Title: Better Late Than NeverAuthor: Jenn McKinlay
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley; November 1, 2016
Genre: Mystery
Source/Format: First To Read; eARC
Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads...
In the latest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Timesbestselling author of A Likely Story, a decades overdue book puts library director Lindsey Norris hot on the trail of a cold case...
When the Briar Creek Public Library holds its first overdue book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—the volume of incoming materials is more than Lindsey and her staff can handle. In a bind, Lindsey drafts the crafternoon ladies to help check in and sort the stacks of books.
But one tardy tome catches her attention—a copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, twenty years past due. When Lindsey looks up the borrower, she’s shocked to discover it was a murdered school teacher named Candice Whitley, whose killer was never found.
Candice checked out the novel on the day she was murdered. Now Lindsey wonders if it could provide a clue to the decades-old cold case. No one noticed who brought the book back in, but could it be Candice’s killer? Lindsey is determined to catch the culprit one way or another, because justice for Candice Whitley is long overdue...
My Thoughts:
When I finally sat down to give Better Late Than Never (BLTN) a read, I wasn’t aware of the fact that this was part of a series—book seven to be exact. Regardless of what I didn’t know about the series, I still enjoyed the book.
Two of my favorite things are books and the library. I haven’t used my local library as much lately, but that’s beside the point. What I’m getting at is that Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay seemed like my kind of book. And I was right. The main character was a librarian, the Briar Creek Public Library played an important role in the plot, and the mystery was established early on in the book.
One of my favorite aspects turned out to be the mystery surrounding the overdue library book. McKinlay did a good job with her use of the typical cozy mystery elements—amateur sleuth, small town setting, a mystery that finds its way into the hands of the main character, etc.. I found it hard to put the book down.
The characters were wonderful. I really liked Lindsey, the sleuthing librarian. Her perspective was interesting, and I liked how she approached the case, even if she was asked to stay out of it. I also like how McKinlay established the relationships between the characters—from friends, to family, and even romantic interests.
At the end of the day, BLTN is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2016. Now I kind of want to see where Lindsey’s adventures all began.
About the author...
Jenn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series and will be debuting a new women's fiction series in June 2017, starting with the title About a Dog. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband's guitars...
When I finally sat down to give Better Late Than Never (BLTN) a read, I wasn’t aware of the fact that this was part of a series—book seven to be exact. Regardless of what I didn’t know about the series, I still enjoyed the book.
Two of my favorite things are books and the library. I haven’t used my local library as much lately, but that’s beside the point. What I’m getting at is that Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay seemed like my kind of book. And I was right. The main character was a librarian, the Briar Creek Public Library played an important role in the plot, and the mystery was established early on in the book.
One of my favorite aspects turned out to be the mystery surrounding the overdue library book. McKinlay did a good job with her use of the typical cozy mystery elements—amateur sleuth, small town setting, a mystery that finds its way into the hands of the main character, etc.. I found it hard to put the book down.
The characters were wonderful. I really liked Lindsey, the sleuthing librarian. Her perspective was interesting, and I liked how she approached the case, even if she was asked to stay out of it. I also like how McKinlay established the relationships between the characters—from friends, to family, and even romantic interests.
At the end of the day, BLTN is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2016. Now I kind of want to see where Lindsey’s adventures all began.
Rating 5/5
This copy of the book was provided by First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!
About the author...
Jenn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series and will be debuting a new women's fiction series in June 2017, starting with the title About a Dog. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets and her husband's guitars...
This actually sounds like it would be really good!
ReplyDeleteCarrie @ The Butterfly Reader
It was! I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Thanks for stopping by! :-)
Delete