Lighthouse Library Mystery Books in Order
Part ofEva Gates Books in OrderSee all the Lighthouse Library Mystery books by Eva Gates in order, with summaries, background on Lucy Richardson's lighthouse library, and tips on where to start.
Last updated: January 16, 2026
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Publication Order
13 books
Whose Body in the Library
by Eva Gates
2026
New librarian Nichelle Gilchrest arrives at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library eager for her first day, but instead finds a dead body on the front steps that looks like the father who vanished from her life decades ago. As the truth about his secret new identity and a trail of wronged women emerges, Nichelle, with quiet backup from Lucy, must help unmask a killer before her own family is pulled under.
Shot Through the Book
by Eva Gates
2025
The Lighthouse Library is hosting a young adult book festival when star author Todd Harrison asks to meet Lucy at her beach house. Minutes after she leaves him alone on the deck he is murdered, and his politically ambitious widow quickly points blame at Lucy, forcing her to investigate to clear her own name.
The Stranger in the Library
by Eva Gates
2024
A traveling impressionist art exhibit inspires Lucy and the Lighthouse Library team to mount their own display, only to have a reproduction painting go missing overnight. When a man connected to the show turns up dead and a charismatic art dealer vanishes, Lucy must read the motives behind the art world glamour.
Death Knells and Wedding Bells
by Eva Gates
2023
Lucy's Outer Banks wedding to Connor is almost storybook perfect until one guest vanishes and another is found strangled in a locked closet. With suspicion falling on a friend of her boss, Lucy must investigate before her honeymoon spirit is ruined for good.
Death By Beach Read
by Eva Gates
2022
Newly engaged and finally moved into their historic beach cottage, Lucy and Connor hope for quiet nights by the sea. Instead, strange noises, a rumored haunting, and the discovery of a dead man with ties to the house force Lucy to uncover long guarded family secrets.
Deadly Ever After
by Eva Gates
2021
Lucy and Connor's beachside engagement party is crashed by her ex boyfriend and his formidable mother, who are determined to rekindle the match. When a dinner they host ends with a body outside the restaurant, Lucy has to protect her family, her future marriage, and her beloved lighthouse job.
A Death Long Overdue
by Eva Gates
2020
The Lighthouse Library hosts a reunion for director Bertie James's college classmates, complete with an exhibit of vintage library artifacts. When the former director is found floating dead near the pier, Lucy digs into old grudges and long buried scandals to catch a killer.
Something Read, Something Dead
by Eva Gates
2019
Lucy is helping her cousin Josie plan a simple winter wedding when pushy relatives sweep into town with bigger, splashier ideas. After ambitious cousin Mirabelle dies at a bridal shower held in the lighthouse library, suspicion lands on Josie and Lucy must expose a killer hiding among the wedding guests.
Read and Buried
by Eva Gates
2019
Repairs to the lighthouse's foundations uncover a Civil War diary, a coded map of the Outer Banks, and a rush of treasure hunters eager to claim it. When a local historian is murdered and the map disappears, Lucy races to crack the code before greed sparks more violence.
The Spook in the Stacks
by Eva Gates
2018
Halloween brings more than ghost stories to the Lighthouse Library when a wealthy donor is found dead among the rare books he meant to give the town. As strange lights, phantom horses, and moving objects unsettle the staff, Lucy must learn what is haunting the building and who wanted the victim gone.
Reading Up a Storm
by Eva Gates
2016
After a lively party at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, Lucy and library cat Charles see eerie lights luring a small boat onto the rocks. When one of the rescued sailors later turns up dead, Lucy has to untangle stormy secrets and motives along the Outer Banks shore.
By Book or By Crook
by Eva Gates
2015
When her Boston life collapses, rare books librarian Lucy Richardson flees to her aunt's home on North Carolina's Outer Banks and a new job at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. A stolen Jane Austen first edition and a murdered board chair soon make her the library's newest sleuth.
Booked for Trouble
by Eva Gates
2015
Lucy is finally at home in her lighthouse library job when her disapproving Boston socialite mother arrives determined to drag her back. After she publicly quarrels with an old rival who is found dead outside the library, Lucy must solve the case before her mother takes the blame.
Series background & context
The Lighthouse Library Mystery series drops readers into a dream setting for book lovers. On Bodie Island in North Carolina's Outer Banks, the public library occupies a historic lighthouse with spiral stairs and wide sea views. At the center is Lucy Richardson, a rare books librarian from Boston who has moved south for a fresh start and found an unexpected home among the dunes.
The first book, By Book or By Crook, sets the pattern. A high profile exhibit of Jane Austen first editions draws visitors, tempers, and finally murder to the lighthouse, forcing Lucy to match the detectives she has only met on the page. Later volumes echo this mix of literary in jokes and investigation, tying current cases to whatever classic the library's reading club has on its list.
The tone stays firmly in cozy territory, with a light touch, quick pacing, and comfort in the company of recurring characters even when the stakes turn deadly.
Lucy spends her days with her boss Bertie, her practical Aunt Ellen, baker cousin Josie, loyal friends and coworkers, and her sometime rival, the dramatic Louise Jane. Over the series she builds a life with local mayor Connor McNeil and becomes more rooted in the town even as storms, scandals, and visiting strangers keep arriving at the library door. Watching those relationships change gives returning readers the pleasure of following a long running ensemble story, while each book still stands alone with its own mystery.
The crimes themselves range widely. Some spring from library events that go wrong, such as author visits, art shows, and reunions that turn tragic. Others reach back into buried history, from Civil War maps found under the building to decades old disappearances and family feuds tied to Lucy and Connor's beach cottage. Holidays and local celebrations often frame the action, lending color while the investigation unfolds in reading nooks and along windswept boardwalks.
Through it all, cats and books are constants. Charles, the resident library cat, prowls the stacks and often provides the final nudge that points Lucy in the right direction. Readers who enjoy gentle humor, seaside atmosphere, and puzzles grounded in character rather than graphic violence will find these firmly in the classic cozy tradition. You can read the series in order to follow Lucy's evolving life, or dip in wherever a particular theme, such as Halloween, a wedding, or a haunted house, catches your eye.
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