing more of her personality. The author kept me guessing until the end and the narrator did a great job at different voices.

Thank you to the Dreamscape Media and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is nice to be back in Briar Creek. Rumors start to fly when a body is found in Ms. Cole's trunk. Lindsey suspects the current mayor since Ms. Cole is running against him in the upcoming campaign. So now Lindsey and her friends are working to clear Ms. Cole before it ruins her reputation.

My favorite part of this book is how each chapter ends with a little teaser which made me eager to continue the story. This is my first Audiobook and I found it a great way to help pass the time when traveling. It was also great for when I was tired but still wanted to be entertained. Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a complimentary copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

Killer Research (audio) by Jenn McKinlay is book number 12 in her Library Lovers mystery series and the one in which Ms Cole is running for mayor and Beth is her campaign manager. What a great start for a book, at least for experiences McKinlay readers! Things start to get complicated when a body is discovered in the trunk of Ms Cole's trunk. The trunk had been tied shut as it was full of yard signs for her campaign. No one seemed able to identify the body and so the investigation commenced. It was discovered shortly that it was the body of the man Ms Cole had been engaged to 40 years earlier and hadn't seen since. He was also the co-owner of a wildly successful cookie company. His partner arrived in town shortly and confirmed the identity. Most people knew that Ms. Cole had nothing to do with this peculiar death, but the mayor started a disinformation and finger-pointing campaign worth of a much more well-known politician. The town had to wait on Chief Emma to follow the evidence and discover who the murderer was. Lindsey, who was library director, was 100% in Ms Cole's corner, but will she be able to balance that belief with her job, with the mayor as her boss?

I always said that I could use McKinlay's books to teach voice to sixth graders, it is so evident in her writing. Lindsey Norris-Sullivan is an introvert as are so many librarians. She is also curious and bright, additional librarian attributes. She is loyal to a fault, but she has experience rooting out murderers and she will use it here. She is also empathetic, which is put to good use several times in this story. McKinlay has a way of drawing the entire community into an investigation, not really difficult as Briar Creek is a relatively small community. It is a good plot, with all the clues readily available to other amateur sleuths. Ms Cole has been a backbone to these stories, and now we get to hear more about her, which is a win. McKinlay is one of my favorite authors and this book explains why. I loved it.

Allyson Ryan is the reader and is mostly quite good. I don't care for the way she voices Sully, but he Lindsey is right on. She has the perfect pacing and seems to be able to pick out what is important in the narrative and emphasize it slightly. She was a pleasure to listen to.

I was invited to listen to a free copy of the audio version of Killer Research by Dreamscape Media, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #killerresearch #jennmckinlay

Lindsey is walking a tight rope as an employee of the current mayor and the supervisor of Ms. Cole who is running for mayor.
A dead body is found in Ms. Cole’s car trunk. The mayor takes full advantage to accuse Ms. Cole of murder.
This is an intricate and well written mystery. All our favorite characters play a role in the story. There are some really good is plenty of obscuring evidence.
I was a little surprised by the ending but it’s fun that Lindsey gets to do a reveal.
I love the Library Lovers mystery series. I’m glad the author has been able to have Lindsey marry Sully and still keep the series fresh.
The audio narrator was great to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape for providing a free audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had tried this series once before a few years back, since I felt like it should speak directly to me: librarian who enjoys smart cozy mysteries. I mean, the series is set in a library! What could be better? I think I was expecting Donna Andrews' indomitable Meg Langslow, but in a library setting, which is not what this series is.

It's not that this series is bad; I enjoy the characters, and they are only a little bit too quirky. Actual library patrons are pretty quirky! And Lindsay, the protagonist/library director, is fine. I don't really get her relationship with her now-husband, Sully, but whatever. I think I just want it to be more of what I like.

This time around, Lindsay finds herself having to square off against the mayor, her boss, who is up for reelection against Lindsay's head of circulation, The Lemon, aka Ms. Cole. Things get more antagonistic and complicated when Ms. Cole goes to her car with a group of friends from the library to show off her new campaign lawn signs, but finds a dead body in the trunk. The corpse turns out to be Ms. Cole's paramour from 40 years before. There are plenty of suspects, Ms. Cole among them, and Lindsay has to ask a lot of questions (somehow with the blessing of the police chief) to get to the bottom of it all and help Ms. Cole stay out of jail and in the mayoral race.

The good: Allyson Ryan is a fairly capable voice actor. She's not terrible at differentiating between male and female characters in a dialogue, although she leans on the same few voices (I recognized a bunch of them from her work on Chandler Baker's The Husbands, and it threw me a little). She does a great bubbly young person and a very good Lady of a Certain Age, though.
The storyline is (mostly) effective and the characters are (mostly) believable. The writing is solid, and people don't say overly ridiculous things.

The so-so: I figured out the murderer in the last third of the book. There is treatment of an autistic character that's a little cringey (he's not presented as a monster or anything, it's just not a very deft touch, it should have been better, just my opinion). I have no investment in the Lindsay/Sully relationship, as stated earlier, and there wasn't much of that, but there was perhaps too much Heathcliff the dog. Unless the reader owns or has appreciated a similar animal, the magic of a slobbery young dog with an unkempt fringe who gets into everything is not going to work universally.

This is a fine series, and I'm not mad I listened to it, but I probably won't be back for more.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Killer Research is book #12 in the Library Lovers series, and one of my very favorite cozy mystery series. I always enjoy visiting with the inhabitants of Briar Creek, CT, to catch up on what's going on. In this installment, we learn that long-time librarian Ms Cole (formerly known as "The Lemon" - a nick name I never liked) is running for Mayor the the town. Ms Cole knows everyone, and everyone knows her, and she genuinely seems to have the care and attention of the town in her interests, but the sitting mayor is giving her a run for her money, so to speak. When a body is found in the trunk of Ms Cole's care, Lindsey, Sully, Beth and the rest of the Crafternooners rally to solve the mystery and clear Ms Cole's name. In the process, we learn more about Ms Cole. In this book more than any other of the series, we learn about Ms Cole, her life and history. IT was a great book for character development.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and I think I've only used an audio for one other in this series. It's interesting to hear the story I've come to know so well, but in a different voice. The narrator, Allyson Ryan, did a great job with these characters and was very pleasant to listen to.

Though this is a very well established series, I think someone could start with this book, but I would encourage anyone to start from the beginning - the author does an amazing job of verbally creating a town and it's inhabitants, and it's quite enjoyable to get to know everyone. Lovers of cozy mysteries, libraries and books would all enjoy this series.

I am pretty in love with this series and this narrator. I grab up every book as they come out and they never fail to make me so, so happy (barring the ones where Sully dumped Lindsey and then got back together with her with little explanation, still salty about that). In Killer Research, Ms. Cole's campaign is taking off and the tension is high. I absolutely love the crafternoon gang, Beth being pregnant, the level of mystery, everything. Jenn McKinlay, please keep writing this series! I love it so much.

I enjoyed listening to this fun cozy mystery from prolific author Jenn McKinlay. While I have read several of her books over the years this is the first I have read in her Library Lover's series. Although this is the 12th book in the series I had no trouble following along as the many characters were introduced in quick succession. There was a fairly simple plot involving a murder but my impression is that the reason the author has such a strong following is the revisiting of characters and seeing what is new in their lives. For my taste I felt there was a bit too much “filler” in the descriptions of the characters clothing, the books they read, etc. for me to want to go back and read the rest of the series. The narrator did a good job with the many voices.