Hitting the Books

July 2, 2018
At the start of McKinlay’s delightful ninth Library Lover’s mystery (after 2017’s Death in the Stacks), Lindsey Norris, the director of the Briar Creek, Conn., library, witnesses a hit-and-run, an attempt to murder tennis coach Theresa Huston, the fiancée of wealthy businessman Larry Milstein. Despite being overwhelmed with the adjustment of moving in with her heartthrob, former navy man Mike Sullivan, Lindsay can’t resist investigating, especially after the hit-and-run driver is found dead in a stolen vehicle loaded with audiobook CDs from her library. The Milsteins provide a number of leads. Larry’s college-age daughter, Liza, seems crazy about Theresa, but perhaps it’s an act to keep herself in Daddy’s good graces. Then there’s Larry’s previous wife, Liza’s mom, who disappeared when Liza was barely more than a toddler. Or maybe it’s that multimillion-dollar life insurance policy Larry insisted on taking out on Theresa before their wedding. Plentiful suspects and motives keep the pages turning in this suspenseful cozy. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

July 1, 2018
A Long Island librarian searches for justice.It's not easy for Lindsey Norris, the library director for the little town of Briar Creek, to adjust to living with her boyfriend, Capt. Mike Sullivan, a cheerful soul whose early morning whistling drives her up a wall. While enjoying the relative peace as she glances out a library window, she's horrified to see her friend Theresa Huston, a tennis coach, struck by a hit-and-run driver. Lindsey does her best to help police chief Emma Plewicki identify the car and driver, but the incident has unfolded so quickly that all the eyewitnesses are confused about everything but a single point: This accident was no accident. A few minutes later, Lindsey learns, the same car came close to killing part-time boat captain Charlie Peyton. Theresa is engaged to wealthy Larry Milstein, and in addition to becoming his wife, she's about to become the stepmother to Liza, his college-age daughter, whose own mother went missing when she was a young child. After Theresa insists on returning home despite her badly broken leg, only the security system Larry had installed saves her from another attempt on her life. Lindsey, who's no stranger to either puzzles or solving crimes (Death in the Stacks, 2017, etc.), is determined to apply her research skills to the case. Who could hate the justly popular Theresa enough to kill her? The only person who comes to mind, the girlfriend Larry jilted, seems an unlikely suspect. Even the bodyguards Larry has hired may not be enough to protect Theresa from a really determined killer. So it's no surprise that whatever the danger, Lindsey resolves to stay the course.Prolific McKinlay enlivens a run-of-the-mill mystery with several twists and a good deal of excitement.

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September 1, 2018
Library director Lindsey Norris and a group of colleagues are settling in for their weekly crafternoon ?lunch, craft time, and a book discussion?at the Briar Creek Public Library. Lindsey gazes out the window just in time to see a car careen onto the sidewalk, hit Theresa Huston, and speed off. As the EMTs take Theresa away, police chief Emma Plewicki starts her investigation, with Lindsey being one of the more reliable witnesses. Theresa, soon to be married to a wealthy regional businessman, father of her star tennis student, recovers but is attacked again, and this time her fianc� hires guards. Chief Plewicki has found the car, stolen from a local resident, but with an unknown dead man inside. The car contains an odd selection of checked-out library books in the trunk. Subpoena in hand, Plewicki asks Lindsey for information on their borrower. That information and some careful library and genealogical research on Lindsey's part help Plewicki make the arrest. This is a worthy addition to a comfortable series, showcasing the cast of beloved characters, including Plewicki's actor boyfriend, who serves as a Greek chorus of one commenting on the action.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2018

Lindsey Norris, director of the Briar Creek, CT, Public Library, is at the window just as a car speeds up and hits local tennis coach Theresa Huston. The same car is involved in a second accident, then found abandoned and containing CDs from the library. Before the police chief can provide a subpoena to see the library records, Theresa is the victim of a second murder attempt. She doesn't seem to have any enemies, but her wealthy widower fianc� might. Lindsey's professional need for information works hand-in-hand with Police Chief Emma Plewicki's interest when the body of her prime suspect is found. McKinlay, known for likable amateur sleuths in her "Cupcake Bakery" and "Hat Shop" mysteries, adds a gothic spin to her this atmospheric cozy featuring the spirited library director. VERDICT Admirers of McKinlay's other books and Miranda James's "Cat in the Stacks" stories will appreciate this new entry involving the appealing small-town library and its supporters. [See Prepub Alert, 3/12/18.]--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., INA newly minted PI heads into the jungle; a crime novel with literary heft; a winning regional mystery

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018

Alas for library director Lindsey Norris, police are convinced that library materials found at the scene of a hit and run were borrowed by the driver of the stolen car. But the victim suffers another so-called accident, the driver turns up dead, and the real clues seem to lie in the materials themselves. Another "Library Lovers Mystery."

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.