The Stranger in the Library
Lighthouse Library Mystery #11
by Eva Gates
Release date: June 4th, 2024
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(4.5 rounded up)
I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Stranger in the Library (Lighthouse Library Mystery #11) by Eva Gates from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.
…Always entertaining, this series with its fun, intriguing, cozy mystery vibe is cleverly crafted, with a brilliant and quirky cast of characters, intricate plot, nail-biting suspense, humor, and a touch of romance…
A fan of The Lighthouse Library Mysteries, this eleventh entry, The Stranger in the Library is yet again another wonderful addition to the series.
Newlywed librarian Lucy, inspired by her recent honeymoon in Europe, has organized an art appreciation exhibit at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library with reproductions of famous impressionist art works and an original from local Nags Head Artist O’Callaghan not valuable but sentimental, on loan from Louise Jane’s family, O’Callaghan’s descendants. Their exhibit is to coincide with a big art exhibit that is being launched in town celebrating the who is who of the art world being launched at a gala at the library. With the art world’s movers and shakers in attendance, we are introduced to some larger-than-life characters, such as the mysterious art dealer Tom Reilly, who Louise Jane becomes enamored with.
With the event ending successfully, Josie, Lucy’s cousin, and local caterer, wants air in the garden and is joined by Lucy and Louise Jane. While out there they stumble across someone face down in a fishpond only to discover Mark Farrago, one of the main event’s organizers, is dead. When her good friend and Detective Sam Watson asks for Lucy’s observations on the case, Lucy channels her inner Nancy Drew and gets to work. When Lucy notices that the painting on loan from Louise Jane’s family has been removed from the wall without a trace. Louise Jane, terrified of her family’s ire over the missing painting, teams up with Lucy to get to the truth. Although often at odds with each other the two band together to find the truth before the murderer finds them.
Always entertaining, this series with its fun, intriguing, cozy mystery vibe is cleverly crafted, with a brilliant and quirky cast of characters, intricate plot, nail-biting suspense, humor, and a touch of romance. Having read the series from the start I was not disappointed. Overall, I love this series and I thoroughly enjoyed The Stranger in the Library. I highly recommend.
Belinda Witzenhausen 