e-ALC, 13:45:26
Narrated by: Louisa Zhu
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: October 22-25, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this ALC free from the publisher and their app. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Murder, Gun Violence, Homophobia, Drug Use, Death, Hate Crime, Racism
For Readers Interested In: 2sLGBTQ+, Adult, Cozy, Sparkly Cover, Most Anticipated, Multiple POV, Mystery, Realistic FictionMurder disrupts the peaceful, predictable daily routine of life for four quirky librarians who must protect their life-altering secrets in the first contemporary mystery from USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas.
Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge….
In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don’t always realize that their librarians are human, too.
Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. And Sophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won’t be enough anymore.
When two patrons turn up dead after the library’s inaugural murder mystery–themed game night, the librarians’ quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library—and themselves—is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together….
All in a day’s work.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was definitely something that I was expecting to be like a more than 5 star read. And it was that, up until it was the end. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. For the most part, it was actually a really good time.
Ok so what I liked about this was the cozy mystery. It was really fun. I loved seeing the librarians finding different ways to make sure they can help figure out whodunit. And I also liked seeing the way Thomas incorporated the different tasks that librarians do and the things we get asked. Like the whole 50 Shades thing lol I know in the grand scheme of things it didn’t have anything to do with anything, but it was reflective of what we do and ways we can make people hear how they sound lol
The mystery itself was cozy. It went really well until it was like almost the end. And even then it didn’t get bad, it just got weird. Like there was nothing there that would have made me believe that these things would actually happen that way. And I had to relisten to some things because at some point there were more characters that came out of nowhere. And they were all added into the same mystery. It was madness.
Which leads me to what made me upset about this book. I was not a fan of the 3k characters that were in this book lol I know I’m dramatic, but it was still too much. I don’t usually don’t mind too many POVs, but this time they all felt and sounded the same. Everyone had family issues and everyone obviously had connections to the library. And also, it confused me trying to figure out who was who. Moreso than the actual mystery did. And like lastly, I’m not a huge fan of introducing characters just so the reader doesn’t guess them. And it really felt like this was part of what that was.
I wanted to love this so badly, but for the most part it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it was going in one way, but it went a completely different way. I hate when I build up something in my head and its just ok, but it doesn’t plan out the entire way I wanted it to. It was good, but I just wanted some things to be different.
Overall, I give this
