Fatal First Edition AUDIO by Jenn McKinlay is another in the Library Lovers’ Mystery series and takes us mostly back to Briar Creek, Connecticut. But, it opens at a book archivists’ conference in Chicago where, interestingly, Lindsey and Sully run into Brooklyn Wainwright (and Derek), a book restorer from Kate Carlisle’s series, Bibliophile Mysteries. It is little more than just in passing, a fact Lindsey regrets. She has found a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers On A Train and she is looking for the owner. She leaves it with the conference director, whom, as it turns out, has the compartment next to theirs on the train returning to the East Coast. All is well until the next morning when the man ends up dead and Lindsey finds the rare book in her computer bag. Accident or murder? The next stop is Briar Creek so the police there will sort it out.

As it happens, Briar Creek is in the middle of a fearful blizzard and Sully leaves immediately to make deliveries to folks on the islands before the weather gets too bad. Before long, Lindsey gets the call that Sully appears to be missing at sea. NO? When she gets to the dock, Ian and Mary are already there. Ian is in a boat looking for Sully’s and before long he tows it in. It is untouched and Sully’s phone is on the deck. Plus, his truck is missing. This gets so complicated and there is so much detail. Lindsey is a clever and strong woman. She immediately knows her husband has been taken. He is also strong. He was a navy SEAL and can handle himself. What a great plot and a great look at Lindsey and Sully’s relationship. They are both well-developed characters who have had a long time to become who they are today. It did instill a little fear in the reader, as the snow made everything more difficult. Of course, the Crafternooners were right there to help. It was a bit of a complicated story but all’s well that ends well. Thanks. Jenn McKinlay! What a great series!

Allyson Ryan was the reader and did an adequate job. She handled the different characters well and kept the suspense building. She was a good choice. She voiced Lindsey well.

I was invited to listen to Fatal First Edition by Dreamscape Media. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #DreamscapeMedia #JennMcKinlay #FatalFirstEdition

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review, Fatal First Edition by Jennifer McKinlay. This review is purely my thoughts and opinions based on this audiobook.

They want to get their hands on a rare, valuable title!

Briar Creeks Library Director, Lindsey and her husband Sully attend a conference to hear about book restoration. When Lindsey goes to leave she notices a tote bag containing a highly valuable first edition title. Since trouble tends to find Lindsey, she immediately took the title to the conference director.

Later that night, Lindsey hears some strange sounds from the neighboring room, but doesn’t seemed concerned until the next day when someone is missing from the breakfast crowd.

Great whodunit library mystery.

I love the Library Lovers Mystery series. Fatal First Edition gets bonus points by including a cameo of characters from the Bibliophile Mystery series. The author is one of Jenn McKinlay’s writing buddies and friends.
I love that Lindsey and Sully take the train to Chicago for an Archivist Conference. I found all the characters interesting. It was clever to strand the suspects from the conference in Briar Creek with a blizzard.
I have liked this series from the start and definitely recommend reading in order, but I can see how bringing in a different setting makes this a book you could start with if you dove in mid-series.
I listened to the audiobook, which comes out May 7th, a couple months after the print and ebooks. I enjoy the narrator. I like the voices the narrator uses for the characters. The train ride sounds fun, well until there is a death. I admire Lindsey and friends’ ingenuity in trying to save Sully.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book.

4.5 stars

I went into this audiobook thinking "it's a Jenn McKinlay book, it's going to be good" and it was! It was so much better than I thought it would be though. Lindsey attends a conference where freaking Brooklyn Wainwright is the speaker! Yeah! The one from the Kate Carliesle books. Lindsey finds a rare book during the conference and later finds herself involved in another murder investigation that involves the rare book. The book is absolutely phenomenal and is so cozy and good. I loved that we got a cameo from Brooklyn, that was so much fun. I really liked the way the investigation went and the choices that Lindsey makes, I wish I could describe it but I don't want to spoil it but the end is so good! I did figure out a little bit more of the plot than I wish I had but that's okay, it was still really great. I also want to give a special shoutout to the narrator, Allison Ryan, she did a great job as always. Allison always makes the listening experience so joyful. Overall great read, highly recommend!


Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jenn McKinlay for letting me listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Another solid installment in this series. I really enjoyed the (short-lived) crossover with Brooklyn Wainright from Kate Carlisle’s series, and the first part had Murder on the Orient Express vibes, which was fun.

I did miss all the hometown characters being more involved and thought the ending was a bit rushed, but overall it was a fun cozy mystery. Definitely one in the series that could be read on its own if you haven’t read the earlier books.

The narrator of the audiobook was also fantastic and really captures the characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Dreamscapemedia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Narrated by the talented Allyson Ryan, 'Fatal First Edition' by Jenn McKinlay is a captivating audiobook that keeps listener engaged from start to finish. McKinlay's masterful storytelling, combined with Ryan's skillful narration, brings the captivating tale of intrigue and murder to life in vivid detail.

As library director Lindsey Norris and her husband, Sully, find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving a valuable first edition and a shocking murder, listeners are drawn into a whirlwind of suspense and suspicion. McKinlay skillfully weaves together a tangled web of clues and red herrings, keeping audiences guessing until the very end.

With its clever plot twists and dynamic characters, 'Fatal First Edition' is a must-listen for fans of cozy mysteries and thrilling suspense. Ryan's narration adds an extra layer of depth to the story, immersing listeners in the world of Briar Creek and its intriguing inhabitants. (I received an advance reader copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.) Whether you're a bibliophile or simply love a good whodunit, this audiobook is sure to keep you captivated until the final revelation.

So, one of my favourite cozy mystery series ever and this fourteenth ‘Library Lover’s Mystery’ book is sheer brilliance! Gah, I want to gush but, because this is a mystery, I can’t without posting spoilers. Let’s just say that the author’s clever use of setting brought an extra thrill to the mystery. And the way she brings the whole Briar Creek gang together and involved was sweet perfection. The plot contains a number of classic mystery elements that elevated my reading enjoyment that much more. I’m still grinning in pure bibliophile delight. 🙂

And these characters! I love them all. Especially Lindsey and Sully. Swoon! And this story packs an emotional wallop that frazzled my last nerve and had me close to tears! I attribute part of my reaction to Allyson Ryan’s excellent narration. She has been the voice of this series from the very first book and does an incredible job of conveying personalities and emotion, helping me to connect with each character. To laugh with them and cry with them…and yes, I know this is a cozy mystery but this particular author/narrator partnership has brought such depth to these characters over the course of the series and I am so appreciative. May there be many more ‘Library Lover’s Mysteries’ to come!

My thanks to the publisher, Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio version of this book.

"Fatal First Edition (Library Lovers Mystery #14)" by Jenn McKinlay is both a winter theme and a train theme (in a way). The book starts out with Lindsey and her husband at a book conference in Chicago. They are traveling by train back home, along with other conference members. A very valuable edition of "Strangers on a Train" has been the object of many people's attention. Just as they're arriving in Briar Creek the body of the conference director is found in his cabin on the train. Luckily they're in Lindsey hometown just as the weather is getting really nasty.

With all the "Strangers on a Train" references, that's all it really ends up being. The mystery in this one just happens to start on the train. I felt that there was more than one person involved but I just couldn't quite pair them up. The real end up not being a total surprise but I wouldn't have said for sure it was them until it was being broken down.

I had already read this book when I listened to the audiobook. I thought the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life and keeping my interest. I continued to enjoy the story and caught details from the audiobook that I hadn’t when I read it the first time. This is book 14 in the Library Lover’s Mystery series and I have to admit it is the first I’ve read, but I thought it worked well as a standalone. I’m sure I would have been more attached to the characters if I had read the prior books, but there was enough explanation that I understood them and it worked. Library Director Lindsey went to a book archivist convention in Chicago and her husband came too (this made sense, but why did he go with her to the sessions, that was weird). While there she finds a super rare book under her seat. Many of the convention attendees including the director of the convention Henry took the train home and unfortunately a murder was committed on the overnight train ride. Lindsey can’t help but ask some questions and the more she knows the more she needs to keep digging because this particular criminal is making it personal. Overall a good cozy mystery and this is a series I will read more of.

Another wonderful installment of the Library Lover's mystery series.

Lindsey and Sully have some crossover with other book loving mystery solvers, and then live a real life incident similar to Strangers on a Train.

The book was fast paced and really kept me on my toes, I was so surprised by all of the reveals at the end, and can't wait to be reunited with all of the Briar Creek characters for the next novel.

3.4

The Library Lovers series is my second favorite of Jenn McKinlay‘s cozy mystery series, but the first is about hat making in London, so it was never a fair contest. The Library Lovers books makes you wish you had a town and a ride-or-die circle of friends just like Lindsey.
Mixing things up, this one takes place in Chicago, then on a train back to Connecticut, and finally the town with the cast of characters we love. There’s a lot of angst when this murderer doesn’t play fair, and, unfortunately, not much of the Lemon, who now goes by Mayor Cole. It’s a little hard to keep up with all of the characters, especially, the wealthy benefactors, some of whom have similar names. I so seem to have forgotten when exactly Lindsay and Sully actually tied the knot. This one jumps in like they’ve been married for years, which is a little strange for me after all of the dancing around it. I appreciate, though, that this book takes the story all the way to Chicago, has a classic mystery train setting, but does give you your dose of Violet and Nancy back on the Connecticut shore. The logistics are absurd, especially the fact that the train zips across half of the country but conveniently stops in their little hamlet for Lindsay and Sully to board. The Sully situation, you’ll understand later, is a little unfulfilling and the mystery investigation itself a little tedious, but it’s still a classic Library Lovers mystery if you’ve a fan of the series.

The narration follows all of the previous audiobooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another great installment in the library cozy mystery series. I always love all the books in this series and this one was no exception.
Great narration as well. One of my favorite series.

I loved the initial setting of this book and the all too brief meeting between Lindsey and Sully and Brooklyn and Derek. Had I been writing this book, I would have written a grand collaboration between the two couples with the story/investigation taking place on the train, start to finish, but alas, it was not to be. Nonetheless, it was a fun moment, and the short train ride set the scene for the book that takes center stage in this mystery - a valuable copy of Strangers on a Train. The mystery was solid, and the characters are still lovable and relatable. However, while I enjoyed this book, it did not live up to my ideal visit to Briar Creek. The timing, the blizzard, the kidnapping felt contrived, probably because they seemed to inhibit the joint effort that I expect from and love about these characters. Rather than working together, with a few exceptions, the characters were scattered, and the interaction minimized. That said, I still recommend the book to fans of the series and look forward to a my next visit to Briar Creek.

Allyson Ryan did her usual excellent job narrating the characters.

I love this series and I know many others do as well. Fun cozy mystery. Characters are unique and quirky and the mystery keeps you invested.

The gold standard of cozy mysteries! You have a cameo appearance from another amazing character from an equally amazing series from a different author which makes my heart so very happy! You have a detailed plot with ample twists and turns with just enough hints to lead you to or away from the actual culprit! You have red herrings to throw you off the path of the correct suspect! You have fabulously written characters that absolutely come to life on the page and draw you even deeper into the story! Which means you have an absolutely excellent story to cuddle in and read the day away with! Add in great narration to the audio book and the book literally burst to life in your brain! Add in the convenience of being able to move and do other things while listening to the audio book and you have the perfect solution to reading and accomplishing tasks! I will say that I do highly recommend that you read the entire series in order so that you get to know the town, the characters and all the landmarks mentioned in the book as that will deepen your enjoyment of this book tenfold plus you get hours and hours more of entertainment by reading the entire series!!!

Jenn McKinlay delivers another fantastic book in the library series starring Lindsey Norris. Five stars!!