BY BOOK OR BY CROOK by Eva Gates

"A delight to read and a well-crafted cozy!"

By Book Or By Crook

Posted: January 18, 2015

BY BOOK OR BY CROOK is Book one in the Lighthouse Library cozy mystery series by Eva Gates. I love so many things about BY BOOK OR BY CROOK -- the library in a lighthouse, the Jane Austen aspect, and the main character. Librarian Lucy Richardson is as totally likeable as the murder suspects are thoroughly unlikeable. The selection of suspects kept me guessing right up until the very end.

I loved the two mysteries in BY BOOK OR BY CROOK -- the murder, as well as the disappearance of some valuable books. It was interesting, while reading along, trying to figure out how or if the two things are connected. I think Eva Gates increases the feeling of danger and suspense by having these things take place in the same place that Lucy works and lives. The choice of victim and thefts also give Lucy a good reason to become involved in the investigation. I like how Lucy is able to question people without being obnoxious.

BY BOOK OR BY CROOK has a wonderful charm that pulled me in right away. Lucy's family and library co-workers are great supporting characters and contributed to my overall enjoyment of the mystery. I normally don't enjoy love triangles in a cozy mystery, but I wasn't bothered by the possibility of two romantic interests for Lucy. Both men who seem to be interested in Lucy are nice guys and there wasn't a feeling of competition at all. I would be happy to see Lucy wind up with either suitor.

BY BOOK OR BY CROOK is a delight to read and a well- crafted cozy. There is enough danger in BY BOOK OR BY CROOK to keep things exciting, without losing the cozy feel to the story. I look forward to seeing if the element of romance is developed further in the next book. I can't wait for the next story next in this seemingly addictive series by Eva Gates!

Book Summary

Get bound up in murder in the first Lighthouse Library mystery!

For ten years Lucy has enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but she has not enjoyed the demands of her family’s social whorl or her sort-of-engagement to the staid son of her father’s law partner. But when her ten-year relationship implodes, Lucy realizes that the plot of her life is in need of a serious rewrite.

Calling on her aunt Ellen, Lucy hopes that a little fun in the Outer Banks sun—and some confections from her cousin Josie’s bakery—will help clear her head. But her retreat quickly turns into an unexpected opportunity when Aunt Ellen gets her involved in the lighthouse library tucked away on Bodie Island.

Lucy is thrilled to land a librarian job in her favorite place in the world. But when a priceless first edition Jane Austen novel is stolen and the chair of the library board is murdered, Lucy suddenly finds herself ensnared in a real-life mystery—and she’s not so sure there’s going to be a happy ending....