My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 7 in the series.

I love this series, but there were too many characters to keep track of in this outing, and honestly, I still despise Mean Girl Louise Jane! Seriously, I hate that the Mean Girl has become such a common trope in cozies now. I don't want to spoil anything, but I felt like the ending rewarded Louise Jane's crappy behaviour.

I will continue to read the series, mostly because I have questions that I need answers to (who keeps custody of Charles the library cat?!).

This is one of my favorite series and it was a pleasant and entertaining read.
I was happy to catch up with the characters and travel to the lovely location.
It's a good mystery, full of twists and turns, and the solution came as a surprise.
I appreciated the character development but I found the plot a bit slow at times.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received this through NetGalley. I’ve never read any of this series or the author. It is a really nice cozy mystery set in a library. The characters are quite unique. I might go back and read the rest of the series.

A Death Long Overdue: A Lighthouse Library Mystery
By Eva Gates
Crooked Lane Books
2020

Review by Cynthia Chow

Bodie Island Lighthouse Library on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is the perfect setting for a reunion of librarians, especially when one of them is the Library Director. Rather than celebrating the day of their graduation though, Bertie James's undergraduate class is marking the day the women met on their first day of classes. Lighthouse Library Assistant Director Lucy Richardson is enthusiastically hosting the event for her boss, even creating displays of artifacts she and her staff have gathered from North Carolina libraries. Library card catalogs, photographs, and withdrawn library books from the 90s are ancient relicts to the current librarians, but the library philosophies of encouraging reading and learning haven't changed. What has changed are the women who went through the classes with Bertie, some who went on to pursue library careers and others who left the field completely. What they all share is a dislike of Helena Sanchez, the previous library director who hasn't lost her distain for the women or the new library operations. So when Lucy discovers Helena's body in the marshes next to the Lighthouse, it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that her death was not an accident.

Library volunteer, sporadic nemesis, and self-involved irritant Louise Jane McKaughnan tries to promote the death as part of her factually-questionable haunted history tour, but Lucy believes that Helena's unwanted presence was removed by more corporeal forces. The former library director's reaction to a withdrawal record card in an old copy of “The Celestine Prophecy” has Lucy believing that it is a clue to Helena's death, especially since the paper envelope has since disappeared along with a suspicious letter opener. Trusting in Lucy's proven skills as an organized librarian and amateur detective, Detective Sam Watson asks her to observe and investigate the past library students who may have had a hand in the rigid director's death.

Readers, library lovers, and of course librarians will revel in this seventh of the series that makes the most of its unique Lighthouse Library setting. Lucy never shies away from promoting just how relevant libraries remain in this age of misinformation and widening gap between those with and without access to technology. Whether catalogs are digitalized or in a card catalog cabinet, library books continue to be in demand by readers and library patrons. It’s impossible for long-time library users not to geek out a little over the depiction of actual card catalogs and written checkout slips (not to mention some righteous 80’s fashion). Lucy's romantic life is as promising as her professional one, with Nags Head Mayor Connor McNeill being the epitome of the devoted and charming boyfriend. The book club’s selection of Winkie Collins’ “The Moonstone,” often considered to be the novel establishing the rules of traditional English detective mysteries, helps to lead readers along to a still very surprising conclusion. Library lovers, ghost story fans, and anyone who has dreaded a high school or college reunion will enjoy this witty mystery and its charming characters.

Early in Gates’s exceptional seventh Lighthouse Library mystery (after 2019’s Read and Buried), Lucy Richardson, the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library assistant director, hosts a reception for the director’s 40th college reunion at the library in Nags Head, N.C. An unwelcome guest is disgruntled, demanding Helena Sanchez, a former director of the library, who becomes upset after examining the withdrawal slip inside an old book that’s part of a display of library artifacts. After the reception, Lucy, Helena, and a few others go out for a walk along the shore. Helena disappears in the dark, and a short time later the others find her body floating in the water beneath a pier. Unwilling to leave a murder connected to her beloved library to just the authorities, headstrong Lucy sets out to discover who killed Helena. Lucy and her clever cat, Charles, form an amusing sleuthing team, and the lively and endearing supporting characters add to the fun. Cozy queen Gates
Another fun mystery with Lucy and the gang. This was an interesting story with a present day murder and a bit of a cold case dating back 25 years. I enjoyed reading how it all played out along with some fun relationship stuff for Connor and Lucy too. This is a solid cozy series and this latest installment was a perfect way to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon. Looking forward to more adventures in this series.

I love the Lighthouse Library and the staff there, and wish that it was someplace that I could visit. Lucy, the main characters, lives in a small apartment on the fourth floor of the library, which is a great location and convenient to get to work, but doesn't give her much privacy especially in this book. Bertie and the friends that she started library school with play a prominent role in this book. They are having a reunion and the opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library. This brought several new characters into the story and made for an interesting mystery. I also like how the book that is being read for the Classic Book Club ties into the story. I always enjoy my visits to the library and with these characters through these books and can't wait for the next in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

While this is the most current book in the series, I wanted to read all the books leading up to it so I got them from the library and quickly read through them.

I really enjoyed the series to date and "A Death Long Overdue" was one of the most creative of the group! The plot was so much fun and the characters were amazing!

I am certainly ready for the next book in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I always enjoy the Lighthouse Library mysteries. There are some quirky characters such as Theodore who pretends to be British, and Louise Jane who is convinced that she is a physic. Lucy, the main character and assistant library director lives in an apartment above the lighthouse library. What a dreamy residence. In this story, Bertie, the library director, has a reunion of her college friends. After the party, during a walk on the pier, one of the women is murdered. The back stories of some of the characters is interesting and how their lives intersect after library school. The mystery has to do with a missing 25 million dollar necklace and a missing person. It wraps up very neatly.<br />I look forward to the next one in the series. I received this ARC copy from NetGalley.

This was such a quick, easy read! The characters were cute and quirky and the setting was perfect! I definitely want to read the previous books. A library inside a lighthouse, yes please!!! I loved Lucy and her cat Charles and definitely longed to live her life!

The mystery was clever and although I guessed the killer, it wasn’t right away. Overall a fun read!

I read, and loved A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates. This series is set in a lighthouse library and has characters that I have come to love and feel like good friends. Through each book I feel more and more like a member of the community. I dove right in and could not put this one down. I loved the idea of the Librarians reunion and the "look back" at Library procedures over the years. I do remember joyfully filling out my card at the library as a child and still get excited at the site of the Vintage pocket and cards when I come across them at old book stores.

If you are looking at a series that is full of fun, mystery, great books and a lovely sleuth then do check out Eva Gates Lighthouse Library Mystery Series.

Title: A Death Long Overdue
Author: Eva Gates

Ch: 26

Pg: 372

Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery book 1

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books



A Death Long Overdue by the Eva Gates is the 7th book in the A Lighthouse Library mystery series. And even though it's fictional I love the whole library in a lighthouse, and Charles the library cat is still my favorite character. I love that Lucy's finally settled into life in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.



With this being the 7th book in the series it's hard to describe much without giving to much of the plot of previous books. But I do have to say something happened in this book that I've been wanting to happen since book four. So I am defiantly looking forward to the next book in the series.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Bertie James along with fellow librarians are celebrating a 40th anniversary reunion. What better place to have it than in their old haunt - the Outer Banks Library and her friend Lucy has organised an exhibition of artifacts from libraries past for everyone to see and reminisce.

What turns from a lively collection of old friends, turns into a murder investigation when one of their number gets murdered in the adjoining marsh and all of them become suspects.

The story goes back decades linking one of their own with a missing diamond necklace and a young man who also went missing at the same time. Now the hunt is on for someone who has murdered twice and also to find the famed necklace.

A small town setting, a mystery murder with a bunch of much older women as suspects this was a fun read.

Lucy is Assistant Library Director at the Lighthouse Library in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Bertie, the Library Director has a reunion of her college classmates at her library. The previous director of the library is in town for a visit so Bertie invites her also. Helena turns out to be a very unfriendly person that no one who knows her seems to like. In fact, some are very unhappy to see her at the reunion. At the end of the evening the group decides to take a walk on the boardwalk in the surrounding marsh. When Helena disappears, she is found floating in the marsh, Lucy connects the dots between Helena’s death and a robbery that took place more than 25 years ago.
A Death Long Overdue is a quick and easy read. It is part of a series but can be read alone. I enjoyed the book but not enough to put the series on my TBR list.

Lighthouse Library director Bertie James is hosting a fortieth reunion of her library class's first day of undergraduate studies. As part of the reunion Lucy Richardson and her fellow library employees, had put together a display of artifacts. After the opening night reception, some of the ladies take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path. What they find, however, is a body floating in the water.

The dead woman is Helena Sanchez, the former Lighthouse Library director. Helena wasn't the most popular woman, so there is a great number of suspects. Despite her misgivings, Lucy finds herself wound up in the investigation, helping the police discover the truth, and putting herself in danger.

I feel like I repeat myself in my reviews of the Lighthouse Library mysteries, by saying that each one is better than the last, that it is the best one I'd read so far. That's what I have to say about this one. I loved this book and the perfectly woven story. There is a great list of suspects, and all of them have their reasons for wanting Helena dead. I loved having a list and being able to cross suspects off one at a time.

But in the end I hadn't figured it out, and the reveal made me wonder how I'd missed it. I love that about Eva Gates books, that the story always has a surprise ending.

If you haven't tried this series, you should, and you should start at the front and work your way through. This is book number seven, and it's as fresh as the first one. There is a wonderful addition that set up the next book, and made me grab it the minute it was available as an ARC so I could see what happens next.

Kudos to Ms. Gates for writing a wonderful book and series. I read a digital copy of this book provided me to the publisher by NetGalley.

For some reason, I had a hard time remembering the protagonists name. I was alway taken aback a bit when someone called her by name. I have no idea why.

I tried to imagine living in a lighthouse/libray. Lucy made aa comment about how much she loved the library when it was closed and it was just her (and Charles) with all the books. I love books. Every room in my home has at least one bookshelf. My basement has a good 30 feet of floor to ceiling shelves that are crammed with books. But honestly, I think I'd find being alone in a library at night a tad creepy.

As for the mystery - no I wasn't able to guess who the perpetrator was. I was able to determine a small subplot pretty easily. Only the protagonist Lucy was clueless - all the other characters knew also.

I do love books about libraries and librarians because they always introduce me to things I haven't read or remind me of books I have read and enjoyed. This book talked a lot about The Celestine Prophecy. I had heard of the book sometime in the past, but had never read it and had no idea when it was actually written or what it was about. This book made me explore and learn more about The Celestine Prophecy. (I realized that probably the reason I had never read it is that I was living in a jungle at the time.) While I didn't read the book, I think I learned enough from various reviews and synopses to know that while it makes an interesting prop in a story, but I have no desire to read the entire thing.

I did enjoy the way the story was put together, although there were times I felt SOMEONE, anyone should stand up to Lucinda and Louise Jane. I found not only their characters, but also the way others kowtowed to them to be most annoying. I like it that even though Lucy WAS investigating, she was doing it in cooperation with the police and not doing something totally stupid on her own the way so many of the female detectives in cozy mysteries do.

I think I need to go back and read previous books in this series so that I can really appreciate what comes next!

A DEATH LONG OVERDUE is the seventh book in the “Lighthouse Library” cozy mystery series by Eva Gates. In addition to cozy mystery fans, this book will also appeal to readers who enjoy books and TV programs about true crime “cold cases”. Bertie James, the director of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, is having her 40th college class reunion. I love these types of tales about people reconnecting and the good, the bad, and the ugly that can come with that. What starts out as a well-intentioned takes a turn toward tragic when one of the people at the reunion is murdered.

Bertie’s former classmates and friends are an eclectic bunch who soon turn into excellent suspects when curmudgeon, and former lighthouse library director, Helena Sanchez winds up dead. Librarian, and amateur sleuth, Lucy Richardson takes it upon herself to investigate. I think the focus in this book is more so on trying to connect crimes from long ago with more recent events. Some of the suspects seem more guilty than others, but there are one or two red herrings to work past. Among all the variables, Lucy seems convinced that the reason Helena was killed has something to do with sins from the past. In addition to the murder, there is a secondary mystery involving an extremely valuable gem that went missing years ago. The theft can’t help but captivate Lucy and the rest of her book club, since the month’s book is the classic mystery THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins. I enjoy a novel that has a double mystery for readers to solve. Hunting down clues and talking to witnesses is made slightly more difficult when some people that were around years ago are either dead or missing now. However, these bumps in the road make the mysteries ten times more intriguing. Doppelgangers reign supreme in A DEATH LONG OVERDUE – whether they are people, positions, or places.

A DEATH LONG OVERDUE has echoes from the past that bedevil people in the present, with a slew of puzzles to perplex and delight readers. Lucy’s friends, as always, add some humor and a lighter mood when needed. Librarian wannabe, busybody, and mistress of local ghost lore Louise Jane is as obnoxious as ever. I like the dash of romance sprinkled throughout the story. I look forward to the next “Lighthouse Library” mystery.

This is book 7 in the Lighthouse Mystery series and could be read as a stand alone but you would miss out on some of the interactions with the characters. Lucy and the library staff are hosting a college reunion for Bertie. It's July in the Outer Banks and the staff has prepared an exhibit on the history of North Carolina Libraries. When former director Helen is found dead after the reception all the folks that attended are suspect. I liked the attention to the history of the libraries. The romance also heats up between Connor and Lucy. A nice read with lots of clues for solving the murder. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

A fun, easy and light read. I loved the whole library within a lighthouse setting! I love books and libraries (duhhh!) and I have always been fascinated by lighthouses so having them both combined as a place and setting in a book was like a fantasy put on paper. The plot was good and I loved all the characters, especially Charles the cat. I like how animals are given a distinct personality of their own in cosy mysteries--they are like proper characters instead of being mere pets. This is the first book I have read by this author as well as in the series although it is the 7th in the series and I didn't find it hard to follow at all. What's more, I have found another cosy series that I want to catch up with!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Eva Gates for the e-Arc of the book.

Another fun mystery with Lucy and the gang. This was an interesting story with a present day murder and a bit of a cold case dating back 25 years. I enjoyed reading how it all played out along with some fun relationship stuff for Connor and Lucy too. This is a solid cozy series and this latest installment was a perfect way to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon. Looking forward to more adventures in this series.