Village Library Mysteries

There are no renewals when you're permanently checked out. When librarian Ann Beckett finally reluctantly agrees to being set-up on a blind date by one of her over-eager patrons, she figures that the worst that could happen would be that the two of them wouldn't hit it off. Little did she know that she'd be stood up...because her date was murdered. With the help from her patrons, Ann tries to find out who might be responsible in the small town of Whitby before more residents are permanently checked out.

Carmen King is a busy woman. Not only does she sit on the library board and dabble in the Friends of the Library, but she juggles quite a few relationships at once. Apparently, this doesn't go over well with at least one of her boyfriends-Carmen is found dead at the bottom of the library staircase. Librarian Ann Beckett not only finds Carmen's body, but finds herself entangled in Carmen's mysterious death as she sets out to learn why Carmen's death, from the killer's perspective, was overdue.

Sometimes a weekend trip is stressful, especially if you're on borrowed time. Fall is beautiful in the small mountain village of Whitby, North Carolina. The leaves are changing color on the mountainsides, the sky is a bright blue, and the air is crisp. Librarian Ann Beckett's friend and coworker, Luna, has persuaded her to take a break from the library and attend a house party on the lake with her. The modest house Ann was expecting is more of a mansion with amazing mountain and lake views and an indoor swimming pool. The other guests initially seem fun, but as time passes, tensions grow. When one of the guests is later found murdered in the pool, Ann works through the puzzle since now someone else is on borrowed time.

It's hard keeping secrets in small towns. At first, librarian Ann Beckett is delighted her director hired another full-time staff member. The Whitby Library is a busy place and another librarian should make life much easier there. Instead, she soon discovers that the new hire, Ellie, seems to be bent on creating issues instead of solving them. When she's found dead at the library, no one is as shocked as they might have been. With time running out and a desperate killer on the loose, Ann starts uncovering all the secrets Ellie was trying to keep hush-hush.

Small towns + gossip = friction No one in the town of Whitby, North Carolina was excited when Jonas Merchant returned to town. Jonas was an effective muckraker, an expert at uncovering secrets, rumors, and undercurrents. Even worse, he'd fallen on hard times and was desperate for easy cash. It was a decidedly dangerous combination. It was perhaps not the biggest surprise when Jonas was discovered dead one day. More shocking, at least to local librarian Ann Beckett, was the fact that her straight-arrow director Wilson was one of the suspects in Jonas's death. Will Ann be able to track down the killer and clear Wilson's name before he strikes again?

Unintended snooping can mean getting into someone's bad books. The Whitby Library has been a busy place lately, between book clubs, children's storytimes, and students working on research projects. Ann has been busy, too, which is why she's so glad to see some new volunteers to help the staff out. One of the volunteers is worried, though, and comes to Ann with a problem. She's seen something odd . . . maybe even suspicious. Ann tries advising her, but the volunteer still seems troubled. The next day, the woman meets her own suspicious end. Can Ann, with the help of her friends, help solve the mystery before someone else is permanently checked out?

A novel way to die. When Ann's boyfriend Grayson inherits a surprise legacy, the couple heads to historic Charleston for a much-needed vacation. Not only does Grayson adore the city, but Ann's college roommate, now a librarian, has extended an invitation for them to stay with her. As they explore the picturesque streets and soak in the rich culture, Ann and Grayson couldn't be happier. But their idyllic getaway takes a turn for the worse when her former roommate's brother is found dead in the library. Determined to uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice, Ann sets out to investigate. With Grayson's help, Ann unearths clues and unravels a web of deception. Will she be able to solve the mystery before someone else is booked for murder?

This is one doctor who's permanently booked up. Dr. Victor Wilson was one of the most popular physicians in the small town of Whitby, North Carolina. He wrote a prescription for trust with his attentive care and compassionate bedside manner. But when the doctor's own story takes a deadly twist, librarian Ann Beckett finds herself in the center of a medical mystery that's anything but routine. As Ann steps into the investigation, she uncovers hidden chapters in Dr. Wilson's life that cast a shadow of suspicion over those he once called friends. With each clue discovered, Ann becomes less startled by the doctor's untimely demise. Can Ann close the book on this mystery before someone else has a final chapter?

In the sun-kissed haven of Charleston, Ann and Grayson race to solve a deadly puzzle before more than just books are out of circulation. When Ann's former college roommate becomes engaged, it's back to Charleston for Ann and Grayson. Before leaving, however, Ann's boss tasks her with meeting with the SC state archaeologist to help him implement a historical preservation initiative he wants the library involved with. Charleston is another fun blur of restaurants, shopping, and beach trips. But when Ann takes a break from the fun for her meeting, she finds the state archeologist...dead. Things seem even worse when her friend's fiancé becomes a suspect in the mysterious death. Can Ann and Grayson track down the killer before someone else is out of circulation?

When the show must go on, someone's willing to kill for an encore. Whitby's Fourth of July celebration should be the perfect small-town spectacle-patriotic floats, community theater performances, and librarian Ann Beckett serving as Grand Marshal with the best seat in the house. But the holiday festivities take a deadly turn when the theater director is found murdered, and the show that was meant to bring the community together becomes the backdrop for secrets someone will kill to protect. As Ann and her fiancé, newspaper editor Grayson Phillips, dig into the victim's final days, they discover that Whitby's close-knit theater community harbors more drama offstage than on. With a cast full of suspects-from bitter ex-fiancées to resentful family members-Ann must navigate small-town loyalties and wounded egos to unmask a killer. But when a second victim falls, Ann realizes the murderer isn't finished with their deadly performance. With both deaths connected to the theater, someone in the tight-knit community is using their insider knowledge for murder. And they're not above making a librarian the final act. Can Ann solve the mystery before the curtain falls on another victim?