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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay is the seventh book in A Library Lover’s Mystery series. It is First Annual Amnesty Day at the Briar Creek Public Library. They library clerks are being overwhelmed with returned books. The day is an overwhelming success. Lindsey Norris instigated a contest with a prize for the clerk who finds the grungiest book and the oldest due book. One clerk shows Lindsey J.D. Salinger’s Cather in the Rye that was due October 23, 1996. Lindsey takes the book to Miss Eugenia Cole. Miss Cole has records on all overdue books (even those that are 20 years old). Miss Cole looks shocked when she finds out who checked out the book. The book was checked out on October 2, 1996 by Candice Whitley. Candice was murdered on this day, and her killer has never been found. Lindsey’s curiosity will not let her rest. She sets out to get answers to this twenty-year-old mystery. Lindsey has started seeing Captain Mike “Sully” Sullivan, but they are keeping it quiet (or so they think). The two of them are going slow, but Sully has competition. Robbie Vine, British actor and new citizen to Briar Creek, has taken a fancy to Lindsey. Robbie believes the two of them will be the perfect couple (and is very vocal about it). How will Sully handle the competition? Join Lindsey and friends in Briar Creek for another fun installment in Better Late Than Never.
Better Late Than Never was a charming novel. It is nice revisiting the characters to see how they are faring. Robbie Vine is a nice addition to the series and he is very entertaining. The focus of the novel was on the romance between Sully and Lindsey. In addition, to space devoted to Lindsey thinking and contemplating. I give Better Late Than Never 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The novel is well-written and easy to read. The story moves along nicely. The mystery, though, was uncomplicated and could be figured out easily. There were two references in the novel that I particularly enjoyed. One was the mention of Harry Potter. The second was the mention of a cozy mystery series that Lindsey enjoyed reading. It involves two Arizona women who enjoy baking cupcakes. I thought it was a nice plug for Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I look forward to reading the next installment in A Library Lover’s Mystery series.
Better Late Than Never was a charming novel. It is nice revisiting the characters to see how they are faring. Robbie Vine is a nice addition to the series and he is very entertaining. The focus of the novel was on the romance between Sully and Lindsey. In addition, to space devoted to Lindsey thinking and contemplating. I give Better Late Than Never 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The novel is well-written and easy to read. The story moves along nicely. The mystery, though, was uncomplicated and could be figured out easily. There were two references in the novel that I particularly enjoyed. One was the mention of Harry Potter. The second was the mention of a cozy mystery series that Lindsey enjoyed reading. It involves two Arizona women who enjoy baking cupcakes. I thought it was a nice plug for Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I look forward to reading the next installment in A Library Lover’s Mystery series.
holly_keimig's review against another edition
4.0
Lindsey tracks down a murderer of a decades-old cold case using a 20-year overdue library book. This one took some interesting twists and turns. Really enjoy this series. Can't wait for the next book!
kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
A library, a murder, good food, and a little romance… BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, the new release by Jenn McKinlay in the Library Lover’s Mystery series, has all the ingredients for a highly entertaining read!
Jenn McKinlay weaves a tight tale of murder that happened twenty years before while Lindsey tries to solve it in the current day. The time span poses challenges but the author handles it effortlessly creating a plot that flows. The protagonist is surrounded by memorable characters, from her best friend, Beth, to elderly Ms. Cole who doesn’t like how Lindsey runs the library and is quick to let her know. And then there’s her love interest, Captain Mike Sullivan, aka Sully. Lindsey isn’t sure where she stands in their relationship and wants to take it slow and Sully is not one to talk about feelings. Can they move beyond their first botched attempt at romance or will misunderstandings keep them apart? Their relationship, while a subplot of the book, adds a certain sweetness to the story. Besides an entertaining read, Jenn writes with a laugh out loud flair. I loved her description of OMC Syndrome (One More Chapter)…and if you read this author’s books you’re bound to suffer from it too!
One of the programs that Lindsey has instituted at the Briar Creek Public Library is the Crafternooners, which is a group of people who meet to eat, discuss books, and do a craft. The author includes recipes, a craft, and a book discussion guide at the back of the book just like the Crafternooners use. I enjoyed the inclusion of these extras and especially like the recipes. One of the new members of the Crafternooners, Matthew, brings a dish of meatballs to one of the meetings. I made the recipe for Matthew’s Crock-Pot Marinara Meatballs and it will definitely go into my regular meal rotation — it’s that good and it’s that easy!
I willingly wrote a review after receiving an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jenn McKinlay weaves a tight tale of murder that happened twenty years before while Lindsey tries to solve it in the current day. The time span poses challenges but the author handles it effortlessly creating a plot that flows. The protagonist is surrounded by memorable characters, from her best friend, Beth, to elderly Ms. Cole who doesn’t like how Lindsey runs the library and is quick to let her know. And then there’s her love interest, Captain Mike Sullivan, aka Sully. Lindsey isn’t sure where she stands in their relationship and wants to take it slow and Sully is not one to talk about feelings. Can they move beyond their first botched attempt at romance or will misunderstandings keep them apart? Their relationship, while a subplot of the book, adds a certain sweetness to the story. Besides an entertaining read, Jenn writes with a laugh out loud flair. I loved her description of OMC Syndrome (One More Chapter)…and if you read this author’s books you’re bound to suffer from it too!
One of the programs that Lindsey has instituted at the Briar Creek Public Library is the Crafternooners, which is a group of people who meet to eat, discuss books, and do a craft. The author includes recipes, a craft, and a book discussion guide at the back of the book just like the Crafternooners use. I enjoyed the inclusion of these extras and especially like the recipes. One of the new members of the Crafternooners, Matthew, brings a dish of meatballs to one of the meetings. I made the recipe for Matthew’s Crock-Pot Marinara Meatballs and it will definitely go into my regular meal rotation — it’s that good and it’s that easy!
I willingly wrote a review after receiving an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
pussreboots's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ametcalf's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
Lindsey had decided to implement a amnesty day for the library. Patrons can return books no matter how long they've been out and not pay any fines. One of the books returned has been out for 20 years and was checked out to an English teacher who was murdered shortly after her trip to the library. The murder remains unsolved and the books reappearance brings up several questions. Who returned the book? Where are the original suspects? Could the murderer still be in town? Enjoyable mystery especially since the love triangle business is firmly resolved.
mainebookworm22's review against another edition
3.0
Was really looking forward to this addition to the series. Was happy to have the love triangle resolved, but the book read more like a romance than a mystery at times. The clues to the mystery were pretty obvious and I was not at all surprised by the ending. Enjoyable read, but not the best in the series.
amalies's review against another edition
3.0
Do you ever find that you read a book and a month later you can't even remember who the killer was? That was me with this book. I loved the premise of the book, and amnesty day, where all library patrons could return and overdue items to the library and not have to pay a fine. I really wish that my library would do this...not that I would turn in something 20 years overdue, but it would help me clear out my books pretty fast and that is what happened in this book. They had so may things returned. It was great. I love that a book was returned with a murder attached and I think it is interesting the people in the town that become a part of this murder investigation. Every town has secrets and also things in it's past. Lindsey now becomes an even stronger member of the community as she helps solve the mystery of a crime from 20 years ago.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite cozy mystery series. The main character is a librarian who is an amateur sleuth. Highly recommend.