
Member Reviews

When Greta Plank discovers a personal copy of Pride and Prejudice in the Larkspur Library's return bin, she's confused by the mysterious markings inside but is intent to return the book to its owner. However, before she's able to return the book, the presumed owner is found murdered outside the local Bobber's Bar. Now the book is a clue and she is intent on helping the local police department to understand the book's markings. Where will the mysterious markings lead Greta and her fellow librarians, and what will her boyfriend Detective McHenry say now that she's once again involved in exploring a Larkspur murder?
This is the third book in a series, but my first time visiting the Larkspur Librarians. The beginning of the book appears to catch up on a lot of characters from the other books, so it felt a bit rushed on name introductions, but after a while I settled into the story of this cozy town, their history, and their mystery. I was drawn in by the local restaurants and I could picture Greta walking around town throughout her day to the various lunch and drink locations. The backdrop of the Wisconsin Library Organization Conference keeps them moving between locations frequently which lends the book a steady pace.
I wasn't a fan of Nathan, Greta's ex, who is another librarian in town for the conference. He’s still set on interacting with Greta despite her constant dismissals. I'm not sure if their relationship history came up already in previous books, but I wished there was a way to give Greta a parallel nosy investigator without it being someone that Greta has already moved on from. I would rather see more development in her relationship with Detective McHenry instead of giving page space for the narcissistic ex.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and was swept into the mystery along with the characters. I am always pleasantly surprised when a twist outpaces my own theories on the mystery, and this book did not disappoint.
Thank you to the publisher, Level Best Books, for providing a copy of this book with NetGalley for my review.

Thank you Netgalley and Level Best Books for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.
Although I didn't realize this is the third book in the series when I began reading, I still enjoyed it. It was fun to read about Greta's budding romance with the police detective and the librarians at the Larkspur library. Even though I wasn't as into the history of gangsters in the town, I still found it interesting. Having Greta's librarian ex, Nathan, as a character made the story suspenceful to me.

A Killer Hold contains a library conference and gangster history. This series keeps getting more interesting.
Main character Greta is a librarian tasked with overseeing a librarians of Wisconsin library conference held in Larkspur and the next town over. She has put lots of effort into making the conference a success but she is still nervous because it means facing her ex-boyfriend Nathan, a fellow librarian.
On the first day of the conference, a woman with secrets, Blythe, is found dead. Her death seems tied to gangster history in the nearby area.
Greta is drawn in to the situation and connects the dots as the library conference continues.
I found the information about gangster history fascinating. This was a fun mystery to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Level Best Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Against Mark’s wishes, Greta herself, helping the police decipher notations in a book after a murder. Can Greta help solve the mystery of who killed the woman, or was she replacing her shop in jeopardy as Mark fears?
I adore this author and her books. She creates vivid characters and brings them to life along with a mystery that keeps you getting into the end. If you have not read one of her books before this is a great place to start. You’ll thank me later.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars! My first cozy mystery and I really enjoyed it. This is part of a series but I didn’t feel lost as the characters and their relationships were all described perfectly. There are mentions to the previous mysteries, but not enough to spoil them. I was not able to guess the murderer, which was fun for me as I’m usually good at guessing. I only wish the main character Greta and her boyfriend had longer scenes! I also enjoyed the historic component of the story and how it tied in to the mystery. This book reminded me a lot of Nancy Drew as well.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Special thanks to @netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC. 💛🥰
In addition to managing a local treasure hunting club that is investigating a mobster trail in the the town, this cozy mystery follows Greta, the library director, as she gets ready to host the annual conference of the Wisconsin Library Organization. A corpse is discovered outside the neighborhood bar and Greta helps solve this murder. Who was responsible? Could it be the gangsters ?
Despite being a part of a series, this novel is excellent on its own. I jumped straight into this book without any problems, even though I hadn't read the others. I found the murder mystery's historical relevance to be fascinating, and I was thrilled to learn that the author's comments showed that the murder mystery was based on actual occurrences.
Not to mention that the charming Mark McHenry is returning, I loved Greta and all the oddball folks she must deal with. My only criticism is that, while I'm happy with Greta and Mark's present circumstances, I would have preferred a bit more of them in this one.
The feeling of coziness was evident and librarians being a core part of the story made me so happy. All of the characters were well established without taking away from the overall story, and the community was charming. I’d like to move to Larkspur after reading these books hahaha. Overall, I had a great experience and will probably return to read the previous two installments very sooon.
I genuinely can't wait to see whether Ms. Dobrinska plans to continue this series with another cozy mystery and I fully recommend it.

As someone who pursued a career involving books who grew up in a small town in Wisconsin this book felt so familiar in the strangest and best possible way. I loved the characters and the plot was so unrealistic that I couldn’t help but cheer for the MCs.

This was an interesting read, ive onlt recently gotten into cosy mysteries, and this felt less cosy and more just slow. I ha ent read the two otber booksin the series so I didn't know who all the characters were, but i feel like i got a good sense of them. There were quite a few mentions of the main characters new relationship at the start, so i thought it was goingnto focus on that too, but it did not. There is no romance here.
I enjoyes the historical ish aspect of the mystery, and overall ai felr there was a good balance between what you could guess and what qas a surprising plot twist. The writing was good, but I felt like it focused on a lot of unimportant parts, for longer than I would've liked.

I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is Book 3 in a series of Standalones that take place in the same/ similar settings. While I wasn't aware it was a Book 3, the author made it pretty simple to understand, so there wasn't much need for explanation.
Greta Plank is library director, who is about to host a huge conference for the state of Wisconsin. Greta overhears 2 individuals discussing a hidden treasure, this immediately gets Greta's attention. Weeks later a horrible crime occurs in the small-town and books and documents with mysterious ciphers start appearing in the library.
The characters are enjoyable and the writing was simple and straight to the point. The author added so much historical context within the book that it almost makes me wish I was going onna wild treasure hunt!
While it is a book with a mystery element, there was also little sprinkles on wholesome romance. I did feel like there was a lot of drag in the book and I think the pace was a bit too slow for my liking. However, I am considering reading the first 2 books to get a better grip on the stories at hand!
Thank you NetGalley & Author Leah Dobrinska for the eARC!

Having read books previously in this series I knew I’d be onto a winner with this one!
When a mysterious books’ outspoken owner turns up dead it’s up to Larkspur Community Library Director Greta Plank to try and solve the case. Even if it’s against the advice of her new beau Detective Mark McHenry!
From ex-boyfriends to treasure hunting mysteries this case is full of twists and turns and clues to uncover! Greta must work against the clock to decode the mysterious book code - finding just how far someone is willing to go to prevent their secrets being uncovered.
Overall this was a cosy mystery with a lovely cast of characters. I found myself fully immersed in the mystery and shocked at all the twists! Really well written and another great part of a hugely enjoyable series.

The story centers around Greta, a small-town librarian who gets caught up in a murder mystery while planning a big library event. It's got a nice mix of historical elements and modern-day detective work. Plus, Greta's budding romance with Detective Mark adds a sweet touch.
This is the third book in the series, but don't worry if you haven't read the first two. I jumped in here and still felt right at home with the story. I might have missed a few references, but overall, it works nicely as a stand-alone. Some parts of the book feel a bit over-the-top, but overall, it's a light and enjoyable read. Perfect when you want something fun and easy. The small-town charm and quirky characters make it a fun escape.

This is the third installment of A Larkspur library mystery series and as strange as it is to say since you know....crimes and murders occur lol, This is the most cosy and gorgeous story and a great addition to the series!
I adore Greta and all the quirky locals that she has to deal with and not forgetting the lovely Mark McHenry is back too. My only downside was i would have liked a little more of Greta and Mark in this one but i'm not complaining i'm happy with where they're at.
This time Greta finds a book accidentally returned to the library that is covered in markings and annotations and in her quest to return the book to it's owner, the owner turns up dead!
Greta sets out to work out the mystery, something Mark is obviously not happy about and soon finds herself in the middle of a mystery that may just include the gangster trail or the sketchy Jewelry store, Will Greta be able to decode the book and find out what has happened?
Great fun and a great cast of characters who i find myself feeling like they are friends and i'm quite invested in their stories!

A killer hold is a classic cosy mystery. I didn’t know this was the third book in the series going into it so some elements were confusing but the book as a whole is entertaining

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Leah Dobrinska for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Killer Hold coming out December 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy mysteries, especially if they’re bookish. I need to read the other books in the series. I thought it was a really interesting plot. I enjoy secrets solved through mysteries. I enjoyed the characters. Greta was a strong character. I would’ve liked a little more romance, but sounds like there will be more books in the series. I would definitely check out more books by this author!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy bookish mysteries!

This is the 3rd book in the series but works as an interconnected standalone (I haven’t read either of the first 2). “A Killer Hold” is a cute mix of cozy murder mystery and romance. I really struggled to get through this one due to how MANY characters there were—it made it difficult to follow. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Great genre blend!
A little bit cozy mystery a little but historical mystery with dash of romance. Was entertaining all the twists and turns will keep you guessing. Characters to love and characters to hate. Even when you think you know you are probably wrong. My first book by this Author didn't realize this is book 3 in a series but it read fine as a stand alone. I will probably go back and check out the other books in the series.

Who doesn't love our librarian amateur sleuths?? There's something so incredibly cozy and comforting about Greta and Larkspur as a whole. I love watching the pieces come together.
It helps, I'm not the type of reader who needs to figure out the murderer and I'm simply along for the ride. Definitely some moments where I could have wanted more from the characters, but overall, I enjoyed it!

A small town librarian with a nose for murder can't help but keep finding bodies!
A bookish amateur sleuth gets called in to assist when a treasure-hunting club member ends up dead.
We're knee deep in code-breaking, gangster lore, modern day homicide and greed with this mystery. Greta and her gang of librarians not only have to solve a murder but also keep their librarian convention on an even keel. Oh...and there's the small matter of Greta's narcissistic and very married ex sauntering into town.
There are plenty of twists and red herrings to keep you occupied as the mystery unfolds. All our main protagonists are charming, likeable and involved in the story. I felt that McHenry, Greta's detective boyfriend, had a very real fear of her being hurt during her investigations and handled it pretty well. I did have to suspend my grip on reality when the Chief of Police asked her to step in, my police staff brain just fried at that point lol! But hey ho that might be a very real thing in the USA!
Well worth a read and a great way to brush up on your prohibition era history!

This book series is absolutely fantastic. The librarian references and the whole storyline is just enjoyable. The mystery and the story are very well done, and I feel like the stories keep getting stronger with each book. I love the characters and the many librarian and Wisconsin references. It's delightful, cozy, and just a wonderful read! I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a cozy mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a cozy read with a fun library setting and some really likable characters, especially Greta, the small-town librarian turned detective. The mystery kept me hooked, though it got a bit predictable at times, and the ending left me wanting just a little more, but overall, it’s a solid, enjoyable read for fans of cozy mysteries!