Ellery Adams writes some of my favorite cozy mysteries as it is, and there's something I especially love about The Secret, Book, & Scone Society series. Books about books always get me excited, but The Little Lost Library may have been my favorite yet.
My Thoughts:
Besides running Miracle Books, Nora has been delivering books to an elderly recluse in Miracle Springs, understanding that she will never be invited inside. When a scheduled delivery does not happen, Nora begins to worry and enters the mansion, Wynter House, finding Lucille dead inside and hoards of books, regular and rare. A note from Lucille to Nora leads Nora to wonder if the death might have been murder, especially when it's accompanied by riddles that point to a treasure. While Lucille's children are convinced there is valuable treasure inside, Nora's obsession with the note and the collection of books drags her into the middle of the investigation.
I could not put this book down. Each step of the mystery, each riddle, each discovery had me wanting even more. It ended up being a one day, grab a cup of tea, and stay on the couch kind of book. I have definitely enjoyed her other books, I order them as soon as they release, but The Little Lost Library just hit differently. There's an element of nostalgia within the plot. Nora mentions that this is her own Nancy Drew style mystery and it's the perfect metaphor. The idea of the mystery hidden within the home brought me right back to some of my own favorite books as a child, which led me to be googling the names and ordering vintage copies.
About The Little Lost Library:
When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn’t expect to be invited in. An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn’t leave Wynter House. But when Lucille doesn’t come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.
Forcing her way into Lucille’s dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to find rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of her stairs. After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident. Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Wynter House? Lucille’s children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.
Nora’s obsession with Lucille’s collection becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society—she’s even neglecting her bookshop! But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House—a revelation about Lucille’s terrible past . . . and a secret worth a small fortune. But there’s someone who’d do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it’s up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House’s lost library claims another victim . . .
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