llamareads
Written on Nov 12, 2017
The humorous characters are what really makes this book, including a couple of pun-offs courtesy of some visiting Brits (who appear to be characters from one of the author's other mystery series). My personal favorite was the curmudgeonly old Ms. Cole, referred to as "the Lemon":
"Lindsey blinked. Good ol' Ms. Cole. Only she would be more outraged that they had raised their voices [in the library] than that they had accused someone of murder."
Seriously, though, what library doesn't have a "lemon" on its staff? The murder victim, Olive, was sufficiently nasty enough to make me initially wonder if there was some "Murder on the Orient Express"-style plot going on. While (minor spoiler) that's not what happens, the mystery itself was satisfying. There were enough clues and red herrings given to keep the plot moving at a brisk pace. I wouldn't say that it was un-put-down-able - these types of mysteries aren't really meant to be that - but it definitely held my interest.
But, at heart, I felt like the mystery plot was secondary to the wonderful characters and its humor. Besides puns and quirky characters, the book also gently pokes fun at murder mystery stereotypes, like the Agatha Christie books the crafternooners discuss at one of their meetings:
“Oliver Boyle’s funeral was a packed house with a restless crowd, as if they were expecting some sort of spectacle like the murderer confessing or the police arresting someone in the middle of the eulogy. They were woefully disappointed.”
Recommended for anyone who loves cozy mysteries, libraries, and a cast of humorous characters!