I love visiting Connecticut with the library lovers series. This time it is winter and Christmas is coming. There are loads of festive activities including an ugly sweater contest that Robby Vine attends and participates in under protest.
Helen Monroe is the writer in residence at the library. It’s hard to know what to think about her at first as she isn’t very friendly to Lindsey.
There is mean girl/woman Betty. There is stalkerish Jackie. There is a secret marriage and a secret new book. Emma, chief of police, is acting a bit off.
Lindsey feels compelled to investigate the death, and all sorts of interesting things happen.
I wondered about the person who ends up being the culprit. This is an interesting and twisty Christmas time mystery. I enjoyed it.
A Merry Little Murder Plot could be read as a stand-alone but to enjoy these characters fully I recommend reading the series. This is book 15. I listened to the audiobook and enjoy the narrator, Allyson Ryan.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book.

It's the holiday season in Briar Creek. The new author in residence, Helen Monroe, is spending her days writing in a glass office at the library. One day after her departure, Jackie Lewis walks into the library. New to town, Jackie claims she is looking for Helen as she is her #1 fan. But Lindsey Norris, head librarian, is getting a weird vibe from her... Turns out Jackie is not a fan, but rather a former friend and rival of Helen, who has sued her alleging she stole her ideas, among other things... Then Jackie is found dead with a copy of Helen's current manuscript, and all eyes go to Helen. After all, how could Jackie have it in her possession?

This was a fun, quick holiday read. All the series favorites are there including Robbie, one of my faves. And the perp is not obvious, which is always a plus. Highly recommended for this holiday season.

I've followed Jenn McKinlay for several years enjoying her cozy mysteries. While I haven't read through this entire library series, I know that her books can also stand alone as easy fun little mysteries and grabbed the chance to read the new release. This is perfect to start to get into cozy holiday mystery season. I love the fun process of the amateur sleuth running through all the possibilities of the potential villain, almost always getting herself into some type of trouble in the process, and then the grand reveal of the bad guy in the end and all goes back life as usual for the small town librarian, well until the next unfortunate event. Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

Thanks to Jenn McKinlay, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I normally wouldn't consider starting at book 15, but even if all previous 14 books were available at my library, how likely would it be that I'd make it through all of them without losing interest? Not very. So I decided I may as well dip a toe in and get a feel for the writing.

I definitely felt like I was late to the party. All the characters had relationships and rapport that I did not see develop. The world was clearly established and there was no audience stand-in to ask questions. So I'm afraid little in the story held meaning for me.

The mystery was interesting but not riveting. I'll definitely be more wary of garland lights now. Bookstore and library settings are quickly becoming rote, especially in cozies. The narrative was written well enough and the characters likeable enough that I'd be interested in starting at the beginning of the series, but I wouldn't say anything stood out about this book. Not bad but not great.

During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. hen Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan.

Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series is one of my favorite bookish cozy mystery series. While I have read a few of the earlier books (it's my next series to play catch up on) I steadily began reading this series with book 10. Merry Little Murder Plot is book 15. It can easily be read on its own if you are new to the series.

Christmas in Briar Creek is always fun and eventful. The characters are wonderful and slightly quirky so it adds to the fun.

I don't remember Robbie ever playing such a prominent role in the novel but he was in a lot of scenes and he is wonderful. He's very dramatic - he's an actor after all. I found myself grinning just about every time he showed up.

Allyson Ryan is a terrific narrator. I've listened to a few books in this series as well as other books she's read and I always enjoy the books she does.

If you are looking for a light Christmas mystery then definitely get this book. And if you are looking for a Christmas craft stay tuned until the end for instructions for a paper ornament.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/10/2-christmas-capers-to-listen-to-instead.html

Thanks NetGalley for starting my holiday season early. Christmas with Lindsey and her gang couldn’t be better! Meet Helen, do we hate her or like her? What we do know is that people are dying around her for sure. Really enjoyed the start of the holiday reads.

Yesssss! What another amazing visit to Briar Cliff and the Crafternoon friends! The characters are so amazing in this series. This group of multigenerational ladies are the ladies you aspire to have as friends. They are there with you through thick and thin as well as helping sleuth out the villain when there is a dead body found in their small town. Set in a small coastal New England town the main character is a local librarian so is naturally curious and adept at research making her the perfect amateur sleuth. The author always weaves an engaging plot and this story definitely lives up to that. She kept you on the edge of your seat with a few obvious and a few not so obvious suspects. I couldn't put the book down and you won't be able to either! I actually listened to the audiobook and it was even more outstanding than just reading the book. The narrator really makes the individual characters come to life and enhances the already amazing story. Now I am back to anxiously awaiting the next book to be written in the series!

Jenn McKinlay continues to write unique and clever mysteries for Lindsay Sullivan, smalltown librarian, and her friends to solve. I've listened to the Library Lover's Mysteries from the beginning, and it still keeps me guessing. McKinlay gives the readers just the right balance of "I knew it!" and "I didn't see that coming!" for the cozy genre. Even at Book 15.
Allyson Ryan's narration of the series continues to be excellent.
A Merry Little Murder Plot is a fun, low-stress mystery for the holidays.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the ALC of this audiobook.

Merry Little Murder Plot is the 15th installment in the Library Lover's Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay. It was the first book I picked up/listened to from this series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading more! I believe you can dive into this book without having read the previous ones.

Merry Little Murder Plot was narrated by Allyson Ryan. She has a wonderful voice for cozy mysteries. Her narration feels like a warm and comforting, if that makes sense!

Publication Date- Oct 08 2024
#MerryLittleMurderPlot #NetGalley

"A Merry Little Murder Plot (Library Lover's Mystery #15)" by Jenn McKinlay has some hilarious holiday moments. I particularly enjoyed Lindsey's friend Robbie during the ugly sweater contest. There were several other laugh out loud moments throughout this book. It does have its serious moments as well. This one discusses book banning and burning a few times along with the typically seriousness that comes with cozy murder mysteries.

When author, Helen Monroe, visits Lindsey's library as an author in residence, there's some drama that starts happening with a potential stalker. Then this stalker is found electrocuted by the town's Christmas lights. Was it a tragic accident or intentional? Then someone seems to be maybe making attempts on Helen's life. Or, are they unlucky coincidences? There's one clear person still openly against Helen being in town and she just seems off balanced all around.

The ‘Library Lover’s Mystery’ series is one of my all time favourites. The books include the perfect blend of cozy and mystery along with a couple of delightful romances. And this book, #15 (!) showcases all the things I love about this series. So, yes, it’s best to read the books in order due to the phenomenal character growth and relationship developments. Plus the small town vibes are all kinds of sweet perfection — not to mention the library programming! I so want to be a Crafternooner!

There’s a wonderful mix of holiday, humour and mystery in ‘A Merry Little Murder Plot’ (clever title, by the way.) As Library Director, Lindsey has her hands full with a number of unexpected developments at this most wonderful time of the year…like a dead body. Because nothing says Merry Christmas quite like murder and mayhem! Bwahahaha!

Love the way the author fleshes out the secondary characters. There are layered complexities to each of them, which makes armchair sleuthing both fun and challenging. And, goodness, but did she ever get my emotions fired up as I was drawn into the mystery. Love, love, love becoming wholly immersed in a story and it’s so easy to do that when Jenn McKinlay is doing the writing.

Loved the sweet romantical bits included in this story. Not over done, so if you’re not a romance fan, you won’t mind a bit. But, I live for those tender little nods to a certain couple’s happily ever after so I was blissfully happy. Merry Christmas to me!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘A Merry Little Murder Plot’. Narrator Allyson Ryan does such a fantastic job creating distinctive voices for these characters and she’s part of the reason I choose to listen to the books in this series rather then read them. It’s a special kind of homecoming when I settle in to start a new audiobook and hear her voice coaxing me back to Briar Creek.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and really liked the narrator. They did a good job of bringing the main character to life while also doing a good job voicing all of the other characters. I’ve read a few of the other books in this series, but I haven’t read them all and that doesn’t seem to hinder my enjoyment at all. I do enjoy these cozy mysteries which isn’t a surprise since I am partial to cozy mysteries about librarian amateur sleuths. Lindsey is busy with holiday themed events and the library’s first writer in residence when she meets a woman who seems far too interested in their writer in residence, Helen. Left with a bad feeling Lindsey asks a few questions not intending to do anything, but when she stumbles on another dead body she can’t help but get involved in the investigation. I found this mystery fun even if I thought the red herrings were a little too obvious and I figured it out fairly early on. Overall I gave it 4.5 stars rounded up for being a a great listen.

A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT is the fifteenth book in the Library Lover’s Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay. The author knows how to keep her stories fresh and inviting and how to keep readers coming back to reconnect to the charming characters. Library director Lindsey Norris is surely a person you’d love to call a friend. Added to the mix is her library crafternoon club, part bookclub, part crafting class, part potluck, and part amateur sleuths helping Lindsey solve mysteries. When a famous author, Helen Monroe, comes to town to take part in a resident author program, Lindsey goes out of her way to welcome her to the community. Except not everyone is happy to have the author in town and when a murder happens, and Helen is targeted for harm, Lindsey and the crafternooners put their heads together to get to the bottom of the mystery before anyone else loses their life.

Ms. McKinlay piles on Christmas cheer with a good dose of humor that had me chuckling on many occasions. The plot is well-paced, keeping the reader engaged with both the mystery and with the town’s holiday activities. As a bonus, there are questions for book club discussions, a couple recipes, and instructions for a holiday craft. If you enjoy entertaining holiday cozy mysteries with captivating characters, you’re going to want to read this one!

I was provided with an audiobook version thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley. The narrator, Allyson Ryan, did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, capturing not only the individual voices, but their emotions as well. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one is my favorite of the series so far and I’m glad this series is back on track. I love any time I get to spend in Briar Creek and the mystery in this one had me invested, second guessing my hunches the whole time. The timely addition of book banning, while not integral to the plot, was a great way to showcase how divisive this issue is and showed how far it could go. Highly recommended but start at the beginning of the series to truly get to know the characters.

Merry Little Murder Plot is everything I wanted and more in this latest installment of the Briar Creek Series. Five stars!

I enjoyed spending time with these characters. Lindsey and Sully are among my favorite couples and characters, and this storyline was both entertaining and intriguing. There is an obvious Christmas theme, and the Ugly Christmas Sweater party was particularly fun. Robby may never be the same. There are also caroling events and even a float parade, but these are window dressing for a complex murder plot centered around the Library's first writer-in-residence whose very successful and recently concluded series was based on true crime events that she fictionalized for her crime thrillers. As things deteriorate, book banning becomes a very real possibility, and the very existence of the Friends of the Library is threatened. There is more that I cannot reveal without spoilers, but it is cleverly done, and I did not identify the culprit until the reveal. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, and I look forward to more to come with Lindsey, Sully, and the citizens of Bear Creek.

Allyson Ryan does her usual great job of voicing these characters.

A perfectly charming Christmas cozy - 5/5!
Premise - It's the holiday season in a charming smalltown Briar Creek and a famous author, Helen Monroe, is visiting town to be the writer in residence. Helen is a bit of a Grinch, but librarian Lindsey Norris tries to get her to come around. When Helen's "biggest fan," Jackie Lewis comes to town, things soon come to a head... and then Jackie turns up dead! D.R.A.M.A.
McKinlay knows the genre well and delivers exactly what readers come to the Christmas cozy mystery genre for. She delivers holiday spirit, cozy atmosphere, a charming cast of smalltown types (entrenched and newcomers alike) readers will enjoy spending time with, and a twisty murder that's fun to follow along with.
 I tend to be more of a domestic thriller reader than a cozy mystery reader, but occasionally I love Christmas so I needed to get my hands on this - it put me right in the holiday spirit! No, October 9 is not too early to get in the Christmas spirit. Yes, if you enjoy cozy mysteries you should ABSOLUTELY read this.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Allyson Ryan. She has a great voice for cozies! Her narrator voice had the qualities of a warm, soothing mug of tea (I don't know how to explain it?) and her characters were all distinct and charming. Even the loathable characters were fun to listen to! 
Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

absolutely love this series and this new book is no exception. what a perfect addition to the Briar Creek books! and a book written about the crafternooners is so fun. I hope we see more of Helen.

The Briar Creek Library has a great new program, a writer in residence. They were lucky enough to get writer Helen Monroe, brilliant mystery writer who just finished up her very popular spy series. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy with Helen, from the Friends of the Library president, to an old member of her writing critique group. When her old friend is found dead in Briar Creek Square, Helen and Lindsay have to figure out who and why is out to get Helen. This was another great addition to the series, and I loved the Christmas setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.