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 Iced, Going, 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 Weep, Book, 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.

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