I’ll admit I dropped Eva Gates’ cozy Lighthouse Library Mystery series for a little while. Perhaps it was just my own over-indulgence in cozy mysteries right then. But, Something Read, Something Dead was an enjoyable mystery. And, Lucy Richardson didn’t bother me in this one as she did in an earlier book. Lucy has come into her own. For a little while, she was too submissive for my taste.

Lucy and her friends enjoy the plans for Josie O’Malley’s wedding. Josie is Lucy’s favorite cousin, and owner of a bakery in Nags Head, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. Then, Josie’s grandmother and the New Orleans relatives descend on the town. Josie can’t stand the fuss, and her cousin Mirabella’s outrageous attempts to take over the wedding plans. She’s hiding in her bakery to avoid turning into bridezilla. But, Lucy’s still holding Josie’s wedding shower at the lighthouse library. There will be friends from the community, and the over-the-top relatives with their own demands for special food.

That turns out to be the sticking point. When Mirabella dies, Josie is the primary suspect because she made a special plate of food for her. Now, Josie’s bakery is closed while the police investigate. The local police have been sidelined by the state police, so Lucy turns sleuth. She knows the locals, and she can get more information than the state police.

The wedding and murder investigation aren’t the only problem. The historic lighthouse library, Lucy’s home and place of employment, has a crack in the wall, and the cost to fix it may be more than the community can afford. Even Lucy’s relationship with the mayor is a little rocky because of the lighthouse problem.

I’ll admit I was more interested in the problems with the lighthouse than the murder mystery aspect. I didn’t like or care about the victim. I do care about libraries. But, that’s my personal bias about a situation in this cozy mystery.

If you haven’t read this series yet, and are a fan of Miranda James,  Eva Gates’ books feature a library, a cat, and an appealing location. Check it out.

The website is www.lighthouselibrarymysteries.com

Something Read, Something Dead by Eva Gates. Crooked Lane, 2019. ISBN 9781663319504 (hardcover), 320p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.