Rain has recently lost her husband in a motorcycle accident and travels to her family's northern Wisconsin lake home to make a fresh start. She reconnects with a childhood friend and learns that her family's library is hers to manage for the summer. That surprise, combined with the appearance of a dead body, complicate her return to a place with many childhood memories. This is a typical cozy mystery with typical characters and a relatively decent plot. There were enough red herrings to not spoil the ending. Having grown up near a lake in Minnesota, this brought back lots of similar memories and I enjoyed that!

A great beginning to what I believe is going to be a very fun series.


Rain is at a very low point in her life. Recently widowed and dealing with issues that cause a tremendous amount of mental and emotional strain. Returning to her family's lakeside cabin should be a place where she can come to a sense of peace with what has happened to her. Her return finds her bombarded with childhood friends and other members of the community. The reason is double fold not only wanting to see here but pushing for the opening of their little community library. A little overwhelmed and a bit out of sorts, Rain reluctantly agrees to begin the process of opening the library. however things just keep seem to be happening to her because as talk of opening the library begins they find a body up on the property. Rain’s world is shaken a bit more when town gossip gets the best of her.


Murder at the Lakeside Library is a great beginning to what I’m sure is going to an entertaining series. Rain Wilmont is pretty complex for a cozy character but that made me like her. She is all tied up in her head but wants to do what is right. Julia jumps right in with Rain like they have never missed a moment of time together. They become very much ride or die friends by the end of the story. Jace and Rain have some very nice moments together. As for the mystery, it kept me on my toes. Rain’s attention to detail is one of the things that help work this mystery along. I would have liked a little more attention on the actual library connected to the cabin however this has been a crate set up for the series. I hope that we will get inside that treasure a little more as we progress.

Murder at the Lakeside Library is good mystery with some laugh out loud moments. I’m very much looking forward to what Ms. Danvers has in store for this series.

Sometimes I seem to get caught up in reading one genre or another and my reading tends to slow down. That's when I know it is time for a genre jump. Lately I've been entwined in YA fantasy forensic crime mysteries for almost two months straight, I definitely needed a break, and I was falling behind on my ARC stack. With it being the end of June, the weather warm and muggy and Thunderstorms all week, I decided the best way to go was with a cozy murder mystery, and Holly Danvers' new Lakeside Library Series is debuting in July. I was lucky enough to gain an advance copy the debut first book Murder at the Lakeside Library from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley, so I thought, this is perfect (thanks for the copy!) What better way to spend a couple rainy summer days then curled up with a lakeside mystery.
When Rain returns to her family's lakeside cabin after the death of her husband, all she wants is solitude and maybe the memories of her childhood. She doesn't expect to take up all the duties of her mother and their informal community library upon her arrival, and she didn't expect to be bombarded by all the people from her childhood. What she didn't expect the most was the dead body in her backyard alongside a treasured book her grandfather wrote. With rumors spreading that Rain's mother was having an affair with the victim, Rain and her childhood best friend, Julia, become amateur sleuths to try and solve the case and clear Rain's parents from the crime.
This book was everything you would expect out of a cozy mystery. It had a made-for Hallmark cast of characters, a double mystery (one that really took me by surprise, but in a good, heart-warming way), and in the end you got all the answers while still leaving the character arcs open for more. At first I felt the dialogue was a little forced and awkward, it just didn't flow naturally, but as you get into the story, you start to figure out that it's just the quirkiness of the characters and the awkwardness of trying to pick up where you left off as kids. I was skeptical of Julia for the first few chapters, she is very forward and in your face in a way that is almost suspicious, but it turns out she's just an overly involved high school teacher trying to rekindle a childhood friendship and my suspicions were for nothing.
Just like with all good mysteries, it's hard to write a thorough review without spoiling it, so I'm not going to say much more other than I could not put this book down. It had twists I didn't see coming, and the ending was actually pretty action packed.There were times when tragic past circumstances were super heartbreaking, but there was also a fun casualness to the book that really made me miss Lakeside vacations and the friendships formed in those small little communities. There was even a little spark that I’m hoping buds into a romance between the main character and her best friend's cute older brother (who also happens to be the town police officer). This book had all the summer lake house vibes. It’s a perfect quick read for any weekend lakeside. I can't wait until February 2022 when the next installment, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library, releases!

Cozies can be hit or miss for me and sadly this one was a little too low-tension for me.

Rain returns to her family cabin and is immediately pressured to open the informal lending library that her mother Willow used to run. Then a body is discovered and Rain's mother is the prime suspect. So Rain and her friend Julia team up to solve the murder.

The setting in this was unique and fun and well-described.But there was also a lot of narrative summary, a LOT of time with Rain contemplating things, and a lot of hand waving.

Great start to a new cozy mystery series. I am eager to read the next one. Lots of potential for romance, resolving family issues, more library and outhouse activity. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

I absolutely love cozy mysteries, particularly those set by the water, but unfortunately this story didn't hold my attention.

This is a wonderful start to a new cozy mystery series. It starts out a little slow but it picks up and was a very enjoyable read. It has just enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. Thank you Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers gets off to a very slow start and unfortunately I found myself skimming a lot because of all the repetition. I’ll keep saying it, give me a shorter book with a tighter story any day over a longer book that keeps repeating. Did I mention all the repetition?! ;)

Even with the three star rating and recapping, I would try another book in A Lakeside Library Mystery series because the descriptions of Wisconsin’s Northwoods were perfect and made me feel as if I was back in my hometown of Eagle River.

And the characters are true to what you’ll find in Northern Wisconsin; people who have impromptu cookouts and invite everyone, people who are willing to drop everything and help, people who randomly cut a neighbor’s grass, friends/family who get the tab and say you can get the next one, and randomly seeing people you knew in high school when someone moves back to town after being away for 20 years.

With so much repetition of things besides the murder, there was not as much to the mystery as there are in other cozies, although Danvers does have some red herrings. The ending did seem a bit rushed, but was still a good reveal.

I’ll be checking out book two, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library, if nothing else, to see the library finally up and running.

This book was so much more than I expected. Set as a cozy mystery on a lake in upstate Wisconsin, this book tackles so much more than just murder. Rain, trying to take a respite at her family's lakeside cabin after a series of traumatic events in her personal life, unfortunately, dives head first into even more questions in her life. The author very respectfully handles themes of infertility, death, family relationships, parental trauma, generational trauma. I am really hoping this isn't the last we see of Rain, Julia, Jace, and the library. Even more so I would love to hear the actual story about Rain's parents!

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in the cozy mystery series about Rain Wilmont, who returns home to her family's waterfront cabin in Lofty Pines after the death of her husband. Attached to the cabin the family has a small informal library, normally run by Rain's mother. This summer Rain will have to do this job, but before she can re-open the library a dead man is discovered outside.

This was such a good summer cozy mystery, a real easy read set in lovely surroundings. The mystery was not very complicated, but I still enjoyed the book, and will look forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Rain retreats to her family’s summer cottage when her husband dies. She is shocked to find people want her to open the library room from the original family cabin. This is book 1 in the Lakeside Library series and it’s a great beginning. Old childhood friends help ease her sorrow and help solve the murder of a real estate agent found outside the cabin. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a cute story. For the most part the main characters were likeable and their plotlines fathomable. While the ending seemed rushed as compared to the rest of the book, the revelation of the whodunit part of the mystery was very good. I definitely see where this could be a good series with the characters and relationships that have been introduced with this debut book.

I received an advance copy of this title via NetGalley.

This is the first in the Lakeside Library mystery series. I loved the informal library, the quaint lakeside community and the relationships that Rain has with the "Lakers." Rain has returned to Lofty Pines after the untimely death of her husband. She has decided to come back to time some time to mourn and be away from people, but is immediately met by the news that she will have to open and run the library that is attached to the cabin. She is a little put off by the responsibility, but is enjoying spending time with her childhood best friend, Julia. She is working on reopening the library when she and her friends stumble upon the body of Thornton Hughes, clutching a book written by her grandfather.

This one started off a little slow for me, but picked up not far in to the novel and I was hooked. There were a lot of twists and turns, which I loved. Family secrets were discovered and I loved Rain's persistence in proving her family's innocence. I could picture the setting and would have loved to be sitting lakeside by the library reading a good book!

This novel is Holly Danvers’ series debut for Lakeside Library Mysteries, and the book starts slow, eventually picking up. There are a few interesting elements to the murder mystery, but the story is easy to put down. The resolution is unexpected and finally evokes an emotional touch.

Danvers initiates a new series about an upper Midwest lake town. First, I like the setting since I hail from the Midwest. Second, I like the main character, Rain. She’s transitioning to a new life and I hope there is a spark with Jace. Julie was a good sidekick for her as they chased down clues. It was almost like Cagney and Lacey. I liked the mystery plot. Family secrets, a library, and books are all topics I’m interested in. The cover makes me want to dive into it and explore. I think the series is off to a stellar beginning.

Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers is the first book in this author's A Lakeside Library Mystery series. I really enjoyed this story. The characters are very likable and realistic. The storyline flows well. The author describes Northwood in such a way I'm sure I'd enjoy a visit there. I especially enjoyed the surprise twist at the end of the book. The next book in the series, Long Overdue at the Library is on my TBR list.

If you are looking for a book to read by the lake this summer, here it is!

Our main character, Rain, is newly widowed and decides to move back to her childhood lakeside summer home for some time away from the big city. Upon arrival there is a dead body discovered and Rain is wondering what the dead guy's connection is to her family. This of course leads to uncovering family skeletons and a little danger to herself.

The premise of this is great - a more remote setting than usual in a cosy mystery, being a lakeside community in northern Wisconsin, which sounds quite idyllic - but I struggled to make it to 40% and then skimmed to the end. Standard ARC issues aside, I struggled with the dialogue and found it generally a clunky and awkward read. All the weird descriptions of people's hands grated, as did all the details, descriptions and comparisons throughout, which came across as so much filler rather than contributing anything towards the story and/or mystery and slowed the pace tremendously.

Not a series for me, although it will appeal to many who want a simple summer escape read.

Rain comes to the family summer cabin of her childhood to recharge after the death of her husband. Thinking to find her mother waiting, she is troubled to find no mother, an unwanted task of running the library housed in the cabin and a body near the outhouse. This would be great for someone interested in character studies more than the mystery. It felt bogged down in places and solving the crime seemed secondary.

Sometimes we all just need to get away and solve a little mystery! And that is what Rain does with a little help from her friend Julia. Rain has come to the family lakeside home and community library to regroup after the death of her husband. Little does she know that she will be greeted by the new local dead man! Join Rain as she tries to solve who the dead man is and spend some time with the hunky sheriff, Jace!