🫶🏽What I enjoyed
Greta’s love for her small town reminded me of Leslie Knope and her love for Pawnee—a little over the top, but endearing. I loved Greta’s group of girlfriends and the tension building between Greta and the detective, though it is most definitely a SLOOOOOW burn.
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🤷🏻‍♀️What I didn’t love
Though this is a short book, the slow pacing made it feel longer. I thought some parts went into an unnecessary amount of detail, like knowing exactly what they had for breakfast on more than one day. I would have loved to have seen just a little more action throughout the book. It certainly reads as a cozy though, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this is a great series for you!
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If this series continues, I will definitely read the next one! I’m invested in Larkspur!

I just read Mayhem in Circulation which took place near where my kids go to sleepaway camp in Wisconsin so that was fun. It was the cute cozy mystery about a murder in a small town and the folks trying to solve it and save their annual fall festival. The town had a Stars Hollow feel to it, with quirky characters and fun local traditions. This is the second in the series and now I want to go back and read the first one.

If you want to interrupt your Christmas reads for a cozy mystery this is such a cute series! Set in a small town in Wisconsin it has the coziest vibes- in spite of the murder!
I love the way @whatleahwrote writes characters and places. Her descriptions are all encompassing and make me feel like l'm a part of the story! This is book 2 in the series and it gives me Ellery Adams The Secret, Book, and Scone Society vibes!

All I have to say is oh my stars was that book good!!

The story gripped me and pulled me in from the first chapter. Each chapter had new twists and turns I wasn’t expecting I could hardly put it down.

Greta (our heroine & Larkspur’s head librarian) is just so loveable and relatable. She brings an undeniable energy to the story, keeping everyone around her on their toes, especially Detective McHenry.

Detective McHenry is so deliciously broody I can hardly stand it. And when he finally delivers those flirtatious one liners to Greta?? Oh he still my heart! It left me squealing and kicking my feet every dang time!

Writing reviews for mysteries is so hard because I don’t want to give anything anyway, so I’ll just say this: the story is fantastic and you’ll have just as much fun piecing together the clues as Greta does. It will make you feel like Nancy Drew!

Leah Dobrinska has become one of my favorite authors. Everything she writes is full of life and tells an unputdownable story.

Mayhem in Circulation is a must read for any cozy mystery lover.


📖 Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

A lovely light mystery!

Larkspur is hosting the Annual Fall Festival and using it to promote the area as a destination, benefitting all local businesses. As usual, librarian Greta Plank is fully involved. Just as the reporter is due to arrive who, it is hoped will give the area a glowing write-up. vandalism strikes and worse a body is found - that of the lady mayor, no less. Greta is warned by the new police officer not to get involved - but she just can't help herself . . .

A lovely cosy mystery from start to finish! Packed with characters, both likeable and not, some red herrings and a few minor puzzles along the way, this is a very enjoyable read and a series I would like to follow. I didn't work out 'whodunnit' before it was revealed on the page, but it was a fun journey to get there. If, like me, you are a cosy mystery fan, then this is one worth giving a whirl. 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Cozy murder mystery set in a small town of Larkspur. This is the second in the series featuring Greta who is the town librarian. If you like your cozy murder mysteries, then this is a fun read.

I enjoyed the first book, so I was excited to see that there was another one out. I would suggest you read the first one before this- there are overarching tidbits. Storyline was good, I couldn't figure out who the murderer was. And I'm liking how the "friendship" between Greta and McHenry is developing. Looking forward to the next book.

This was such a fun read. Intrigue. Friends. Fun. A perfect cozy read. I’m convinced this author can do no wrong!

The first book in this cozy mystery series was so adorable that I couldn't wait to read this second one.

Right before the Fall Festival to show off Larkspur's attraction to tourists, the mayor of the small town is found dead. With a dead mayor, a rash of acts of vandalism, and an standoffish reporter ready to write about all of Larkspur's faults, Greta has to work hard to solve the crime before things escalate.

The one thing I wanted in this book was more development between Greta and the people in Larkspur. She has two good friends, a romantic interest, and so many other people in this small town and I wanted more time spent with getting to know them. But the story spent so much time on Greta talking about how she wasn't going to meddle this time and then meddle, Greta talk about how cautious she is before recklessly leaving a car in the middle of a stakeout or investigating lost power at a city event.

And I was most disappointed with the mystery, The murder was interesting, there were plenty of red herrings and possible suspects, but when we finally got to the climax, Greta has done a lot of research on Facebook and a lot of theorizing, and I didn't feel like I was solving the mystery along with Greta. There were very few hints to the motives and suspect until it was literally spelled out for us.

Dobrinska is still extremely skilled at setting the scene and painting a picture of a small town and all its problems and charms, but I don't think I'm going to seek out the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books for this arc.

Mayhem in Circulation by Leah Dobrinska is the second in the Larkspur Library cozy mystery series, which follows librarian Greta Plank and friends in their small town of Larkspur. This book centers around the murder of the mayor before an important town festival. Greta is compelled to get involved, even as the desirable but taciturn local Detective McHenry warns her away. The mystery unravels with multiple potential suspects and Greta once again finds herself in too deep.

I was excited to read this second installment after having enjoyed the first in the series. As a future librarian, I really like getting littles peaks inside the library world, and I liked the main character and Dobrinska's writing style. This second book, unfortunately, fell flat for me. Too many townsfolk and other side characters were introduced or mentioned too quickly, and I keep getting them confused or would just plain forget who there were. The plot felt too slow and unfocused. The multitude of characters left me grasping unsatisfactorily for connection. I did enjoy the ending, which wrapped up nicely, but I probably would not have finished if I didn't have a review copy. This one wasn't bad, just very average. I do not think I will be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. Mayhem in Circulation releases 12/5/23.

I was so excited to return to Larkspur and its fabulous people. Everything is just what a small town should be, including an excellent library, but with a cozy murder mystery to shake things up. Once again, Leah proves that cozy mystery doesn’t mean easily solved and she kept me guessing almost to the very end. I loved how things played out and how exciting the story was. Greta and McHenry have reached a semi-truce and he’s letting her be involved in the case - though from a (mostly) safe distance. I loved watching them continue their dance around their attraction to each other and them learning to listen to the other. I cannot wait to see where Leah will take them next but I am definitely here for it. Get this fantastic story on your TBR friends, it should not be missed if you’re a cozy mystery lover.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the author via NetGalley. I am not required by anyone to write a positive review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Librarian, Greta, and her work friends are concerned about the vandalism right before the Fall Festival and the arrival of the reporter for the Tourism Showcase. Then the mayor is found dead in front of the library. The police detective lets Greta help him with background research and a stakeout. The characters, setting, and plot are all enjoyable. One nit-picky detail - Greta uses the library patron database to look up patron contact information that she then uses for non-library reasons - pretty much a non-no. Otherwise, all the library details were good.

I enjoyed this book! I don’t read many cozy mysteries but I found both Death Checked Out & this one to be enjoyable. I loved the authors descriptive writing & the brewing romances! I would certainly consider reading more books in this series as they get written.

It hasn’t been long since the small town of Larkspur was thrown into chaos, after a shocking murder. Unfortunately, it’s happened again, and this time just before their beloved Fall Festival. Other strange occurrences have everyone on edge, including our favorite librarian sleuth, Greta, and her besties. Although she promises to not get involved in the murder investigation, she can’t help but try to solve all the other weird things happening around town. But she just may find herself once again in the middle of a murder mystery.

This series has so far been really cute and cozy. I enjoy it being low-stakes, without being overly easy to solve or cliche. It certainly feels like a contemporary Nancy Drew. I also am excited to see where the flirtation between Greta and the sheriff will go.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher, for this advanced copy, in exchange for my unbiased review!

DNF review - I love a small town murder mystery and this was off to a great start but I got too busy and did not have time to finish reading it before the download ran out. I will be looking for this book to read it at a later date via the library because like I said it was off to a great start.

NOTE the rating does not reflect the feelings I have for this book, I need to include a rating to be able to send in this review.

The second installment of the Larkspur Library series. As the Fall Fest approaches, the mayor is found murdered. Greta and her fellow librarians can't help but get involved with the investigation.

I love a good small town cozy mystery - even better when it features a local public Librarian. This was a fun, feel-good read full of fall vibes and a perfect book to cozy up with on a chilly afternoon. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I'm excited for more in this series !

Mayhem in Circulation probably comes in at 3.5 stars, but I rounded down because something about the vibe/energy of this book had me feeling anxious while reading.
The characters are interesting and any time the setting includes a library I’ll give a series a shot. Larkspur sounds like a town it would be fun to visit if all the mayhem from the book wasn’t happening.
It was interesting how the murder played out. There were several suspicious characters and they were all up to something but not necessarily involved in the murder.
I like Mayhem in Circulation enough that I would check out the next book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Level Best Books for the chance to check out Larkspur Library book 2.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was the perfect book to read transitioning over into the fall season. it was such a sweet and wholesome story and I found it to be such a nice and cozy read.

The second Larkspur library mystery finds librarian Greta investigating when someone dies at the fall festival.

I'd recommend reading the first one in this series before this one! The characters don't get a ton of introduction here, so that would help readers here. They both have very similar vibes though, so if you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this one!