Pretty good. ( )

Great book in the series. Love the characters. ( )

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

Read and Buried was a quick, enjoyable mystery and I appreciated the lack of romance that I usually find in cozy mysteries.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ( )

3 ½ stars
There really is nothing more exciting that secret codes and buried treasure. Will Lucy solve another case probably but the real hero is Charles the library cat.

Charles jumped onto the nearest bookshelf and settled down to wash his whiskers with an air of satisfaction. Once again, Charles had saved the day.

Charles always has an active dislike for the shadier visitors to the library. Curtis and Diane, library board members who really have no interest in the library and have been a thorn in Lucys’ and Berties’ side since book one in the series will probably be replaced in the next book, since Curtis killed Jeremy and Diane helped cover it up.


Cozies Reading Challenge ( )

Read and Buried
Author: Eva Gates

I enjoy this series and read each book as soon as it comes out. I'm a North Carolinian...and it's set in one of my favorite spots on the NC coast -- Nag's Head! I've been to the tippy top of Bodie Lighthouse and gone out on the walkway. All 214 winding metal stairs. I'm afraid of heights, but still enjoyed the view! Each time I read this series, I do have to remind myself that author's often take license with real places. Bodie Lighthouse is not large enough on the inside to house a library, or an apartment. It's barely bigger than the staircase to the top. But, because I love the idea of a library inside a NC lighthouse....I'm willing to forget that I've been to the real place. :)

This time around, foundation and repair work is ongoing at the lighthouse. A crack had formed at the base of the lighthouse and it was in danger of collapse. So lots of construction workers and heavy equipment are at work around the library to fix the problem. When a construction crew finds a mysterious metal box buried under the lighthouse, Lucy finds herself in the midst of mystery. The box contains a civil war era diary and a map of the Outer Banks written in code. Problems immediately start. All sorts of people want to see the artifacts....and then a library board member is found dead inside the library. Break-ins at the library continue as the whole town gets in on the attempts to decipher the code. Is an old secret worth killing for?? What does the code mean and why murder for it?

I enjoyed the plot of this newest book! The mystery was engaging and hooked my attention right away! There were plenty of suspects and some interesting investigation as Lucy worked to solve the case.

Read and Buried is the 6th book in the Lighthouse Library series. Eva Gates is a pen-name of Vicky Delany.

Great book! I will definitely be awaiting the next book in this series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )