Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Review and Giveaway: On Borrowed Time

On Borrowed Time (Library Lover's Mystery - Book 5) by Jenn McKinlay

Publication Date: 11/04/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425260739
ISBN-13: 978-0425260739

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Jenn McKinlay on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series

Library Lover's Mysteries

1. Books Can Be Deceiving
2. Due or Die
3. Book, Line and Sinker
4. Read It and Weep
5. On Borrowed Time

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.




Excerpt from, On Borrowed Time, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling Library Lover's mysteries continue with a hot new case...

Loving a good cup of coffee runs in the family for Briar Creek library director Lindsey Norris. But when her brother, Jack, a consultant for a coffee company, goes missing, her favorite beverage becomes a key clue in a dangerous mystery.

Between preparing the library for the holidays and juggling the affections of ex-boyfriend, Captain Mike Sullivan, and her new crush, actor Robbie Vine, Lindsey has her hands full. But the mysterious disappearance of her world-traveling playboy brother takes precedence over all.

Afraid that involving the police could brew trouble for Jack, Lindsey takes matters into her own hands. But as her quest for her brother embroils her in a strange case involving South American business dealings and an enigmatic and exotic woman, it’ll take the help of both her library book club—the crafternooners—and her eager-to-please suitors to keep Jack from ending up in hot water…


Thoughts:

On Borrowed Time is the fifth book in the Library Lover's Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay. In this addition to the series, Lindsay's brother Jack comes for a very short visit and trouble follows in his wake. Readers who have followed the series from the beginning with enjoy watching a love triangle unfold, as well as, a murder and a kidnapping for good measure. Is coffee your go to drink? It might not be after reading this book. A good premise, a enchanting heroine and plenty of good clues, make for a great whodunit!

What I liked:

I'm a huge reader of course, or I wouldn't be a book reviewer, right? Right! I'm also an avid crafter. I love to make things almost as much as I like reading. So, the crafternooner group that McKinlay has developed in this series would be right up my alley. A way to mix reading and crafting together. And of course a little sleuthing on the side. Lindsey is a great heroine, and her supporting cast of crafters and readers is always a joy to read about.

I love that this series is set in and around the library. One of my favorite places on the planet. In this addition to the series, Lindsey is getting ready for the holidays and there are plenty of things going on at the Briar Creek Library. Though the whodunit is always the focus of each of the Library Lover's mysteries, the library and the crafternooners are always a part of the mayhem. McKinlay never loses focus of what readers enjoy about the setting of the book and the original theme.

Though Lindsey gets mixed up in her brother's affairs in South America in this one, and the high end coffee business is in the mainframe, readers still get a glimpse into Lindsey's everyday life, with her struggle to decide between her former lover, Sully and her latest fling with Robbie. It's a love triangle that doesn't turn out the way any reader would expect. I loved seeing the two men vying for Lindsey's attention and affection. The lengths they went to get her alone were not only romantic but hilarious. Sully's backstory was also a great bonus in this one, I had always wanted to know more about him.

The whodunit was well thought out and planned and introduced readers to Lindsey's brother Jack, an economist who had his hands in some pretty big business that gets him not only kidnapped but in some deep trouble. When Jack stops in for a quick visit and an unknown man ends up dead, it's up to Lindsey to not only prove his innocence but also find him when he is kidnapped by a South American coffee cartel that is out of blood. An interesting premise that kept me reading late into the night. McKinlay is great coming with new and exciting adventures for Lindsey to get caught up in, as well as the reader.

Bottom Line:

A good addition to the series. I hope to see Lindsey more romantically and physically settled in the next book, but this was a whirlwind of an adventure that had me teetering between cozy mystery and mainstream thriller. McKinlay has a knack for keeping her setting and theme in mind even when her heroine is a bit far afield. A good addition to the series.

On Borrowed Time is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!



About the Author:


The hardest decision New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay ever had to make was what to major in during college. Then she discovered the sanctuary of the library and library science—a major that allowed her to study all the subjects. She loves working as a librarian. After all, what other occupation allows you to research the ethnobotanical properties of agave, perform a puppet show for twenty wiggly toddlers, and try to answer why the rabbit’s foot is considered lucky, all in the same day? Jenn is the author of the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, including Sugar and IcedGoing, Going, Ganache, and Red Velvet Revenge, the Hat Shop Mysteries, including Death of a Mad Hatter and Cloche and Dagger, and the Library Lover's mysteries, including Read It and WeepBook, Line, and Sinker, and Due or Die. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a house that is overrun with books, pets, kids, and her husband’s guitars.


Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, November 25th.

1. Please leave a comment. Do you frequent your local library? What kinds of things do you check out?

2. Please fill out the FORM.

25 comments:

traveler said...

I am a frequent library patron and check out new releases and fiction. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Linda Kish said...

I go there to visit the library bookstore but not to check out books.

Angela - Bookaunt said...

I try to use the library when I can. I like to get all different genres.

Carol M said...

I go there to donate books for the book sale. Sometimes I buy some, too.

Unknown said...

I used to, but am too busy these days. So now I use their audiobook and e-book loan system on line.

Karen B said...

I used to use the library when I was growing up and when the boys were still at home. When they were small we'd take the neighborhood kids with us.

Sue Farrell said...

I practically grew up in a library and checked out all sorts of books and research materials when in school---but now I live in a very small town with a very small library so I buy a lot of books.

lag123 said...

I go to my library frequently.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Anonymous said...

Santa brought me a giant fairy tale book for Christmas when I was a child. Now I tend to read lots of cozy mysteries, fantasy, some biographies, cook books...and the only place to find all these books without going bankrupt, is the local library! I have also worked quite a few years as a library aide.

Alicia said...

I'm usually at my local library once a week. I love the cozy mysteries and inspirational fiction.

Rita Wray said...

I'm lucky my library is two blocks from my house so I visit quite often. I check out books I want to read but don't want to buy.

Carol N Wong said...

When I was growing up, I went to the library for all my books because we couldn't afford to buy any. One day, the librarian presented me with a book of poetry by Robert Lewis Stevenson that I still have today. I can guage what a town or city is like by their library. I don't go often now because I have a tendency to pick out too many books! I donate books and participate in library events. Often I go to the library first when I move to a new town!

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

holdenj said...

I stop by the library every week and generally get books. Every once in a while, I will find a DVD.

Dotty Kelley said...

I went to the library once a week when I was in grammar school but it's been years since.
dotkel50 at comcast dot net

Martha Lawson said...

I'm a branch librarian, so I'm at the library 5 days a week!! I also check out books that I want to read that are in hardcover. I have found lots of new authors in the library!!

Unknown said...

i go in spurt, just like renting videos. i have to have the time. when i do go, i usually am looking for a book in a series.

Michelle F. said...

I am at the library now and it's where I use the Internet because I don't own a computer. So I'm here three to five days a week. It's only a block and a half from my house. Unfortunately, the branch isn't open on Saturday due to budget cuts. When they restored some hours they just added them to the weekdays and didn't restore the Saturday opening. We were lucky to have Saturday hours for a short time.

I like to check out DVD's (you can get up to 10) of new movies and British mysteries. They have most DVD's that I'd want and I can get interlibrary loans, too. DVD's are my substitute for Netflix and it's free. I love to get new books, mostly cozy mysteries. Sometimes I'll check out audiobooks on CD or Playaway or music CD's. I love my library!

Unknown said...

I am always at our local library; I check out cozy mysteries :)

Jeanette Green said...

I love our library. I take the kids weekly.. Sometimes I will check out books for me too. Sometimes if I see mixed reviews for a book I really want to read, I will pick it up at the library instead of buying it. Then if I do like it I will buy it and the series for home. Some books take longer to get into and I hate having a deadline. Plus our library has the saddest cozy section. I can never find the books I want in it. Now our young adult section is awesome. :)

Elizabeth Schroedle said...

I love my library. I check out movies, audiobooks, Harlequin romance novels and mysteries.

Unknown said...

I love all libraries! I even used to help out at the law library where my mom worked and my job was working with library software so I could make any excuse to go to a library. Love, love, love them! My dream is to own one of my own some day. The ultimate special library.

Mary V said...

I love going to my local library. I'll check out new releases and DVDs. Also love their online site where I'll check out Kindle books and music downloads. Thanks for the giveaway!

bn100 said...

yes, books

Kimberly Wyatt said...

I don't go to the library much, just to donate books and movies usually but I may have to start because I'm running out of room in my house to keep books!

Meg C. said...

I end up at the library at least once a week, sometimes up to five times (if I'm already out and about those day). Most times I'm checking out cozy mysteries, historical romances, or DVDs.