Book Review: “Whose Body in the Library,” by Eva Gates

Image ~ ~ samfsm

Hello again after a long hiatus! I have been in a bit of a weird headspace recently and it prevented me from doing what I love. But there is no time like the present, and frankly when one of your favorite series disappoints you, you need an outlet to talk about it. Eva Gates is typically a no brainer for me: her mysteries are fun and how do you beat a series that has a library set inside of a lighthouse? Pair that with a cat and great food, and you have a recipe for amazing cozies. However, Gates pivoted away from the cast of characters she has been writing about for 12 books and brought in a brand new amateur sleuth for book 13. In my very humble opinion, it failed. Without further ado…

From the Publisher:

A new librarian’s first day goes terribly wrong when she finds a dead body on the front steps of the library. 

In the thirteenth installment of the beloved Lighthouse Library mysteries, a new character takes the reins.

While Lucy McNeil is enjoying her new job as the mother of twin boys and library director, new librarian Nichelle Gilchrest has just arrived at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, reporting for duty. But life throws a wrench on Nichelle’s first day when she finds a body on the steps—a body that bears a startling resemblance to her father, who disappeared on a fishing trip to the Outer Banks thirty-eight years ago. 

Fingerprints confirm the dead body is indeed Nichelle’s father, now living in Nags Head under the name Brian Saunders. Brian had been befriending older lonely women in exchange for money, but was he working alone? 

Detective Rhonda Thomas is on the case, and the suspect list is only getting longer. Sorting through the wronged women and their relatives, Detective Thomas discovers Nichelle’s own brother Brad had been in Nags Head a few days before the murder happened and has been lying about his whereabouts.

Hoping to clear her brother’s name, Nichelle decides to investigate what happened. With seasoned sleuth Lucy’s gentle encouragement for the amateur, Nichelle is in for an exciting and dangerous first week at the library.

What Worked for Me:

  • The Setting. While a lot has changed in Nags Head, the great beaches, marshland, and cute town remain intact. Whose Body in the Library does not fully take advantage of the beautiful scene that Gates has set up, the brief glimpses of the coastal breeze, sunsets, and fun tourist ambiance remain.
  • Charles the Cat. Every good cozy needs a cat, in my opinion. Charles (Kind Charles for those know know him) plays his role well. He is a demanding and adorable companion perched at the top of the lighthouse and an ambassador for the library. We all deserve a Charles.

Sadly, not much else piqued my interest here, despite an overwhelming love for the series previously.

What Didn’t Work:

  • Nichelle. Our new assistant librarian is named Nichelle Gilchrest, a fifty-something from Rochester who starts a new life as a librarian after spending years as a bookkeeper. She is a mother of twin girls who are grown, has a no-nonsense attitude, and does not want to investigate murders. She is also judgmental, a bit of a fuddy duddy, and has an extremely self-absorbed monologue. Some of the ways she classifies other characters is presented as an observation, but is just rude. I cannot imagine more books with her point of view front and center.
    • Her description of Lucy: “The blouse didn’t quite hide the slight pudginess around her middle which suggested she’d recently had a baby and was struggling to get rid of the evidence.“
    • Her description of the detective: “I wondered if she bought them all at the same time, or if a store somewhere was strictly dedicated to unattractive female cop attire.”
  • Lucy’s New Characterization. I think what happened here was that Gates began to dislike Lucy as the main character and decided to retcon any personal growth Lucy had throughout the series. The Lucy in prior books was spunky and full of vim and vigor. She was a little nosy, but it was just from an inquisitive turn of her mind and the backing of Detective Sam Watson. Lucy loves her husband and her home but she is immensely dedicated to her work and the town. she is a strong character. The Lucy here is, putting it simply, a mom and wife. She is focused on her twins and not much else. She is characterized by Nichelle and others as a busybody and not at all like the helpful and intelligent character she is. Even the way she internally monologues is an insult. I really think Gates just decided to hate on Lucy.
    • One of Lucy’s scenes: “Lucy was enormously proud of her house and all the work they’d done to make it a happy, loving home. Not that she’d done much herself, other than bring the working men glasses of tea or beer and sandwiches and make a dash to the store if they unexpectedly ran short of nails or screws.”
  • The Weak Mystery. I think a lot of firsts in a new series suffer from this, since characters need to be introduced and settled in (I am treating this book as a new series despite being book 13 in a well established series). However, it is very disappointing that the murder plot is not only secondary to the family drama and Nichelle settling in, but the murderer is like a sore thumb. This can barely be classified as a murder mystery. It read like poorly written family literature with a murder to distract everyone.

Conclusion:

I am sad to say, this may be the end of the road for me with the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. I have read, reviewed, and loved countless books in this series, but this was a two wave read for me. Reading this on the beach with a cold Corona couldn’t even break a smile. Farewell, Bodie Head Lighthouse – I will miss your glowing presence.

One thing I will credit Whose Body in the Library for, it got me back into Sam’s Beach Reads. And for that, I suppose I am grateful.

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