Thursday, July 26, 2012

Due or Die by Jenn McKinlay


First Line: "I could not believe that Lucy agreed to marry Cecil when she was so obviously in love with George," Violet La Rue declared.

The same evening that Carrie Rushton is voted in as the new president of the Friends of the Library, her husband is murdered. The evidence is stacking up against the well-liked woman, but head librarian Lindsey Norris and the Briar Creek crafternoon club doesn't believe a bit of it. When a nor'easter buries the small coastal town in snow, wind and frigid temperatures, the police are too busy digging out the residents to focus on the murder. Lindsey and her friends take this as their cue to conduct their own investigation.

This is the perfect book to read during a typical summer in Phoenix. I sat in the pool and smiled as I read about frostbite, howling winds, and towering snowdrifts. Hey... some people are made for cold; I'm made for heat.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Books Can Be Deceiving, because McKinlay created the perfect small town setting complete with the perfect library. She continues this in Due or Die. Lindsey is loving her new home, her new library, and her new friends more and more as time passes. Tall, dark and handsome Mike Sullivan makes her pulse race even more than Ms. Cole, the obstreperous librarian nicknamed "the lemon," does. From abandoned puppies to widows, Lindsey is always there to lend a hand, and when someone mentions that to her, she wonders  Was it true? Was she incapable of not helping a person in distress? Or was she just a big buttinsky

The camaraderie between Lindsey, her coworkers and her friends is a delight to read, and her decision to "foster" an abandoned puppy until a good home can be found for it will make any pet lover smile knowingly and sigh with pleasure. And while I'm speaking about emotional reactions... let me tell you-- when Lindsey tells Sully off at the end of the book, my fist pump went a little wild, I almost knocked over my umbrella, and my "YOU GO GIRL!" scared off a few of my feathered friends at the birdbath nearby.

For those of you who like the goodies at the backs of books, the author has included tips to set up your own crafternoons, a reading guide, a crochet pattern, and recipes.

There is so much fun in this fast-paced book; McKinlay had to be smiling as she wrote it. Due or Die has much more to do with the feeling of closeness and friendship between all the characters than it has to do with whodunit, and sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Due or Die by Jenn McKinlay
ISBN: 9780425246689
Berkley Prime Crime  ©2012
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, #2 Library Lovers Mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased at the Poisoned Pen

10 comments:

  1. Cathy - I'm glad you liked this one. I honestly hadn't heard the term crafternoon before but I like it. It makes sense. And I always like novels where you feel a solid sense of community, especially in a small town like this one where you'd hope it would be there. The weather element's interesting too. In some novels the weather is almost a character in and of itself and it sounds like this is one of them.

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    1. One of the things I like best about McKinlay's characters in this series is that the bad ones aren't complete stereotypes-- she throws in a twist that knocks all your assumptions about that character off the shelf. I love that!

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  2. A mystery with a library in it is always fun! this sounds terrific. I'm glad your umbrella survived the book. lol

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    1. So am I-- but damn that was an excellent scene! LOL

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  3. Haven't heard the word "buttinsky" for years. It was one of my mom's favorite words. lol I like the sound of this series. Must get to the library soon to see if they have them. I'll need funny or engrossing reads in the next few weeks.

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    1. Barbara, I thought the same thing: "Wow, it's been years since I've heard that word!" :-)

      I think this book in particular would be perfect for you for the weeks ahead, especially since you love dogs as much as I do.

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  4. I warmed right up to Due or Die which really surprised me. I'm not sure if it's because of your review, the title or what glimpse you gave me in the book itself but I like it. I want to read it!

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    1. I hope you get the chance to read it and enjoy it as much as I did, Howard. Are you sure your reaction had nothing to do with my (almost) knocking over the umbrella??? ;-)

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  5. I downloaded both of the currently available Library Lover's mysteries to my Kindle and read them immediately, based on your review. I feel like I made some new friends in Lindsey, Beth, Nancy, Sully and the others. I had to share on my blog so other library lovers and readers can enjoy this likable series. I also totally agree part of the fun was reading about the nor'easter in the miserably hot summer weather in Louisiana.

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    1. I am so glad you enjoyed the books, Teresa. I've met Jenn, and she is so much fun!

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