Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Death Knells and Wedding Bells (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) on + 644 more book reviews
Dollycas's Thoughts
The day has finally arrived. Connor and Lucy had a beautiful wedding and like most weddings there was a little bit of family drama but they are not going to let anything ruin their day.
Then Lucy gets a phone call from her boss and friend Bertie and she learns Bertie's plus one Eddie never came back to her house after the reception. Lucy tries her best to calm Bertie down and vows to reconnect the next day. But the next day a body is discovered. It's another plus one from Lucy's wedding and now the police really want to find Eddie. Could Bertie's friend be a killer? Are more of Connor and Lucy's guests in danger? Before Lucy can enjoy her wedded bliss she is going to have to find out but she knows it isn't going to be easy and it could be very dangerous.
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This truly is one of my favorite series! The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is my fictional happy place. I love everything about it. Connor and Lucy's home is wonderful too. Ever since a vacation to North Carolina many years ago I have yearned to return. The books in the series always give me a nice little virtual vacation.
The author has created such fantastic characters. I was so excited for this wedding to take place. Lucy and Connor make a wonderful couple. I was sad that story didn't have the actual "I Do's" and that the day was marred by a murder but this is a mystery series and Ms. Gates has hit it out of the park with this one! A hotel full of suspects, a missing man, a new detective on the case, the twists, the turns. I couldn't put this book down. The final showdown was so exciting I was as out of breath as the involved parties.
With this being the 10th book in the series these characters have found a place in my heart. I enjoy each visit more than the last and each visit ends too soon. I do encourage you to read the series in order to really get to know the characters but this story can be read and enjoyed all on its own.
Death Knells and Wedding Bells is the second book this week that gave me a book hangover. Once I started reading I just couldn't stop. This book also receives my Paradise Rating and a spot on my Best Reads List for 2023. My bags are already packed for next year. Will readers be traveling with Lucy and Connor on their honeymoon? I can't wait to find out!
The day has finally arrived. Connor and Lucy had a beautiful wedding and like most weddings there was a little bit of family drama but they are not going to let anything ruin their day.
Then Lucy gets a phone call from her boss and friend Bertie and she learns Bertie's plus one Eddie never came back to her house after the reception. Lucy tries her best to calm Bertie down and vows to reconnect the next day. But the next day a body is discovered. It's another plus one from Lucy's wedding and now the police really want to find Eddie. Could Bertie's friend be a killer? Are more of Connor and Lucy's guests in danger? Before Lucy can enjoy her wedded bliss she is going to have to find out but she knows it isn't going to be easy and it could be very dangerous.
____
This truly is one of my favorite series! The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is my fictional happy place. I love everything about it. Connor and Lucy's home is wonderful too. Ever since a vacation to North Carolina many years ago I have yearned to return. The books in the series always give me a nice little virtual vacation.
The author has created such fantastic characters. I was so excited for this wedding to take place. Lucy and Connor make a wonderful couple. I was sad that story didn't have the actual "I Do's" and that the day was marred by a murder but this is a mystery series and Ms. Gates has hit it out of the park with this one! A hotel full of suspects, a missing man, a new detective on the case, the twists, the turns. I couldn't put this book down. The final showdown was so exciting I was as out of breath as the involved parties.
With this being the 10th book in the series these characters have found a place in my heart. I enjoy each visit more than the last and each visit ends too soon. I do encourage you to read the series in order to really get to know the characters but this story can be read and enjoyed all on its own.
Death Knells and Wedding Bells is the second book this week that gave me a book hangover. Once I started reading I just couldn't stop. This book also receives my Paradise Rating and a spot on my Best Reads List for 2023. My bags are already packed for next year. Will readers be traveling with Lucy and Connor on their honeymoon? I can't wait to find out!
Kristina A. reviewed Death Knells and Wedding Bells (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) on + 1528 more book reviews
Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates has readers returning to Nags Head, North Carolina for Lucy and Connor's wedding. I like how everyone (family, friends, co-workers, and even a soon-to-be ex-wife) came together for the couple's wedding. There was a wrinkle or two during the day, but it was overall a wonderful wedding day which Lucy and Connor deserved. The murder of Aunt Joyce's plus one casts a shadow on the wedding weekend. I know Lucy was enjoying her wedding weekend, but I have a feeling that a murder was icing on the cake (she loves solving a whodunit). The force's newest detective, Detective North, is not happy with Lucy's sleuthing and is vocal in expressing his displeasure to Detective Sam Watson. The mystery was straightforward. It is a whodunit that can easily be solved early in the book. I did, though, enjoy following Lucy as she questioned people and searched for clues. I love Charlie's role in the takedown. I could envision the scene in my head and it had me laughing. Eva Gates has created a great cast of characters for this series. I like Lucy's curiosity. She has questions and Lucy likes to get answers. Lucy is a natural born sleuth. It is also what makes her a good librarian. I like how the characters are there for each other. Bertie may be Lucy's boss, but she is also a friend. The same goes for the rest of Lucy's coworkers. I understand Lucy's motivation for wanting to help Bertie's plus one, Eddie. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of Nags Head, Lucy and Connor's new home, and Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. I like how the author likens the library to the TARDIS. There is no way the lighthouse could be big enough to house the library and Lucy's Lighthouse Aerie (now Louise Jane's). It gives readers a chance to use their imagination (I see this regular lighthouse on the outside with a beautiful, big library on the inside). Death Knells and Wedding Bells is the tenth A Lighthouse Library Mystery. It can be read as a standalone, but new readers will struggle in the beginning (gets easier the further you get into the story). I did find the pacing a little slow at times, especially in the beginning. In addition, there is repetition of information (case details, background on suspects and victim). Overall, though, I enjoyed my latest trip to the Outer Banks, and I am looking forward to my next visit. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story. Louise Jane provides several mirthful moments. I enjoyed the book club discussions about Edgar Allan Poe's stories (A Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite). I like how the death of Aunt Joyce's plus one related to The Cask of Amontillado. Death Knells and Wedding Bells takes readers to the Outer Banks with beautiful beaches, jovial nuptials, a snuffed out plus one, an absent date, a single-minded detective, and a probing bride.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Death Knells and Wedding Bells is the tenth installment in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series set in Nags Head, NC and featuring Bodie Island Lighthouse Librarian, Lucy Richardson (McNeil). It's Lucy and Connor's wedding day and the couple are surrounded by their friends and family and enjoying a wonderful evening, despite the family drama surrounding Lucy's ex-sister in law Kristen who has split from Lucy's brother and has the gall to attend the wedding and bring a plus one. Then, there's Lucy's Aunt Joyce the free spirit who has also brought a companion but nobody's sure if he's a paid escort or if they really are a couple.
The next day Lucy receives a call from her boss Bertie James, who inquires as to whether Lucy has seen her date Eddie McClanahan, the Greek and Latin professor. Eddie seems to have disappeared the night before and Bertie is worried. Eddie is a bit eccentric, so Lucy figures that he'll turn up soon. As the couple enjoys the post wedding brunch, Aunt Joyce announces that her date Wayne has also gone missing. A trip to the ladies room leads to the discovery of Wayne, dead and lodged in the housekeeping closet.
At the request of Bertie, Lucy and her friends set out to track down Eddie and clear his name. They quickly learn that more than one of the townspeople had a history with Wayne. Blackmail, a corrupt detective and a furry feline make for an entertaining afternoon read. I say this at the end of every book in the series, I wish I had a Lighthouse Library in my town.
The next day Lucy receives a call from her boss Bertie James, who inquires as to whether Lucy has seen her date Eddie McClanahan, the Greek and Latin professor. Eddie seems to have disappeared the night before and Bertie is worried. Eddie is a bit eccentric, so Lucy figures that he'll turn up soon. As the couple enjoys the post wedding brunch, Aunt Joyce announces that her date Wayne has also gone missing. A trip to the ladies room leads to the discovery of Wayne, dead and lodged in the housekeeping closet.
At the request of Bertie, Lucy and her friends set out to track down Eddie and clear his name. They quickly learn that more than one of the townspeople had a history with Wayne. Blackmail, a corrupt detective and a furry feline make for an entertaining afternoon read. I say this at the end of every book in the series, I wish I had a Lighthouse Library in my town.
