Lucy, the local librarian, and Connor have finally moved into their new old home and have begun the repairs when strange things start to happen. Lucy and Charles, the library cat, awake to noises that sound like someone else is inside their home when Connor is away for the night and then the following night a dead body appears in their kitchen. What they uncover next is that old houses have their secrets and the previous homeowners have their fair share of secrets as well.

This is the 9th book in the series and although I haven’t read the first 8 books yet, the big things were referenced back to in some detail so I was aware of what previously happened. I really like Lucy, Connor and Charles and town of Nags Head. This cozy mystery series is a great easy to read prefect for snuggling up on the couch to enjoy!


Thank you @netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I love this series! It was a pleasure ring back in Nag’s Head with the library family. I truly enjoyed getting to know Harper siblings and more history of the Outer Banks. A great addition to the series!
Lucy and Connor have moved into their dream home and are fixing it up. Lucy begins hearing and seeing things that make her wonder if the house is haunted (as rumored), or if there is something sinister going on. After finding a dead body in the kitchen they know someone very real has been in their home. Lucy sets out to solve the case, meeting new friends along the way.

This was a pleasant, easy reading book, a good holiday read with a good cast of believable characters and was nicely plotted.

Enjoyable continuation of one of my favorite cozy mysteries! Lucy and Connor are busy renovating their new home and planning for their upcoming nuptials. Their new beach home, rumored (at least by Louise Jane) to be haunted becomes the site of not only break-ins, but murder. I enjoyed the return of minor characters from former books, giving us the opportunity to learn more about them. Rcommend.

Death By Beach Read by Eva Gates (Lighthouse Library Mystery #9) 4 stars

Lucy and Connor are now married after the events of "Deadly Ever After" (2021). They are now living in their historic cottage on Nags Head Beach. The renovation work is ongoing - there is a lot to fix up since it has been empty for quite awhile. When Lucy is alone in the house she wakes up hearing sounds of movement in the living room. She investigates and finds footprints in the dust around her living room. On another evening, Lucy and Connor hear more sounds in the house; they start searching and find a dead body in their kitchen. The victim used to live in the house. Why was he in their home and who killed him? Lucy needs to find out, otherwise there maybe unpleasant surprises in store for their home renovations and newly married life.

This was a fairly good mystery with plenty of red herrings. It was a little slow in parts, but the identity of the criminal surprised me. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Land Books for this ARC.

I received an advanced copy via Netgalley. A nice addition to the series, which is probably best read in order. A new reader may not understand the relationships and references to past investigations. A light, quick read with some interesting historical details about Nags Head and Prohibition.

Outstanding story telling once again brings us to the Lighthouse Library gang to entertain and delight while untangling a mystery from long ago that ties to a recent murder. Once again Lucy finds herself in the eye of the storm as she must quickly untangle the mysterious happenings at her new home before she finds herself the next alleged ghost to haunt the house. The characters are well developed with interesting and unique personalities that draw you in and keep you turning pages as you cheer them on as they unweave the tangled history involved in the most recent murder. This series quickly became a favorite due to the setting inside a lighthouse turned into a public library, but the characters keep me coming back for more and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

I apparently requested what turned out to be the 9th book in a series I have never read. However, I found that it didn't matter too much. Although there were a few vague comments about how Lucy had helped the police before, or how it wasn't the first dead body she had seen, I was able to follow the story with no problems. It can work well as a stand alone. Thanks, Crooked Lane and NetGalley for the chance to read a new author.

I’ve been wanting to read this series, but haven’t gotten to it yet. But the title of this one intrigued me so I decided to dive in fresh, even though the series is already established. It features a librarian and a cat—a sure-fire hook for me.
Librarian Lucy and her fiancé, Connor, have purchased an historic home on the beach and are busily renovating it. The home has a colorful past and tales abound about the family who owned it. When a man with a past connection to the house is found murdered in its kitchen, Lucy wants to get to the bottom of the stories, clear the way to making the house her own home, and perhaps helping a troubled woman, too. Colorful characters populate this book, from the library staff.(always a quirky bunch), to nosy neighbors, and even Lucy’s future in-laws. The mystery is a good one, with plenty of suspects. The setting is lovely: the Outer Banks. The author describes it so beautifully that I could almost hear the crashing waves or the seagulls crying. However, I was a bit annoyed by Connor’s habit of ruffling Lucy’s hair. (I counted 3 incidents.) I imagine it’s supposed to be affectionate, but I thought it was patronizing. But that’s minor. On the whole this is an entertaining story with a beautiful setting and interesting characters. Thanks to Net Galley for providing it to me for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley. Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley.

A fun entry in the Lighthouse Library cozy mystery series. I enjoy this series, for the mysteries in each novel and for the setting. A Lighthouse Library? How awesome is that? Highly recommend.

Death By Beach Read is the ninth book in the Lighthouse Mystery Series- it can be read as a stand alone however I am interested in reading more to learn about past experiences they hint at! Lucy and her fiancé, the mayor of Nags Head, are fixing up their dream home when odd things begin happening. Then they discover a dead body in their kitchen and Lucy is determined to solve the mystery. The atmosphere and characters are written beautifully. This is a super fun cozy mystery and I must say I love The character Charles the cat! Thank you #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. #cozymystery #DeathByBeachRead

The name did not match the story, but that in no way detracted from it being an excellent mind-boggler. This one challenged Lucy to the end. An entertaining cozy puzzler with a twist, gripping even.

Spring on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home a historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach. The house needs lots of renovations and they worked hard over the winter to get it ready. Lucy is busy at work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, planning her wedding and decorating the house. Until a dead body disrupts their peaceful new abode. The first night Lucy is alone in the house with her Charles the library cat, she hears sounds. Lucy is reminded that the house is said to be haunted forty years ago the teenage daughter of the owners fled in the night and never came back. Meanwhile the Classic Novel reading club is reading The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorn about another old house full of secrets. Can Lucy find similarities to her own situation in Hawthorns fiction before the killer strikes again? A fun mystery as they try to solve who killed the man they don’t even recognize in their kitchen.

I was so happy to get an eARC of this latest installment of Eva Gates' Lighthouse Library Mysteries series. It is one of my favorite mystery series, as the protagonist, Lucy, is a young librarian who lives (now lived) in an apartment in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. The setting of the Outer Banks and a library in a lighthouse is just wonderful! Lucy is now engaged and has moved into a house with her fiancé, Conner. Their home is one of the long-standing homes on the island, and comes with an interesting past...and present. As always, Lucy encounters a dead body, and before you know it, she and Charles, the library cat, are investigating. Wonderful continuation of a great series!
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Recommended and rated this book
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Another enjoyable trip to Nags Head in North Carolina.

Lucy and Conner are now living in one of the Painted Ladies, historical homes, on the beach. Conner and his dad are slowly working on improvements to the house, while Lucy continues working in the lighthouse library and planning for their wedding.
Peaceful living is short lived though, as strange noises in the house are soon heard by Lucy, while Conner is out of town. It is not long before a body is found in their kitchen one morning.

This is book nine of the Lighthouse Library series. Eva Gates {Vicki Delany} has yet again drawn me in to these wonderful characters that she has created. I think what I like most about Lucy, is that she is relatable. She is often brave, but also gets scared, and even freezes up when confronted by the characters that she has been searching for the whole time. Lucy's friends and family seem like people that I would want in my own life.

The story is paced well. Just when it seems like Lucy has hit a dead end, just the right leads are uncovered, leading Lucy to solve the crime. There are only a few suspects, and the red herrings can definitely lead the reader astray, but I did come close to guessing the guilty party, I just did not know why.

I continue to look forward to the next book in this series, and a trip to Lucy's idyllic town.

I was fortunate to receive an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

While Lucy and Connor are renovating their house when a dead body suddenly appears in their house, which is said to be haunted. They soon realize their is a long-time connection between this dead man and their house. Lucy's forced to find out what happened all those years ago and why it’s threatening her happiness today.

When I requested this book, I had no idea it was part of a series, but you can easily read it as a standalone. Additionally, the writing style is easy to read, and the story kept me turning the pages. The mystery was entertaining too, and I particularly enjoyed the ending. Overall, it was a very light and fun read.

This is my first book by Eva Gates and I look forward to reading more of this series and her other books.

Lucy and her fiancee, Connor, buy a house on the beach in Nags Head that is "haunted" and has a difficult family history. When someone is found murdered in the kitchen, Lucy goes into detective mode. This is a fun and fast moving mystery. The characters are likable and entertaining. Although the focus of this book was the murder mystery, I would have like to see more about Lucy and Connor's relationship.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes quick, easy to read mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley, Eva Gates, and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the latest in the Library Lighthouse mystery series. Lucy has finally moved out of the lighthouse and into a fixer upper with her fiancé, Connor. However, shortly after, weird things started happening. First, strange noises and mysterious foot prints in the house. Then a dead body shows up.

There was less library interactions in this book than in previous in the series since Lucy doesn't live in the library anymore. Plus this was also the first murder that didn't really happen near the library. It still had all the classic elements though, and was enjoyable!

Death by Beach Read is the 9th instalment in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series, but as a total newbie to the series, I had no problem diving right in. Lucy, a librarian, has just purchased a historic home with her fiance, Connor, the town mayor. One night, Lucy and Connor come home to find a man strangled to death in their kitchen.

The victim, Jimmy, turns out to be the estranged twin of the Ralph, man who'd sold Lucy and Connor the house, and his death soon causes old stories and rumours to resurface. The house is reportedly haunted by the elderly patriarch. His ghost is said to have scared away Ralph and Jimmy's younger sister Jo decades ago, when she was a teenager. The experience traumatized her so much she became a recluse, and never set foot in that house again. Along with the house's complicated family history, Lucy has to deal with a woman claiming to be the victim's widow, and the town mean girl, who hates Lucy and seems intent on closing the library down.

I was drawn in pretty much right from the start. The mystery is a lovely cozy, not a very gripping page-turner, but a low-key comfort read with cookies and hot cocoa. The story of Ralph, Jimmy, and especially Jo, was very compelling, and like Lucy, I sympathized with Jo for having the trauma of a teenage experience have such large and long-lasting effects on her life. 

Another major standout for me was Charles the cat. He saves Lucy's life at least two times that I can remember, and possibly many more times throughout the series. He's a darling side character, with his own personality, and his own responses to the various other characters. I also love how he and Lucy work together, and how much Lucy clearly cares for him as a valued member of her family.

The ghost story elements were fortunately not at all scary. Similar to ghosts in Nancy Drew mysteries, it's pretty clear from the start that there are non-supernatural reasons behind the 'hauntings.'  There was a plot thread involving one of the suspects that I think could have used a bit of a clearer resolution -- that suspect just disappeared from the story, and we never quite understood why they acted as they did.

That being said, the overall ending was satisfying. The big reveal took me by surprise -- I didn't guess the villain at all, nor their motivation. And I liked how things turned out for Ralph and Jo by the end.

+

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in the series I've read, but I liked it. The characters are well explained and developed so you know the relationships between most. There were a few references to previous books that weren't explained well until the end, so I didn't fully understand the opinions some characters had of each other. It was also a slightly darker cozy mystery given the background of the home Lucy and Connor live in and it was more about the past than a current grievance, like most cozy mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.