I was tickled to find this softcover in this Little Free Library in Merrimack NH, not least because it's from a mystery series themed on (surprise!) Little Libraries! I knew those themed mysteries were getting awfully specific, but this one really amused me. Will definitely want to release it to another LFL.

I did notice that this copy suffered a binding error: the cover's on backwards and upside-down, so whoever's reading it will appear to be reading the book the wrong way up. Didn't want to try tearing off the cover to repair it, so I'll leave it as a conversation piece!

Later: Not a bad story, though it does open with a disturbing act of vandalism against the titular Little Library. The search for the culprit is part of the plot, and ties in to more sinister events, including murder... Luckily, someone's on hand to repair and even enhance the little library by the end of the story!

The tale involves recently-divorced Jenny, who's returned to her Michigan home town to get over her feelings about her ex. When she discovers the smashed remnants of her mother's little library, she's appalled - as is neighbor Zoe, a little person with an obsession with Lewis Carroll that leads to much awkward conversation. (I like some good literary banter between characters in novels, but in this case the Carroll tidbits were often so obscure that I didn't recognize them, which rather spoiled my fun {wry grin}.)

As with many cozy-style mysteries, this one blends murder with more light-hearted banter, such as the bit about finding any books that survived the library massacre. Turns out War and Peace made it intact, having been hidden beneath Fifty Shades of Grey, leading to Mom's quip "At last, a use for that particular book"!

The main plot involves a wealthy family with dark secrets and black sheep, and the investigation includes lots of red herrings, suspicion against relative newcomer Zoe, a missing dog, and more regrets from Jenny's past. Not bad - and I see there's another in the series, She Stopped for Death (which, I hardly need to add, has an Emily Dickinson theme). Will have to hunt up a copy of that one!

I left this book in the Little Free Library on this rainy afternoon; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2017 Spooktacular October release challenge. ***