Death By Beach Read by Eva Gates is an ode to book lovers and cozy mystery fans. I read and listened to this 9th stand alone book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery.


Newlywed librarian Lucy's new beach house is perfect until she finds a dead body in it. Some think it's haunted but Charlie the library cat knows it's human foul play.

Narrator Elise Arsenault.actor is a fun storyteller making Lucy as endearing as any Hallmark Mystery Movie heroine. This series needs to be on their channel.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to listen to the ninth title in the Lighthouse Library series.
Lucy and Conner have moved into their home in Nags Head. They bought one of the "unpainted aristocrats" for a great price because the owner felt they were perfect for the supposedly haunted house that had been empty for 15 years. The previous owners, Jo and Ralph Harper inherited the house from their mother but due to a psychological trauma when she was seventeen, Jo has refused to go into the house. She had been frightened by the ghost of her Grandfather and had been a recluse ever since.
Ghost tales don't deter Lucy and Conner and they begin renovations to the house until a dead man, strangled with Charles's cat leash, is found on their kitchen floor. The dead man is the long lost black sheep Harper brother , Jimmy.
Lucy is determined that she's staying in the house despite a dead body, a deliberately set fire on the new deck and rumors of treasure hidden in the house.
Once again Lucy shadows Detective Watson's investigation and finds her life threatened.
This is a delightful series featuring a librarian with a penchant for mystery and a cat who protects Lucy with hisses and claws. The Outer Banks setting is well done and if you've visited you'll recognize several landmarks.

“Death by Beach Read” is Lucy Richardson’s story, her first person narrative. Until recently she lived in a cozy home on the fourth floor of the lighthouse where she is the Assistant Director of the library housed there. She has always loved books, and as a child she imagined that the characters in books came out at night to chat with each other. She was destined to be a librarian.

Lucy is soon to be married to Connor McNeal, and the couple has just moved into their “dream” house. At least it will be their dream house when Conner and his dad finish the remodeling. It is a classic old beach house built partially on stilts, and even has sliding boards to allow them a view of the water at high tide. They both love that old house; they just hope that the house will love them back since rumor has it that the house is haunted. Lucy was even warned that she should not marry Connor and should not move into that house. She thinks all that “stuff” is just nonsense and that the house is just an old house. That is, until she finds a dead body on her new kitchen floor.

“Death by Beach Read” is book nine in the “Lighthouse Library Mystery” series, but as a first time reader, I had no trouble following along. There are a few references to past events, but needed information is seamlessly included as part of the current narrative. The characters are genuine and likable. Their words and deeds smoothly move the story along; they make things happen.

I also listened to the audio version of “Death by Beach Read” narrated by Elise Arsenault who has a multi-dimensional voice that creates an atmosphere that is at various times is melodic, reassuring, and matter of fact. At other times there is urgency in the narration, a tone of anticipation and yet dread of what is to come. Voices of the characters are distinct with the appropriate emotion and accent, although male voices are somewhat of a challenge. The narrative flows nicely with fluid dialogue transitions.
I received print and audio review copies of “Death by Beach Read” from Eva Gates, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media. The book is quick to read with a little mystery, a little suspense, and a lot of fun. It is a simple story told simply well. The audio version provides a different experience, with the narrator perhaps supplying a little more absorbing involvement for the reader. Both versions are filled with compelling personalities as well as some mystery and suspense.

“Death by Beach Read” is now available in print, as an eBook, and as an audiobook from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

This is my first Eva Gates book and I will be going back to read all of the books in this series! This is a cozy mystery set in the Outer Banks in Nags Head, NC. Lucy and her fiancé just purchased a historic home on the beach that requires a lot of fixing up. The house is rumored to be haunted and while staying there alone while her fiancé is on a trip, strange things start happening. Then one day, a dead body appears in her kitchen. Lucy starts investigating and finds that her new home is filled with a lot of family secrets.

I love a good cozy mystery and I love them even more when they have a southern element to them. I listened to the audio version of this book and it felt SO SOUTHERN with her spot-on accents. I felt like I was right there with all these characters, and I loved every minute of it! (Think Sweet Home Alabama meets The Notebook)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Back during the early days of the pandemic, I really got into listening to audiobooks as a way to turn off the news while working from home. One of the books I picked up was book three in Eva Gates's Lighthouse Library Mystery series - books 1 and 2 were not available through the digital library. I enjoyed it so when I saw her new book in the series Death by Beach Read I knew I could pick it up without a problem even though I had read any more of the books in the series.

I don't remember feeling this while listening to Reading Up a Storm, but I was almost immediately struck by how much this book reminded me of Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers series. Maybe because the main character of that series just got married and Lucy, the main character of this book, is planning her wedding.

The house that Lucy and her finance are remodeling is rumored to be haunted and when strange things start happening Lucy starts to wonder if there really is a ghost or just someone who doesn't want them in the house.

I kind of thought the plot would have made a great Halloween story instead of a summer beach read. Actually, with Beach Read in the title, I thought it would be a bit more summer beachy. Otherwise, the mystery is a good one.

We get to know a lot of townspeople both through them coming to the library as well in the course of Lucy "investigating" the mystery. I'm sure readers who have been following this series will enjoy seeing them. As a newcomer to the series, I didn't feel an established connection to them, but they are an interesting group and I can see myself growing to feel like I know them. Being a cat lady myself (I have 6 now), I loved Charles the cat.

The audiobook, which is read by Elise Arsenault, is easy to listen to. Even though I didn't know any of the characters it was easy to tell the characters apart. I did feel that Connor had a bit too much of a southern accent. It felt more like what I would expect someone from Savannah to sound like rather than North Carolina and I had to keep reminding myself that the setting was the Outer Banks of North Carolina and not Savannah, Georgia.

If you are like me and don't mind randomly picking up cozy mysteries, then this is a fun little story. Of course, if you are a fan of the series you won't want to miss it.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Sunday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/06/death-by-beach-read-by-eve-gates.html

Lucy the librarian and her cat Charlie have just moved into a historic home with her fiancée Conner. The home has been unoccupied for some time and they knew it would need some major renovations as soon as they moved in. What they did not expect was to find a man’s dead body in their kitchen one night. Lucy investigates and some of the town’s history comes to light.

This is the ninth book in the Lighthouse Librarian Mystery, but read just fine as a standalone. I haven't read any of the previous books, (although now I plan to) and I did not feel lost. Even though I’m sure I would have more backstory on many of the characters if I had read the other books before this one, I felt that the characters were developed enough to read this book as a standalone. There were also a lot of characters, but I did not have a hard time keeping track of them or their personalities, jobs, and families.

I enjoyed the house renovation aspect and could have read even more about that, but that could have just been because I love home renovating shows. The house was a character in itself in the novel, and I hope the renovation continues in the next book of the series.

I listened to the audiobook which was well done and enjoyable. The writing was easy to follow and not overly complex, but still managed to paint scenes and characters in plenty of detail.

After several really good reads in this series, I was sad when this one just fell sort of flat for me. I don't know if it is because they are away from the Library [where the action usually takes place], or because of all of the unlikeable characters [though for the first time, Louise Jane did not make me wish she was the corpse, so that is a HUGE win for me in this series], I just wasn't in love with this one. As soon as one character shows up, I knew they were the killer [though I didn't know the why so that is another point in the books favor], and there were moments where Lucy made me just want to stand up and yell [though there was a moment where I wanted to PARTY at something Lucy did that she has never done before so there is that too]. The bestie read this before me and she really liked it so I think it was just me this time.

The story is an interesting one; whenever someone gets/buys an old house, there is an undercurrent of excitement that something fun or rare or whatever will be found and that is the set-up here. Connor and Lucy are finally at the point they can live there as they continue the renovations and at once point come home to find a dead body in what they thought was their locked house. What ensues is a combination of anger, revenge, shenanigans and fear. Which is another reason that this might have been just average for me - there just seemed to be too much and after awhile, I just stopped being interested.

I would absolutely still read another one; I am invested in these characters and I need to see what happens when Connor and Lucy FINALLY get married. I am sure that a dead body will show up there too. LOL

I was also given a audiobook ARC for this and it was weird listening to this series again - while not a huge fan of this particular narrator, it was helpful to have the narration and not just have to read read it [I am sure it would have taken me a long time to finish this without it] and by the end I had settled in and would absolutely listen to an audiobook of this series and narrator again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eva Gates, Elise Arsenault - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Eva Gates, and Dreamscape Media for an advance listening copy of this cozy mystery in exchange for an honest review. This is the perfect cozy for summer! I loved how this is part of a series but I was able to follow along like it was a stand alone. The author did a good job keeping me questioning what was going on and who to point my finger at. I loved Charles the cat and I loved how part of the book was centered around books and the library! I look forward to reading more of Eva Gates backlist after enjoying this one. This one just came out a few days ago and is worth adding to your beach bag this summer!

I listened to part of this book and read some of it on my Kindle. I loved the narrator of the audio book. Eva Gates has created a wonderful cast of characters in this series and each time I read one it is like catching up with old friends. The Outer Banks setting and the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library add to the delight of this series. The mystery involved both the present and the past and was well plotted throughout the book. I enjoyed going along with Lucy as she tried to put the pieces of the mystery together. This is a great book to read if you're at the beach or just wish you were.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Dreamscape Media and the ebook from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I DNFd at 41.6%.

Sadly, this one did not work out for me. First, while many said you don't need to read the other books in this series before picking this one up - I think you should. I feel like there are so many characters that seemed to pop out of nowhere that I didn't know the background about and therefore, you should read the earlier installments.

Also, while I'm new to cozy mysteries - I think I already know what I like and don't like in them. I like cozy locals, animals, and friend groups that solve mysteries.

I don't like unlikeable narrator - Lucy is absolutely insufferable, I hate gossip (seems like everyone in gossipy southern woman), and I hate when the author makes characters look down on anyone for how they look or how they dress. Which this had all of that above.

Also - if any of the men talked to me like they talked to Lucy - I'd punch them. Then again, I'm a midwestern woman who doesn't take that gaslighting.

Anyways: pick up the rest of the series before diving into number nine.

What a cute, cozy, mystery! When I picked, "Death by Beach Read," I won't lie it was because of the title. I didn't even realize that it was book #9 of a series! Luckily for me, I was able to jump right in and this story can be read as a stand-alone book.

This story focuses on the main character, Lucy, who is a librarian that seems to get caught up in a lot of murders! This time, the murder is at the home she shares with her fiancé, Connor. Lucy and Connor are in the process of renovating their new beach house when they discover someone has been murdered in their kitchen! Lucy must figure out who did it! While I wouldn't say this was a fast-paced page turner, it is an enjoyable, pretty lighthearted book for the thriller genre. The ending is impossible to guess, so I enjoyed that too!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this Audio Book in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all the books that I read in this series. This can be read as a stand alone though. I enjoyed re-visiting this cute small town and its cast of characters. It was also a great mystery.

I absolutely love cozy mysteries, they make for the perfect audiobook because they are easy to follow and the characters are pretty entertaining. I did not realize this was the 9th in the series before checking this one out- so I will definitely going back to get a better look into Lucy's life. Lucy is the librarian at the Bodie island Lighthouse Library and her boyfriend is the Mayor of Nags head. They just recently bought a house on the beach, and discover a mystery that came along with it. 40 years ago the daughter of the owner ran out in the middle of the night and never came back, so this book follows them solving this mystery! So fun, and cannot wait to read the others.

Lucy, a librarian, and her fiancé, Connor, moved into a historic cottage on Nags Head that needs a lottttt of work. They have been planning their wedding and working on the house when they hear that the house is haunted and even find a dead body. Lucy starts staying in the house and hears all sorts of noises but thinks she is just paranoid. Lucy, as a librarian, is super interested in the story behind it and starts investigating herself. She starts following the clues and uncovers more than she thought she would.

I did not know that there were other books in the series, but I felt that I could easily pick this up and follow along easily. It was an easy read and I liked the mystery aspect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Death by Beach Road by Eva Gates
Thanks to dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the arc of this book. I voluntarily read and review this title all thoughts and opinions are my own.
What could be better than a murder mystery that involves the librarian, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home at last the house they purchased needed a lot of renovations had been sitting empty for the 15 years since the owner had died but they worked hard over the winter to get it ready. When Connor leaves on a business trip Lucy is awoken several times by strange noises in the house. The library cat Charles can tell somethings up. She doesn’t get much sleep while Connor’s gone. She knows she has to tell him what happened while he was gone. He explains the noise away by being an old house. After an evening out they return home to find a dead body in their kitchen. They don’t know who this man is but he was strangled to death with Charles’s leash. Can Lucy and the sheriff figure out what’s happening before anyone else get hurt? Such a cute fast moving story!

Eva Gates continues to charm and intrigue in her newest addition to the Lighthouse Library mystery series. The audiobook narration by Elise Arsenault brings to life every character and entertains from beginning to end.
Death by Beach Read is the ninth book in the series and we join Lucy as she renovates her newly purchased home with her fiancee Connor. The historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach is rumored to be haunted and has been empty for years. When Lucy and Connor discover a dead body, Lucy once again finds herself drawn in to the investigation.
We are treated to the usual cast of characters and beautiful seaside atmosphere of the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Lucy is busy with wedding plans and her work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, including her book club and its current read The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
I was disappointed when I realized Lucy would no longer be living in the Lighthouse, but I did enjoy the new beach house. The descriptions felt very vivid and cozy, and I will just have to adjust to the idea of Louise Jane occupying the Lighthouse eyrie above the Library.
I find the eccentric Louise Jane amusing, and it was fun to see her finally achieve her dream of working and living in the library.
I thought the mystery was solid and enjoyed following the investigation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreams cape Media for an advanced audiobook review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Lucy and Carter are working on renovating their new home, one of the unpainted aristocracy in Nags Head. After some nights with strange occurrences, Lucy and Carter come home to a dead man in the kitchen. From there ghosts and old tales flourish.
This was an interesting Lighthouse Library Mystery. There is the library in a lighthouse, a home undergoing renovation, a book club, Charles the cat being a hero, a garden, a broken family and an old nemesis.
There was an intriguing twist to the culprit behind the murder and some other events in the book. Lucy is in danger at the climax as she often is in the series.
Death by Beach Read is a satisfying addition to the series. I enjoyed the every day things that make up the story as the author interwove the clues that lead to the final conclusion.
This book depends on previous books in order to understand the full picture. I recommend reading previous books in the series before starting Death by Beach Read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

07June2022 - I was also given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook via Netgalley and @DreamscapeMedia. I liked the narrator. In listening to the book I noticed different elements than I did when reading. I enjoyed listening to Death by Beach Read and would recommend both listening and reading this addition to the Lighthouse Library Mystery series.

I have enjoyed the books in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates. The characters are well developed. The mystery is well done and had me guessing until the very end. There were lots of clues that had you assuming certain characters were responsible. It was enjoyable to see how Lucy and Connor were fixing up their house and how their relationship has progressed. The characters who surround Lucy and are part of the Lighthouse Library are a unique group of individuals. They will help keep you invested in the story. Can’t wait for the next adventure with Lucy and the Lighthouse Library gang.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Lucy, the Librarian of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, has finally found the perfect house for her and her fiancé, Connor, to start their new life together. The house has great bones, but needs lots of love and attention. Lucy is happily working at the library, on the old house and at planning her wedding, until the night Conner and she find a dead boy in the kitchen with a strange link to their house.

Death by Beach Read is a surprisingly fabulous cozy mystery I couldn’t put down. The characters were quirky and the story twisty enough to hold my interest. Although it is the ninth installment of the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, I didn’t feel like I was lost or missing anything as the author provided the perfect about of backstory needed. This would make a great read for your beach bag this summer.

DNF - I haven't read other books in this series. I didn't like the main character. I found her annoying.