cozylittlebrownhouse's review against another edition
2.0
I was attracted to this cozy series because of the library setting, but I found the story to just be "okay." Miss Zukas is a charming, "old-school" librarian and she was probably my favorite part of the book. I will try a couple more from the series to see if they pick up.
dybbuk's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
quietjenn's review against another edition
2.0
Librarian mystery, because why not? I appreciated some of the professional details, but would love it if the main character would take the stick out of her butt. Also, super convoluted mystery aspect is no great shakes.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. It's the first in the series and it's been a few years since I read it. Miss Zukas is a self-contained, efficient librarian who finds her routine is disturbed when a body is found in the library. Since she dislikes to leave things unresolved, she decides she must get to the bottom of it.
A fun, light book that's easy to read.
A fun, light book that's easy to read.
ennuihappyyet's review against another edition
2.0
What a tedious read. A mystery, but without real mystery. And a main character without real character. If only I had read this book without really reading it.
mystereity_reviews's review against another edition
3.0
I read this series a number of years ago and was just reminded of it. I really enjoyed the books, they're not overly complicated, and it has a bit of whimsy. Helma is a librarian who keeps stumbling into murders, uncovering the clues and solving the crime before her policeman beau can do it. Typical cozy fair, but enjoyable and somewhat generic.
dollycas's review against another edition
4.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Helma Zukas is a no nonsense woman, some would call her uptight, or obsessive compulsive, I call her entrenched in her ways. She does remind me of a few librarians back in the day. Hair in a bun, glasses set perfectly on her nose, clothes that cover and do not enhance her figure. She is only 36 but she is who she is and there is no changing her. She also has a keen attention to detail and that makes her a great amateur sleuth. Her best-friend, Ruth, is the total opposite of Helma in every way. She is the perfect Watson to Helma’s Sherlock.
I really enjoyed this mystery. A dead body in the library gives us a fantastic start. Helma is drawn to investigate because the murder has brought disorder to her very orderly life. The police don’t seem to have any suspects. When Helma finds a clue in the city directory she decides to figure things out for herself before sharing anything with the police. This probably wasn’t her brightest idea. There were several suspects and I missed some important clues because I put it together just before the killer was revealed.
Helma may not be the kind of main character we are used to reading about in cozy mysteries today. Maybe that is why I liked her, she is different. I even found her quite funny at times in a dry humorous kind of way.
This was a fast read, not overly complex, with interesting characters. The “Z” book for my challenge is complete. I plan to read the next one, Miss Zukas and the Island Murders, for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge next year.
Helma Zukas is a no nonsense woman, some would call her uptight, or obsessive compulsive, I call her entrenched in her ways. She does remind me of a few librarians back in the day. Hair in a bun, glasses set perfectly on her nose, clothes that cover and do not enhance her figure. She is only 36 but she is who she is and there is no changing her. She also has a keen attention to detail and that makes her a great amateur sleuth. Her best-friend, Ruth, is the total opposite of Helma in every way. She is the perfect Watson to Helma’s Sherlock.
I really enjoyed this mystery. A dead body in the library gives us a fantastic start. Helma is drawn to investigate because the murder has brought disorder to her very orderly life. The police don’t seem to have any suspects. When Helma finds a clue in the city directory she decides to figure things out for herself before sharing anything with the police. This probably wasn’t her brightest idea. There were several suspects and I missed some important clues because I put it together just before the killer was revealed.
Helma may not be the kind of main character we are used to reading about in cozy mysteries today. Maybe that is why I liked her, she is different. I even found her quite funny at times in a dry humorous kind of way.
This was a fast read, not overly complex, with interesting characters. The “Z” book for my challenge is complete. I plan to read the next one, Miss Zukas and the Island Murders, for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge next year.
icameheretoread's review against another edition
1.0
If Nancy Drew grew up to be an anal-retentive, socially awkward weirdo who also happened to be a librarian she may be Helma Zukas. Then again, as Zukas spends more of the story worrying about manners and cleanliness and less time actually caring about the murder I'm not sure it's fair to say she even has one detective bone in her body. At first, I hung in there just to read about Ruth. As Helma can't seem to stand her only friend, how can the reader come to care about her? It's also eye-roll inducing that Helma is so incredibly strange and spinstery and yet every single man (population 2) is enamored with her. Also, one more sailboat in the harbor description and I was going to throw it across the room...
I cannot believe this was written in 1994, or that Helma Zukas is supposed to be 30-something years old.
Please do not judge librarians by how they are depicted in this story.
Read for a book challenge (read a book in which the protagonist shares an occupation with you). Sadly, I had read every thing else that featured a librarian.
I cannot believe this was written in 1994, or that Helma Zukas is supposed to be 30-something years old.
Please do not judge librarians by how they are depicted in this story.
Read for a book challenge (read a book in which the protagonist shares an occupation with you). Sadly, I had read every thing else that featured a librarian.
craftyhilary's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad. I wasn't a huge fan of Miss Zukas, being a little too library-stereotypical (although not entirely), but the library stuff rang so true it's clear the author has, shall we say, intimate knowledge of the profession.
metta's review
3.0
I'd have liked this book more if Miss Zukas wasn't such a stick in the mud. It wouldn't surprise me if her friend Ruth was driven to drink because of Zukas' lack of good humor/lack of personality/overall attitude. (Aren't we readers supposed to like the main character?)