Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Read and Buried is the sixth installment in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series set on the shores of North Carolina's Outer Banks and featuring librarian, Lucy Richardson. A large crack has appeared in the wall of the Bodie Island Lighthouse necessitating major construction repairs. One of the workers uncovers a metal box buried under the base of the lighthouse and inside is a cryptic diary, a map and a coded letter.
Everyone is clamoring to decipher the code to determine if the map is a clue to hidden treasure. Coming home from a date with her boyfriend Connor McNeil, Lucy discovers the library has been broken in to and Jeremy Hughes, a member of the historical society is lying dead in the office of Library Director, Bertie James. The killer has also made off with the map and the coded letter.
Despite her misgivings to get involved in another murder investigation, Lucy learns that one of her co-worker's had a past relationship with the victim and she sets out to dig up the killer. A long list of suspects and a challenging puzzle make for a fast paced plot. The author does a fantastic job of transporting the reader to the beautiful grounds of the island, if you close your eyes you can actually smell the salty sea breezes.
Everyone is clamoring to decipher the code to determine if the map is a clue to hidden treasure. Coming home from a date with her boyfriend Connor McNeil, Lucy discovers the library has been broken in to and Jeremy Hughes, a member of the historical society is lying dead in the office of Library Director, Bertie James. The killer has also made off with the map and the coded letter.
Despite her misgivings to get involved in another murder investigation, Lucy learns that one of her co-worker's had a past relationship with the victim and she sets out to dig up the killer. A long list of suspects and a challenging puzzle make for a fast paced plot. The author does a fantastic job of transporting the reader to the beautiful grounds of the island, if you close your eyes you can actually smell the salty sea breezes.
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.
