Another delightful murder mystery in my favorite series! Set in October, surrounding a skeleton found in a haunted mansion it is the perfect Fall/Halloween read. I did suspect the correct suspect just about as soon as they were introduced, along with the correct motivation. Poor Grace!

One of my favorite and most recommended authors, both for her mysteries and romances.
Always enjoy reading about familiar characters that I enjoy!

I love this series and this volume lived up to the intrigue and great characters I’ve come to expect from the Library Lovers mysteries.

I highly recommend the Library Mystery Series. This is the 13th book in the series and it has a ghostly presence! A valuable book collection is donated to the library, but someone doesn’t want it to go. While boxing the collection, a hidden room is found that contains a skeleton. Could it be the long lost “runaway bride”? All the familiar characters play a roll in solving the mystery.

When her library is offered a donation of books that would rival those at the well known branches, Lindsey offers to sort and pack the collection. Little does she realize that it will also include a body and a mystery. Can she help solve the mystery before the donation is taken back?

The Plot and the Pendulum is the latest release in the Library Lover’s Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay. Welcome back to Briar Creek where Lindsay, library director and mystery solver extraordinaire, stumbles upon a secret room and makes a gruesome discovery inside. Will Lindsay and her friends and family figure out who is responsible before it is too late? Read The Plot and the Pendulum to find out.
I loved reading this story and can’t wait to read the next one in the series. I highly recommend this series to any cozy mystery lovers out there

Still one of my favorite cozy mystery series :) This installment took us to an old mansion where some spooooky stuff starts happening and I won't lie, late at night, I got a little rattled. The mystery in this tale was actually quite sad and happened a long time ago, but became recent again.

This was the first book I've read in this series and I liked it! I liked the small town library setting, the mystery was good, and I enjoyed spending time with these characters. I will be picking up the next book!

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

Thank you Netgalley! Loved revisiting Briar Creek and it's characters. With books, a mystery and a bit of spookiness, it was great fun!

Fun and enjoyable entry into this series of cozy mysteries; the formula deviates from the other 10+ books somewhat in the fact that the staff actually leave town for the mystery to commence (!) and the book provides good overall spooky vibes.

There aren't many books by Jenn McKinlay that I don't like. I love all of her series and this one in particular is a favorite of mine. I flew through this book and loved every bit. The mystery was great and kept me guessing (didn't see the ending at all). I love reading about the characters and what they are doing. Such a good book and already eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Jenn McKinlay is a masterful cozy mystery writer. When couple with the wonderful narration of Allyson Ryan... well you're bound to have a good time.

In this story, we see public librarian Lindsey helping collect and curate a collection of rare books from an old estate. Its inhabitant, Miriam Dorchester, has dementia such that she needs special care. Her estranged son has returned to help clear out the house and has enlisted Lindsey to help. But soon Lindsey finds a secret room... containing a skeleton! She immediately suspects it's the "Runaway Bride" who disappeared decades ago, but the mystery remains as to how she met her fate...

This book is perfect for spooky season, with the skeletons and ghostly vibes. A little creepier than some cozies, but still lovely with a guaranteed HEA. I thought I had predicted the ending about halfway through, but I was surprised to have a lot of details wrong! Love a good twist.

I listened to this book on audio, which is my preference for this series due to (1) the stellar narration, (2) the rather short length, and (3) the coziness! I think cozies are the perfect fit for audiobooks, as I don't like being terrified by thrillers or worried if my neighbors can hear steamy romance novel sounds. And this book was no exception! I'm sure it's amazing in print, but it was fantastic on audio.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for my ALC and Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I love reading about the Briar Creek Library and the people of the town. The weekly "crafternoon" sessions combine all the joys of food, a book club, and craft projects. But library director Lindsey Norris is called out of the latest meeting by a former town resident who would like to donate the extensive book collection from his family home. While Lindsey and her friends are busy assessing and packing up the books they discover a secret room behind one of the bookcases - and there is a skeleton in it.

Now, let's be real, most people would be a bit put off by finding a skeleton. But Lindsey is made of sterner stuff and immediately goes into research mode. Her friend Robbie tells her, "There's no way you're not going to try and figure out the identity of the body, especially when an unsolved case impedes your progress on moving the Dorchester library here." So with the help of her crafternoon friends, her husband Sully, and police chief Emma, Lindsey is determined to solve the mystery of who was sealed up like the poor victim in "The Cask of Amontillado."

These mysteries are fun to read for several reasons. The recurring characters and the setting of Briar Creek give it familiarity and the "cozy" vibe. The library always plays a big part in each story since Lindsey is the director and her friends are all volunteers and frequent visitors. Their involvement with the library also leads to plenty of book discussions and literary references. And author Jenn McKinlay has included a discussion guide for the book the crafternoon group was using in their meeting, as well as recipes for some of the special snacks they made and directions for a craft project. Readers can be virtual crafternoon members.

The book came out October 11, so you should be able to find it at your favorite bookstore or request it at your local library.

The title is a play on words to Edgar Alan Poe’s, The Pit and the Pendulum, which parallels the spooky feel of a found skeleton, a hidden room, drafts, a disappearing cat, and scream-inducing power outages in a creepy mansion in Briar Creek. Which makes for a perfect autumn read.

If the reader is paying attention, the culprit is revealed midway through the book, yet you hang on to make sure you did pick up on the tell. Do I wish that the author had added a couple more diversions and possibilities – I do, but that is not how these things work.

Library Lover's Mystery series has been a hit or miss for me. The Plot and the Pendulum was a hit.

The Plot and the Pendulum is a great addition to the Library Lovers cozy mystery series by writer Jenn McKinlay. There is a nice build in story which makes this cozy mystery perfect for reading in October! I recommend this title, series, and author . Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Jenn McKinlay continues her library Lover's mystery series with The Plot and the Pendulum. Hallowe'en approaches and the library is invited to take the valuable book collection from the Dorchester family. Mr. Dorchester is selling the house and placing his mother in assisted living. As the library staff and their helpers box up the box they find a skeleton shut in an abandoned area of the library. Who is it? Whodunit? Read this cosy and sort through the suspects.

I love Jenn McKinlay, and I will read any book she writes. I was so excited and honored to read the ARC for The Plot and the Pendulum. I have read the first few books in the series, or rather, I have read the first books in the series. I loved catching up with Lindsey and the Crafternoon Crew. As a librarian, I love the fact that a large collection of books were left to the library from an estate (Can you imagine what might be there?). I also love there is the Crafteroon Crew period. I have always wanted to start a book club, but they do not seem to usually last. I did go to a crochet class at a local library where I work, however, and it was packed and so much fun! Sorry, back to the review. While checking out the books, they find a hidden room with a skeleton inside holding a copy of The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Lindsey puts on her detective cap and is determined to help solve the case.

Lindsey notices the young woman is wearing clothes from the 1980’s, and she looks for missing persons from that time period. She finds out there was a missing woman who is listed as a “Runaway Bride,” who disappeared not long after she was marred. And so, the hunt is on to solve the cold case. With what all have been said you would think you needed to know more about the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. There are several characters, but most get plenty of time for better development so you can keep up with them. I love how there is a great balance of creepiness and humor.

If you are looking for a perfect, creepy, fun, and humorous cozy for Halloween… this is it!

I really like the characters and the town. It would be a great place to live (besides all the dead bodies). I love the friendship between all of the characters. The mystery kept me guessing.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

This is a reliably entertaining and well-done cozy series featuring librarian Lindsey and her boat captain husband and their small town friends and co-workers.

Lindsey's library is the recipient of a major book donation from the surviving owner of an old mansion with a magnificent book collection. The family was caught up in scandal years ago when the son's girlfriend, spurned by his mother, married someone else and then disappeared.

Yes, that mystery is solved in this book and involves hidden rooms, old secrets, and possibly a supernatural influence or two. The characters are believable and likable and this book is a fun read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

Lindsey Norris enjoys her job as the director of the Briar Creek Library. She is surprised one afternoon by an unexpected guest – William Dorchester who is back in town for the first time in over thirty years. At that time, his mother wouldn’t allow him to marry Grace, the woman he loved, and mother and son have been estranged ever since. Grace married someone else, but then disappeared six weeks later and was never heard from again. William’s mother’s health is declining, so he has come to town to get her settled into an assisted living home. He is donating Marion’s 12,000 plus books, many of which are first editions in mint condition, to the library and needs Lindsey to handle it. Lindsey is surprised and thrilled with the donation, but then she discovers a secret room behind Marion’s bookcases that has been hiding a human skeleton. Despite her horror at the situation, Lindsey can’t help but get involved in the investigation.

Lindsey is able to balance her work at the library, her home life with her husband, Sully, sorting the huge donation from the Dorchesters, and investigating Grace’s disappearance. I really like the fact that Lindsey listens to warnings to be careful while sleuthing and keeps her husband and law enforcement informed about what she learns as well as what her next steps will be throughout the investigation. In spite of her caution, a dramatic and scary event still occurs before everything is resolved, but at least it’s not due to poor decisions made by Lindsey. Since the author provides several clues, I was able to figure out part of the solution to the mystery surrounding the skeleton, but there are still some surprises to the story.

Lindsey’s friends and co-workers are an important part of her life and they participate in “crafternoons” featuring a book discussion, snacks, and some kind of crafting activity. The author gives you everything you need to have your own book club/crafting get-together with discussion questions for the book Lindsey’s group read (P.G. Wodehouse’s The Code of the Woosters), instructions for an autumn craft, and recipes for vegetarian snacks. If you belong to an in-person book club, this would be really fun.

Even though this book is the 15th in the Library Lover’s series, it works very well as a standalone. I’ve not read all of the prior books and had no problems connecting with the characters. This book is perfect for cozy mystery readers, especially if you’re looking for a well-written October read. Mysterious things going on in the Dorchester mansion lead Lindsey and those helping her pack up the huge book collection that the house might be haunted. There are also references to Edgar Allen Poe in this intriguing, sometimes, creepy mystery. This book is the favorite I’ve read in this series so far, and I highly recommend it to those who follow this series and to all other cozy mystery fans.

~ Christine