This was a really interesting and intriguing story! I think it’ll be pretty popular this coming year! 4 stars from me.

First of all, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Level Best Books for giving me this ARC.

Secondly, I’m struggling to write this review because I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis provided by the publisher sounded right up my alley. A single woman who works as a library director in a small town finds one of her friends dead on her way home from work. The detective on the case suspects that she is the killer. In order to clear her name, she does her own investigating and digs up the deep secrets of the tiny town she lives in. However, I unfortunately couldn’t finish this book. I may be one in a few, but I simply couldn’t get into it.

I had trouble with the writing style and the dialogue. It almost felt like it was trying too hard to fit the mold of a typical fiction book, and because of that, it felt very flat. I wasn’t engaged because I couldn’t find anything that made it stand out. Nothing felt unique about the writing so it wasn’t attention-grabbing for me. The dialogue is what really bothered me. It was quite static and predictable. The first few exchanges that were had in the book felt like stereotypical conversations that are repeatedly used across fiction. I wasn’t interested in what the characters were saying to each other because I knew where the conversations were going.

Just because this book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean that you won’t like it. Please give it a shot and support the author. Death Checked Out releases on December 6, 2022.

"All these friends and neighbors. They had their own stories. Their own secrets. And that was just the way it was, wasn’t it? People were messy. Life was, too."

Thank you @netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for a review!

It's been a very long time since I've read a mystery novel and I'm so glad I did. I was drawn to this book mostly because of the setting. Death Checked Out takes place in Northern Wisconsin which is where my family lives and everything about this book screamed small town Wisconsin.
The characters were dynamic, and I was kept guessing until the very end on the killer.
I don't want to spoil too much but this book was such a fun read with a very satisfying ending. I can't name one loose end and that is quite important to me when deciding if I enjoyed a book or not. If you are in need of a cozy mystery to curl up with this winter, I highly suggest Death Checked Out.

Read if you like:
🔎Nancy Drew
🔎Northern Wisconsin
🔎Sassy Librarians
🔎Best Friends
🔎 an adorable cat

This book was a little bit predictable to me at times, but I did enjoy the characters and thought the writing style was well done! A cute and cozy mystery, perfect to read with a cup of tea on a cold day.

One of the greatest discoveries (for me) in the last few years: cozy mysteries. When I saw Death Checked Out pop up on NetGalley it was a must request for me - and I am so glad I did.

When Greta finds her (scrooge) neighbor murdered in his own house, she never expected to end up as a prime suspect. Determined to clear her name, Greta decides to try to solve the murder herself and, you guess it. Ends up stirring up more trouble for herself.

Death Checked Out was an enjoyable, fun cozy mystery!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC.

I thank Netgalley for this ARC and I start by saying that I highly recommend this reading to everyone, especially those who, like me, love books, strong female characters and who work in a bookstore. But above all I recommend it to those who love mysteries! The plot is also beautiful, perfect, with characters that are incredibly written and presented in this story. Needless to say, I just loved the ending! I devoured it in a few hours, and I didn't think this was possible. I can't wait to read this author in the future!

Full review at https://tayarunsandreads.com/

Greta is a new-ish librarian in town. She goes to visit Franklin, her neighbor, and finds him dead at the bottom of the stairs. The new detective in town in convinced she had something to do with it. Greta takes it upon herself to figure out who the guilty person is to try to clear her name. She partners up well with her librarian friend, Josie, as they get into some interesting antics. Was it the mysterious stranger at the will reading? Is it the owner of the resort across the lake? Could it be a mysterious book collector?

This was a fun read! I really love a cozy mystery that takes place in a library. I enjoyed the main character – and her relationship with her parents and the other librarians! I will absolutely read the next book in this series!

Disclosure: I received a free arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an endearing read for anyone from a small-town (I'm from Wisconsin myself), that pulled me in from the beginning and kept me captivated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character was likable and empathetic towards those around her. Honestly, the worst part of the read was getting attached to a character who was shortly going to be killed off. I was even pleasantly surprised at not guessing the 'villian' right off the bat. It is a comfy, warm read considering the topic is small town murder and I imagine many would enjoy it tucked under a blanket by the fireplace this winter season. I am quite excited to read the next book by this author and would highly recommend this read.

This book has the premise of everything I love: crime fiction, strong female lead who works as a librarian, potential love interest, close knit community. Heartache, temptation, mystery and intrigue.

And it did not disappoint. When Greta’s close friend is found dead she is immediately placed as a suspect. The new detective in town is fresh out of Chicago and doesn’t think very highly of our Greta. Determined to clear her name Greta and her friends begin an investigation of their own. However they soon come to realise they don’t know Larkspur and it’s residents like they thought and they find they could be over their heads.

Greta is instantly likeable and serves as a brilliant protagonist for the novel. I’m pleased this is going to be part of a series as I would love to see Greta’s character grow and develop. Especially keen to find out how her and the detective could progress into being more than friendly enemies!

Cute and cozy, with a sweet cast of characters. Also the cover is absolutely adorable! Perfect book for the colder months.

'Death Checked Out' is the first book in the Larkspur Mystery Series by Leah Dobrinska. It's a cozy mystery about a librarian named Greta who works to clear her name after she is named as a suspect in a murder in her small town. Greta works with her mom, who is also her lawyer, and other librarians to research ways to help find out the real suspect. I enjoyed the dynamic between Greta and the other librarians. I didn't really enjoy the overall mystery of the book. I wasn't invested in finding out who did it, and the end result was not what I expected.

I know that it's the first book in the series, so I would like to continue in the series. I'm hoping that further books provide more clarity because the ending didn't really wrap up enough for me. I'm interested in the development between Greta and Detective McHenry. Will they work together to solve mysteries? Will they being a friendship or even a relationship after this case?

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Our main character in this cosy mystery is a librarian who is running from a relationship gone wrong. Greta finds herself in a lovely little town, making friends and finding her feet. Unfortunately, one of her friends - an elderly recluse - is found dead...and the police are convinced there's more to it.
And so our main character - who finds herself a suspect as she was one of the last to see him alive - decides to get her friends to help her investigate and try to work out who was responsible.
From start to finish we know that Greta is innocent, so it was certainly fun watching her try to work out what had happened. There was the usual attempt to put her (and us) off the scent, and in spite of a couple of dangerous moments you never really fear that anything will stop them working out exactly what happened.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

An enjoyable easy read.
Greta is a librarian and has moved to Larkspur to escape her past mistakes .
She has made friends with Franklin he’s a private serious man and doesn’t make friends easily .
Greta finds Franklin dead , and her world is turned upside down and she makes it her mission to find out the truth behind his death.
The characters are amiable and the story makes for an easy to read cosy mystery.
Looking forward to more in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books.

"Larkspur Lane cut through the center of town like the spine of a storybook."

What a fantastic first line! I thoroughly enjoyed this bookish mystery. Librarian Greta Plank has moved to Larkspur in hope of a new start, but finds herself the prime suspect in a murder case. Not prepared to passively accept this, she begins her own investigation, helped by her two friends and colleagues, Josie and Iris. Can they unmask the killer before more people get hurt?

This was a charming and funny cosy mystery that kept me engaged throughout. My local library is one of my favourite places and I loved visualising the one in Larkspur. I also liked how books were involved throughout without it ever feeling forced. The mystery was well-plotted and although I didn't crack the case I felt the author gave enough information for the reader to make some guesses. At one point I was afraid Greta was going to deliberately try to gum up the police investigation but in the end she was working alongside them which I preferred. Her banter with Detective McHenry, the officer in charge of the case, was a lot of fun and I predict a romantic relationship developing in further books. This is the first in a series and from the author's website it seems at least two more are planned, which I'm very excited about. I highly recommend this book especially if you like cosy mysteries or books featuring bookish themes.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Level Best Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The story begins very well. It starts with a very beautiful description of Larkspur. The imagery is so beautiful that you can feel being transported to the beach and the quiet Avenue. It's really a picture painted with words.

Now imagine having a murder happen in such a quiet small town where everybody knows everyone and people know the routine of everybody else like you know your neighbours' whole schedule it is that small town.

But this is precisely what the protagonist Greta Plank sees. Now Greta Plank is a librarian, and in the beginning, there is a hint of her having a mysterious past that caused her to shift her location and come to a small town. This mystery will unfold as the novel progresses.

Coming back to the story, it is, as the name suggests, a murder mystery. It has all the essential elements of making it actually a gripping story and you are not given any idea as to who the murderer can be because everything around the whole scene of the murder is very suspicious it can be an accident it can be a murder. Hence, it is a very realistic setting.

So in a way, you are actually working alongside the protagonist and the detective in the story to uncover the clues and track down the cause of the death, and highlight with it is a murder or an accident. It is actually a very gripping story and it can be read in one sitting. But the issue lies in the way the story is written at times there is way too much explaining done and at times things are oversimplified. While it can be chalked down to be written in a narrative way and readers are not led in to start their own investigation, for fans of Christie and Hitchcock, this can be a bummer. That said, I am a fan of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock, and I do like to have a story where clues are sprinkled all over for the reader to latch upon and have an idea that okay this is a murder, and these may be the suspects but this kind of writing where you are clueless till the end is also a great way to you know been touch with the reader in you.

All in all, I think I would give this book a four out of five because it does have all the elements which would make it good actually a very good murder mystery.

Dobrinska’s debut in the Larkspur Library Mysteries series is a nice entry in the literary cozy mystery sphere. Greta, the other librarians and residents of Larkspur are incredibly likeable and Biff the cat is adorable. Dobrinska manages just the right balance of clues, red herrings and suspects that keeps the mystery flowing and will have you guessing to the end. Oh and if you’re looking for a book set in Wisconsin this book with its lakeside setting will fit the bill. I look forward to seeing where this series goes next.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I hate to say it, but this is a case of "it's not you, it's me." <i>Death Checked Out</i> is the coziest of cozy mysteries, set in an idyllic small town where nothing bad ever happens until, well, something bad happens. This book is so clean you could suggest it to your grandma without her thinking you've become a Godless miscreant. There's no swearing, no spice, and very minimal violence. This may work for some people, but for me it was a tad too cutesy. The writing was okay, but I was never particularly captured by any of the characters and had a hard time feeling invested in the mystery as a result. I can see something like this appealing to a certain readership, of which I am, sadly, not a member.

It was a good read, well written. However I didn't like the mystery aspect because I figured it out halfway through the book.

Thank you to Leah Dobrinska and NetGalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my review.

This books premise sounded so interesting. I loved the cosy mystery aspect of this book from the setting in a small town library to the interesting diverse characters.
There were some issues that I took from the writing style, like the over descriptiveness of everything in the book. I also thought the first few chapters of the book were a bit boring and hard to get into, but once past those the books gets better.

I received this from NetGalley for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this was not for me.
A librarian who is solving a mystery, sounds great. The execution had a lot to be desired.
I did not finish it as the writing style was overly flowery but was telling instead of showing in every scene. It was slow and the build up led to nothing. It felt Victorian but trying to be Agatha Christie with a modern twist. It did not work.
This book could be great for other people, unfortunately not me.