The Stranger in the Library

About the book

Outer Banks librarian Lucy is currently working on an art show at the library when paintings–and people–begin to disappear. This is the 11th installment in the Lighthouse Library mystery series from bestselling author Eva Gates.

When a traveling exhibit of impressionist art arrives in Nags Head, North Carolina, Lucy and the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library staff are inspired to create an educational display on art history. The launch of their display is a success, but the next day, they find that a reproduction of a famous painting has been stolen.

No one knows why someone would steal it, as the picture holds no value–the genuine, priceless painting is securely locked away at the art show. Lucy receives an invitation to the grand opening of the real show, and she notices a tension among the organizers. Then, the guest slated to deliver the opening speech fails to appear, and a party attendee is found drowned in a fish pond.

Meanwhile, Louise Jane is taken with Tom Reilly, a charming art dealer who seems to linger at the fringes of the receptions on both nights. Tom disappears early from the party, and the police are unable to locate him. Lucy wonders, who really is Tom Reilly, the mysterious man who may break Louise Jane's heart?

Suspicion hangs over Nags Head, and Lucy and her pals must uncover the truth before it's not just the paintings being targeted.