First and foremost I owe a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering this up to readers through the NetGalley site because when I realized this book was happening and looked it up it was part of the ‘read now’ category and not the ‘request’ category! I was so flipping excited because I absolutely adore this series! Getting my hands on another ARC for this series, especially after Crooked Lane decided to continue it, was literally a dream come true.

So, I was a little apprehensive about this one because my thoughts on the previous book, The Spook in the Stacks, was not all I had hoped it would be. But this one felt just like the first three in the series. I’m not sure if it was because I read the fourth as an early ARC and it wasn’t polished, but it read so differently and gave me different vibes than the other four in the series, but I almost cried with relief when I started this and got all those familiar feelings again. It was exactly what I hoped for and what I needed.

This has all the classic cozy components: budding romance, spunky family, animal side-kick, cold police detective, fun friends, and a juicy murder. With a mix like this, how could you not be happy?

This series is set in the picturesque Outer Banks, and the author does a fantastic job describing the sites and the town and making you feel at home every time you visit. The writing is top notch here, combining both creepy scenes leading up to and around the mystery and comedic banter between the core characters of the novel. It was such a comforting read, which is odd considering it’s a murder mystery, but the writing made it almost impossible to not be happy while reading this. I had so much fun I didn’t want it to end, and I’m already waiting for the next one to be announced.

The mystery aspect here is really well done as well, just as with the previous books in the series. Lucy lays out all the clues, we learn things as we go, and just when I think I understand what’s happening, boom, the ending comes with a big twist. I love that I can get both a good cozy read from this book and a satisfying crime thriller at the same time, it really is the best of both worlds.

We also get a lot of family/community dynamics in this one,too. I happen to think we see a good bit of character development over the series, as well. Lucy in the first book was more timid and coming into her new life but now she’s secure in her choices and is determined to help her friends and family, no matter the cost. This series focuses a lot on family, since Lucy lives in the Outer Banks near her aunt, uncle, and cousin, but this one shows her uncle’s family and centers on them as the victims and suspects since it’s Josie’s cousin who dies.

You definitely need to read these in order to fully understand references made and further character dynamics, but if you like cozy mysteries then I highly recommend these! I have read another of her books, Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen, but it didn’t hook me the way this series has. She’s written a good deal both in this pen name and under her name Vicki Delany, but for right now this series is my favorite from her.

I came into this series at book 4 and couldn't wait to read the next installment. Lucy and Josie are like old friends who fit right back into your life with no hesitations like they never left. Who knew Josie's extended family was so NUTS! I was getting anxiety just reading about them trying to take over the wedding. It made me even more thankful I did not have to worry about that for my own wedding. I really don't think I could have kept my cool the way Josie did.

I enjoyed that Eva Gates made sure to have plenty of red herrings throughout the book all the while making sure my attention was riveted. I did not guess the villain until it was revealed. The added catastrophe of the lighthouse wall almost made me cry. I have become attached to the library in the lighthouse and Lucy's little apartment in the aerie. Even though the thought of climbing 100 steps daily makes my knees ache.

I feel as if each book can be read as a stand-alone. I do have plans to go back and read the series from the beginning. I hope you take a chance and pick up Something Read, Something Dead and see for yourself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

I love this series and I think it improves with each new installment.
This one was very good: solid mystery, plot full of twists and turn, an engaging and entertaining read.
It was great to meet again the cast of characters and see the evolution in their life.
I look forward to reading the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

Lighthouse? Check. Library? Check. Library cat? Check. Wedding? Check. Amateur sleuth? Check. Murder? Of course, check. There is a little bit of everything cozy in Something Read, Something Dead.

Lucy is the assistant librarian at the Lighthouse Library in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She is helping her cousin Josie plan her nuptials with the two other bridesmaids, Stephanie and Grace. While they may not agree on the wedding colors, they do agree on this mantra: “small, simple, and perfect in every way.”

The mantra only lasts until Josie’s cousin, Mirabelle, and her grandmother, Gloria, appear. As Josie is her only granddaughter, Gloria insists on a more formal, and expensive, celebration. During the bridal shower at the library, Mirabelle sickens. After an ambulance ride to the hospital, she dies. Believing Mirabelle was poisoned, the police investigate. As Josie is the number one suspect, Lucy vows to clear her cousin’s name.

Some cozy series just feel like you’re catching up with old friends. The Lighthouse Mystery series gives that feeling to me. Do I care I guessed the murderer early in the book? No, because that’s not the main reason I read this series. Lucy, Steph, Josie and Aunt Ellen are genuine characters that I like to visit. I was disappointed that there were no gluten-free recipes included but after reading the book, it is easy to understand why. Overall, Something Read, Something Dead is an excellent way to pass an afternoon. 4 stars!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This fun cozy mystery has a great setting in the Outer Banks of coastal North Carolina that got me interested right away. Another plus was that Lucy Richardson is a librarian of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library set in the lighthouse. Imagine working and living in a lighthouse. Fun! But things are not so fun with her cousin Josie O'Malley when her simple wedding plans are turned upside down by her overbearing grandmother and entourage of an aunt and cousins (dubbed the Louisiana Mafia) who show up from New Orleans to help with her plans. When her pushy cousin Mirabelle turns up dead of poison from goodies served at the bridal shower, the police look at Josie as their number one suspect since she made the desserts at her bakery, Josie's Cozy Bakery. The cake that she made glutten free just for Mirabelle had an illicit substance on top of a cake. No way could Josie by responsible so Lucy puts on her sleuthing hat to find out who might have either wanted Mirabelle dead or for the blame to fall on Josie. An old girlfriend of groom Jake's shows up to try to win him back. Maybe she could be responsible. But cousin Florence is not happy with Mirabelle trying to take over her event planning business. Lucy has her work cut out looking for who is the culprit. In the midst of the murder mystery, a huge crack shows up in the lighthouse foundation that could be disastrous. The library board hopes that the city will help with the costs but they are not interested in donating much money. This puts a strain on the relationship between Lucy and her boyfriend Connor, who happens to be the mayor.
This is an enjoyable read with great characters (including a library cat, Charles for Charles Dickens, a fun setting and a plot with some mystery and danger thrown in.
I received a complimentary ARC from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

Something Old (the sweet Southern Grandma), Something New (a horrible crack in the lighthouse foundation), Something Borrowed (time while Lucy and her friends try to figure out who killed cousin Mirabelle), and Something Blue (cousin Josie and her fiancé who are the chief suspects). Great plot and some useful suggestions on how to handle pushy - overbearing grand dame's and manipulative cousins while planning a wedding. Not that weddings aren't complicated enough but to add murder and mystery is almost more than any bride and groom should have to work around. Excellent character development and I can't wait to read the next installment!

An engaging addition to a delightful series. A library in a lighthouse sounds wonderful. Instead of bridezilla, we get overbearing relatives/wedding planners. A clever mystery. Sweet ending. A tear may have been shed.

She’s back! I am so glad that this series didn’t end as was forecasted when the cozy mystery draw-down was going on a few years ago. This book is the 5th book in the Lighthouse Library mystery series.

I really enjoy the series for its characters, humor and plots. I like that the sleuth, Lucy Richardson, lives in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. I also like that the setting is in Nags Head, NC.

I can always count on Ms. Gates to provide an entertaining, well-plotted mystery. I like the characters, the quaintness of their individuality, and how they interact. Yes, I even like not liking some of them.

So, in this story, there is wedding to plan, a bride to keep calm, Lucy’s BFF, a of course a murder to solve. There are plenty of suspects before we send the invading family from the south back home.

Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy this quick read.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. These are my unsolicited opinions.

I have enjoyed all of the previous Lighthouse Library Mystery books, but I just couldn't get into this one. ,

In this book, the fifth in the Lighthouse Mystery series, we return to Lucy Richardson's life in Nags Head, North Carolina. It's wintertime on the Outer Banks and Lucy is trying to help with arrangements for her cousin Josie's wedding.

Josie and her fiancé Jake want to keep the wedding small and on a budget. A plan is made to give them what they want. However, as with too many weddings, people step in with their suggestions and try to command the wedding planning ship. This time it is the “Louisiana Mafia” - Josie's grandmother Gloria, aunt Mary Anna and her cousins “maneater” Mirabelle and Florence. Gloria and Mirabelle, mainly, have their own grand and expensive ideas about planning Josie's wedding and sparks begin to fly. Toss in Jake's ex Toni coming to town to try to win him back, an employee of Josie's on the brink of getting fired, and Mirabelle also flirting with the groom, there is plenty of action taking place.

When Mirabelle dies after turning ill at the bridal shower, Lucy is back on the “job” of trying to figure out a whodunnit – and – keep Josie's wedding plans on track.

There was no shortage on the list of people who may have done in Mirabelle. By the end, I was suspecting almost a handful of people. One of which was right, but for the wrong reason. The twists were fun and kept me guessing until the end. Eva Gates did a great job of pulling me into the feelings of everyone in the story.

Although she was a domineering pain in the backside, I did enjoy grandma Gloria, but was just glad she was not in my family. Her antics had me both cringing and chuckling at times. I could also understand (but not condone the extent of) her desire to meddle in her only granddaughter's wedding.

As always, I loved hearing about the Outer Banks and its environment. Having have only been there once around Christmastime, when it was freezing, the author really brought me back there with her descriptions of life on the Outer Banks in wintertime (although I missed the snow). I chuckled every time she mentioned birds or birdwatchers, since that was what we went there to do. It was not for the faint of heart. The chilling wind blowing off the waters around the island is no joke.

I would recommend this cozy to mystery lovers who enjoy a good dose of family drama along with their murder mysteries.

I received an advanced digital copy of Something Read, Something Dead by Eva Gates from NetGalley and Crooked Lane in exchange for an honest review.

The fifth in the Lighthouse Library series set in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Lucy is trying to help her cousin Josie plan her wedding to Jake and they want to keep it small. All of a sudden Grandma Gloria and Louisiana cousins come in to take everything over and make it grander and perhaps some profit for themselves. One of the cousins Mirabelle who has shown perhaps too much interest in Jake dies after eating gluten free desserts prepared by Josie specifically for her. Lucy steps in to find the real guilty party so that Josie can have her happy ending. Solid addition to this series.

Weddings sometimes bring out the worst in everyone. Josie and Jake's is no exception except they aren't the problem- Mirabelle is! She's pushy and awful and she's made a play for Jake which is why (surprise!) Josie is a prime suspect when Mirabelle dies. It doesn't help that Josie is the baker who made the special gluten free treat she ate. Lucy, who runs the Bodie Lighthouse Library, doesn't believe that Josie did it and of course she must investigate. The North Carolina Police send in a investigator too (it's small town and everyone knows everyone too well for comfort)= which adds a flip of something new to the mix. Lucy's also coping with structural and other problems at the lighthouse. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a pleasant cozy series in a nice setting.

As this is a series that I really enjoy, I expected to like it but I loved this one in the series. The story caught my attention from the first few pages and mystery kept me reading late into the night. I just didn't' want to put it down. I thought that it was very well-written and an easy reading book.

The characters are continuing to develop relationships and I like the way the characters relate to each other. I just love the lighthouse setting and can't wait to see what happens next!

I'm enjoying the direction this series is going. This is the third book I've read in it, and finally feel like I'm connecting more with the characters. I love the setting and location, and want to read more about them. In Something Read, Something Dead in particular, I loved the way the mystery played out. It was a little more unexpected for me, and I liked the twists at the end. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!

Awesome Lighthouse Library Cozy Mystery
This is a wonderful cozy mystery that takes place in a lighthouse that has been converted into a library. The setting is the Outer-banks near Nag's Head in January. What a wonderful setting! The plot is great with plenty of suspects, motives and literary references. This is a memorable story that I will enjoy reading again. I also plan on reading more of this series and more of this author's books.

Lucy Richardson's cousin Josie O'Malley is planning a low-key winter wedding to restaurant owner Jake Greenblatt. But then her domineering grandmother Gloria and cousins Florence and Mirabelle arrive from New Orleans and try to take over the wedding plans as well as save their fledging event planning business. Mirabelle starts changing all of Josie's plans and also flirts with Jake much to Josie's ire. Jake's ex-girlfriend Toni also arrives in town to try and stop the wedding and win him back.

An impromptu bridal shower at the Lighthouse library ends tragically when Mirabelle collapses and dies after eating Josie's specially prepared gluten-free desserts. Josie is the prime suspect and her bakery is closed during the police investigation which puts her in a funk. Lucy tangles with a rigid state investigator who is leading Mirabelle's murder investigation instead of the local police chief.

Meanwhile, the lighthouse needs extensive repairs after a huge crack forms after a wicked rainstorm. Can the library and town raise the $100000 needed to save the historic structure?

This was a less satisfying read than previous Lighthouse library mysteries.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I really wanted to like this series. I really did. I love the author's other series [written under another name] and had high hopes for this one. And while this book wasn't nearly as bad as one of the previous ones [and is much better read rather than listened to - that narrator cannot do southern accents to save her life], it still was not a really great read. The only reason it got two stars was because the ending was really great - the reveal and the why and how was really well done.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of the things that bugged me the most about this book and that is how they dealt with what it means to be gluten-free and how everyone reacted to that. As someone who has celiac disease and HAS to eat gluten-free, nothing upsets me more than people who don't do their research about it [and assumes that ALL gluten free food is gross; I will admit there is stuff out there that is gross, but there is much more that is delicious and in many cases BETTER than their gluten filled counterparts] and write about it like it is some fad that is just gross and has nothing good to offer food-wise. It is a dangerous thing as it will confirm what many people think already and will make an already rough road to travel even harder for those of us who's lives depend on safe food to eat. That part of the story-line [and the idea that Josie, an accomplished baker, could not make delectable gluten free desserts - my niece who is NOT a trained baker makes incredible gluten free desserts that everyone eats and loves, so you cannot tell me that Josie wouldn't be very well versed in that art] was very distressing and upsetting and really almost resulted in me giving this book a very low rating. Only the ending and some of the other story-line kept that from happening. PLEASE do your research about things that are medically related if you are going to write about them and please take into consideration what your flippant attitude will do those who struggle with this every single day.

I will not be reading any of these [should she write them]; I just do not enjoy then enough to try and continue with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Something Read, Something Dead is the fifth book in the Lighthouse Library series.

Lucy Richard is excited for her cousin, Josie whose wedding will be coming up soon. Josie and her fiance Jake want a small and simple wedding with a reception to be held at Jake’s restaurant. That was how the planning was going until Josie’s, Grandmother Gloria gets wind of the pending wedding and arrives, unannounced, with Josie’s Aunt Mary Anna and cousins Mirabelle and Florence. Gloria announces that no way is her granddaughter and proceeds to suggest that Mirabelle, along with Florence have a wedding planning business, plan a “proper” wedding. Unfortunately, at one of planning meeting where Josie has heard enough of Mirabelle plans and says that she hopes someone would “bump” off Mirabelle.

Lucy has planned that the bridal shower will be held at the Brodie Island Library, where she works. Gloria reluctantly agrees to this and is cordial to everyone. Soon the food is brought and everyone is taking advantage of the delicious spread. Then as things are winding down, Mirabelle starts to complain about not feeling well and is rushed to the hospital and succumbs shortly after arriving there. Tests made show that she died from poisoning. The source of poison were gluten-free pastries that Josie had specially prepared for Mirabelle. State Police detective Yarmouth is brought in to investigate Mirabelle death, as local detective Sam Watson is too close to Josie and her family. Yarmouth seems to only want to gather information that will convict Josie, so Lucy, her friends, and family set out to clear Josie’s name.

I always enjoy visiting the Brodie Island Lighthouse Library and this was no exception. The story is well-written and plotted with a very enjoyable and believable cast of characters. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing to the end.

This is book 5 in the Lighthouse Library mystery series. It is a wonderful cozy and a wedding is being planned for Josie. Lucy has offered the library for the bridal shower and all is going smoothly until Josie's grandmother arrives in town with a pair of wedding planners. When one of the planners turns up dead the entire wedding party starts solving the crime. Set in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina this is a fun read about family. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read all the previous books in this series and loved them. This book, though, started out very slow which made me wonder if I should continue to read it. I did and about one quarter of the way through the writing was much more concise and like previous Eva Gate's books. The plot was great, character development excellent but as I stated the beginning was slow and slightly confusing. Enjoy! 📚