Well written and plotted. Culprit not obvious but there were tiny hints. A satisfying mystery. I received this as an advance copy from the author and NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoy a mystery and this one played out nicely!!! I really enjoyed the way the book flowed!!! Perfect for fall!!!🍂

Lucy and Connor are settled in their home on the beach. Lucy continues as librarian but remains very adept at solving crimes. When a Young Adult author drops in at her home and is shot with an arrow, the detecting begins. This series has developed a great deal. Lucy has married, settled tiffs with others and become respected in the community. When the wife of the deceased begins to shade Lucy, everyone is quick to her defense. But who killed the author and why did he want to privately speak with Lucy? Love that this series shows the librarians as multifaceted people with wide interests. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. There is a nice surprise at the end plus the introduction of a character who could cause trouble for Lucy.

Another great cozy mystery from this author. I love this series so I was excited to read the newest book. A YA author dies on the back deck of Lucy's home - by a bow and arrow - who would do such a thing?! It was a fantastic mystery with a lot of suspects, interesting characters and storylines, and a fabulous ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This series has come a long way from when Lucy was new to town and living in the lighthouse. I love how much growth and development has taken place. This is book 12 so you need to start with the first. The setting, a library in a lighthouse, is absolute perfection. The characters are charming and the mystery is always satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

#ShotThroughtheBook #NetGalley is another unique addition to this series.
Each book always has a part that suddenly grabs me, dragging me into a world usually filled by colorful, quirky characters.
Lucy does not disappoint with her investigative skills, and I always love following her along, hoping I can put the clues together with her.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

First, I need to confess that I love murder novels—both thrillers and cozy mysteries. Long sagas too, where character development is so important and the connection to them is an evolving, lasting sentiment.

That being said, I admit that this is the first time I heard of this saga and the first of its novels that I read. It's the 12th installment, so I felt a bit lost—not much, it explains who everyone is and also a tiny bit about previous books' connections and a hint of their plots. However, I couldn't help but feel that there was much to be liked about some characters because of prior relationships that I should but didn't care about. I kind of felt out—a bit between wanting to read those previous books to know what happened and being upset because it made me feel left out

About the murder plot, I liked it, it took me a while to know who the killer was going to be. It's well-woven and interesting. But most of all, I enjoyed the cozy moments: the glass of wine on the deck, observing the sea. Those moments that didn't carry previous books' luggage made me feel at peace.

Even having not read the rest of the saga, I loved the idea that Lucy was separated from her police contacts and had to work on her own, she didn't have official resources and had to find other ways to get information (I don't know how it happened in other books, but I liked that in this one).

Character development is quite flat in this installment, though, as I said before, because, I think, it relies too much on having read the previous stories first. I found Connor (the husband) extremely dull and unpleasant, not the good husband Lucy wanted to sell to us. As per the police, I sensed they did absolutely nothing (Watson is referred as e very good detective, but...). The only character I enjoyed was Heather—she is strong and her appearances are stressful; she is the one that gives the book the vibrant push it needs. She is a good antagonist and, as it's her first and only appearance, she's well described and well-developed as a character.

There are also many edit mistakes that need to be corrected, both in plot and in grammar.

Overall, it's OK as a cozy mystery but I would polish it some more in order to hook new readers so they'd read the rest of the saga.

A favorite cozy mystery series, Eva Gates once again weaves a wonderful narrative in 'Shot Through the Book'. The narrative focuses on the death of a Young Adult Author on the back deck of Lucy's home by bow and arrow. The inclusion of a teen fan club, obsession, and Young Adult dystopian novels makes this the ideal book to introduce teen readers to the Cozy Mystery genre. As a popular genre, this is ideal for students and their adult family members who are readers to enjoy together.

Thank you crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in return for an honest review.

I love this series! The beautiful setting of the OBX and the Lighthouse Library (oh if only such a thing existed!) make these books a book lovers friend. Lucy has an unexpected visitor who is promptly murdered on her porch; his wife is casting aspersions on Lucy as the town Nancy Drew and the police department for working with her, making this case even more difficult. I did miss Josie and aunt Ellen (who had a tiny role), but enjoyed the library staff coming together. A very enjoyable book!

Even the title is intriguing. This talented author has written a page turner. Secrets and red herrings…mystery and mayhem…family and friends…I like this author and this story. Thanks Netgalley.

Shot Through the Book is the 12th book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. It takes place in the town of Nags Head, NC. The library is located in the Bodie Island LIghthouse. Lucy McNeal is the main character. She works as the assistant director of the library in charge of arranging special events. Connor O'Neil is Lucy's husband and mayor of the town, He is also a dentist where he works part-time, Ronald Burkowiski is the children's librarian. Jane McKaughnan also works at the library. Bertie James is Lucy's boss. Denise is the academic Librarian. Maureen Peterson is a dedicated patron and volunteer in the library. The library is planning their Young Adult Author's Festival. Todd Harrison is a YA author who has recently moved to the outerbanks. He is the headliner for the festival. Shannon McKennah and Ruth Vivac are the other two local authors who will be with him on stage. Lorraine Kitterman will be the music with her band. RIck Black is the owner of the book store. They are all meeting to finalize the agenda the festival.

Lucy was home waiting for her husband to get back from a meeting when Todd comes to her door and says he needed to talk to her. She invited him in and they go to the back deck. Lucy went to get some tea and when she came back Todd was sitting at the table with his back towards the house. He began to tumble to his side and fell to the ground. He was dead with a metal arrow implanted in his chest. Another arrow was stuck in the wood by the door. Lucy called 911. Detective Sam Watson and Officer Butch Greenblatt arrived. Lucy told Sam that she really didn't know him. Only met him at the festival meeting. None of the people on the committee knew him personally only through his work as an author. She had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about. Harrison's appearance was done through the publicist at his publisher. Sam told Lucy that Todd was married to Heather Harrison.

This is where the story takes off with so much going on that it is hard to put on paper. I will leave it to the reader to enjoy all that takes the story to the exciting and surprising ending.

I have read this series from the beginning. I have enjoyed the relationship between Lucy and Connor throughout the books. The ending of this story has Lucy announcing to Connor that she is pregnant. At Sam's retirement party Sam introduces Lucy to Detective Rhonda Thomas who is joining the police force from New Orleans. She is his replacement when he retires. She quietly tells Lucy that she will not tolerate if Lucy wants to help in the future. This should add some tension to the next story in this series. Should be interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This is another great entry in the series. When a best-selling YA author is found dead on her property, Lucy has to deal with unwanted attention from the author’s devoted fans. I do like that Lucy’s investigations come under fire here. Every time I read a cozy mystery, I wonder why people give so many passes to these amateur sleuths digging into other people’s business. Lots of changes are on the horizon for the characters.