Nancy McGovern

Written by Leona O. on Aug 13, 2022
Death in the Library was a download from Amazon.
Two authors, Serena and Robert, are talking about their books to a group at the library. They get into an argument and later Serena is found dead.
I hate to give it only a 3 star rating but I found the residents of the small town of Milburn, Wyoming seemed to be very touchy and nasty comments are made to each other by more than one character and I did not care for that. Sometimes the past, especially the high school days, need to be left in the past. Also, I found some typos which are not a big deal, but they were there.
Some main characters are Nora, who has already solved some murders; Harvey, Nora's boyfriend; Sean, the sheriff; Sam, Serena's brother; Tina, Sam's wife and Grant, the librarian.
This is the third book of the series so I plan to read the first books; it may help me know the characters better.
The recipe for Nora's Pomegranate Ice Tea is at the back of the book.… (mehr)

If you're looking for a quick and fun cozy mystery, Death at the Zoo would be a solid choice for you.

I think the strength of this book lies in the friendships between protagonist Nora and her two friends. They had great relationships with one another, looking out for each other's wellbeing, but they were also distinct individuals with their own personalities and quirks.

This mystery is quite fast-paced with multiple twist and turns, so it was interesting to hear different perspectives from the three friends. I liked hearing about their different thoughts on the mystery, which itself was different than many cozies as it began with the death of an animal.

However, some aspects of the plot were a little too ridiculous for my liking. There were times when I really had to work hard to suspend my disbelief. Readers who are looking for a very realistic mystery may not enjoy this one.

Do be aware that while while the premise of the book revolves around Nora and her friends taking a vacation, this is not a travel cozy. They eat some Hawaiian foods, meet Hawaiian characters, and stay on an unnamed Hawaiian island, but the setting of Hawaii itself wasn't all that fleshed out.

This book works as a standalone cozy and is clean, though as mentioned earlier, the death of an animal is mentioned (though not graphic or violent).

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