The Little Lost Library
Book 7 in the A Secret, Book, and Scone Society series
by Ellery Adams
Publisher: Kensington Imprint: Kensington Cozies
Pub date: Oct. 22

Bookshop owner Nora Pennington is set onto a trail of murder, secrets, and a missing library when a recluse hands Nora a mysterious book before her questionable death.

Lucille Wynter is a regular, but strange, customer of Nora Pennington’s bookshop, Miracle Books. Lucille never leaves her house, so Nora delivers her books to her home, Wynter House, a falling down, Gothic mansion. But Nora is never allowed past the boot room where she and Lucille drink tea and eat cookies, before Nora leaves the books and Lucille’s decrepit home. On Nora’s last trip to Wynter House, Lucille doesn’t come to the door. Nora calls her, and when Lucille answers, she calls for help. By the time Nora gets to her, Lucille is dead. When Deputy Andrews arrives to investigate, he finds an envelope Lucille left for Nora. He hands it to her, assuming it is money for the books Nora was delivering. Instead, it holds a note and a thin, brittle book. After reading the book, Nora finds herself involved in a different mystery, one that involves horrid family secrets and a missing library. But someone else is also looking for the library and will commit murder to find it and bury the secrets of Wynter House forever.

I’ve read all the books in the A Secret, Book, and Scone Society series, and The Little Lost Library is the best one so far. Solving the secret of the missing library also reveals the horrible family secrets that drove Lucille Wynter into a reclusive life. I think the revealing of that family history and how the past shaped Lucille and her three children drew me in more than the murder mystery. I’m always interested in why people are the way they are, and this book does that in a realistic way. And by revealing that past, Adams allowed me to develop sympathy for some very unlikeable characters. The murder mystery also kept me guessing up to the reveal. There are plenty of red herrings to send a reader down several dead end paths.

5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a free e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Another good book by a wonderful author. This one has Nora trying to solve what happened to the reclusive Lucille Wynter. I liked following the clues and seeing the end results. Highly recommend.

Reclusive elderly resident Lucille Wynter has ordered books from Nora Pennington for years. But Nora has never been inside Wynter House. When Lucille fails to come collect her new books, Nora forces her way inside the mansion to find her dead. The house is packed with decades worth of books and family items. Lucille has left a book with a note for Nora to find the little lost library. Lucille’s estranged adult children believe a fortune is hidden within the house. Nora is determined to solve the clues in the book and find what Lucille has left for her to find.

I love this newest book in the series! A very fast and interesting read. The characters are great and the setting is wonderful! The mystery is perfect all the way to the end!

There is always a little edge in Ellery Adams' A Secret Book and Scone Society series, but in 'The Little Lost Library' the author upped it another notch. There is a darkness to this storyline, and danger is present and affecting Nora. The constants in this story are the unity and love of Nora's friends, and the devotion and consistency of Sheriff McCabe in her life. Those factors help her hold things together while she is attacked and threatened. This story was very exciting, and I was gripped with tension to the conclusion. I was completely surprised by the ending, and that is always a joy in a mystery novel. I look forward to more!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What a good combination. A book related book and a mystery. Nora has a bookstore that is the gathering place for many. It helps that she sells coffee and bakery goodies. As the story starts she is making a delivery to a senior citizen that has lots of rules. Nora never gets inside the house, just the boot room. But one day the lady doesn't answer her doorbell. Nora finds her at the bottom of the steps. Nora has been given a book and letter which fuels her desire to help figure out why the lady died. The letter and book start the trail of clues and hints on why the family is so miserable. So that thread of the book peaked my mystery interest. But those small books make is say AWESOME, how cool is that.

A sad ending. Am I the only one that wanted Nora to buy the house? A good book for sure

It was such a cute,cozy, mystery book, perfect for this time, to snuggle with the blanket and tea. This is my first book by this author and it was perfect for me. From the characters, story and the writing. It is about Nora who owns a bookshop Miracle Books and has a private passion project to help people by supplying them with just the right books for their needs.
I truly enjoyed this little mystery. Again, this is a series and I still was able to keep up with some of the backstory. This book was a very quick read, and I enjoyed the characters, especially Nora who had to finish what she started. That was finding out the mystery of Lucille and her family. Who killed Lucille and why this book was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anybody who enjoys a cozy little mystery.
Thank you Net galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.

Nora regularly delivers books to an elderly recluse, but she is never invited in further than the boot room. There, she and Lucille sip tea and eat two cookies while discussing books…never anything personal. This time, Lucille doesn’t answer the door and Nora finds her dead at the foot of the stairs. The house is a shock to Nora because Lucille was a hoarder and the house is filthy and books are piled everywhere in huge stacks. Lucille has given Nora a book that is clues to a Little Lost Library. Lucille’s adult children are a mess, but Nora keeps following the clues and finding more clues in secret hiding places.
Nora and McCabe are closer than ever and he’s a great support when Nora must face flames once again and a huge loss. The Secret, Book, and Scone Society rally to her support, as always.
I love this series and enjoyed this novel very much.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Definitely a book for library purchase. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

The characters, the settings and their back stories. Nora has been delivering books to a recluse for years. On this visit she doesn’t come to the door in their agreed time limit so Nora calls. Once the phone is finally answered all she hears is the word help. Upon finding Lucille at the bottom of the steps, she’s on the hunt for the killer. Using the book that was left to her, she searches for the hidden treasure using the clues in the book.

The main characters of this story are the bookshop owner of Miracle Books in Miracle Springs, NC, Nora, her boyfriend, Police Chief Grant McCabe, her amazing group of incredibly supportive friends, and the town recluse, Lucille Wynter, who lives in the dilapidated "haunted house" in town. Ms. Wynter has books delivered by Nora but never allows her into the house further than the small boot room off the kitchen where they share a cup of tea, 2 cookies each, a bit of chit chat about her love of books, especially those where the reader must follow clues to solve a mystery, but never about anything more personal than a glimpse at her obvious devotion to the memory of her father. It's on one such visit that Lucille doesn't come to retrieve her books, and Nora is forced to call for help for the old woman only to find they've arrived too late. Lucille leaves a book for Nora with its own real-life mystery to solve. The book sets Nora on a quest to discover not only who killed Lucille but also what made her trap herself in her home for decades with a horde of books. The treasure hunt that Nora is on puts her life in danger, but she's compelled to continue searching for answers for Lucille, whom she feels she should have done more for in life. This was the first book in the series that I've read, and I love the cast of supportive friends that Nora has in this tight-knit community. It sounds like a wonderful place to live ... except for its frequent murders for Nora to solve. I will definitely be reading all of the other books in this series.

Nora Pennington, bookstore owner in Miracle Springs delivers books to a reclusive elderly woman regularly. Nora is never allowed inside the house but sits in a enclosed porch area of the dilapidated mansion Lucille Wynter serves her tea and cookies . One delivery day there's no answer to her knock and Nora senses something is not right. When Lucille finally answers her phone her words send chills down Nora's spine. She breaks down the door to find Lucille's body at the foot of the stairs. Once the shock ends Nora feels guilty that she didn't do more to help the old woman. Police arrive and one of them finds a bag with Nora's name on it. Inside is an old book with a series of clues. Nora realizes Lucille has sent her a message that may explain why she lived as she did.
To assuage her guilt Nora takes on the challenge Lucille has set. In doing so she puts her relationship with Sheriff McCabe and her life in jeopardy.
This is #7 in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series and one of the best. The mystery is intriguing as the tragedy unravels and secrets are exposed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC.

Huge thank you to Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early!

I am a huge fan of this series, and this newest book does not disappoint! A perfect cozy mystery for the fall with its mix of spooky haunted houses and scavenger hunt elements. This book was the perfect mix of mystery and character development that keeps me coming back for more! I am so excited to pick up this book on release day!

The Little Lost Library is book 7 in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series by Ellery Adams. I enjoyed the sisterhood of the four friends who meet weekly for their girls’s night. If they can help solve a mystery in the process, all the better. This book involved a tough topic regarding hoarding. Nora gets involved when a reclusive customer dies under suspicious circumstances. Nora is in for a surprise when she discovers the woman was a hoarder. But she left her a small book with clues about her life which Nora can’t resist. I read the first book in this series where I met all the characters. This book can be read as a standalone but now I want to catch up on everything the friends have gone through so I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams is another excellent book in this series. I love the characters and this mystery was a good one!

Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books, has been taking reading matter to elderly resident, Lucille Wynter for many years, but has never got further into her crumbling mansion than the boot room. Agoraphobic and set in her ways Lucille is, it seems, a voracious reader, and Nora feels they understand each other, or she did until, once again, she finds a dead body! This time however, it's the location as well as the untimely death which shocks her.

Once the police have secured the scene they give Nora a package which, amongst other things, contains a request she feels unable to ignore. As Nora gets drawn into her hunt for answers she begins to neglect her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, her bookshop, and partner Sheriff Grant McCabe. But, is Nora putting herself in danger from the ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to ensure secrets which have lain undiscovered for decades remain that way forever.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing and Kensington Cozies, but the opinions expressed are my own. I loved this book! Right from the start it was as if it had been written just for me. It had everything I want in a cosy but still surprised me more than once! Highly recommended.

The Little Lost Library is the seventh book in a wonderful series set in Miracle Springs, NC. If I could I'd move there in a heartbeat. Ellery Adams descriptions of the community and society of close woman friends are so vivid and heartwarming. I've loved this series from the start and can't say the books keep getting better, they are all good and are consistently well written mysteries.
This time the plot doesn’t revolve around the other members of the society, but rather around Lucille Wynter, a reclusive inhabitant of Miracle Springs. Bookshop owner Nora has been bringing books to Lucille on a regular basis. When the novel opens Lucille has recently died (Was she murdered?) and leaves Nora a puzzle to solve. Nora depends on her friends and law enforcement beau Grant to solve the puzzle and figure out Lucille,s story. I highly recommend this series.

The Little Lost Library is another great addition to The Secret, Book and Scone Society series. Nora's reclusive elderly client is found dead at the bottom of the stairs and she has left Nora a book containing clues to a treasure hunt for the Little Lost Library. While fighting against shoplifters and a staffing shortage, Nora uncovers the clues, only deepening the mystery.
I have enjoyed this series of complex, flawed but wonderful characters. written equally with humor and heartache. The mystery always keeps me guessing. Each visit to Miracle Springs is like returning to visit old friends and it touches my soul in ways I didn't even know I needed. I heartily recommend The Little Lost Library as well as the whole series.

I have read every book in this series & enjoy them even though they do tend to be slightly darker than your average cozy, in my opinion. This one seemed especially depressing, but that could be events in my own life effecting my reading of it. I found this one hard to put down. I am having trouble putting into words what I felt about this book because of the way some of the plot hit me. I'm not sure enjoyed is the right word, but I certainly didn't dislike the book & will continue to read the series. It felt like we got much less of our side characters than usual & I missed them. I can't quite put my finger on what was different with this book than the rest of the series, but it felt like something was. I haven't decided if that's good or bad yet.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A series I would recommend. This book was very entertaining. It's definitely for a book lover. A murder of a book hoarder imprisoned behind her books leaves behind another mystery for Nora to solve,
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