Hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming - everything about this book brought me joy. If you are a book lover, you will be able to relate to so many of the feelings and reactions within the pages. Greta is such a joy to follow as a protagonist and the small town vibes are spot on. A clean and easy read if you enjoy murder mysteries!

I have just recently gotten into cozy mysteries and stories like this will keep me coming back to the genre! I cannot wait for more stories in this series. Definitely a great introduction to cozies!

3.5, rounded up.

Death Checked Out follows Greta Plank, a library director in Larkspur, Wisconsin, a small town with plenty of charm. Greta is happy-go-lucky and a lover of literature. That changes when she finds a dead body, and now she's a suspect. Greta decides to investigate on her own so she can clear her name.

As somebody who typically picks up thrillers over cozy mysteries, it took some time to adjust to the cozier side of things. One of my pet peeves in literature and in real life is when people overuse the phrase "anxious to ______," and I feel like the author threw that in the book too often. I'm not sure other people care as much, so it might not be a distraction for most readers.

I'm also a librarian, so I'm generally critical of the way authors write them. Overall, I think Leah Dobrinska has written one of the most accurate depictions of what it's like to work in a small library.

The pacing of the book was a little slow at the beginning, but once I hit the 50% mark, I wanted to know if my predictions were right. (Note: they were.)

I recommend Death Checked Out to people who want a cute cozy mystery with books at the center of it all. If you prefer darker stories, skip this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently finished this book. It is a cozy small town murder mystery novel that makes you want to visit and walk the town and stay at a lakeside cabin… minus the murdering part. With a librarian as a prime suspect and a grumpy detective who is a little too protective of his suspect to a set of die hard friends… it was a good place to spend some time. The plot did lag, but it made up for some great characters. Once the plot got moving, it kept me up until 230 am to see who did it. 🥭🥭🥭🥭

A cosy small town mystery that’s a perfect fall/winter read. Would highly recommend! Think Gilmore Girls meets murder mystery

This is the first I read in this series and enjoyed it. It's heartwarming, entertaining, and well plotted.
There's humour, a cast of fleshed out and likeable characters, a solid mystery.
I hope there's going to be another book in this series soon.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I really wanted to like this book. I grew up watching Murder, She Wrote and love a good cozy mystery so I was excited to get this ARC. But Death Checks Out just didn’t do it for me.

There were so many parts of this book that made me cringe with second-hand embarrassment. A lot of the dialogue felt like it was trying too hard to be from a Hallmark movie and the likable, quirky main character felt too over the top for me to find relatable. There was far too much detail on things that didn’t matter and several occasions the characters seemed to forget their own timeline and what the had already told both other characters and the readers.

I wouldn’t quite call this enemies to lovers, maybe enemies to friends to maybe lovers in future installments of the series? But what aspects we see of the main characters going from being at odds to possibly more felt very forced and they had very little chemistry with each other, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for giving me this ARC!

A murder mystery is a common storyline, but have you read one where the primary setting is a library? Well, I have the story for you.
This book follows the story of Greta who moved to a small town not long ago and wiggled into her neighbour Frank’s world. One day she comes over to visit and finds him dead at the bottom of the stairs. Greta’s world takes a turn as she is a suspect in Frank’s murder investigation with the new police officer breathing down her neck. With the help of Greta’s fellow librarians, they begin investigating for themselves to prove Greta innocent.

This story focuses on Greta growing as an individual and the girl’s friendship, which is something I found refreshing. The murderer was not very predictable and there were some unexpected twists and foreshadowing you don't see coming.

I rated this story 3/5 because although I enjoyed the writing it had some slow moments. I think this book needed an epilogue of sorts to tie things up. Such as Greta’s future romantic(like does anything happen with the detective, he kept flirting), and the girls' friendship.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#DeathCheckedOut #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

A small town mystery with a broody detective and a meddling librarian. I loved the small town business names. I loved Mugs & Hugs but absolutely giggled at the name of the taco spot! I liked the librarians and the friendship they had. I loved the small town feel and the MC. I didn't guess the twist and just enjoyed the fun ride. I'd definitely read a book 2 to this series!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Loved this cozy murder mystery set in a small town. This is my first in this genre, and it did not disappoint!

Greta becomes friends with a neighbor… only to find him murdered, and that shes the lead suspect. Greta then goes on a journey to clear her name with her sweet librarian friends.

This book keeps you guessing till the end, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the rest of this series!

Thank you to Leah Dobrinska, and Netgalley for the e-arc. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

3.5/5 stars. Death Checked Out was a really well-written cozy mystery! Books set in small towns always fascinate me; add a murder mystery to the mix, and I'll most definitely enjoy the book to the fullest! <3 I felt the same way about Leah's mystery debut. <3

The book was cozy, and fun. Greta's character was fascinating, = I liked seeing her growth throughout the book. I was expecting a bit more from how the murder suspects were revealed, though. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Enjoyed this cosy mystery! Loved the setting and the main character Greta! Was well written and enjoyed reading about the murder and the town! Looking forward to more in the series.

While I will always pick up a book where the main character is a librarian or bookstore owner, I know it's not always a slam dunk. THIS, however, was such a pleasure to dig into. I loved meeting these characters, led by Greta Plank, director of library services in Larkspur, Wisconsin.

When a neighbor she befriends ends up dead, and the new police detective in town considers her the lead suspect, Greta and her fellow librarians band together to prove her innocence by unearthing who the true culprit is. The town really rallies behind her and you can't help but love the twists, turns, and sweet moments.

This is the first cozy mystery I've really enjoyed and look forward to the next Larkspur Library Mystery!

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for this advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Greta Plank, library director in the small, lakeside town of Larkspur, Wisconsin, prefers her rose-tinted glasses extra rosy, thank you very much. It’s how she copes with the hard stuff in life…like her sister’s death and her ex-boyfriend’s deception. But Greta’s cheery resolve takes a hit when she stumbles upon a dead body on her way home from work. What she assumes is a terrible accident Greta soon learns is something more sinister, and to make matters worse, a new-to-town detective cites her as not only his primary source for the case, but his top suspect.

To clear her name and save her reputation, Greta decides to do some off-the-books clue cataloging of her own. After all, asking questions is what she does best. With the help of her fellow librarians and her lawyer mom, Greta flips through the pages of the murder, uncovering details about Larkspur’s real estate market and the deceased’s rare book collection as she tries to understand why anyone would have authored his death.

With friends and neighbors stacking up as both victims and suspects, Greta must cross reference the facts and put a hold on her idyllic worldview if she wants to get the full story without paying the fine of her life.

This was a pretty simple read, everything was clearly spelled out for the reader, there was no thinking or guesswork involved at all. It is a bit cutesy, and there were a number of plot twists and sections that were wholly unbelievable.

With its likable librarian heroine and smart amateur investigation, I was hooked.

"Death Checked Out" is the entertaining debut of Leah Dobrinska’s new series, the "Larkspur Library Mysteries." Greta is a highly likable heroine, and her fellow librarians are engaging sidekicks. Detective Mark McHenry, a formidable investigator with zero bedside manner, has a secret sweet spot for the new library director.

The small town of Larkspur is picture-perfect with its lakeside location and fall in full swing. Several local businesses make their way into the story, which rounds out the cozy visual image. I came away wanting to attend the town’s upcoming Fall Festival the mayor and Greta were planning. Larkspur is a town of contrasts, though. While it is the typical small town where everyone knows everyone else and all their business and rumors streak through the grapevine, the story demonstrates that there can still be some surprising and shocking, and very well-kept secrets.

Greta, Josie, and Iris do an excellent job of ferreting out critical information, as librarians are wont to do, that identifies several potential suspects and other individuals vital to solving the crime. I liked that Greta and Josie consciously considered the ramifications and possible dangers of talking to some of these suspects and planned accordingly before deciding to pursue a meeting. We aren’t privy to much of McHenry’s initial investigation, but he (the professional) seems to be two steps behind the women throughout.

With its likable librarian heroine and nicely paced and plausible amateur investigation, I was hooked by the story from start to finish. I recommend DEATH CHECKED OUT to cozy mystery readers who enjoy library settings, librarian sleuths, and small towns in Wisconsin with a crisp autumn feel.

What a cute cozy mystery. It was nice to read something a little fun with new characters for me. I liked the people and how they interactev.

I love the cozy mystery genre, especially in the fall and winter seasons. I love putting on my fuzzy socks, drinking a nice cup of hot cocoa and digging into this genre.

This book is about a Greta, a librarian who stumbles upon a murder in the library she works at, and is immediately the prime suspect. To clear her name, she will have to work hard to piece together the identity of the culprit, but don't worry, she has her friends to help her out.

This was definitely a slow paced book, but for me, it was okay because it's a cozy mystery, not a thriller mystery, so this genre tends to be paced on the slower side. The twist was surprising to me, as I didn't even have the culprit on my list of suspects. For reference, I am about 50/50 when it comes to guessing who done it and why.

Ultimately, I can't wait to return the cast in the next installment of this series and hopefully we learn A LOT more about Greta in the installments to come.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Cozy mysteries are not a genre I read much of, but as a big fan of Leah Dobrinska’s Mapleton books, I had to check out the first in her new series of cozies. Much like Mapleton, the Larkspur Library Mysteries are set in a small Wisconsin town with a tight knit community of residents. As a full-fledged city girl, I enjoy escaping to a small town when I’m reading, and the author did a great job setting the scene and making me feel like I was right there in Larkspur. While I found the book well paced, it really picked up in the second half, keeping me on the edge of my seat. I wish we got a little bit more of Greta’s backstory, but I’m hoping we will get to know her better in future books, particularly with what happened to her sister. This was a great start to what I’m sure is going to be an excellent series, and all cozy mystery fans should give this one a shot!

“Greta Plank, library director in the small, lakeside town of Larkspur, Wisconsin, prefers her rose-tinted glasses extra rosy, thank you very much. It’s how she copes with the hard stuff in life…like her sister’s death and her ex-boyfriend’s deception. But Greta’s cheery resolve takes a hit when she stumbles upon a dead body on her way home from work. What she assumes is a terrible accident Greta soon learns is something more sinister, and to make matters worse, a new-to-town detective cites her as not only his primary source for the case, but his top suspect.”

Murder mistery book!!🐈🧐
Greta is a librarian that solve a murder by her own with interesting case while we go and dive to travel the town together in the stories!, Every description and the wordbuilding is just written beautifully, such a cozy mystery book you should grab for a coffee friend!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!