I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. Despite reading, reviewing and liking the first book in the series, I found this one to be too slow, too wordy and awkward. Thank you for the opportunity.

A librarian solving mysteries? Count me in!

Mayhem in Circulation is the second book in the Larkspur Library Mysteries, a series that follows the main character Greta Plank, a librarian in a small Wisconsin town. When there is vandalism and a murder leading up to the town’s highly anticipated tourism showcase, she can’t help but become involved. Alongside her best friends, the charming Detective McHenry, and a cast of other charismatic characters, Greta sets out to uncover the truth behind the events that have unfolded in her normally peaceful town.

While I’m not a huge reader of mysteries, I was drawn to this one with the premise of a librarian MC solving the mysteries. Greta Plank knows how to do her research, and while at times she is idealistic, she is most importantly curious and driven. Her curiosity especially moves the plot forward, gliding the book smoothly between lulls and points of tension. However, if I had one word to describe the book, it would be cozy. Despite the premise around solving a murder-mystery, there are not many points in which there are high stakes, and it is easy to get sucked into the relationships of the townsfolk and the descriptions of the picturesque setting. Further, the romantic relationship developed between Greta and Detective McHenry felt authentic and soft. It had a slow build-up and instead of upstanding the mystery plot, it seemed like a reasonable development alongside it.

Overall, this was a pleasant read. It lacked a bit in character development – for both Greta and other characters – as well as “told” rather than “showed” some of the pieces coming together at the end of the novel, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. The book took me out of my head and had me relaxing into the world of Larkspur.

This book is the second of the Larkspur Library Mysteries, but I found that it can certainly be read as a standalone. I had not previously read Death Checked Out, the first in the series, and I did not think that it had an impact on my comprehension or enjoyment of Mayhem in Circulation. Now that I’ve read one book in the series, I would like to read the first or even a following novel to really see how certain relationships either came together or pan out in the future.

Thank you to Level Best Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

Fall festival feels in a small town, makes for one cozy setting. Add in a splash of murder and you have created some mayhem. Book two in the series takes us back to Larkspur, where we get a peek more into the lives of the librarians we have come to love. Greta and her gang try to solve the latest string of vandalism and a dead body before the sabotage takes over the town and leaves some of the local businesses questioning if they can continue.

I enjoy this book, not as much as the first one but I would 100% pick up the next book in the series to see what adventures await the librarians.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. This book hits the shelves December 5, 2023.

A fun new series of cosy mysteries set in a small town with a librarian heroine. The town is nicely portrayed and I think this series will run and run.

I really enjoyed this book! since I work at a library in circulation, it was a must read. I loved the characters and the cozy mystery in Larkspur. This was my first Leah Dobrinska book and will not be my last. I hope she continues the Larkspur mystery series.

MAYHEM IN CIRCULATION is the second book in the Larkspur Library Mysteries by Leah Dobrinska. The eye-catching cover invites the reader to enter and the heartwarming cozy mystery with a hint of sweet romance keeps them turning pages. The author has created core characters that readers will love—they are truly nice people, that care about each other, their customers, and their community. Protagonist Greta Plank is the town’s librarian and is lucky enough to have two best friends, Josie and Iris. Together they make a formidable trio, solving the murder of the mayor right before the start of Larkspur’s Fall Festival. The author’s strong descriptive voice brings the town and the festivities to life and I like how she weaves in the age-old debate of pro tourism vs. remaining the same quaint, quiet town.

The mystery is well-plotted and moved at a fast enough pace. I was more invested in getting to know the charming characters (and following the sweet interaction between Greta and McHenry) than I was finding out whodunit. Yet Ms. Dobrinska had the clues in place and enough suspects to keep the armchair detective guessing. I highly recommend this cozy fall-themed mystery while snuggled up in an armchair with a plushy blanket and a mug of hot cocoa!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own

"She didn't believe in coincidences any more than she believed people who said audiobooks aren't real books."

Yes! Bravo Greta! Well said. In Mayhem in Circulation we return to the close-knit town of Larkspur and the trio of librarians Greta, Josie and Iris. This time they are dealing with vandalism and murder just as a reporter arrives to do a special tourism feature on the town. Not the best advertisement. Detective McHenry is on the case again, but there's no reason why Greta and her friends shouldn't help out a bit.

This is book 2 in a series and I enjoyed it every bit as much as book 1. It was a bit slower paced and less bookish, with quite a bit of page time given to the romantic lives of Greta and Josie, but I was still glued to it and read it in one sitting. I love the community of Larkspur and Greta's friendship group is great to read about. All of the characters are distinct without being stereotypes or caricatures. I did guess the murderer but I don't think it was too obvious, more that the author gave you all the information you needed, which I like.

A minor point that I want to flag up is the need for a good proof read. Several times the wrong words were used: wail for whale, gate for gait, and twice aviary instead of avian. I'm sure these will all be fixed by release date but I wanted to mention them in case they've been missed.

This is a great cosy mystery series and I am here for as many installments as the author cares to write. I definitely recommend it.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this book! A cosy small town murder mystery with a librarian sleuth, this sounded perfect. I read the first book in this series, didn’t love it…didn’t like it but I didn’t hate it. So I thought that maybe book 2 would be worth a shot but the things I disliked about the first book were the things I disliked about this one. The characters just don’t do it for me. The main character Greta is really annoying and I don’t understand why she hasn’t been arrested for obstructing an active investigation. Mark McHunkypants is a very boring love interest, he’s dreamy but not much else. And everyone else is kind of one dimensional but there were a few extra nuggets here and there so maybe the development is coming.
This isn’t for me but I’m glad I gave the author another try
I received this book via Netgalley and my ramblings are all my own opinions. Don’t listen to me, read what your heart wants

Greta is the librarian in Larkspur, and she’s busy helping plan the upcoming Falls Festival. When tragedy strikes the town, Greta befriends the local detective. She starts to form her own conclusions about the events and doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust.

I needed a refresh, a break from my usual reading so decided to try out this mystery book from an author I was familiar with. It has small town, Nancy Drew mystery vibes. It has suspense and lots of twists and turns before the culprit is revealed.

It was a pleasant and enjoyable read.

After listening to the audiobook version of the first book, I was really hoping to enjoy this series more in the written format. I definitely did enjoy my reading experience of this one more, but I do think the story of the first book was stronger.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate this, but I definitely didn’t love it. The mystery element never feels very urgent. There was a literal murderer walking around and at no point did the book feel tense nor did the suspense grow. It does live up to the cosy small-town murder mystery vibes it promised, but I think I’m a bigger fan of grisly mysteries.

My favourite parts of this book were watching Greta and McHenry grow closer. I personally think the author excels more at writing romance than a mystery. However, I don’t have a lot of experience with cosy mysteries so my opinion could be wrong.

I’m not going to give the mystery away, but I do think the resolution was a bit of a cop-out. I don’t feel like it was developed enough to have an impact. It was a good storyline but I feel like it needed just a little more time to really add shock value.

It sounds like I hated every moment of this but I really didn’t. The characters are fun and I love small-town books. I’m not sure if I would consider continuing this series, maybe if there’s a promise of Greta and McHenry’s relationship progressing.

Mayhem in Circulation is a sequel that follows the female protagonist Greta Plank, a local librarian, during Larksupur’s Fall Festival and regional tourism showcase. The reputation and economy of the town depends on how well the line-up of festivities and events go, as it is under scrutiny by a media presence. Greta and the beloved town of Larkspur are thrown then when the mayor turns up dead just before festivities kick off. Greta teams up with Detective McHenry to figure out who could have committed such a crime in their small, tight-knit town. But will they find the culprit before it's too late, with the fate of the town hanging in the balance?

This was a sweet and simple small-town cozy murder mystery with autumnal vibes. Considering I haven’t read the first book in this series, I found the characters and plot very easy to follow, as Dobrinska does enough at the beginning to make sure you are well acquainted with everything before we jump into the plot. I can imagine that if you had read the first book, the first 15% of it would’ve been quite tedious though due to all the recapping. The simple and straight-forward writing style coupled with the short chapters meant that this book flew by very quickly. Even though the first 15-20% of the book drags, the pace definitely picks up by the middle, and Dobrinska doesn’t string out the end either, as is usually particular with books like these. One thing I will say about the writing style is that I don’t think it fits with the marketing of the book; based off the age of the characters and the cover design, I assumed this book was targeted for women in their late 20s to early 30s. Yet, to me, the writing style was reminiscent of what you’d find in a book targeted for older women.

The plot was a bit silly and the characters’ dialogue was a bit clunky at points, but I don’t think that really inhibits the book, as it’s meant to be a fun, light read. At points, the small-town setting felt a bit mundane and this might have been because of the weak characterisation, but again, I don’t think this was meant to be a read you take too seriously.

Overall, despite some weaknesses, this was an enjoyable read that surprised me when I saw how quickly I flew through it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book - so cute - and then invested after reading the blurb.
The second book in the Larkspur Library Mysteries with the FMC Greta on the case to solve another murder in the small town in Wisconsin. I thought this was the perfect murder mystery and the perfect time to read it with Autumn in full swing. I was pleased that I was not able to predict the ending and still felt drawn to the characters.
I look forward to the next book in the series!

So while I never read a cozy mystery until the first one in this series, I had to of course follow it up to find out if Greta will ever go on a proper date with the handsome new detective. But alas the three librarians get wrapped up into another murder and mystery surrounding the town! The situations these three librarians put themselves in are relatable to anyone who reads mystery novels and thinks…. Yep that’s why I would do. So now I question if I myself should be a librarian!

Mayhem in Circulation is a precious fall mystery! This is the second book in the Larkspur Library Mystery series, I have not read the first one, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and know you will to! When the mayor is murdered in a small town right as a reporter arrives to do a town feature what’s a librarian to do, but solve the case? I loved tagging along on this one and taking in the small town coziness.

Very cute for the true crime love her but once it a little bit more dramedy style.

I was able to read this quickly. It was enjoyable, great plot points throughout very easy to follow but intriguing. I had a few moments of laughter or shaking my head, and smiling a little giggles. I feel like it’s a perfect read for a little downtime.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely written cozy mystery with a nice sprinkle of romance added in. Everything just blends and works together to make this a great story, I’ll admit I didn’t realise it was the second in a series but felt like I could easily follow along and will most likely go back and read the first one now.

Highly recommend this book.

This cozy mystery will captivate readers with its relaxing atmosphere that lingers from the very beginning till the end. While some may find the pacing a bit slow and subdued, it was a good read.

One of the highlights of this book is the charming setting of Northern Wisconsin during the vibrant autumn season, which adds an extra layer of warmth and coziness to the overall reading experience. Additionally, the choice of a librarian as the main character adds a unique and intriguing element to the story.

Overall, despite the slower pace, I enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend it to fellow book lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Cute cozy mystery the second in the Larkspur Library series. I enjoyed this one it was an easy read and if you are into cozy mysteries this is a series for you. I want to thank NetGalley and Level Best Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely continue to read this series as it comes out.

This book is like a cup of hot chocolate meets Gilmore Girls. It’s perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted a solve a mystery with their best friends. This is my new definition of a cozy mystery and I loved every second of reading it!

From the sassy librarians to the quaint small town to a swoon worthy romance, this is the perfect book to read while curled up on an autumn day.

I definitely need to check out the other books in this series!

I always enjoy a cozy with a librarian sleuth. This is the first book I've read in this series, and I think it works well as a standalone. This mystery set in a tourist town (do they always have to be charming tourist villages?) is perfectly fine. I like Greta, and the cast of characters is...gosh, I don't know how to say this. This is an easy breezy read, and it's a nice escapist way to spend a couple of hours. There's not anything particularly memorable about it for me, though. The identity of the killer is rather easy to predict, too. But for a lighthearted afternoon, this book works.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.