{"id":29576,"date":"2022-10-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=29576"},"modified":"2022-10-17T16:23:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T20:23:56","slug":"review-the-plot-and-the-pendulum-by-jenn-mckinlay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/18\/review-the-plot-and-the-pendulum-by-jenn-mckinlay\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-29576\" data-postid=\"29576\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-29576 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bbbcac8 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_49667e8 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7036296 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"318\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay.jpg?resize=318%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-29578\" title=\"the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay\" alt=\"the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay.jpg?w=318&amp;ssl=1 318w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay.jpg?resize=191%2C300&amp;ssl=1 191w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay.jpg?resize=400%2C628&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 318px) 100vw, 318px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_a1982ef customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Library director Lindsey Norris is happy to learn the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family\u2019s vast book collection. However, when Lindsey and the library staff arrive at the old Victorian estate to gather the books, things take a sinister turn. One of the bookcases reveals a secret passage, leading to a room where a skeleton is found, clutching an old copy of\u00a0<span class=\"a-text-italic\">The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe<\/span>.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Lindsey does a quick check of missing persons, using the distinctive 80s era clothing worn by the deceased to determine a time frame, and discovers that Briar Creek has an unsolved missing person\u2019s case from 1989. A runaway bride went missing just weeks after her wedding. No suspects were ever arrested and the cold case remains unsolved. Lindsey and the crafternoon crew decide that justice is overdue and set about solving the old murder mystery, using some novel ideas to crack the case.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_23787e9 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2d1ea91  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25879 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1-2.png?resize=296%2C72&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Oct 18, 2022<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Library&#8217;s Lovers Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>13<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $14.99<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Lindsey Norris<\/strong> enjoys her job as the director of the Briar Creek Library. She is surprised one afternoon by an unexpected guest &#8211; William Dorchester who is back in town for the first time in over thirty years. At that time, his mother wouldn\u2019t allow him to marry Grace, the woman he loved, and mother and son have been estranged ever since. Grace married someone else, but then disappeared six weeks later and was never heard from again. William\u2019s mother\u2019s health is declining, so he has come to town to get her settled into an assisted living home. He is donating Marion\u2019s 12,000 plus books, many of which are first editions in mint condition, to the library and needs Lindsey to handle it. Lindsey is surprised and thrilled with the donation, but then she discovers a secret room behind Marion\u2019s bookcases that has been hiding a human skeleton. Despite her horror at the situation, Lindsey can\u2019t help but get involved in the investigation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lindsey is able to balance her work at the library, her home life with her husband, Sully, sorting the huge donation from the Dorchesters, and investigating Grace\u2019s disappearance. I really like the fact that Lindsey listens to warnings to be careful while sleuthing and keeps her husband and law enforcement informed about what she learns as well as what her next steps will be throughout the investigation. In spite of her caution, a dramatic and scary event still occurs before everything is resolved, but at least it\u2019s not due to poor decisions made by Lindsey. Since the author provides several clues, I was able to figure out part of the solution to the mystery surrounding the skeleton, but there are still some surprises to the story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lindsey\u2019s friends and co-workers are an important part of her life and they participate in \u201ccrafternoons\u201d featuring a book discussion, snacks, and some kind of crafting activity. The author gives you everything you need to have your own book club\/crafting get-together with discussion questions for the book Lindsey\u2019s group read (P.G. Wodehouse\u2019s The Code of the Woosters), instructions for an autumn craft, and recipes for vegetarian snacks. If you belong to an in-person book club, this would be really fun.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though this book is the 15th in the Library Lover\u2019s series, it works very well as a standalone. I\u2019ve not read all of the prior books and had no problems connecting with the characters. This book is perfect for cozy mystery readers, especially if you\u2019re looking for a well-written October read. Mysterious things going on in the Dorchester mansion lead Lindsey and those helping her pack up the huge book collection that the house might be haunted. There are also references to Edgar Allen Poe in this intriguing, sometimes, creepy mystery. This book is the favorite I\u2019ve read in this series so far, and I highly recommend it to those who follow this series and to all other cozy mystery fans.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_eb0616c customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3yP2qJb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3eH6KmY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay\/1140838915?ean=9780593101827\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Jenn_McKinlay_The_Plot_and_the_Pendulum?id=r7FYEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Library director Lindsey Norris is happy to learn the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family\u2019s vast book collection. However, when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,89,128,48],"tags":[153,223,367,404,405,485],"class_list":["post-29576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-christine","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-4-5-stars","tag-cozy-mystery","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-top-picks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \ud83d\udd0d The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/18\/review-the-plot-and-the-pendulum-by-jenn-mckinlay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \ud83d\udd0d The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Library director Lindsey Norris is happy to learn the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family\u2019s vast book collection. 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However, when Lindsey and the library staff arrive at the old Victorian estate to gather the books, things take a sinister turn. One of the bookcases reveals a secret passage, leading to a room where a skeleton is found, clutching an old copy of\u00a0The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Lindsey does a quick check of missing persons, using the distinctive 80s era clothing worn by the deceased to determine a time frame, and discovers that Briar Creek has an unsolved missing person\u2019s case from 1989. A runaway bride went missing just weeks after her wedding. No suspects were ever arrested and the cold case remains unsolved. Lindsey and the crafternoon crew decide that justice is overdue and set about solving the old murder mystery, using some novel ideas to crack the case.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p> <hr \/> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Oct 18, 2022<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Library's Lovers Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>13<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $14.99<\/p> <hr \/> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Lindsey Norris<\/strong> enjoys her job as the director of the Briar Creek Library. She is surprised one afternoon by an unexpected guest - William Dorchester who is back in town for the first time in over thirty years. At that time, his mother wouldn\u2019t allow him to marry Grace, the woman he loved, and mother and son have been estranged ever since. Grace married someone else, but then disappeared six weeks later and was never heard from again. William\u2019s mother\u2019s health is declining, so he has come to town to get her settled into an assisted living home. He is donating Marion\u2019s 12,000 plus books, many of which are first editions in mint condition, to the library and needs Lindsey to handle it. Lindsey is surprised and thrilled with the donation, but then she discovers a secret room behind Marion\u2019s bookcases that has been hiding a human skeleton. Despite her horror at the situation, Lindsey can\u2019t help but get involved in the investigation.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lindsey is able to balance her work at the library, her home life with her husband, Sully, sorting the huge donation from the Dorchesters, and investigating Grace\u2019s disappearance. I really like the fact that Lindsey listens to warnings to be careful while sleuthing and keeps her husband and law enforcement informed about what she learns as well as what her next steps will be throughout the investigation. In spite of her caution, a dramatic and scary event still occurs before everything is resolved, but at least it\u2019s not due to poor decisions made by Lindsey. Since the author provides several clues, I was able to figure out part of the solution to the mystery surrounding the skeleton, but there are still some surprises to the story.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lindsey\u2019s friends and co-workers are an important part of her life and they participate in \u201ccrafternoons\u201d featuring a book discussion, snacks, and some kind of crafting activity. The author gives you everything you need to have your own book club\/crafting get-together with discussion questions for the book Lindsey\u2019s group read (P.G. Wodehouse\u2019s The Code of the Woosters), instructions for an autumn craft, and recipes for vegetarian snacks. If you belong to an in-person book club, this would be really fun.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though this book is the 15th in the Library Lover\u2019s series, it works very well as a standalone. I\u2019ve not read all of the prior books and had no problems connecting with the characters. This book is perfect for cozy mystery readers, especially if you\u2019re looking for a well-written October read. Mysterious things going on in the Dorchester mansion lead Lindsey and those helping her pack up the huge book collection that the house might be haunted. There are also references to Edgar Allen Poe in this intriguing, sometimes, creepy mystery. This book is the favorite I\u2019ve read in this series so far, and I highly recommend it to those who follow this series and to all other cozy mystery fans.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3yP2qJb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3eH6KmY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum-jenn-mckinlay\/1140838915?ean=9780593101827\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-plot-and-the-pendulum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Jenn_McKinlay_The_Plot_and_the_Pendulum?id=r7FYEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29576"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29583,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29576\/revisions\/29583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}