Thank you to netgalley & Leah Dobrinska for approving me for an arc of this book!

We follow Greta as she tries to discover what happened to her older friend Franklyn. It did keep me guessing and although I had a few suspicions, I do have to say the main culprit I didn’t really see it coming.

One main thing I noticed is that Greta sometimes seemed a lot older than she was meant to be so it kind of took me out of it a little bit, but other than that I really liked her as a main character. She wants to see the best in life and is very positive about everything. I like that this did faulter a bit with everything happening to her.

Detective McHenry I had a love/hate relationship with. I quite liked him but he kept just acting like a bit of a knob and I kept waiting for more of a redemption but it was kind of just understated. I kept waiting for a bit of romance but it didn’t come up.

Overall an enjoyable read although a bit predictable.

This was an okay read, but just too slow to hold my attention. I read quite a few mystery novels, with The Thursday Mystery Club, and Arsene Lupin series being particular favourites, but this was extremely slow in comparison. I must admit I gave up half way through, and just skipped to the last couple chapters, and I still managed to follow it, which I feel speaks volumes for how slow it moves, as I would never be able to do that with another in the genre. I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you’d been bought it by someone else, and were without something to read, it’s worth taking a look at.

Bit of a slow start. I skim-read large chunks due to the over-explanation of certain parts. I found it hard to place Greta's age, there are prompts later to help you. Perhaps I completely missed that part, however for me, unless it's expressly stated, a single female librarian in a small town tends to be stereotyped on the elderly side (perhaps that’s purely a UK perception), which meant my brain struggled to reconcile some of the more youthful references, making it harder for me to identify with Greta as a natural person. I think explicitly establishing this early on would have helped.

Around 60% my interest picked up, and with a few more ‘breadcrumbs’, I became eager to find out more and enjoyed the process of speculating who the culprit might be. Overall, whilst an easy read, I felt too many of the characters were two-dimensional the lack of physical descriptions or personality traits would have helped.

This was definitely the perfect cozy read for this season! Loved the story line and plot. It was a book that kept me on my toes and I never got bored of it. I loved the main character and that she was a librarian, it made it even more cozy and enjoyable. It was a fast read, loved the mystery and characters. Will definitely be interested in the series if there ever is a second book released. Thank you NetGalley and Leah Dobrinska for sending me the ARC! I highly recommend and enjoyed it so much.

I loved this!! A book about murder, libraries and small town, perfect! It was such a unique cozy mystery and I had a lot of fun reading it. The characters were fun and the mystery had me guessing until the end!

I loved the ambiance! The idea and the plot were great! Greta is a good character with interesting ideas. However, I feel like this book missed something. It was good, sure, but just missing that one thing to make it perfect.

This was a very enjoyable read! I love the small town setting and the story was easy to follow. It did get a little slow for me towards the middle but I enjoyed the characters, especially Greta because of how relatable she was, and this book was definitely a satisfying cozy mystery! I did, however, want to learn more about Greta and dive in deeper, especially since there were several brief mentions to her past. I expected the detective to have a larger role/presence but he didn't really show up much. There was also a hint of chemistry between Greta and the detective, but it wasn't really explored. I did want more of this (specifically more interactions, considering he was the main detective working on the case), and more information about the detective, but I'm excited to read future books in this series and I'm hoping we get to learn more about him and his background. Though I did suspect the real culprit, I was pleasantly surprised at the reasoning and I thought the author did a great job with that twist. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book and I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a cute and cozy mystery!

This was a cute, charming cozy mystery I gobbled right up. Loved the small town setting and the librarian main character. Will definitely read the next book in this series.

I really, really enjoyed this cozy little mystery story with it's idyllic small town setting (complete with lakeside views and a charming coffee shop), a lovable librarian mc, and the whole crowd of supporting characters! I loved the underlying theme of facing hardship where you are at, with those who love you by your side!

The mystery surrounds a murder and a room full of rare books, and there are fun literary references sprinkled through the book.

This book leaves you ready for more stories, so I will be eagerly watching for the next book in the series!

NetGalley provided the free eARC, but all of these positive, happy opinions are my own!

This was a delightful cozy mystery that kept me engaged. I was convinced I'd "figured it out", and partially did, but was still surprised at the very end. While I enjoyed it overall, there are a couple reasons I just couldn't give it 4 or 5 stars. The characters felt half-baked; I'd be interested in seeing the "townies" and Greta's best friends be fleshed out more in future books. There were also moments and character descriptions that seemed heavy-handed on the author's part. However, it still delivered what I craved from it: quaint, adorable, small-town scandal.

Coincidentally enough, just last week I was thinking that I would like to try a cozy mystery, and then this cute little book popped on my Netgalley feed! I thought the story was absolutely adorable and the atmosphere of Larkspur was PERFECT for a fall read! The atmosphere of the book was exactly what I was expecting/hoping for in a cozy mystery. The loss of stars for me personally comes from the romance part of the book - for some reason when I read the description on Netgalley I was thinking the romance would take up a bigger part of the story; that may have just been my fault but I was disappointed in the dynamic between Greta & the detective. Also I felt that the sister's death was really weirdly approached - it was mentioned so passively and the mom's almost like dismissal of it as a topic when Greta brings it up? IDK it just felt like it was a disconnected detail that didn't really add to the main plot IMO. Overall a really cute cozy mystery which was exactly what I was looking for!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I enjoyed this cozy mystery. It had an interesting plot. I enjoyed all the characters. 4 stars

Leah Dobrinska describes herself as a small-town romance and cosy mystery author and I’d certainly agree with that statement!

The cover is bright and quirky and definitely contrasts the sinister title. This almost oxymoron is what initially drew me in.

Greta Plank, who is a director at the local library is caught up in a series of unfortunate murder attempts – some successful and some quite not so successful thankfully. At one point in time, she becomes a potential suspect. In order to clear her name but also find justice for her friend who had been killed, she investigates on the side.
This investigation results in her tracking down half-brothers unknowingly, locating a rare book, interviewing estate investors and having a scary brush with death.

The characters all felt multi-dimensional and they all demonstrated different traits that either complimented each other or was the cause for some friction.

The plot kept me hooked and the real culprit came as quite of a surprise to me. There was no reason for me to suspect them until it was literally spelt out for me.
It was quite fun to read because I was suspecting the same people as the narrator and it really felt like we were solving this crime together.

I only spotted a few errors in my reading. The narrative and description never felt forced. It was a very easy read and the dialogue flowed naturally. I was really able to get myself caught up in the mystery and emotions being felt.

Although I really enjoyed the story, I was left slightly disappointed at the end as the teasing of the potential romance of the detective and librarian wasn’t seen confirmed nor denied. Also the reasoning behind the shifting of the detective from Chicago was also kept under wraps. Saying that, I hope that possibly sets up the premises for a sequel of some sorts!

This was a cute and cozy mystery, but not captivating. I got a little lost along the way, but I made my way back because I do enjoy the characters and small town aspect. Enjoyed!

A satisfying cozy mystery that is great for autumn (or fall if you’re not British). I really enjoyed this and it was just what I needed at the time of reading.

Greta Plank is an optimist who’s glass is always half full, no matter what life throws her way. For the first time life has thrown something her way that may just change her glass to half empty, by means of finding a body.

With Greta as the prime suspect, she’s got to challenger herself to find out who the culprit is. It’s not just to save Greta from going to prison for a murder she didn’t commit, but to also restore her glass to half full. Can she do it, or will her glass be emptied for good?

A great start to a new cozy series! The author set up a fabulous setting for this one, filled with everything a great cozy series needs to keep you turning the pages and coming back for more! Looking forward to more in this series.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Level Best Books and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A satisfying murder mystery.

A cosy mystery set in a library. What not to like? If you like the premise then this book will not disappoint you. Solid book for a palette cleanser.

A great cozy mystery! I loved the characters and all the plot twists. This is the perfect read for a cool fall night!

Murder in a small town! This was definitely a cozy murder mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and all of the plot twists and turns!