Miss Zukas and the Library Murders

Well, I had a really good time with this one. Our Miss Zukas (Wilhelmina Zukas, if you please) is a slightly prissy perfectionist...too young still to be the stereotype of an old maid librarian, but treading along that path for sure. Excuse me, for "certain". She corrects her co-workers, even her boss, for usage gaffs such as that one; finds her personal satisfaction in neatness, order and correctness in all things. She habitually chides her oldest friend, Ruth, for using a nickname she dislikes (although she has apparently voluntarily shortened her own first name to "Helma", most likely to avoid the inevitable mispronunciations she would have to deal with if she hadn't). Yet, when a murdered man's body shows up in the library, Miss show more Zukas proves she is capable of some pretty creative thinking and even a little daring action. This was cozy without being twee, and I anticipate Miss Zukas may be destined to loosen up just a little, under the influence of an old friend and a potential new flame. show less

Its a typical cozy type mystery book - initially published in 1994, it feels a bit outdated (for example, phone directory listings are used). It also uses stereotypes, for example, Miss Helma Zukas is basically a walking caricature of what a Librarian is, strict, orderly, dresses in cardigans, doesn't have much a life outside of the library. And her friend Ruth, is the epitome of the crazy artist friend - gets into trouble, drinks a lot, messy, and money problems. However, i'll give it a pass since the story is written in the early 1990's and its well written.

As for the mystery, it not one that would make be written today, however, it had a few twists and turns and I didn't figure out who the bad guy was until the last third of the show more book.

So essentially, a well written, but dated, cozy mystery featuring a librarian. show less

Miss Zukas is a young librarian on the staid side. She sees everything in life pretty much as black or white. Nonetheless, she's a very likable character and a smart one. Her friend Ruth is quite different, a flamboyant artist who drinks too much and isn't particularly choosy when it comes to men. Or maybe I should say she makes it easy and just chooses them all. It's likely Miss Zukas and Ruth wouldn't be friends if they hadn't grown up together.

A murder is committed in the library after hours and Miss Zukas begins to wonder about a few patrons that have been coming into the library in recent days. Like many cozy mystery heroines she doesn't initially plan on solving or becoming involved in the murder but a cryptic note falls into her show more hands, one that she isn't sure is part of the mystery and her home is broken into though nothing is stolen. Unfortunately, Miss Zukas blindly walks right into the murderer's trap. It was a surprise to both of us. show less

Miss Zukas is the stuffiest of librarians. She follows policy to the letter, dresses like an old maid, and tucks in early each night. When a dead body is found in her library Miss Zukas starts acting strangely out of character.

For a stereotyped and downright cheesy as elements of this book are, I still found it rather charming. Miss Zukas is such a tremendous stereotype that she's more entertaining than serious. That said, given that Miss Zukas is such a stereotype, there's little room to understand how or why she would withhold evidence from the police, and why her best friend is a loud, disaster of an artist. In sum, I can't really explain why I found this book to be charming, but I did, and I plan to read more of the series.

Good try. Interesting proposition, almost good enough execution.

Miss Whilhelma Zukas is a lithuanian living in Belhaven, a small american township, where she works as the non-fiction librarian. She comes into work one day to find a murder has occured in her library. Her recollection of the patron a day earlier provides some clues to the local police.

Miss Zukas is an odd character - a cross between the painstaking exactitude of Sherlock Holmes, and the jovial easy going Mma Ramotswe. As might be expected this comes across quite perculiarly, however once you get into the book the style becomes less grating and you gradularly start to like her - particularly when influenced by her more relaxed friend Ruth. the odd instances where there is show more a frission of enuendo between the characters are also amusing.

It is a light quick read, well crafted scenary a clever enough plot, probably worth looking out for the sequels. show less

This book has a dry humor that I really enjoyed. Dereske combines a clear eye for the personality quirks of her characters, particularly Helma and Ruth, with a non-sentimental appreciation for the characters' strengths. The Washington setting is very appealing, while all the circumstantial details about the people in Helma's world bring the book to life.

I read this series a number of years ago and was just reminded of it. I really enjoyed the books, they're not overly complicated, and it has a bit of whimsy. Helma is a librarian who keeps stumbling into murders, uncovering the clues and solving the crime before her policeman beau can do it. Typical cozy fair, but enjoyable and somewhat generic.