Once again Jenn McKinlay slays! This was a fun whodunit book and I hopped into the series with this book...and now I have ANOTHER series I have to read! Thanks a lot, Jenn!

#MerryLittleMurderPlot
#NetGalley

I love this cozy mystery series! It is like visiting with old friends. The narrators were great and brought this mystery to life. It was also great to see how Lindsey and Sully are doing.

3.75⭐️

When writers start dropping dead, who better to solve the mystery than a librarian?!

This book obviously forms part of a series, all of which I have not read. Saying that, I was able to jump in here and keep up with all of the established lore, which is a great start. I enjoyed the tone of this book which was fairly lighthearted and cozy, given the aforementioned murder taking place. It was twisty and really entertaining. For undisclosed reasons, I’m usually really good at guessing the murderer really early, but this book really held me at bay for a while, which was fun.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a Christmas-y book that doesn’t have a plot of romance but definitely brings the festive vibe.

Also, as I listened to this one, I will also mention that the narration was fairly unobtrusive, despite doing some accent work…which can sometimes wreck the vibe.

We’re on book 15 in the Library Lover’s series. I am sort of hating on the series at this point. Lindsay’s happy-go-lucky personality does not work well either with her self-characterization as an introvert (lol what) or with her being personally involved in 15 murders in this small town. The meta reveal is amazing. I loved the earlier books in this series but like this author’s other series, this series has become saccharine. Why is Lindsay getting involved in what begins as a stalking case? Why is the author so uncritical of the police? At this point the author is unwilling to rock the boat by highlighting any of the existing characters’ flaws. Obviously I’m invested enough to write a review this long. I still love the audio narrator but I’m a little ready to push Lindsay into the cold ocean.

I like the premise of a writer in residence at the library. Lindsey clearly needs more work to do since she has a lot of time to run around town investigating crime. I did like how Emma asked Lindsey to research some aspects of the case. I may be suffering from cozy mystery fatigue, but I am getting annoyed with the number of protagonists who ignore warnings from law enforcement to not get involved in the investigation.

This was such a great continuation of this series! I am a comfy cozy mystery junkie and this one being set at Christmas time was just icing on the cake.
I loved the twists in this one and I loved that even though we are many books into this series there is still character growth and development.
I am so excited for any book that Jenn writes and Merry Little Murder Plot did not disappoint!

A Merry Little Murder Plot is book 15 in the Library Lover’s Mystery Series. It was the first book in the series I had read but that did not hamper my enjoyment of this fun holiday mystery. I really enjoyed Lindsey and the library crew, and the contrast of the holiday festivities with the stalker-themed cozy mystery. Just a fun read with plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting, & I also very much enjoyed Allyson Ryan’s narration.

I have read a few of the books in the Library Lover series and have enjoyed them immensely. This one was a great addition and I was drawn into the story from the beginning. The characters are well developed and the mystery is handled well. I was left guessing who was guilty until the very end. Lots of twists and turns will have you flipping through the pages quickly as you absorb every word and try to help Lindsey figure out who has committed murder. I loved the focus on Christmas and it made me anxious for the holiday season to arrive. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next adventure with the people of Briar Creek!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Adult Fiction
Christmas
Cozy Mystery
Holiday
Mystery

This was a wonderful plot and I really liked the characters. It’s the first book in the series that I have listened to but it didn’t impact the story at all. Works well as a standalone.
Lovely cozy crime, easy listen and plenty going on.

From my mystery, queen, another absolute banger. I love everything Jen, right but I think the library lover series is one of my favorites in all time.

Lindsey is excited about the Christmas season and about their new Author-In-Residence, Helen. Getting ready for all the holiday events she is put off when another visiting author, Jackie, makes it known that she blames Helen for all the issues of her life. Then Jackie ends up dead and Helen is the main suspect. Doing what she's become known for, Lindsey dives in and starts trying to figure it out. Filled with all the delightful characters that have grown over the series, this is another cozy mystery filled with holiday delights and a quick wrap up that puts the bow on everything. A great addition to the series.

A fun Christmastime murder mystery. I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more in the series. I love the library/ book theme. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very charming holiday-themed cozy mystery and I really enjoyed it on audiobook. I did not realize that it was part of a series, and now I’m very excited to go back and read the previous books set in Briar Creek and involving this wonderful cast of characters. That the main thread of the plot involves a writer-in-residence at the public library and that the librarian is investigating suspicious acts makes this even better. The story is just twisty enough that readers will not quickly figure out what is going on, and that the action takes place largely at the holiday events in this small town adds to the fun. A perfect read for December! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

I've read one other book in this series, and they are just delightful. I enjoy the whole crew, and I appreciate that they are an homage to the genre as much as they are their own solid cozy mysteries.

This installment didn't lose that vibe even though it's further along in the series. Sometimes a series like this can get stale over a couple of books, I've read the 14th (and with this the 15th) installment of this series, and I'd have thought they were books 2 and 3. The plots are well thought out, the characters are super interesting to get to know, and the whole experience of reading is delightful.

I recommend these books to anyone who is a fan of Gigi Pandian, the cozy genre, or to anyone dipping their toes in cozy from a more gritty mystery/thriller space. The stakes will be lower, but just as satisfying.

Thank you for the ARC!

Cute, cozy holiday mystery. The library group never strays away from a good mystery. There are unexpected twists and an ending you do not see coming. It was a great small town mystery with all of our favorite things included such as the holidays, books, a writer and a library! Definately interested in reading the rest of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Cozy mystery but I felt like there were quite a few unrealistic and questionable things in this plot. It was just a fun mystery though. Nothing much went on. Didn’t really care about the characters and it took me a bit to realize who’s who. I liked that it’s a book about books but that’s about it. Cute easy and cozy Christmas read though.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 19th November and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of December.

I’m between a 3-4: First of all, not enough of the cute dog on the cover. This is not my typical type of read but I loved other Jen McKinlay books and wanted to see what else she could do. You can definitely calculate this as “cozy” and the murder was easily solvable, but that kinda of goes with the cozy genre. I enjoyed the Christmastime setting, the small town charm, and the characters that are so supportive of each other. But I lost interest when the cheesy characters were too trusting and too sweet and innocent - like I said, not my norm. However I can’t fault the author for it not being my style so if I’m objective, it was an interesting plot that I haven’t read before, holiday without being hokey, I like that it was bookish and centered around a library/writing, and even though it’s #15 in a series the reader is given enough background to not be lost. The audio narrator had a wide range of tones and accents, that was pretty impressive.

This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series and the audiobooks are the best. Allyson Ryan knocks the narration out of the park on these. I love these characters, this town, just everything so much. This was a fun addition to the series and I loved visiting these characters at Christmas time.

Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC. Jenn McKinlay Library series are wonderful reads. I loved how this book was about an author and her thriller books that hit a little close to home. The mystery had me guessing until the end. A must read.

Audio book review - narration can make a book and Allyson Ryan does a wonderful job on this novel. Not the most challenging story line but she manages to keep the audience fulfilled and enjoyable. I found the plot to be scarce and limited but the luckily Allyson pulled it through