⭐⭐⭐ -- This cover is just is not doing it for me

So this one was okay for me. It held up well as a standalone. It was decently paced. I loved the setting. The characters were (mostly) likable. The plot kept me guessing until the end. All good things. However, I am a very nitpicky reader. That is to say if I run across something that doesn't make sense or is straight out wrong, it sticks in my head. 🤷🏻‍♀️ This book lost a star because of the scene where Rarity goes to throw some garbage out and finds bloody rags, etc. The crime scene cleaner has thrown away (in the regular trash) after cleaning the crime scene. Ummmm...no. BLOOD IS A BIOHAZARD! That is why there are people who are trained to clean up crime scenes. NO WAY ON EARTH they would throw that into someone's regular trash! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Unfortunately, this annoyed me for the entire rest of the book...

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Princess Fuzzypants here: As a member of the cancer survivors group, Darby rushes home when she draws the Death card in a tarot reading. She never expects to find her beloved grandmothe, murdered by an unknown assailant. No one can understand how someone so kind and generous could have an enemy hateful enough to commit the crime. Darby is suspected for a while as are a number of other possible suspects but the big question remains why.

Rarity and the rest of the group surround Darby and get drawn into the investigation much to the dismay of her friend, the detective in charge. But Rarity is able to sort through some well hidden sources to discover the woman was not whom everyone thought she was, including her granddaughter. She has some hitherto unknown stories in her past and one of them is the one that led to her murder. Now her nemesis is determined to wipe out her entire family, including Darby, but must find some evidence that could point in his direction.

Some of the mystery I put together fairly quickly but the motive for the murder was revealed only as Rarity learned about it. It kept me guessing and that makes for a good read. Four purrs and two paws up.

I really loved this second installment in Lynn Cahoon's Survivors' Book Club series! Rarity is a realistic, endearing protagonist. The mystery was fun and well paced and plotted. I enjoyed following the plot twists!

Secrets in the Stacks is the second book in Lynn Cahoon's new series, Survivors' Book Club Mysteries, focused on a cancer-survivors group in Sedona. The book club is run by bookstore owner and cancer survivor, Rarity.

Darby Doyle is the newest member who also works part-time in the book store. Her grandmother is found murdered and she is the number one suspect. The group begins a search for clues that lead to a wonderful and generous woman who evidently made an enemy of someone.

I love the cast of characters and the storyline is so well written. I really enjoy this series. I highly recommend reading this series in order.

This was everything I expected from a cozy mystery. I may have given it a high score if I knew there was a first book in the series when I requested it. I had no idea because I don't remember an introduction to characters. Rarity Cole, proprietor of a bookstore in Sedona, must find a killer despite the odds after receiving ominous news from a Tarot reading about a friend's impending death. After beating breast cancer, Rarity now gives back to the people of Sedona, Arizona. Her favorite part of the summer is going to the healing fair with her new-age bookstore, The Next Chapter. To keep festivalgoers cool and entertained, Tuesday Night Survivors' Book Club members offer to read their cards and provide other divinatory services. The reader pulls the Death card, much to Darby's dismay. She gets a bad feeling about the mammogram and returns home, where she discovers the body of a family member who was murdered. Rarity battles with Detective Drew Anderson to protect her friend from the killer. I appreciate how well everyone works together. Like Rarity, Drew Anderson is one of my favorites. This is the first cozy mystery I've ever read in which the police trusted the amateur detective. The suspense was excellent because I didn't figure out who the murderer was until the end. Early on, I correctly identified Darby's grandmother as the culprit; nevertheless, such early identification is typical in mysteries, so I did not dock any points. While I enjoy Lynn Cahoon's writing, I find this disjointed and difficult to follow. Whether or not this is a time-lag problem, I can't say (Rarity and Archer arrived at the restaurant but left three paragraphs later) when it comes to character thinking, details matter. It wasn't the most exciting book I've read, but since I missed the first one, I'm giving this one 3 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

When I started reading this, I didn't realize it was the second in the series and I had to go back and read the first one first. I loved the survivors' book club idea. I loved the camaraderie of the characters and their friendship. Great story!

Rarity has settled in and embraces her new life in Sedona. She has her bookstore and her new friends from her survivor book club. Being cancer survivors brought the friends together but the have discovered they all enjoy solving murders. So when a fellow book club friend ask for help finding her grandmother’s murderer, the are all in to solve the murder and offer support and friendship during her time of grief.

The characters in this book are resilient and compassionate. I am interested in getting to know some of the characters better. Since this is only book 2 there is plenty of time for character development of the secondary characters. The mystery is well-developed and moves at a perfect pace with plenty of red herrings. I recommend this book to cozy mystery fans.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

Secrets in the Stacks is the second book in the “A Survivor’s Book Club Mystery” series. I centers around Rarity who moves to Sedona to open a book shop after she recovers from a battle with Cancer.
Early in the book there's a murder close to one of the book club members and the club rallies together to support their own and help solve the mystery.
I found some aspects of the book predictable, so I wasn't as engaged with all of the sleuthing. Overall, I did enjoy the characters (especially Rarity's adorable neighbour), the Sedona setting and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

This was a brilliant book and I loved every minute of it. I certainly couldn't put it down and had to binge read it in one day. This book was so much fun and interesting. It's a great cosy mystery. I loved how it's a group of women who work out who the murderer is. This is the second book in the series and I just loved the first one and hope that there is many more in this series. The characters were great all with different personalities that complement each other. They work so well together making for an enjoyable story. It's a great story line as it's based around a small book shop. There was a great medium pace with plenty of unexpected twists to the story. It's very well wrote and flowed so well. I can't wait to read more books in this series and just can't recommend it enough. The funny thing is I'm not a fan of mystery books but this author just makes me feel involved in the story and definitely knows how to put a smile on your face. I'm sure if you love cosy mystery books or like me love book clubs with an added difference then you will definitely love this book.

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a wonderful, exciting and engaging story.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/secrets-in-the-stacks-by-lynn-cahoon-kensington-books-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to this one. I had a bit of a hard time with this one as I felt the victim was liked and not like many books where the person killed is unlikeable. The mystery was well done with lots of twists and turns.

Lynn Cahoon's second book in the Survivors' Book Club Murder Mystery Series is Secrets in the Stacks. It brings us back to Sedona, where Rarity has had a second chance at life after her cancer treatment and is enjoying the new life she is building there. When her book club friend (and part time employee) Darcy loses her grandma to murder, Rarity and the book club come together once again to find the killer. I enjoyed the book. There were several laugh out loud moments, although I did have my suspicions about who the killer was rather early on. And, I was right! Which is always nice! Still, though, it was a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Secrets in the Stacks is the latest release in the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon. A murderer is on the loose in Sedona again and the Survivors’ Book Club members are hot on the trail. Will they figure out who the killer is before it is too late? Read Secrets in the Stacks to find out.
I struggled a little to finish this book, mostly because I don’t really like most of the characters and the story didn’t really grab me from the beginning.

This was a very good second in the series book. I enjoyed getting to know Rarity and the rest of the group a little bit more. I look forward to book #3!

I always love a good book club cozy mystery, and this was no disappointment. The murder itself was mentioned only briefly, but the real detail was in the investigation. There was a lot more dialogue than I am usually comfortable with, and the police investigator's willingness for them to sleuth their way through this mystery was unexpected, but didn't detract from the overall effectiveness of the story. Overall, I liked the supportive book club/friend group which showed a bunch of people getting together to support each other in their time of need. It's always nice to read cozy mysteries with an uplifting tone.

This was a Netgalley review.

Rarity is a very appealing main character--a woman with strong opinions and strong convictions. When a new employee, Darby, discovers that her grandmother has been murdered, Rarity and the Tuesday Night Survivors Club springs into action to clear Darby's name. What really happened to her grandmother? Is her grandmother really who people think she is? This is the second release in this engaging new series and I look forward to many more. Highly recommend. Delightful characters and an intriguing mystery.

Intriguing plot and premise. I enjoy the main cast of characters. I like the idea of a book club turning to a sleuthing club. I think the mix of age groups in the story adds something as well.

I find having a victim close to the core makes the story more gripping. Of course, you hate to see someone you love or a relative of a character you love become a victim, but it does add more emotion.

Just enough of a budding romance to be refreshing. I really enjoy Lynn's books and hope this series goes on for a while.

Though it was nice to revisit the Survivor’s Book Club, the plot was slow-moving. Then again, when it comes to this book, I am confused. Is Secrets in the Stacks women’s fiction with a murder on the side, or is it a murder mystery that puts the women of the book club as a priority?

The first three-quarters of the book puts the women’s stories first, then in the last quarter, Lynn Cahoon must have realized that she had a mystery to solve and gave it a disappointing mad dash race to the finish.

Granted, I read an ARC, but there were a few continuity issues that need clearing up, which I hope were taken care of before publication.

Thanks NetGalley, Kensington Books and Lynn Cahoon for an ARC to review.
Second book in the series, as a survivor I totally enjoyed and related to the book and the characters.
Would absolutely love to read more of the series.

Wow, I read book one and had to dive straight into book two. Cahoon is so good at getting to the heart of things. I was in a season of losing another parent and these characters were facing mortality with cancer diagnosis and they were using reading and friendship to help them through. Of course there is a whole mystery sleuthers club too but this book helped me begin my own healing my heart journey. God put this book on my radar to show me people like Lynn understand us in our weakness and help strengthen us.

Overall I just loved this book. What a joy. More please.

Read this as a NetGalley ARC for an honest review.