"Fatal First Edition" by Jenn McKinlay is an engaging cozy mystery that cleverly combines bookish charm with a suspenseful plot. The witty dialogue and well-crafted characters make it a delightful and intriguing read for fans of literary whodunits.

This is book 14 in the Library Lover’s Mystery. Lindsay and her husband have traveled to Chicago to attend an antique book conference and someone puts a rare first edition book in Lindsay’s tote bag. On the train home there are several conference members and a murder.. Lindsay is the prime suspect since she has the rare book that was reported stolen. Trouble follows them right back home and Lindsay and her friends must solve the murder or end up in jail. I love this series. Lots of antique book info.

Another great addition to the Library Lovers cozy series! I am always in awe of how well Jenn McKinlay jumps back into this world, successfully maintaining the personalities and storylines of each character as if they were real people. I always look forward to the next installment, and this was no different.

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

As a huge fan of both Jenn McKinlay and Kate Carlisle's book-related mystery series, I adored the mini-crossover or cameo that Brooklyn Wainwright was able to make in Library Director Lindsey Norris' world. All my favorite characters were back for this latest murder investigation and I love seeing the evolution of all the friendships and Lindsey and Sully's relationship. McKinlay excels at keeping this series fresh and her mysteries clever in this much beloved cozy series.

What a whirlwind! I dove headfirst into Fatal First Edition without realizing it was part of an ongoing series – oops! Surprisingly, it didn't hinder my enjoyment. In fact, it added a layer of humor when the main character referenced past sticky situations. The author skillfully avoided making me feel like an outsider, which was a relief.

However, I found myself grappling with some extraneous details that distracted from the story. Tangents of information led nowhere, leaving me feeling a bit adrift. Nevertheless, I appreciated the strong examples of friendship and support for the main character. While not a profound love for me, the book was a breezy, enjoyable read. I'd certainly consider exploring more of the author's work.

I enjoyed this! I’ve now read a couple books in this series and I would likely read more. I like the rare book info and the small town charm!

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

This series is a must-read for me!
I’m attached to these characters, and I hope there are many more books to come!
Jenn McKinlay is of my favorite and most recommended authors, both for her mysteries and romances.

I thoroughly enjoy this series, so I always download the new one as soon as I see it pop up on Netgalley! I liked the opening change of scenery, the involvement of Sully, the involvement of all the crafternooners, and like Robbie I had my eyes on the right suspect but as per the usual couldn't figure out the full motive so the twists revealed at the end were a delight.

Lindsey Norris takes a break from her job at the Briar Creek Library in Connecticut to attend a library archivist conference in New York. Her husband Mike “Sully” Sullivan goes along with her and accompanies her to hear some of the speakers, including Brooklyn Wainwright, a book restoration specialist. (And the main character of author Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile series!) While listening to Brooklyn’s presentation, someone leaves a conference tote bag with a rare signed edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train under Lindsey’s chair. Lindsey turns the book over to the conference director and then she and Sully get on a train to return home. Many of the conference organizers and attendees are also on the train when a killer strikes, and Lindsey and Sully become suspects in the murder!

Fatal First Edition is part of a long-running series, but still works well as a standalone. The book conference is interesting, especially the cameo appearance from Brooklyn Wainwright, but then the murder mystery gets off to a slow start for me. Since so many new characters from the conference are the witnesses and suspects, I wasn’t that invested in the outcome. However, when a snowstorm hits Briar Creek, the tension increases and the case becomes more personal for Lindsey. The story becomes much more engaging at this point and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. The resolution was dramatic and someone over-complicated, but still entertaining.

Lindsey doesn’t spend as much time in the library in this book. However her friends and co-workers, known as the “crafternooners” because they frequently get together to discuss books, snack, and do a craft, still play an important role in the story. Lindsey’s best friend Beth and the rest of the group really step in for Lindsey in a big way when she is facing a tough situation. The group eventually gets to have their fun get-together, discussing the book Strangers on a Train. The back of the book includes everything you need if you want to hold your own event including discussion questions for the Patricia Highsmith classic, instructions for a craft, and a couple of recipes for snacks. This is a fun feature of this interesting, cozy mystery.

~ Christine

I love this series and this one was no exception! This one had me a bit worried at times but I was pretty comfident that the author wouldn't let me down and she didn't.

This one starts out away from Briar Creek as Lindsey and Sully are at an archival convention and it's here that Lindsey finds a rare book under her seat. This is what will start off everything.

Lindsey takes it to one of the people who were giving a presentation to make sure she wasn't mystaken about the rare item, then it gets handed over the the conference director and then Lindsey thinks all is well, but it isn't.

On the train ride home surrounded by a lot of archivist passengers including the conference director and some other characters who are not big fans of his. So when he ends up dead on the train, the train must stop in Briar Creek where there is a blizzard happeing.

Everyone from the train must stay at the Inn in town but Lindsey and Sully are okay to go home but Sully needs to check on his boat so he goes off that way and then Lindsey finds the book in her bag and this pretty much starts some interesting events that I can't say but I was shocked a few time.

I don't think it was a very hard mystery to solve or at least to know who was behind things. I didn't know all the details but figuring out whodunit to me was a bit easy, but I still enjoyed the mystery because of some other things that was going on.

One little fun detail in this book is that the author uses a character from someone elses cozy series and I thought that was fun. Jenn talks about this in the back of the book and how she is friends with Kate Carlisle and asked to use Brooklyn Wrainwright at the conference and because I had read one book from the Bibliophile mysteries I caught this and it was fun. :)

I love all the charachers in this book and it was so fun being back with everyone and if you haven't tried this series you need too! :)

5 stars

Another wonderfully cozy read from the very talented Jenn McKinlay. This latest edition to the Library Lovers series mysteries is the wildest ride in the bunch. I loved all the little nods to archival and librarian work, the relationship between the characters we fans have grown to adore, and the opportunities to keep guessing how the plot would unfold.

I would recommend reading this series in order to fully appreciate the setting and storyline, but it would be enjoyable as a stand alone for fellow librarians and library staff. One of my favorite series to come back and enjoy often, like meeting up with a friend you haven't seen in a bit.

This cozy mystery starts at an rare book conference for archivists and librarians where a rare and valuable book by Patricia Highsmith is found by our librarian sleuth. While the conference group travels back east by train, a murder takes place and the suspects are detained at a local hotel at the first stop while law enforcement looks for the killer. The possible suspects are many and the blizzard that hits and confines the group at the hotel adds excitement to the story. I enjoyed this book.

Fun new mystery for Lindsay and Sully to solve! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy--all opinions are my own!

Jenn McKinlay continues the Library Lovers mysteries with Fatal First Edition. On the train back from an archivist's conference in Chicago, the conference organizer is found murdered in his roomette. A rare first edition of Patricia Highsmith's Stranger on the Train has gone missing and there are multiple suspects. A blizzard stops the train at Briar Creek and Lindsey the town's librarian and her husband who were at the conference and the train provide expertise on the multiple suspects. Cozy up to lots of suspects in creepy weather.

I love this series and this author so much! The train setting was great and I wish the whole book took place on the train. Additionally, I loved the snowstorm setting, but I felt like this could have been two separate books. There was a little too much happening. I thought the mystery was good and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Some parts seemed a little farfetched, like the characters kept going out in the snowstorm (and kept remarking about how in a few minutes the roads wouldn't be passable...). It was a good book and I loved revisiting these characters. I look forward to the next one already!

Fatal First Edition is the 14th book in the Library Lovers Mystery series. The book is about a murder on a train that is connected to the Patricia Highsmith's book Strangers on a Train. From the outset it might seem that Lindsey Norris and her husband Sully are in for a pleasant train ride home after a library conference. Curiously, as the conference was drawing to a close, Lindsey found a tote bag under her chair. The bag contained a rare first edition of the Highsmith Classic. Without hesitation, Lyndsay hands the book over.

Lindsey and Sully are tucked in for the night in their sleeper car. While both are sleeping soundly, Lindsey hears some thumping sounds from the compartment next door. She rushes out of their compartment, rousing Sully and others. She thinks she sees someone in a black coat, but otherwise everything seems fine.

The next morning the dining car is full almost to the point of overflowing, but the conference director Henry is the only person not present. Although a couple of people find this strange, breakfast continues. When Lindsey discovers that the conference director was assigned to the compartment next to hers and Sully's she raises an alarm. Before long, Henry's dead body is discovered and it is more than apparent that a murder has taken place.

While the chief of police detains the train's passenger when the train arrives in their small town of Briar Creek, Lindsey and Sully plan on getting back to their lives. The chief, Emma, is more than adequate for the job of identifying the killer. However, things go awry and with nail-biting tension, danger follows close on the heels of Lindsey and Sully.

Not only is the take on this book on the Hitchcock classic movie, but the age-old question is raised - "which is better, the movie or the book"? While I am one who usually thinks the book is better, little did I know that the movie Diehard is said to be better than the book. My personal comparison would be Jurassic Park, as I think the movie was far more entertaining than the book. However, I digress. I loved this book and have enjoyed every single book in the series thus far. I am very much looking forward to continuing with this series.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Another great installment by Jenn McKinlay in the A Library Lover’s Series .

When Library director Lindsey and her husband Sully attend a conference in Chicago they find a first edition book and return it to the conference director . When the book goes missing and the director is murdered Lindsey and her husband are once again in the middle of the mystery.

I alway enjoy McKinlay’s mysteries and this series is only getting better and better. The addition of another character from a different series was a great surprise.


I just reviewed Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay. #FatalFirstEdition #NetGalley

Fatal First Edition is the latest in the Library Lover’s Mystery series by the very talented Jenn McKinlay. Lindsey and Sully find themselves in a bit a pickle once again, by discovering a rare book and a body. Will the culprit be caught before someone else gets hurt? Read Fatal First Edition to find out.
I loved reading Lindsey and Sully’s latest story and can’t wait to read what happens next. I highly recommend this book and the whole Library Lover’s Mystery series to anyone who loves libraries and a good mystery.

A murder onboard a train seems linked to a rare first edition book that mysteriously appeared at an archivist convention. Jenn McKinlay’s Fatal First Edition is the latest in her Library Lover’s Mysteries and features a fun cameo for the literary cozy mystery fans out there!

I love books about books, so of course the Library Lover’s Mystery series and Fatal First Edition in particular was right up my alley. The book begins with Briar Creek Library director Lindsey Norris attending an archivist convention in Chicago accompanied by her husband, Sully. Lindsey is attending a talk by none other than Brooklyn Wainwright, who I immediately knew from Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series. I loved seeing this cameo, though I admit it threw me for a second as I checked to make sure I hadn’t already read this book!

Lindsey has discovered a rare first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train underneath her seat. The book is inscribed on the inside to Alfred Hitchcock (who famously directed the film adaptation). After the talk, she brings the book to Brooklyn Wainwright to consult and learns that if this is an authentic copy and with that inscription, the book is worth tens of thousands of dollars. Lindsey hands the book in to the conference director to ensure it gets returned to its rightful owner. Still, she can’t help but think about the book and the person who lost (or placed) it at the festival.

Many of the convention attendees are taking the same train back towards the east coast with overnight rooms (a nod to the book, perhaps). Lindsey is sure she hears strange noises from the sleeping compartment next door, but she goes to the hallway and only sees a brief glimpse of a person. When Lindsey wakes up the following morning, she and Sully head to breakfast only to return and find the conference director dead in his cabin. Lindsey wonders if it is related to the valuable first edition she had turned in the day before. The suspect must be someone who was onboard the train, but who?

I know readers have differing opinions on this, but I actually enjoy when the protagonist of a cozy mystery series takes a break from the small community the series is based in. It can make the series feel fresh, since the author is pushed towards new settings, characters, and relationships. Fatal First Edition has a nice mix of both—the book begins in Chicago, the murder occurs on the train, and eventually, the investigation moves to Briar Creek where many familiar characters make an appearance.

I wasn’t certain if the conference director, Henry, would end up being the murderer, the main suspect, or the victim at first (though if I went back to the synopsis I would have known). I thought he worked as the victim. Henry certainly had a past full of rumors and gossip that made him a prime suspect for many. I thought the fun aspect of the mystery for me was figuring out how the rare book would tie to the murder. The book turns up in Lindsey’s belongings again after the murder, so we know that Henry wasn’t necessarily murdered for the book (or at least, that wasn’t the only reason).

The middle of the book had a fun change of pace once the suspects moved to Briar Creek from the train and a new crime occurred. I thought it kept the pace upbeat and focused on the central mystery, instead of spiraling towards other goings on around town. Lindsey is always a sharp, kind, and enjoyable leading character. We even got a cameo from some of the other library staff!

This was a good mystery to cozy up with! Another great book in Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mystery series.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

This is one of my favorite mystery series. I love all the different characters in Briar Creek. I loved the mystery on the train and the Strangers on a Train book mystery. I really liked seeing Brooklyn Wainwright as a character, I have read some of her mysteries before. I really liked this book and after reading it, I just had to check out the Strangers on a Train dvd from my library. Great movie!