This is the perfect time of year to pick up this spooky cozy mystery! In this latest installment of the Library Lover's Mystery series (aptly outing #13), Lindsey finds that her library is the recipient of a very large personal library collection from a local resident. Lindsey and her friends venture to the old mansion to begin curating the collection, but they end up with more than just books - cold drafts, mysterious happenings, and even a secret room containing a skeleton.

The Plot and the Pendulum is a fun read, and just perfect for fall reading. I've read several of the earlier books in this series, but a reader can dive right in here and not get lost. The overall series has character development and story arcs, but the mystery itself is standalone. As a bibliophile, it's always fun to read a mystery that centers around characters who love books.

I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of NetGalley. Narrator Allyson Ryan does a fantastic job; really enjoyed listening to this mystery, the "pages" few by quickly.

The Plot and the Pendulum is the perfect cozy mystery for those who enjoy thrills that don’t result in nightmares or the need to double checking that all the windows and door are locked. The plot is easy to follow, even though I’ve not read the other books in the series, and the characters are sweet and likeable. As a librarian, I love all the library references. This is a gentle mystery that is sure to please many cozy readers.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, I'm late to the party for a series. The Plot and the Pendulum is the 13th installment of the Library Lover's Mystery, but I didn't feel lost or like I was missing important information.

Lindsey is the local librarian who is asked to take a massive library into the town's collections. It seems simple enough, but the plot thickens. The Plot and the Pendulum has all the elements needed for a fun, cozy, halloween-ish mystery, a long ago runaway bride, cold drafts, sealed rooms, a hidden skeleton, and a terrific ghost cat??? They all add up to a interesting story that keeps you engaged. Can Lindsey solve the mystery?

I received an ALC of this book narrated by Allyson Ryan from Dreamscape Media and NetGalley. My thoughts and review of the book are my own.

#theplotandthependulum
#libraryloversmystery
#jennmckinlay
#dreamscapemedia
#netgalley

I know I say this a lot, but this one is my new favorite of the series! I binged the audiobook and loved every minute of this perfectly spooky, but cozy story. I’ll probably listen to it again before the end of October because it was just that good and so fitting for this month.

•vast book collection
•a secret hidden room
•a skeleton
•Edgar Allan Poe
•ghost stories
•cold case

The wonderful cast of characters is why A Library Lover’s Mystery remains one of my all time favorite cozy mystery series. Every book is better than the last and I’m always reminded how much I miss this group of friends with each new installment.

I was hooked by the first chapter and so caught up in the story. At one point I felt so much fear for Lindsey that I even teared up a bit! Oof!

As always, I look forward to the next and can’t wait to see where the future leads for a few characters. 😊

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The main characters are endearing but some others are getting redundant. The “mystery” is mostly guessed by the halfway point. I still like the lovely book club/craft ideas and having a book that would be “safe” for most ages and tastes as a mystery book club choice.

I love this series and author. Thank you, Dreamscape, for giving me this audiobook! Lindsey and co are handling a huge library donation when they find a skeleton that’s been locked in a sealed room. This is a cold case with a runaway bride and they are hot on the trail.
Going into this book, I have to say I still don’t love Lindsey and Sully as a couple. I still resent the break up and super fast make up. This mystery is very dark compared to other cozies and the resolution involves a family being torn apart. I don’t know if I’d recommend this as a stand-alone read but I enjoyed it as a part of this series.

Jenn McKinlay is a masterful cozy mystery writer. When couple with the wonderful narration of Allyson Ryan... well you're bound to have a good time.

In this story, we see public librarian Lindsey helping collect and curate a collection of rare books from an old estate. Its inhabitant, Miriam Dorchester, has dementia such that she needs special care. Her estranged son has returned to help clear out the house and has enlisted Lindsey to help. But soon Lindsey finds a secret room... containing a skeleton! She immediately suspects it's the "Runaway Bride" who disappeared decades ago, but the mystery remains as to how she met her fate...

This book is perfect for spooky season, with the skeletons and ghostly vibes. A little creepier than some cozies, but still lovely with a guaranteed HEA. I thought I had predicted the ending about halfway through, but I was surprised to have a lot of details wrong! Love a good twist.

I listened to this book on audio, which is my preference for this series due to (1) the stellar narration, (2) the rather short length, and (3) the coziness! I think cozies are the perfect fit for audiobooks, as I don't like being terrified by thrillers or worried if my neighbors can hear steamy romance novel sounds. And this book was no exception! I'm sure it's amazing in print, but it was fantastic on audio.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for my ALC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay Narrated by Allyson Ryan is the 13th in the Library Lover’s Mysteries, and an apt number for this haunting tale. Library director Lindsey Norris is thrilled to be offered a local family’s vast and valuable collection of books, even though the library will be required to pack the collection. What she didn’t expect was the sudden power outages, the cold breeze and a dead body!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator brought the book to life, so much so that I felt like I was in the library experiencing the sudden loss of power and feeling the chill of ghostly fingers. The narration allowed me to visualize each character in a very vivid way.

I think that this is my favorite Jenn McKinlay to date. The storyline was believable, even the spooky parts, and the characters were relatable and interesting. This is the type of book that makes the reader want to continue from start to end without pause. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) I can’t wait for the next in this series.

The Plot and the Pendulum AUDIO by Jenn McKinlay is the newest entry in her Library Lover’s Mystery series and finds Lindsay Morris in the uncomfortable position of accepting a 12,000 book donation to the library from Mr. William Dorchester. Well, really it’s his mother’s. Mr. Dorchester moved away from town years ago after a broken engagement . . . broken by his mother when she proclaimed that Grace was not good enough for him. He did not stand up to her and Grace married another man. Now, Marion Dorchester is in the throes of dementia and William is in the awkward position of cleaning out and selling her house, and finding her an assisted living home in which to reside. Too often donations like this ended up being full of unusable junk and the library had to deal with it. Not so this time. It was a treasure trove of old and valuable books as well as many usable, readable ones. The catch was that the library had to pack and move them which was a huge job. When they were nearly done, Lindsay, Nancy, and Violet discovered a book case which swung open, exposing a hidden room, which they promptly got locked in. Within the hidden room there was a skeleton. Was it William’s love who had vanished six weeks after her marriage to another man? After Sully and Ian got them out, the police were called and Lindsay began to consider what they had found.

So great to be back in Briar Creek with all the folks. So sad about this skeleton in the hidden room. The man Grace had married still lived in Briar Creek with his second wife. He had children and grandchildren and was a pillar of the community. But, the gossip all started up again. Lindsay is a good investigator who seems instinctively to follow small clues which lead to important information. She has not lived in Briar Creek all that long, but her friends have and they are invaluable to her investigations. It’s good to see Beth with her new baby, and to see Sully and Lindsay’s marriage seems to be working out. Emma and Robbie, the police chief and retired actor, respectively, who are Lindsay’ friends, continue to add color to her life. It is such a friendly place and this story is perfect for this time of year: Halloween and a skeleton seem to fit together. The murder, if it is one, is 30 years old and so not quite as gruesome as a current one might be. All it all, it was a delightful book. Good characters. Good plot. Good read.

The story in audio form was narrated by Allyson Ryan who is the best voice for Lindsay, embodying her personality entirely. Sadly, she uses voices for the other characters instead of just reading them, and especially her British accent could use some work. It was a quick and easy read, though, and one I enjoyed.

I was invited to listen to an audio e-ARC of The Plot and the Pendulum by Dreamscape, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dreamscape #JennMcKinlay #AllysonRyan #ThePlotAndThePendulum

Lindsey is back with another mystery! A mystery of love, rare book collections, and secret rooms seems like the perfect mystery for a librarian to solve.

I really thought I had this one figured out, but once again, the end surprised me. I went back and forth between two people throughout the novel.

I received an audio ARC and I can confirm it's excellent! I was able to read it all in one day.

My review -

I’ve listened to most of McKinlay’s romance titles, but I also enjoy reading cozy mysteries, I’m starting to get into her mystery titles and have picked up a couple on salfrom Audible and Chirp, and jumped at the chance for this ALC copy. It was brilliant - the same fantastic writing I’m coming to love from her romance novels and a whole lot of mystery and intrigue. She totally kept me guessing about the “who dunnit” through the end, especially with throwing in fake-outs everywhere we turned.

I truly loved the cold case of the Runaway Bride aspect of this, on top of the love of the books, and the special library collection. So many great little tidbits tossed in, and everything was so exciting and thrilling and intriguing, I couldn’t stop listening until I knew everything that was going on. The length was perfect to be able to get through in a single sitting (just over 7 hours.

I highly recommend it! 4 stars - but probably a bit more like 4.25 or even 4.5. Great job!

Audio is narrated by Allyson Ryan, who is a new voice to me, but was perfect voicing Lindsey. I really enjoyed her performance and I look forward to many more listens from her!

I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Plot and the Pendulum.

Author: Jenn McKinlay
Published: 10/11/22
Narrator: Allyson Ryan
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

A cozy Library Mystery series book, #13 and my first. The book reads well on its own. While reading I did not feel lost or like I was late.

This is a solid 4 star read for me. The murder and subsequent investigation are not gruesome. Albeit it is creepy. The main characters were sweet, not like syrup, but a happy couple who worked together. I was pleased to see this relationship type. I do not recall any profanity, again, I appreciate.

The story feels realistic, a wealthy man settling his mother's estate donates all the books to the local library. Next it's time for popcorn and coffee, the mystery begins. I did feel the ending was a little rushed.

I would gift this and also carry it as part of a nursing home read. The story is clean and there are a few moments that are relevant today, pet rescue for one.

I’ve really enjoyed all the books from Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mystery series.

I thought this was a fun, quick read. Lindsay Norris, Sully and the whole Briar Creek gang are so lovable as characters. The storyline was fun because it resolved a long-term mystery rather than a new one.

The audiobook was great and Allyson Ryan did a fantastic job differentiating the many personalities in Briar Creek. I did get stuck on the mispronunciation of Amontillado though.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for this advance audiobook of #ThePlotandthePendulum

Briar Creek is home to an unsolved mystery from 1989 called “The Runaway Bride”. A few weeks after Grace Little was married she went missing. No one knows if she was killed or just ran away.

In the present day, Lindsey Norris meets with William Dorchester. William is the beneficiary of his family home and he wants to donate all the rare books in their home library. Lindsey and all her friends go over to the library to start packing up books and stumble into a secret room in the library. A room that houses just what’s needed to start investigating and solve the cold case of the runaway bride.

I really liked Lindsey and everyone around her. This is a series and this was my first entry. I did not feel lost at any point even with no knowledge of the series. This book made me want to go back and check out more from the series and I can’t wait to get started.

The investigation towards the end of the story is one of my favorite investigations in a book to date. Lindsey and her group reenact the night Grace was killed and it leads to them solving the case. It was truly a joy to read and was very easy to visualize. I would recommend this book to anyone and I look forward to having another series to go through.

Jenn McKinlay has a huge following, and this 13th volume in her Library Lover’s Mystery series has no doubt been eagerly awaited by her many fans. I’m a newcomer to her work, but I found her characters and their relationships easy to know and enjoy. I get the impression that Briar Creek may be a bit like Cabot Cove: a small, cozy town where most people know and like each other, and murders requiring amateur sleuthing are just an unusually frequent occurrence. In this episode, a decades old corpse is found when town librarian Lindsey Norris is picking up a donated book collection. The who, how, and why questions obviously make up the rest of the story, and although I had the murderer spotted at least fifty pages before the reveal, their gradual revelations were well-timed and executed. I’m saying pages here, which was a guestimate at best, because I listened to the audio version, narrated by Allyson Ryan. And therein lies my only real criticism: I absolutely hated how the narrator voiced the mail characters, particularly an actor who in the story is the chief of police’s boyfriend. An avid book-listener, I searched my personal logs and found no earlier complaints about Ryan’s work, but I truly found it annoying in this book. I’ll gladly revisit Briar Creek and Ms. McKinlay’s stories, but I think I’ll do so in paper next time.

This was such a fun lighthearted cozy mystery. Although it’s #13 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. It moves along at a great pace and has a fun quirky cast of characters. The characters are all well developed and very likable and keep this murder mystery light and even humorous at times. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series.

As the library director with a past in archives, Lindsey is overjoyed that the Creekside Public Library will be the beneficiary of a book collection with some first editions. Lindsey along with some volunteers head to the mansion to collect the books and discover a secret passage behind a bookcase. When Lindsey steps into the darkened room to get a closer look at the copy of The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe, she finds that a skeletal hand is grasping the book.

This is the first book in the series and I rather enjoyed it. I explicitly wanted to read it because I enjoy cozy mysteries that relate to Poe. I thought this was a great atmospheric story although the donors mother being put into a nursing home made me a bit sad. I didn't like that characters were neglecting her feelings and focused on a book collection but that's overly critical.

The book had a great pace and I was interested until the end. A fun, light, atmospheric cozy mystery that is a perfect read for fall or even January to celebrate Poe's birthday.

Setting the Scene: The good news is that the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family's expansive library. The fun news is there is a hidden room behind one of the bookcases in the Dorchester Family Library. The bad news is there is a skeleton in the hidden room. If you think Briar Creek Public Library Director Lindsey Norris can resist this mystery, you don't know Lindsey. After putting her impressive librarian research skills to good use, Lindsey finds the story of a missing young bride, currently a very old cold case. Add Edgar Allen Poe, a vanishing cat, and suspicious cold drafts in sealed rooms, and you have the makings of a Halloween treat.

What I Thought: I admit that I love Lindsey and Sully, as a couple and as individual characters. The other regulars add flavor and depth to the stories, including this one. The location is more pivotal to this book than it has been in previous books in the series. Here we have the library of a prominent family, filled with a vast array of books, some valuable first editions, that has been left closed, locked, and unused for years, maybe decades. From their first visit, Lindsey and Sully are faced with strange goings-on, and each visit seems to add to the mysterious happenings. Do you have goosebumps yet? Jenn McKinlay has outdone herself in this latest visit to Briar Creek. This book would be a fun read regardless of the season, but I cannot argue that it is a great Halloween read.

3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

This is my first listen/read of the series. As a standalone, I did not feel lost without having read prior entries.

You'll likely enjoy this series if: you are looking for a light hearted, easy to read whodunnit. You don't mind your mystery being a bit campy. A "beach" mystery read.

This is an easy light hearted read and feels very sitcomy. The cast is quite large, although not a ton of potential suspects. Most of the cast are friends of the protagonist. The town is idyllic, most of the cast is good hearted, friendly, helpful sincere town folk. Very Americana.

The mystery itself was not tough to solve due to the very limited number of suspects and the pacing is a bit slow. The way they solve the mystery is kind of silly. The protagonist does not meet any real obstacles in her clue hunting and really only has to ask to receive clues and information, even from people that are supposed to be tough cookies to deal with. The culprit is...not very bright.

Narrator review: I quite enjoyed the voices the narrator provided, which helped bring the book to life. She has a great range of voices. She has interesting inflections in her normal reading voice that sometimes sound like virtual assistant voices but she makes up for it with her different character voices that make it easy to differentiate between the large cast.


I received a copy of the audio book as a free ARC for a review.

Lindsey Norris is the Library Director at the Briar Creek Public Library, and she is who William Dorchester wants to talk to when he comes in. He is back from Florida, to the town he grew up in, to put his mother’s affairs in order. She is needing more help for her dementia, so she is moving in to a nursing facility. Meanwhile, her extensive book collection needs to be dealt with, so William decides to donate them all to the library. He brought with him a first edition of Tom Sawyer form 1876, in near pristine condition, as an example of some of the books the library would be gaining.

Lindsey balks at first, insisting that the Tom Sawyer and probably many other of his first editions could be worth thousands of dollars. But William insists that he wants to donate them, and Lindsey and the library could do whatever they want with them. All he asks is that Lindsey find a way to collect the books as soon as possible, as he wants to get his mother’s house on the market.

So Lindsey recruits her crafternoon crew, the group of women who get together once a week to talk about a book and do a craft, to help out. They are fellow librarians and friends of the library, so they are all excited to help. But they can’t help but speculate about William Dorchester. He had left town over 30 years earlier, after what everyone in town referred to as “The Runaway Bride.”

Grace had gone missing just weeks after getting married. She had been dating William Dorchester, but his mother didn’t think she was a suitable match, and he broke off their relationship. She ended up marrying Tim Little, who still lives in town, but she disappeared soon after. There were lots of rumors about what happened to her—that Tim had killed her, that William had killed her, that she had just been unhappy and left. She had never been seen again. Tim Little still lives in Briar Creek. He had remarried and had kids and grandkids. He coaches Little League. He is known as a good man. And yet, the rumors have persisted.

Lindsey, her husband Mike, and some of her crafternooners head to the Dorchester house one night to start packing up the books in their library. While the library is beautiful and filled with books, it’s also a little spooky. There are strange breezes, electrical disturbances, cold spots, and a cat that appears and disappears when it wants. It will take them several days to pack up all the books and move them, so Lindsey and her friends make several trips to the Dorchester house to keep working on it.

It’s on one of those trips that Lindsey finds a strange lever on a shorter bookshelf, the lever that opens a door to a hidden room. And that is where Lindsey finds the skeleton.

They call the police to come and check out the hidden room, but Lindsey has a strong suspicion that they have found the runaway bride Grace. She had seen the dress the skeleton was wearing, and it reminded her of the fashion of the times when she had gone missing. But how did she come to be locked in a hidden room in the Dorchester house? That is what Lindsey is determined to find out. And when the rumors get kicked up again, and emotions are running strong, will Lindsey be able to figure out who the killer was, or will she end up locked in the hidden room herself, waiting to run out of air?

Jenn McKinlay’s The Plot and the Pendulum is number 13 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series, and it blends her gentle library mysteries with a cold case, October spookiness, and Edgar Allan Poe. Lindsey and her family and friends chip in once again to solve the crime and bring a killer to justice. There is a strong sense of family and of morality in these books, crafting murder mysteries that are balanced with warmth and love.

I listened to The Plot and the pendulum on audio, and I thought that narrator Allyson Ryan was really good with this novel. I thought some of the ancillary characters were voiced a little awkwardly, but it wasn’t enough for me to stop listening or to stop enjoying it. I really enjoy McKinlay’s mysteries. I think she has a way of writing consistently—her plots, her characters, her point of view are all similar through her books, and it’s that base that keeps me coming back. But it’s her creativity that makes me truly enjoy these books and recommend them to others. This one is perfect for October, but for those who miss the spooky season the rest of the year, it will be a lovely reminder of the spooky seasons to come.

A copy of the audio book for The Plot and the Pendulum was provided by Dreamscape Media through NetGalley, with many thanks.