After the death of her husband, Rain Wilmot decides to take a break from corporate life in the city and return to her family home on the lake in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. She hasn’t been back for quite a while, but she feels she needs a break from it all and the time to properly grieve and get her life back on track. Her parents, who are usually at the cabin every summer, are both out of the country on work assignments so this should give Rain the peace and tranquility she is craving. Upon arriving at the cabin, her next door and childhood best friend, takes Rain under her wing and decides to help Rain get her mother’s small library ready to open for the summer season, much to the dismay of Rain. Her summer of peace is already starting out to be work, but then it gets worse. A body is discovered on the property. It turns out to be a real estate buyer and if the rumor mill is to be believed, also a big, mysterious part of Rain’s mothers’ life. As tension mounts with a murderer on the loose, Rain decides to investigate the murder herself and clear the gossip mill of all rumors surrounding her mother and father and their connection to Thornton…even if it’s the last thing she does.

MURDER AT THE LAKESIDE LIBRARY is the perfect start to a new cozy series by Holly Danvers. I adore the setting of this series, as I live close to a small lake with that small town feel such as Lofty Pines. The characters are all brilliantly introduced, and I think readers will really love getting to know Rain. I love the raw realness of her character. Rain’s best friend is an absolute hoot, and I found myself openly laughing at some of her antics and sayings. The rest of the characters that we are introduced to are all noteworthy and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all better as the series continues. (Book two is already available for preorder.) MURDER AT THE LAKESIDE LIBRARY is well paced and plotted while intertwining the introduction of characters. This isn’t always an easy transition, but it was done beautifully.

I truly enjoyed this book, and I would highly recommend it to any cozy mystery lovers, particularly those who enjoy the bookstore/library setting with the added bonus of a beautiful lakeside retreat.

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