Better Late Than Never (review)

TITLE: Better Late Than Never (Library Lover's Mystery #7)
AUTHOR: Jenn McKinlay
PUBLISHER: Berkley
PUBLISHING DATE: November 1, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: When the Briar Creek Public Library holds its first overdue book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—the volume of incoming materials is more than Lindsey and her staff can handle. In a bind, Lindsey drafts the crafternoon ladies to help check in and sort the stacks of books.

But one tardy tome catches her attention—a copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, twenty years past due. When Lindsey looks up the borrower, she’s shocked to discover it was a murdered school teacher named Candice Whitley, whose killer was never found.

Candice checked out the novel on the day she was murdered. Now Lindsey wonders if it could provide a clue to the decades-old cold case. No one noticed who brought the book back in, but could it be Candice’s killer? Lindsey is determined to catch the culprit one way or another, because justice for Candice Whitley is long overdue...

MY THOUGHTS:  This really wasn't the book I had planned to read next, but I needed a quick, fun read and something I could get through quickly, so I couldn't resist starting it. Needless to say I'm glad I did and in my opinion, McKinlay hits it out of the ballpark again with the newest installment to the Library Lover's Mystery series.

In this book, Lindsey had decided to have an amnesty/fine forgiveness day much to the chagrin of some of the staff at the library she manages. She has worked in some cute contests to encourage the staff to get on board and one is finding the book which has been checked out the longest. When one of her employees discovers a book that was checked out some 20 plus years ago, to an individual who was actually murdered shortly after obtaining the book, Lindsey can't help but get involved in another town mystery.

One of the things I like most about cozy mystery books is the small town setting (which is kind of ironic because I grew up in a small town and as a teen, HATED it!). All of my favorite characters are back for "Better Late Than Never" and a few new ones are introduced as well. While I had a few pieces of the mystery figured out early on, the book did manage to surprise me at the end and I felt McKinlay keeps the reader invested until the end. My only complaint about this book is that it reads like it could be the last one. The love triangle between Lindsey, Robbie and Sulley is finally concluded, and while I won't give anything away, I will say I am thrilled with the outcome. Also, Lindsey feels she has gotten into enough hot water being "nosy" and she has vowed not to get involved in any more town mysteries. Please Jenn, tell me this isn't the last book!

I don't want to give a lot away with this review and since it's the 7th book, it's kind of hard to accomplish. However, if you love cozy mysteries or books about books/libraries, you simply must start this series. The author does a wonderful job of mentioning books throughout her writing and often speaks about the town folk in relation to the books they like to read and their favorite authors, which is a cute and enjoyable touch. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that McKinlay has another book in the works!

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 5 PAWS