I thank Netgalley for this ARC and I start by saying that I highly recommend this reading to everyone, especially those who, like me, love books, strong female characters and who work in a bookstore. But above all I recommend it to those who love mysteries! The plot is also beautiful, perfect, with characters that are incredibly written and presented in this story. Needless to say, I just loved the ending! I devoured it in a few hours, and I didn't think this was possible. I can't wait to read this author in the future!

Full review at https://tayarunsandreads.com/

Greta is a new-ish librarian in town. She goes to visit Franklin, her neighbor, and finds him dead at the bottom of the stairs. The new detective in town in convinced she had something to do with it. Greta takes it upon herself to figure out who the guilty person is to try to clear her name. She partners up well with her librarian friend, Josie, as they get into some interesting antics. Was it the mysterious stranger at the will reading? Is it the owner of the resort across the lake? Could it be a mysterious book collector?

This was a fun read! I really love a cozy mystery that takes place in a library. I enjoyed the main character – and her relationship with her parents and the other librarians! I will absolutely read the next book in this series!

Disclosure: I received a free arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an endearing read for anyone from a small-town (I'm from Wisconsin myself), that pulled me in from the beginning and kept me captivated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character was likable and empathetic towards those around her. Honestly, the worst part of the read was getting attached to a character who was shortly going to be killed off. I was even pleasantly surprised at not guessing the 'villian' right off the bat. It is a comfy, warm read considering the topic is small town murder and I imagine many would enjoy it tucked under a blanket by the fireplace this winter season. I am quite excited to read the next book by this author and would highly recommend this read.

This book has the premise of everything I love: crime fiction, strong female lead who works as a librarian, potential love interest, close knit community. Heartache, temptation, mystery and intrigue.

And it did not disappoint. When Greta’s close friend is found dead she is immediately placed as a suspect. The new detective in town is fresh out of Chicago and doesn’t think very highly of our Greta. Determined to clear her name Greta and her friends begin an investigation of their own. However they soon come to realise they don’t know Larkspur and it’s residents like they thought and they find they could be over their heads.

Greta is instantly likeable and serves as a brilliant protagonist for the novel. I’m pleased this is going to be part of a series as I would love to see Greta’s character grow and develop. Especially keen to find out how her and the detective could progress into being more than friendly enemies!

Cute and cozy, with a sweet cast of characters. Also the cover is absolutely adorable! Perfect book for the colder months.

'Death Checked Out' is the first book in the Larkspur Mystery Series by Leah Dobrinska. It's a cozy mystery about a librarian named Greta who works to clear her name after she is named as a suspect in a murder in her small town. Greta works with her mom, who is also her lawyer, and other librarians to research ways to help find out the real suspect. I enjoyed the dynamic between Greta and the other librarians. I didn't really enjoy the overall mystery of the book. I wasn't invested in finding out who did it, and the end result was not what I expected.

I know that it's the first book in the series, so I would like to continue in the series. I'm hoping that further books provide more clarity because the ending didn't really wrap up enough for me. I'm interested in the development between Greta and Detective McHenry. Will they work together to solve mysteries? Will they being a friendship or even a relationship after this case?

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Our main character in this cosy mystery is a librarian who is running from a relationship gone wrong. Greta finds herself in a lovely little town, making friends and finding her feet. Unfortunately, one of her friends - an elderly recluse - is found dead...and the police are convinced there's more to it.
And so our main character - who finds herself a suspect as she was one of the last to see him alive - decides to get her friends to help her investigate and try to work out who was responsible.
From start to finish we know that Greta is innocent, so it was certainly fun watching her try to work out what had happened. There was the usual attempt to put her (and us) off the scent, and in spite of a couple of dangerous moments you never really fear that anything will stop them working out exactly what happened.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

An enjoyable easy read.
Greta is a librarian and has moved to Larkspur to escape her past mistakes .
She has made friends with Franklin he’s a private serious man and doesn’t make friends easily .
Greta finds Franklin dead , and her world is turned upside down and she makes it her mission to find out the truth behind his death.
The characters are amiable and the story makes for an easy to read cosy mystery.
Looking forward to more in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books.

"Larkspur Lane cut through the center of town like the spine of a storybook."

What a fantastic first line! I thoroughly enjoyed this bookish mystery. Librarian Greta Plank has moved to Larkspur in hope of a new start, but finds herself the prime suspect in a murder case. Not prepared to passively accept this, she begins her own investigation, helped by her two friends and colleagues, Josie and Iris. Can they unmask the killer before more people get hurt?

This was a charming and funny cosy mystery that kept me engaged throughout. My local library is one of my favourite places and I loved visualising the one in Larkspur. I also liked how books were involved throughout without it ever feeling forced. The mystery was well-plotted and although I didn't crack the case I felt the author gave enough information for the reader to make some guesses. At one point I was afraid Greta was going to deliberately try to gum up the police investigation but in the end she was working alongside them which I preferred. Her banter with Detective McHenry, the officer in charge of the case, was a lot of fun and I predict a romantic relationship developing in further books. This is the first in a series and from the author's website it seems at least two more are planned, which I'm very excited about. I highly recommend this book especially if you like cosy mysteries or books featuring bookish themes.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Level Best Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The story begins very well. It starts with a very beautiful description of Larkspur. The imagery is so beautiful that you can feel being transported to the beach and the quiet Avenue. It's really a picture painted with words.

Now imagine having a murder happen in such a quiet small town where everybody knows everyone and people know the routine of everybody else like you know your neighbours' whole schedule it is that small town.

But this is precisely what the protagonist Greta Plank sees. Now Greta Plank is a librarian, and in the beginning, there is a hint of her having a mysterious past that caused her to shift her location and come to a small town. This mystery will unfold as the novel progresses.

Coming back to the story, it is, as the name suggests, a murder mystery. It has all the essential elements of making it actually a gripping story and you are not given any idea as to who the murderer can be because everything around the whole scene of the murder is very suspicious it can be an accident it can be a murder. Hence, it is a very realistic setting.

So in a way, you are actually working alongside the protagonist and the detective in the story to uncover the clues and track down the cause of the death, and highlight with it is a murder or an accident. It is actually a very gripping story and it can be read in one sitting. But the issue lies in the way the story is written at times there is way too much explaining done and at times things are oversimplified. While it can be chalked down to be written in a narrative way and readers are not led in to start their own investigation, for fans of Christie and Hitchcock, this can be a bummer. That said, I am a fan of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock, and I do like to have a story where clues are sprinkled all over for the reader to latch upon and have an idea that okay this is a murder, and these may be the suspects but this kind of writing where you are clueless till the end is also a great way to you know been touch with the reader in you.

All in all, I think I would give this book a four out of five because it does have all the elements which would make it good actually a very good murder mystery.

Dobrinska’s debut in the Larkspur Library Mysteries series is a nice entry in the literary cozy mystery sphere. Greta, the other librarians and residents of Larkspur are incredibly likeable and Biff the cat is adorable. Dobrinska manages just the right balance of clues, red herrings and suspects that keeps the mystery flowing and will have you guessing to the end. Oh and if you’re looking for a book set in Wisconsin this book with its lakeside setting will fit the bill. I look forward to seeing where this series goes next.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I hate to say it, but this is a case of "it's not you, it's me." <i>Death Checked Out</i> is the coziest of cozy mysteries, set in an idyllic small town where nothing bad ever happens until, well, something bad happens. This book is so clean you could suggest it to your grandma without her thinking you've become a Godless miscreant. There's no swearing, no spice, and very minimal violence. This may work for some people, but for me it was a tad too cutesy. The writing was okay, but I was never particularly captured by any of the characters and had a hard time feeling invested in the mystery as a result. I can see something like this appealing to a certain readership, of which I am, sadly, not a member.

It was a good read, well written. However I didn't like the mystery aspect because I figured it out halfway through the book.

Thank you to Leah Dobrinska and NetGalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my review.

This books premise sounded so interesting. I loved the cosy mystery aspect of this book from the setting in a small town library to the interesting diverse characters.
There were some issues that I took from the writing style, like the over descriptiveness of everything in the book. I also thought the first few chapters of the book were a bit boring and hard to get into, but once past those the books gets better.

I received this from NetGalley for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this was not for me.
A librarian who is solving a mystery, sounds great. The execution had a lot to be desired.
I did not finish it as the writing style was overly flowery but was telling instead of showing in every scene. It was slow and the build up led to nothing. It felt Victorian but trying to be Agatha Christie with a modern twist. It did not work.
This book could be great for other people, unfortunately not me.

I am struggling to write a review for this one but one thing is clear, I badly wanted to like to this book and it did not live up to any sensible expectations for me.

A single librarian who chose to look at the brighter side of things and sleuthing at the same time is a concept that held so much promise. What I got is a one dimensional and unrealistic characterization of the main lead, a cop out Nancy Drew story, over explanation of every tiny actions and thoughts, lame attempt to enemies to lovers theme and overall nonsensical plot line.

If only there were word building and realistic portrayal of events as well as characters, this could have made it more tolerable.

I usually don't review books this way as I understand not all books would be my go-to, however, the lack of transitions and attempts to just fill in the gaps in order to produce a book is just too much for me. I could've DFN'd this one to save me a some headache but I promised myself, I will only DNF 1 book per year.

Death Checked Out is a cosy mystery set in Larkspur, a small lakeside town. Greta, the director of a local library, got caught up in a murder investigation. She tries to clear her name with her best friend.

Greta is a likeable and optimistic character who always has a positive view of everything. She trusts people easily. I liked it when she tried to solve the murder mystery by herself and with the help of friends. The only thing I didn’t like was that she told almost everyone about her investigation.

Greta’s friendship with Josie was my favourite thing in the book. Josie, without thinking twice, jumped into the investigation. There seems to be chemistry between Greta and Detective McHenry.

The pacing of the book was good. In the beginning, the book was slow but picked up speed after the characters in the book started investigating. The twist was unexpected. It was easy to read. The small-town setting was nice.

Highly recommended to murder mystery readers.

This is book 1 of the Larkspur library mystery series by Leah Dobrinska, it’s a cozy murder mystery based off a lakeside.the main character Greta a librarian who is relatively new to town. Moves to get a fresh start, she got the job, the perfect cabin on the lake, made amazing friends and even gets along with her grumpy neighbours. Things looked great for her and moving to this perfect town seemed like the right move because nothing could possibly go wrong. then she gets thrown into the middle of a murder investigation in her town of larkspur.

I really enjoyed this read, it was steady and all the characters where multi dimensional. Also the plot of the story settling was written well and greta’s emotions are expressed in such a way that I couldn’t help but feel it too.

I really enjoyed dramatics of the ending , how the clues fell into place and threads of the story came together.

I am unsure how I feel about the romance between greta and the detective, may be it will be more explored in the next book.

I was provided with an advance copy thanks to NetGalley, Level Best Books, and the author Leah Dobrinska for a complimentary ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest.

I got an ARC of this book from NetGalley. I loved this book! I had such a hard time putting it down. I loved the characters and found the plot really fun. It's a perfect read for the fall/winter time of year when you want a cozy, small town mystery to read. Greta was an interesting character and I loved her friendship between her, Iris, and Josie. My biggest disappointment was the hint of romance between Greta and the detective but it never went farther than that and wasn't really brought up again. Maybe it will in the next book!

Death Checked Out by Leah Dobrinska is about a librarian named Greta who moved to a small town to escape her old life. Greta quickly makes great friends and falls in love with the safety and charm the town has to offer. However, terrible events occur that cause her to rethink everything. This books is a fun and quick read for anyone who likes a good mystery. All of the characters are likeable and are well-developed. As a librarian myself, I enjoyed all of the literary references throughout the book. Like most books of this type, it was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed the story.