The Plot and the Pendulum (A Library Lover's Mystery Book 13) - Kindle edition by McKinlay, Jenn. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Small towns make it hard to hide ones skeletons but leaving town makes it’s easy to forget. William Dorchester’s return to Briar Cliff dredges up old memories of the runaway bride and the suspicions cast on her husband, Tim. The animosity between William and Tim grows as the whispers do about Tim’s involvement in Ginny’s disappearance. There are some spooky unexplained events that make this a perfect Halloween read

While the cast of characters is familiar to those who have read previous books in the series, it is not necessary for your enjoyment to have previous knowledge from other books. The plot is well developed and the characters are believable. I found myself changing who I thought had committed the decades old murder a few times as the story unfolded. As always, there are also a few good laughs throughout the story.

Ms. Kinlay's series has its gripping moments, but overall the novels have maintained the cozy lightness. This wonderful book veers off into a dark cold case. Lindsey, the beloved heroine/librarian of the story, recently learned about an eerie cold case in Briar Creek. "The Runaway Bride." Grace Little disappeared after 6 weeks of marriage in 1989. No body was ever found. Lindsey has received a request from the mysterious William Dorchester to clean the books out of his mansion; he's putting his mother into an assisted living facility. He doesn't want money; he wants the books gone. Thousands of books, some quite valuable. Lindsey learns that William was Grace's suitor before she married Tim Little. Well, suffice to say, the remains of the poor bride are uncovered.The story is creepy. Halloween background. Some odious characters. And the feeling of doom encompasses all of Lindsey's friends, including her stalwart husband, Sully. Even the ending is a downer. But Ms. McKinlay writes a wonderful mystery, and it grabs the reader. Enjoyed it. Highly recommended!

It isn’t every day that a library gets a big book collection donation; even less often do they find a skeleton hidden in the benefactor’s home. The crafternoon crew has their work cut out for them when the skeleton turns out to be a run-a-way bride who didn’t run-a-way at all. Who would murder someone in such a cruel fashion and do they still live in Briar Creek?The Plot and the Pendulum is a thrilling ride of ups and downs, mystery and suspense, murder and mayhem. The crafternoon crew isn’t used to investigating a murder that no one knew happened, but finding a young woman’s skeleton in a hidden passageway in a mansion makes them rethink everything they thought they knew. Town gossip turns into motives, people who appear to be generous become suspects, and finding out the truth becomes a lesson in fear.Suspects are few; the skeleton’s husband at the time of her disappearance and a former lover, whose mother wouldn’t accept her, become the primary focus. But is there more to this murder than the crafternoon crew can find? It doesn’t take long for them to realize that the case is more complex than they thought, and when things turn sour, there is only one suspect who rises above the others. Evidence is hidden but glaring once readers get an idea of what really happened to the victim. The characters in this series are easy to like, and even though this can be a stand-alone book, it is best if readers start at the beginning for clarity.It isn’t difficult to find the killer; I knew quickly who it was, and even the motive was easy to understand. But there are enough twists to make readers think twice and turn every page until they come to the end. The crafternoon crew plays a good part in The Plot and the Pendulum. The skeleton is the main character; you get a genuine sense of who she was even though she never speaks. This series has a long history, but it is still one of the best ones around if readers want a pure cozy with noble characters and delightful murders. I can’t wait to read the next one!

This was a fantastic book. I have always been fascinated about libraries and especially librarians, because most of them are natural detectives who are mostly overlooked and underestimated. I am both a reader and collector of books, but will never have the encyclopedic memory of most of the good librarians. This book is 13th in a series that has been a delight to read, and this book was by no means an exception. The plot is easily followed, the characters are delightful to learn about, and the feel of the book is wonderful. I can always tell when an author puts a bit of themselves in each story and that just makes the story so much better. I definitely, without a doubt, recommend this book.