Elizabeth Spann Craig

Librarian Ann Beckett loves her job. Spending all day surrounded by books, helping patrons to socialise or discover the resources available, finding new books to recommend and being part of the community makes her happy - even if she doesn't have many close friends or a partner to share with. She just wishes everyone else would agree and stop trying to set her up on blind dates. But when her latest blind date results in death, her curiosity is aroused and she finds herself in the middle of a show more murder investigation, sleuthing her way to the guilty party.

Elizabeth Spann Craig is pretty much my go to when I want a relaxing cosy mystery with a decent plot and funny characters. And the first book of the Village Library Mysteries is no exception. Plus it's based in a library. I mean it's hard not to love it for that alone.

Ann was great. I liked her humour and easy going attitude. Her sleuthing was low key nosy and it suited her style. The cast of characters were all great as well - I loved the library manager, Wilson, the children's librarian, Luna and the police chief, Burton and I adored the sense of community the library fostered. I'm not a cat person but I enjoyed the inclusion of the library cat and how he won over the patrons and Wilson into keeping him about. Plus I loved the discussions about books and movies - like Ann I'm always on the lookout for recommendations to add to my reading/watching list. You know that list that's thousands and thousands of books and movies long. But of course, new reccs.

The plot was well constructed and kept me entertained sleuthing along with Ann. I didn't guess who it was but then I very rarely do. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the investigation and the reveal of the guilty party.

An enjoyable start to a new cosy mystery series. 4 stars. show less

I love cozy mysteries with any of the following: cat, library, bookmobile, a librarian as the sleuth. Delightfully this series in the small town location of Whitby, North Carolina, has several favorites as the main character is Ann Beckett, one of the librarians at the town's public library. As the opening chapter begins Ann agrees to help 2 sopping wet little boys who dash into the library and over to the circulation desk quickly trying to get help for a cat caught in a culvert in a show more drenching downpour. In the early evening Ann arrives at the home of her blind date as set up by one of the library patrons. The adventures continue from her rescue of the day to her blind date unlike any other.

I do not often select a novel by cover art but was intrigued by the posting of this novel's cover on a Facebook group page for cozy mystery fans. The cover designer is credited to Karri Klawiter by the author. I'm always delighted when cover design is credited by the author in their acknowledgements or specifically named by the publisher on the copyright page as a book's cover art does enhance the reading experience. Ms. Klawkiter's art design captured my attention to learn more about the author and series.

I lower my star rating by 1 star when there are multiple errors that could have easily been corrected by an editor(s) or assistance by a beta reader(s). An editor and beta readers were given appreciation by the author at the end of the novel in a section titled, "This and That" so the errors are all the more disappointing.

I'm always curious when there is a discrepancy of facts in a mystery as I continue to keep it in mind as I like to be a sleuth as a reader to guess how this discrepancy will contribute to the solving of the crime. However, sometimes the discrepancy is never mentioned by any of the characters and has no relevance as the crime is solved. In the edition I read (ISBN13: 9781946227430), you may find the discrepancy of facts on pages 134 and 184. show less

Ann Beckett is busy as ever with the library, the upcoming Friends of the Library sale and the new Ask Fitz advice column Wilson is having her create. But all that gets pushed to the side when the library becomes the setting for murder and Ann finds herself once again picking up her sleuthing hat.

Like the first one, this was a fun relaxing mystery with a cosy cast of characters. All my favourites appeared - Luna, Wilson and Burton - and the rest of the cast were very entertaining. I liked show more the continuing low key nosy sleuthing style Ann favours, it's a bit of a unique one in cosies, but one I've found myself rather fond of.

The mystery was well plotted and included some clever details, although I found the reasoning for who was behind it a bit thin. I got the why, but the how Ann figured out was kind of flimsy. I mean a photo of the author with the killer and a left behind book of the author's was iffy. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

The romance was average but it's not a focus of the book so it didn't bother me much. Although I would like to see Luna and Burton get together. I wasn't too fussed about Ann and Grayson though.

I loved the friendships between the library staff and the library patrons, that was great. I loved the Ask Fitz column and the inclusion of the questions with answers. It was a unique angle and a bit of a highlight of the book. I'd love to see more of it in future installments.

A funny and well plotted second installment of the series. 3 stars. show less

Myrtle Clover is just the type of crafty, snoopy little old lady that you have to laugh at... and give thanks that she doesn't belong to you. Even though her son Red has told all of his police officers not to say a word about this murder investigation to his mother, Myrtle still finds out bits and pieces of information that spur her on. This woman is sharp-- and she's not above playing the age card when she thinks it will get her what she wants. There always seems to be someone who falls for show more the "confused little old lady" or the "worn out little old lady," and once they do, Myrtle swoops in for the kill. Metaphorically speaking, that is.

The mystery's a good one, with a long list of suspects, but it's Myrtle who's the star of A Dyeing Shame. If you're in the mood for some fast-paced fun, this is one old lady to spend the afternoon with. Just make sure your house can withstand a snoop-through. show less