Read time: 3 minutes
📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 304 pages
⏱ Approx. 4 hours reading time
🏷️ Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
📅 Release Date: June 9, 2026
📘 ARC provided by NetGalley
🔍 Genre: Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
It’s a new chapter at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, and change is in the air. With Lucy now the library director—and a new mom to twin boys, the story shifts to Nichelle Gilchrest, the assistant manager just settling into her role when she discovers a body on the library steps. The shock only deepens when the dead man turns out to be Nichelle’s long-missing father, living under an alias in the Outer Banks. As Detective Rhonda Thomas investigates, Nichelle is drawn into untangling her family’s past, her brother’s secrets, and a trail of deceit that leads right to the heart of Nags Head.
Let’s talk … Murder!!!
Eva Gates shakes things up in Whose Body in the Library, and longtime fans like me definitely feel it. Swapping out Lucy’s familiar first-person narration for a dual POV approach, mostly following newcomer Nichelle, makes this entry feel like walking through your own house but finding the furniture rearranged. Everything’s recognizable, yet slightly off-kilter. Lucy’s still around, juggling motherhood and library management, but the emotional center shifts to Nichelle’s family drama and her rocky first week surrounded by suspicious small-town secrets.
For longtime readers, that shift is jarring. We know the town, the people, and their secrets, but Nichelle doesn’t, and those gaps aren’t filled in. Familiar characters feel oddly distant, and the emotional shorthand that usually makes this series so cozy just isn’t there. Nichelle’s arc is intriguing. A woman confronting a past she thought was buried thirty-eight years ago, but the pacing and investigative beats don’t quite land with the same cozy confidence as previous installments. The addition of Detective Rhonda Thomas, who is rigid and rule-bound in contrast to the easygoing Sam Watson, further unsettles the balance. Her treatment of Lucy, in particular, left me uneasy and not especially excited to see her stick around.
The mystery itself, centered on Nichelle’s long-estranged father and the unsettling legacy he left behind, has solid bones, but the execution felt rough. Nichelle’s lack of sleuthing experience is understandable, yet the investigation and resolution never fully clicked. It’s like driving a familiar road and suddenly realizing the seat’s been adjusted just enough to throw everything off. I wanted to love this one more than I did, but it didn’t quite settle into place. Still, Eva Gates’ atmospheric details and character warmth shine through. Even when the mystery falters, the Outer Banks charm and community affection keep you turning pages. And one slightly off installment in a long-running series as consistent as this? Hardly a dealbreaker.
Would I recommend it?
A solid, if uneven, addition to the Lighthouse Library Mysteries. As a standalone or a transitional book, it works, but as a longtime fan of this series, it felt off in ways I couldn’t ignore. That said, one uneven entry won’t shake my loyalty to Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany). I’ll absolutely be back for the next installment, hopeful that Lucy returns to center stage and the series finds its familiar rhythm again. If you’re curious to see life at the library through fresh eyes, add this to your TBR. Longtime fans may feel conflicted, but I’m not giving up on this lighthouse just yet.
If You Enjoyed This Book, Try These Next
- Murder on Mustang Beach by Alicia Bessette – For fans of small-town islands and community-driven mysteries.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver – A literary cozy with bookish charm and new beginnings.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah – Cozy coastal mystery with strong atmosphere and sleuthing.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates – Return to Lucy’s familiar POV and full-on Lighthouse vibes.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - A Killer Read by Erika Chase – Cozy, bookish, and set in a small-town mystery world that feels like home.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Change is in the air. what do you think?
Would you want to see more cozy mystery series experiment with new POVs, or do you prefer sticking with the familiar sleuth you know and love? Discuss in the comments. I’m curious where you land on the “series shake-up” debate!
Book Links:
Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders.
#SupportLocal
Indiebookstores.ca
Bookshop.org
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Litsy
Follow Vicki Delany (Eva Gates) author page for latest on Lighthouse Libraries Mysteries and other series
Check out other books from Crooked Lane Books
Discover more from Views She Writes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
