Read and Buried
A Lighthouse Library Mystery
by Eva Gates
About Read and Buried
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Crooked Lane Books (October 15, 2019)
Hardcover: 325 Pages
ISBN-10: 1643852337
ISBN-13: 978-1643852331
Digital ASIN: B07P9MQV3F
Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.
The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.
The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.
Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.
About Eva Gates
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries for Kensington, A Year Round Christmas Mystery series for Penguin Random House, A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series and, as Eva Gates, A Lighthouse Library Mystery series for Crooked Lane.
Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It crime writing festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Author Links
My Summary
Read and Buried by Eva Gates is
the sixth story in A Lighthouse Library Mystery series. Lucy Richardson works at the Bodie Island
Lighthouse Library in Nags Head, North Carolina. When foundation cracks appeared, the
community rallied to raise funds for the expensive repairs which are currently
being undertaken by Grimshaw Construction.
Work is halted when the workers find a square metal box buried
underneath the lighthouse. When it is
opened, they find an old leather journal dating back to 1858. Two pieces of paper are tucked inside. One is a map of the Outer Banks with numbers
above certain areas and the other is coded page. Word quickly spreads throughout the island which
has residents descending on the library insisting upon seeing what is being
referred to as a treasure map. When Lucy
returns to the library after dinner with Connor McNeil, they find the front
door smashed and Jeremy Hughes dead in Bertie's office. The diary is still there but the coded page
and the map are gone. It is a good thing
Lucy took photos of both items. Lucy had
no intention of digging into the case, but then Charlene Clayton, the academic
librarian, comes under suspicion. At the
Bodie Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club meeting the group prefers to
work on the coded page instead of discussing Jules Verne’s Journey to the
Center of the Earth. When the library is
broken into a second time, Lucy knows there will be no peace until the coded missive
is deciphered. Can Lucy find Jeremy’s
killer and unravel the coded puzzle?
My Thoughts
Read and Buried is the sixth
story in A Lighthouse Library Mystery series.
It can be read as a standalone for those readers who are new to the
series. I just love the description of
this beautiful library inside the old lighthouse. The author states at the beginning of the
book that she took creative license with the size of the building because the
actual lighthouse is barely big enough for the staircase to the top (think of
it as a stationary TARDIS). There is a
cast of characters that include the librarians, the mayor, construction workers
and island residents. Lucy Richardson is
our protagonist. She is a librarian who
lives in an apartment inside the lighthouse (lucky librarian). She is dating Connor McNeil who is the town’s
mayor and a dentist. Bertie James, the
director of the library, has her hands full as residents clamor to see the
found diary and the coded missive. Louise
Jane McKaughnan is a pain in the patootie (as always). She does, though, provide humor with her
antics. The mystery was delightful. A diary dating back to 1858 with a hand drawn
map and what they believe is a coded page (I love ciphers). I like how the author tied Journey of the
Center of the Earth by Jules Verne and the whodunit together. There are multiple persons of interest along
with subtle clues to help readers solve the crime. The reveal and takedown were marvelous. All questions regarding the mystery were answered
which I appreciated. Charles, the
library cat, is a good judge of character and helpful to have around when
intruders break in. If only Lucy could
get Charles to deter Louise Jane. I
believe Lucy was happy her evaluation kept getting postponed because she does
not like the section on improvement needed (I believe we can all relate). Read and Buried is an entertaining cozy
mystery with a discovered diary, a ferocious feline, a surfeit of suspects, construction
chaos, a mysterious map and a coded conundrum.
Read and Buried comes out October 15 and is available at Amazon, Amazon UK, B&N and Kobo. You can find the complete list of The Lighthouse Library Mystery series titles here on Amazon. To win a signed print copy of Read and Buried (U.S. and Canada Only), click here for the form to enter or enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck! Please take the time to visit the other stops on the tour (schedule at bottom). Thank you for joining me today. I will return tomorrow with my An Amish Second Christmas by Shelley Shepard Gray, Patricia Johns, and Virginia Wise. I hope you have a blessed day. Take care and Happy Reading!
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A great review and a great book, too!
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