A Merry Little Murder Plot

‘Tis the season in Briar Creek, and this year festivities become fatalities in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Fatal First Edition.

During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence, but her “bah humbug” attitude excludes her from the many holiday celebrations the town residents enjoy. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, library director Lindsey Norris invites the new writer in residence to join her crafternoon club. Helen politely refuses and when an altercation happens between Helen and another patron, Lindsey begins to suspect the author has been keeping to herself for a reason.

Another newcomer, Jackie Lewis, reveals she’s visiting Briar Creek to be near Helen because she believes they are destined to meet. Having dealt with a stalker in the past, Lindsey feels compelled to tell Helen about Jackie, as she suspects that Helen is unaware her “number one” fan is in town.

When Jackie’s body is later discovered in the town park beneath the holiday-light display with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her self-proclaimed mega-fan. Helen’s frosty demeanor melts when Lindsey offers her help, and now the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before “The End” becomes Helen’s final sentence.

My Review:

The ‘Library Lover’s Mystery’ series is one of my all time favourites. The books include the perfect blend of cozy and mystery along with a couple of delightful romances. And this book, #15 (!) showcases all the things I love about this series. So, yes, it’s best to read the books in order due to the phenomenal character growth and relationship developments. Plus the small town vibes are all kinds of sweet perfection — not to mention the library programming! I so want to be a Crafternooner!

There’s a wonderful mix of holiday, humour and mystery in ‘A Merry Little Murder Plot’ (clever title, by the way.) As Library Director, Lindsey has her hands full with a number of unexpected developments at this most wonderful time of the year…like a dead body. Because nothing says Merry Christmas quite like murder and mayhem! Bwahahaha!

Love the way the author fleshes out the secondary characters. There are layered complexities to each of them, which makes armchair sleuthing both fun and challenging. And, goodness, but did she ever get my emotions fired up as I was drawn into the mystery. Love, love, love becoming wholly immersed in a story and it’s so easy to do that when Jenn McKinlay is doing the writing.

Loved the sweet romantical bits included in this story. Not over done, so if you’re not a romance fan, you won’t mind a bit. But, I live for those tender little nods to a certain couple’s happily ever after so I was blissfully happy. Merry Christmas to me!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘A Merry Little Murder Plot’. Narrator Allyson Ryan does such a fantastic job creating distinctive voices for these characters and she’s part of the reason I choose to listen to the books in this series rather then read them. It’s a special kind of homecoming when I settle in to start a new audiobook and hear her voice coaxing me back to Briar Creek.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.