he characters in this series have become old friends by now, and I thoroughly enjoyed this
installment. Thanks for the opportunity to preview the title!

This book has some of my favorite things. A lighthouse, a library, refurbishing an old house and of course wonderful characters. I love Charles, he has to be my favorite, but I really enjoy the way the folks who live here take care of each other. The story line was great and I was happy to be back in Nags Head. I would love to visit the Outer Banks and especially sit on the deck with Lucy and Conner and enjoy the view. I received this book from Net Galley, but my opinion is my own.

I haven’t read many in this series though I should. It was delightful. And spooky. Books, a cat, a haunted house, and the beach. What more could you ask for.

I loved the latest installment of Eva Gate's A Lighthouse Library Mystery series. There was a little bit of grit to the suspense in the book, and the storyline kept me guessing until the very end. I was especially delighted as I spent my past Thanksgiving holiday in the OBX and visited the Bodie Island Lighthouse and Nags End. It was interesting to se the picture I had painted in previous books be altered and expanded by reality! Some of the revelations in 'Death by Beach Read' caused me panic thinking that something might come up to destroy the relationship between Lucy and Connor. It was extremely satisfying to see the bombshell resolutions. I can't wait for the wedding!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Death by Beach Read is the 9th book in the Lighthouse Library Mysteries written by Eva Gates. Set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, this collection revolves around Lucy, a late 20s transplant from Boston, who works at a local library set in a charming lighthouse. Her mother's family is from the area, and when she returned two years earlier, Lucy realized she had a penchant for discovering dead bodies and solving crimes. She and her fiancé, Connor the mayor, recently purchased a house that is supposedly haunted, not that they believe in those things. Weeks after moving in, they find a dead body... someone had broken in while they were visiting Connor's family. What's it all about?

Gates is a wonderful cozy mystery writer; I've enjoyed all the previous books in this series plus her other ones written under the name Vicki Delany. The setting is well described and inviting, as are many of the supporting cast in these books. Lucy can be a bit terse, but dealing with some of her intrusive friends and colleagues requires it. A blast from the past shows up, and usually Diane brings trouble. This time, she seems to have settled into her widow role and stopping causing problems. Perhaps it's only temporary. She even helps provide background info on Lucy's house's previous owners. As the clues unfold, Lucy and Connor realize that someone is lying to them, and thankfully, their cat saves the day on a few occasions.

Enjoyed this trip to the Outer Banks. The mystery was thoughtfully planned and offered several potential solutions. One angle seemed to fade away with the victim's wife; she kinda disappeared at the end and left a thread unwound (for me) in the story. Not giving away any spoilers... just saying something wasn't closed out properly... or maybe I missed a key reveal by reading so quickly (it's so easy to flip those pages in the excitement of the secret killer reveal)! Glad to be caught up in the series and looking forward to Lucy's impending nuptials perhaps in the next book.

Loved this book! The perfect story line, with great characters you fall in love with. Will definitely be reading more from Eva Gates!

This is such a fun series and I loved this newest installment! It mainly focuses on Lucy and Connor's new house on the beach, so I did miss being in the library as much as in the past, but the whole gang did appear in this book, along with a few new faces. It deals with old family memories, a little of the supernatural, and lots of community (and food!). I do recommend reading the books in order to get the full background of the characters and settings, but it works as a standalone for those new to the series. I can't wait to see what happens next! Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy.

A good book and the beach are meant to be together. Add in a lighthouse, a library, and a clever cat and you have cozy mystery heaven. In Eva Gates ninth volume of her Lighthouse Mystery Series, librarian Lucy Richardson has left the comfort of the library aerie to move into her new house with fiancé Connor. The traditional Nags Head beach home is undergoing major renovations and the secrets of the previous owner are exposed. I received this book from NetGalley as an advanced reader copy and binged the previous eight books before I read it. The only thing that is truly disappointing is that I will have to wait for the next book to be published.

Lucy is happily renovating her house with her fiancé Connor. The house is steeped in history and they know of the family that they brought it from. The a dead man is found in their house and someone is trying to scare Lucy of by 'haunting her'. This is a fun story full of twists, turns and likable characters. I'm really bad at figuring things out or seeing things coming in a mystery, so this had me entertained from top to bottom. Cute story, and anything with an adorable cat gets an extra star from me. The book club tie-in was a clever idea as well. I did not realize it was one from a large series, but you didn't need to know that to enjoy the book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest two cents of a review.

If I learned one thing by reading the ARC of #DeathbyBeachRead provided by #NetGalley, it's that I have missed out on reading the wonderful books that preceded this one by Eva Gates.
This book has everything that a fan of cozy mysteries could want - characters that leap off the page with their relatability and excellent dialogue, a mystery that is intriguing and keeps you turning the pages, settings that are rich and fun to visit, and an overall well-written and fun-to-read book that you don't want to put down.
Gates delivers all of those as she presents a tale that, although it is the ninth in the series, stands on its own well while making the new reader of her series want to go back and read what has come before.
I highly recommend this book and series!

This is my first Eva Gates book and it was very entertaining. It's one of the Lighthouse Library Mysteries and I didn't feel lost by not reading the previous books. I wanted to move into Lucy and Connor's home and community. it felt so alive. The big reveal was surprising and satisfying.

This was a great read! I loved the ending and how everything worked out for all parties involved. If you like short reads that have a bit of mystery, murder, love, and a bit of a twist, then this book will be for you. This type of book is one of my favorites to read. If they belong in a series, you have the ability to read them out of sequence without feeling like you are missing most of the storyline.

A copy of this book was provided to me from NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the story woven through out. The characters were well developed and the story flowed very well. It was a quick read that kept me guessing to the very end.

Gates' latest entry in the Lighthouse Library series is as good as all of the others! Lucy and Connor are working on their dream house when a dead body is discovered. While solving the murder, Lucy meets new members of the community and wrestles with people of the past. A fun read!

I immensely enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of quirky characters and figuring out the mysteries. This was my first Eva Gates mystery and definitely not my last. I cant wait to read the beginning of the lighthouse library mysteries.

So Lucy and Connor still have not made it to the altar. Maybe the next book. This author really enjoys drawing things out!

In Death by Beach Read the duo do at least manage to move in together. Their new home is a beautiful house on the beach which maybe comes with its own resident ghost. It certainly has lots of surprises. Of course one of them is a dead body and Lucy is set on more detective work.

One of my favourite things about this book was that at last Lucy decided to fight back - with words any way. In previous books I have been irritated by the way she accepts people who are really rude to her. In this one she slams a few doors in people's faces and gets some good verbal responses in. Go girl!

Nice characters, a good story, a cute cat. All very enjoyable and I am still looking forward to the wedding.

Having already read the rest of the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, I was eagerly anticipating the latest installment, Death by Beach Read. It definitely did not disappoint. This series has followed the romance of Conner McNeil and Lucy Richardson from the time that they reconnected as adults through their recent engagement and now buying and renovating a house together and planning their wedding. All this while also solving numerous murders along the way.

This particular installment highlights the author's in-depth character and storyline development as she introduces a couple of new characters with deep connections to the community and other intricately entwined relationships to create a complete and complex backstory for individuals who were previously only tangentially involved in Connor's and Lucy's lives. I was extremely pleased to see a former nefarious character who had escaped severe punishment, due to the police being able to prove more than minor involvement in a previous murder, get their very deserving fate. As with all of Ms. Gates' books, this story contained a significant number of twists, turns and red herrings that leaves the reader guessing until the end as to the identity and motive of the killer, who actually justified her actions because "everything was always someone else's fault." With the new characters and relationships that have now been introduced, I feel that the author has many more stories to tell and installments to write for this series in the future.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Love this series! The mystery always keeps you guessing right till the end. The eccentric people and library customers make it fun and always provide ample suspects. It is nice to see the main character growing and moving into a house.

I love this series so hard! Visiting the lighthouse library, solving mysteries, interacting with all the townspeople and library visitors...it's just so much fun. But now Lucy and Connor have bought a house and she's moving out of her aerie. Will things still be the same going forward? I'm thinking yes as she's already stumbled upon a mystery related to their new house.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Incredibly, I have actually read another book in this series! It was part of the big stack of library books I took home for over winter break. Anyhow, I liked this second entry (for me) into the series, and the ninth book overall. Eccentric small town characters! A lighthouse! Charles the cat! A library nemesis!!!! Four stars from me.