Due or Die: A Library lover’s Mystery by Jenn McKinlay

           With reading so many mystery series at the same time, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of what is going on in each one.  This is especially true when I have more than one mystery series involving a library.  Fortunately, once I start reading the book I have in hand, I can usually figure out where I left off.

It probably should not have come as too much of a surprise that Carrie Ruston’s husband was killed.  Markus was whiney, unsupportive, a liar, and a crook.  In fact, everyone in Carrie’s life wondered why an extremely nice woman like her was married to such an awful man.  This belief in Carrie’s niceness is part of the reason that no one in town believes that Carrie is the culprit when Markus turns up dead.  Or at least most people believe in Carrie’s innocence.  There are a few willing to listen to the ramblings of Marjorie “Batty” Bilson.

                There is something not quite right with Marjorie.  If she gets an idea in her head, that’s the only way things could possibly be.  For example, Marjorie is certain the library director, Lindsey Norris, had something to do with Bill Sint, the man Marjorie is interested in, losing his position as president of the Friends of the Library.  Carrie won the honor, and with this belief in her head, Marjorie is out to get Lindsey.  She will not hesitate in making Lindsey pay for Bill’s loss, even if it means running Lindsey down in the street.

                The problem is, so many of the odd things happening to Lindsey can’t be specifically attributed to Marjorie, although her behavior definitely makes one suspect that she is the guilty party.  Still, even with this suspicion in mind, the threatening phone calls and other unsettling events that happen to Lindsey keep her on her guard.  It does not stop her from moving forward with what she has to do in life, though.  Despite all that is going on, Lindsey does have to prove Carrie innocent, after all.

                That, of course, is a task easier said than done, even in normal conditions.  A huge snowstorm makes it even harder.  With the power out, and everyone and everything snowed in, it’s hard to go out and find clues.  It also puts the lunch date Lindsey has planned with Edmund Sint, Bill’s nephew and new man in town, on hold.

                In truth, Edmund’s arrival in town has added a complication to Lindsey’s life.  The man she is really interested in is boat captain Mike “Sully” Sullivan, but so far, he hasn’t even asked Lindsey out on a date.  So, with Sully not making a move, going out with Edmund won’t hurt anything, will it?

                For what I understand to be a very small town, there certainly are a lot of characters to come across and learn about.  Most are a lot of fun, but there are others that are not too pleasant, like Marjorie and the head of circulation at the library, Ms. Cole.  I was so happy when Lindsey finally stood up to Ms. Cole and told her off.  The constant comparisons she made to the old library director were just too much.  It took a while for Lindsey to finally say enough is enough, but I suspect it felt really good when she did.