Love this series. What has more character than a library set in a lighthouse. As Josie and Jakes wedding gets closer, family comes to town and murder happens. It’s up to Lucy to find out who the murderer is. Another great addition to this series.
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I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.
This is one of my most favourite series and it did not disappoint. Its the upcoming wedding of Josie and Jake on the Outer Banks and what's a wedding without meddling relatives, opinions which the bride doesn't love and lets not forget the body at library just what every wedding needs.
Sit back and enjoy the hijinks and crime solving that makes this a fun must read mystery series.

I absolutely love the Lighthouse Library mystery series! Lucy is a believable protagonist and so are the characters that Eva Gates populates her stories with. This time, the murder hits a bit close to home for Lucy so there is lots of family to contend with along with lots of suspects. A well plotted mystery in a charming location with characters you really care about.....what more could you ask for? How about a 6th in the series!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I am such a fan of this series. A librarian myself, Lucy is near and dear to my heart, as are the other library team members, and the patrons. And let me tell you, the budget issues are real.

In this installment, Josie's fam from NOLA rolls in to "help" with wedding plans, and boy, oh, boy does it cause a stir. And a death.

The mystery is good, and there is less "library stuff" than in some of the other installments. There is also less from the regular characters, but that's to be expected with a pack of ladies from the Big Easy rolling into town.

All in all, this was a fun addition to the series.

I've really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery series and the fifth entry is no exception. I enjoy the characters and their personalities and relationships. The mystery is well written with enough clues to keep you guessing and thinking about the whodunit. Anything related to the Outer Banks, libraries and cats makes this a good read for me and I'll certainly be continuing the series.

I love the idea of a library in a lighthouse, How fun it would be to visit! I enjoy ed this book very much and I always look forward to reading another one in the series.

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.

In Nags Head, North Carolina Josie and Jake’s plans for a small, intimate, and inexpensive wedding go awry when the family matriarch, Grandma Gloria -an aging Southern belle, shows up from New Orleans with a couple of the bride’s female relatives in tow and begins an all-out effort to scuttle couples plans and replace them with what she believes is a more fitting lavish affair that the beleaguered couple can ill afford. Both bride and groom are involved in start up businesses, he a restaurant and she a bakery, and want to save every penny they can to invest in their respective ventures .

The second major plot involves Lucy Richardson, cousin to the bride and the librarian at the local lighthouse/library who is facing a few potential employment and housing issues of her own – all while running interference between Josie and the “New Orleans horde” in an attempt to keep the peace and see to it that the wedding Josie planned is the one that takes place.

What ensues are the antics of a colorful cast of characters confronting a plethora of family issues and personal problems, while dealing with murder, attempted murder and a few other near catastrophic events.

A good way to fill a chilly afternoon. 3 ½ stars

Josie and her fiance want a small wedding and are being helped by her bridesmaids including cousin Lucy. Josie's Southern Grandmother descends on them with some of her cousins demanding a much grander affair. When one of her cousins is found murdered Josie becomes the prime suspect. The Police close Josie's bakery so her wedding and business are affected.

Lucy tries to clear her cousin's name whilst dealing with the fact that she might lose her home and job when cracks are found in the lighthouse library.

The characters are interesting (some of the Southern contingent are very unpleasant) and the town is delightful. A fun read.

A very well written cozy mystery. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the North Carolina setting. I highly recommend this book to mystery fans. I received an arc from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

This is the fifth book in the Lighthouse Library mystery series, a cozy mystery series that takes place in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Lucy's beloved cousin Josie is planning her wedding when her extended family shows up unexpected and try to take over the wedding details. Josie's cousin Mirabelle ends up dead and Josie is the prime suspect after having threatening her. This is my favorite of the Lighthouse Library mystery series and may be the best mystery I read this year! Eva Gates keep you guessing throughout the book on the real killer.

A Lighthouse Mystery #5

Back in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Lucy Richardson, our resident library dweller and worker, is trying to keep her cousin Josie calm and plan Josie's wedding to Jake.

Everyone loves Josie and her Cozy Bakery and also her fiance' who is a chef with his own restaurant. They know they want simple and small. But there is still a dress to buy, flowers to arrange and showers to host.

To everyone's horror, the New Orleans branch of Josie's family shows up and apparently left their manners at home. Between Grandma Gloria pushing everyone around and insisting on changing every detail of the wedding, as well as aunts and cousins who are more interested in making a buck off the affair. They truly were a horrible lot.

When one of the more obnoxious cousins ends up dead at the bridal shower, even the cousins are pointing fingers at Josie! Lucy of course is diving right into this case to save her friends reputation, at the same time that the lighthouse seems to be about to crumble down.

You need a few things for a really fine cozy mystery and no matter what name she is writing under, this author has a knack for creating characters that are relateable to most of us. The location? Well a lighthouse library! In the Outer Banks? There should be a murder, but not too gory, and more than a few sketchy characters to keep you guessing. This one hit every mark as usual!

Well Done!

Netgalley/ March 13th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books

Fans of this series will enjoy this latest offering. If I had read the previous books in the series, I may have enjoyed it more.

The elements of a good cozy mystery include interesting characters you want to spend
time getting to know, a location that sounds like you would at least like to visit if you can’t live
there, and a tidy murder that, while unfortunate for the victim, has little or no gory details. What
makes it a great cozy adds clues and red herrings woven throughout the story in a seamless
progression and plenty of opportunities for the reader to solve the mystery of “who done it” or,
conversely to be lead down the virtual garden path. Something Read, Something Dead by Eva
Gates has all these elements on full display.
Lucy, a librarian at the lighthouse library, is the protagonist, drawn into the most recent
murder when it appears her much loved cousin, Josie, is the prime suspect. Of course the
murder isn’t the only thing claiming Lucy’s attention. It all starts when Gloria, Josie’s
grandmother, a “grande dame” from Louisiana, blows in for a visit and promptly tries to take
over the planning of Josie’s wedding, turning it into the exact opposite of what Josie wants
because it will be more “suitable” for a family of their standing.
One of the beauties of having Gloria as a character in the book is it’s easy to read her
conversation in the deep southern accent I’ve heard all my life growing up in the south. All the
characters are well written, and easy to see as they appear in the book, but Gloria is one of my
favorites because she sounds like so many of the women I knew when I was growing up in the
south.
Add to the interesting characters The Outer Banks, one of the most beautiful coastal
areas on the Atlantic. As with the characters, Gates draws a picture of the Outer Banks and the
wildness of the area that makes you want to pack a bag and go for an extended stay. This novel
takes place in the winter and Gates makes it sound like the perfect place to spend some time as
long as you bring along an extra coat, hat and gloves.
Of course the book wouldn’t be complete without a murder, which occurs with minimal
blood and gore and a determination by Lucy to solve the mystery since she doesn’t trust the
state policeman who has been imported to do the job. The story progresses steadily toward the
unmasking of the killer, all the while taking delightful short detours to include dealing with Josie’s
fiance’s ex who has turned into a stalker, the cousins who have arrived with Gloria and dubbed
the Louisiana Mafia because of their overbearing insistence on controlling the wedding plans,
and Lucy’s advancing relationship with Connor, mayor.
The end of the book was totally satisfying, with the solution being reached and explained
by Lucy in a well orchestrated denouement. The explanation provides the readers with
vindication if they solved it and a reason to say “how could I miss that’ if they didn’t. This is the
fifth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, and my first read; but I certainly plan on it not
being my last. While the mystery here is completely self contained and easy to understand
without having read any of the previous books in the series, I think it might be enjoyable to read
the series from the beginning to experience the relationships of secondary characters develops.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me an advanced digital read
copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

As a retired librarian, I am always drawn to series involving libraries, librarians, bookstores, etc. This is one of my favorite series involving a fictional library in the real Bodie Island Lighthouse. When it appeared on NetGalley I immediately requested it. Assistant Librarian Lucy Richardson and her friends are trying to help her favorite cousin, Josie O'Malley, plan her wedding. The owner and head baker of Josie's Cozy Bakery and her fiancé, chef Jake Greenblatt, want a small, simple wedding. But Josie's grandmother, Gloria, descends with the “Louisiana Mafia”: a gaggle of aunts and cousins who intend to take control of the wedding plans. Gloria doesn't do small and simple, and cousin Mirabelle has her own ideas for Josie's wedding. that will get her fledgling event planning business on the covers of wedding magazines. To smooth the waters, Lucy hosts a bridal shower at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library that turns deadly when Mirabelle collapses after eating the gluten-free treats Josie prepared specifically for her. Now, with law enforcement zeroing in on Josie as the main suspect, Lucy has to find out what really happened happened. As in the first four in the series, the author continues to develop the characters and descriptions of the area around the library. There is never a dull moment in the plot and there are some twists and turns I did not see coming.

A happy book - for a murder mystery. When a murders occurs at a wedding shower held in the library in the lighthouse, Josie, the bride to be, is the prime suspect. She has her own bakery and her cakes are found to be the cause of death. Lucy, as always, takes it upon her self to find who really did it. Can she find out in time to save the wedding. Or Josie's life even.

I enjoyed this book - it brought a smile to my face.

Lucy and her librarian friends had a scare and to top it off a murder was committed during Josie’s family wedding arrangements causing a big stir. An interesting and entertaining mystery filled with mild intrigue amidst a case of mistaken identity. An interesting and fun read.

This was my first Lighthouse Library mystery and I am enthralled. I now must start at number 1. The characters were very enjoyable and the “Louisiana Mafia” made for a delightful read. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Josie's wedding is around the corner and she and her cousins are busy prepping for the D-Day. Lucy decides to host a bridal shower at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, the place where Lucy works. With all the yummy goodies to eat and the presence of, as Josie calls them, The Louisiana Mafia, present, nothing can go wrong. Well, that is what they all think until Mirabelle collapses after eating a gluten-free snack that Josie specially made for Mirabelle. Autopsy reports suggest that Mirabelle was poisoned.

Mirabelle cannot keep her eyes off any handsome man and this is no secret. While Mirabelle had her eyes set on Jake, Josie's fiance`, Josie had innocently made a comment saying that if given a chance, she might do off with Mirabelle. And now, with Mirabelle dead, Josie is the main suspect. With a couple of witnesses who testify saying that Josie did not like Mirabelle, Josie is in trouble. Lucy decides to prove her cousin's innocence.

I liked the concept of a library in a historic lighthouse. Although the building's foundation seems to be in some serious trouble and the renovation expenses have skyrocketed, the townspeople's decision to do anything it takes was a nice touch (in the ending of this story)

The Louisiana Mafia - Gloria, Mirabelle, Mary Anna, and Florence, were a nice touch to the story. In fact, Gloria is one grandmother that nobody wishes they had! The woman has nothing but criticism flowing in her veins. Mirabelle's character was also very interesting. From not losing a chance to flirt with anyone and everyone to Florence and Mirabelle's event management company hosting Josie's wedding, in spite of Josie not liking their decision, was hilarious. Lucy trying to set Mirabelle off track by recommending a yacht wedding was brilliant.

Lucy, Grace, Steph, and Josie - their relationship is well portrayed in the story. Each one of them has their own story to tell. Lucy finding love again - Connor, the city mayor, Jake's ex-girlfriend stalking him and Steph's career choice, all these made the story even more engaging.

Charles, the library cat, was just adorable! The first half of the story is inclined towards familial relationship. The second half of the story is where all the action begins. Lucy poking her nose into this murder mess almost gets her killed. Though there were a lot many characters, the story was quite engaging.

Overall rating: 3.5 (rounding it off to 4)

The lighthouse has a crack threatening continuing library operations unless significant funds are raised. Josie's upcoming wedding brings in distant relatives from New Orleans who think she's way behind on her wedding planning and try to take over. When one of them shows up dead, Josie becomes a suspect. The state police send in their own detective since the local law enforcement know the main suspect too well. Officer Watson doesn't even try to dissuade Lucy from her investigation in his usual manner. The action takes place during winter when tourism is slow on the Outer Banks. I figured this one out much earlier than Lucy did, but it didn't stop me from enjoying my trip to the Outer Banks with the enjoyable cast of characters, including Charlie the lighthouse cat. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)