Read It and Weep (A Library Lover's Mystery)

by Jenn McKinlay

  by Jane Austen

  Despite being published two hundred years ago, in 1813, Pride and Prejudice continues to captivate readers. Why do you suppose this is? Because Austen captures a specific place and time so well? Or because her characters are still accessible?

  Pride and prejudice are the flaws that the lead characters exemplify. Who is proud in this story and how does it manifest? Which character demonstrates prejudice? How does it impact the story?

  The appeal of the heroine Elizabeth Bennet is frequently considered to be her strong personality, demonstrated by her sharp intelligence and fierce loyalty. Even though her sister Jane Bennet is described as being more beautiful and of an easier disposition than Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy loves. If this were a modern novel, given that society is more obsessed by appearances these days, would it be Jane that Mr. Darcy fell for? Why or why not?

  Mr. Darcy attempts to break up the romance between his friend Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet. Was he right to interfere if he genuinely believed that Jane did not love Bingley? Why or why not?

  At the initial meeting of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, they take an immediate dislike to one another but naturally end up falling in love. What modern-day books, novels and television shows use this same story arc? Why does it work so well? What is it that makes it so appealing?

  Bonus (could be used for a door prize): Mr. Darcy’s first name is only mentioned twice in the novel. What is it? (Fitzwilliam)

  Card-Making Idea

  A simple but pretty collage card to make for the holidays.

  Supplies:

  Card stock or pre-folded blank cards in the color of your choice and envelopes

  A variety of decorative papers from wrapping papers to magazine clippings or photographs

  Acid-free glue stick or hot glue gun or adhesive spray

  Scissors

  Any embellishments you want to add—raffia, ribbons, stamps, buttons—be creative

  How to:

  Lindsey is not a natural-born crafter, so she does a lot of trial and error on her cards. In making a card for her parents, she printed several copies of the most recent family photograph that included her parents, her brother Jack and herself. She decided to use a red card for the base then she chose a piece of green paper that she crumpled up into a tight ball and then smoothed out to give it texture. She trimmed the green paper so that it was a quarter of an inch smaller than the red card and then centered it on the cover of the card and used the glue stick to fasten it in place. Next she took her photograph and glued it to a red piece of card stock. She then trimmed the red card stock so that it framed the photograph by a quarter of an inch. Then she glued the photo on top of the green paper on the front of the card, making it just a little off center. In the extra space on the cover she made a bow of natural-colored raffia and used a glue gun to fasten it in place. To finish it, she put a shiny green button in the center of the raffia bow. Once dried, the card was ready to send to her parents.

  Recipe

  NANCY’S RASPBERRY PETIT FOURS

  1/2 cup butter, softened

  1 cup sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  11/3 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  2/3 cup of milk

  3 egg whites

  Seedless raspberry jam

  Glaze:

  32 ounces confectioner’s sugar

  2/3 cup of water

  2 teaspoons orange extract

  Garnish with candy beads or frosting rosebuds

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and extract until fluffy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; slowly add to the wet mixture, alternately adding with the milk until well blended. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks then gently fold into the batter. Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 20–25 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Once cake is completely cooled, cut the cake into 11/2-inch squares. Remove the squares from the baking dish and set on a large cookie sheet about two inches apart. Once on the cookie sheet, slice each square into two layers and put a teaspoon of raspberry jam between the two layers.

  In a large bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Beat until glaze is a smooth consistency. Now pour the glaze evenly over the tops and sides of each cake square. Make sure they are coated completely. Garnish the top with candy beads or frosting rosebuds or the garnish of your choice. Allow to dry. Makes 3 dozen.

  Turn the page for a preview of Jenn McKinlay’s next Library Lover’s Mystery . . .

  ON BORROWED TIME

  Coming soon from Berkley Prime Crime!

  Lindsey Norris, director of the Briar Creek Public Library, strode across the library with her keys in hand. It was lunch hour on Thursday, which meant book talk, crafts and snacks, as their weekly crafternoon book club gathered in a meeting room on the far side of the building.

  Out of all the activities the library hosted, this was by far Lindsey’s favorite. She figured it was the book nerd in her that loved it so, but truthfully, these ladies had become her dearest friends since she’d moved to Briar Creek a few years ago and any moments she shared with them was time well spent.

  “Lindsey, wait up!” a voice called to her from the children’s department. She spun around to see an aviator charging toward her.

  Lindsey squinted. Beneath the leather cap and goggles, well, she couldn’t make out much, but she was pretty sure she recognized the upturned nose and stubborn chin as belonging to her children’s librarian, Beth Stanley. But it was hard to say, as the rest of her was dressed in a white scarf, leather bomber jacket, black pants and boots. Not the typical wardrobe for a woman who spent most of her time doing finger plays, felt boards and story times.

  “What do you think?” the aviator asked. She planted her hands on her hips and stood like she was posing for a photo.

  “I’m not sure,” Lindsey said. “Who are you?”

  “What? Oh!” The woman wrestled her goggles up onto her head. “It’s me—Beth. What do you think of my steampunk outfit?”

  “It’s the bomb,” Lindsey said with a laugh. Beth looked positively delighted with herself and with good reason. “You look like you could have stepped right out of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan.”

  “Yes!” Beth pumped a fist in the air. “That’s exactly what I was going for. My teen group worked on these at our meeting last night. You should see some of the stuff they made. We’re all getting together at the Blue Anchor tonight to have our holiday blowout and show off our outfits.”

  “I love it,” Lindsey said. Not for the first time, she thought how lucky the community was to have Beth, who truly brought reading to life for kids and teens.

  “I think you look ridiculous,” a voice said from the circulation desk. “Mr. Tupper never let his staff run around in costume, and certainly not out in public.”

  “No one asked you—” Beth began, but Lindsey cut her off.

  “That will do, Ms. Cole,” she said. “Beth has done amazing things to get our teens reading.”

  Ms. Cole sniffed but didn’t argue, which Lindsey felt was a big improvement. Known as the lemon to the rest of the staff, Ms. Cole was an old-school librarian who longed for the days of shushing loud patrons and shunning late borrowers.

  “Walk and talk,” Lindsey said to Beth. “Crafternoon is starting soon, and I need to set up the meeting room.”

  “Who’s bringing the food this week?” Beth asked.

  “Nancy.”

  “Oh, I hope she baked cookies,” Beth said.

  Nancy Peyton, who was also Lindsey’s landlord, was known throughout Briar Creek for her exceptional cookie-baking skills. Since it was D
ecember and the holidays were just weeks away, Lindsey knew that Nancy had been giving her oven a workout.

  “I think that’s a safe bet,” Lindsey said.

  She glanced out the window as they turned down the short hallway that led to the crafternoon room. The town maintenance crew had been decorating the old-fashioned lampposts that lined Main Street with garlands of silver and gold tinsel, and hanging green wreaths with red ribbons just below the lamps.

  The decorations added just the right amount of festive energy to the air and helped ward off the gloom that seemed to be descending upon them in the form of the menacing, steel-gray clouds, which were reflected by the water in the bay, giving everything a cold, hard and unforgiving appearance.

  The crafternoon room had a small gas fireplace and Lindsey had a feeling that they were going to need it today to fight off the wintery chill in the air.

  “So, I was thinking you should come and meet up with me and the teens at the Blue Anchor tonight,” Beth said. “It’ll be fun. I even have enough Steampunk gear for you to wear.”

  Lindsey glanced at her friend. She could not picture herself looking like a souped-up Amelia Earhart; still, Beth had spray-painted the goggles copper and stuck all sorts of knobs and gear and even a dragonfly on them. They were pretty cool.

  “I don’t like to leave Heathcliff alone for that long,” she said.

  “What alone?” Beth asked. “He’s been mooching cookies off of Nancy all day.”

  “No doubt,” Lindsey said. Nancy liked to have Lindsey’s dog, Heathcliff, with her during the day. “Which is why he’s going to need an even longer walk than usual tonight.”

  “Aw, come on,” Beth said. “It’ll be fun. Charlie’s band is playing, and who knows? You might run into one of your admirers.”

  Lindsey gave her a bland look. “I have no idea to whom you could be referring.”

  “Sully or Robbie,” Beth said. “You know they’re both hovering around waiting for you to give any hint of encouragement.”

  “Did you finish the book for this week?” Lindsey asked.

  “Nice conversational segue—not,” Beth said. “Yes, I finished The Woman in White, but you didn’t answer—”

  “Did you know that the novel was so popular that Wilkie Collins had Author of The Woman in White inscribed on his tombstone?”

  “Fascinating, but you might want to save that tidbit for when the other crafternooners start to grill you about your love life,” Beth said.

  Lindsey turned the key in the lock and pushed it open. The room was dark, and she flipped the switch to the left of the door before stepping into the room.

  Her gaze moved past the door to where she saw a man standing perfectly still. She felt a thrill of recognition surge through her, but the man shook his head from side to side and then put his finger to his lips. Lindsey knew immediately that he didn’t want anyone to know he was here.

  She quickly stepped back out of the room, bumping into Beth as she went.

  “What’s the matter?” Beth asked.

  “It’s freezing in there,” Lindsey said. She shivered as if to prove it. “Even with the fireplace, there’s no way this room will be warm enough to meet in. The heat must have been turned off or maybe a window was left open. I’ll check it out. In the meantime, could you set up one of the other meeting rooms for us?

  “On it,” Beth said and she hustled back down the hallway in the direction of the main library.

  As soon as she was gone, Lindsey opened the door and hurried inside. She quickly shut and locked it behind her.

  “Jack!” she cried.

  The ruggedly handsome man met her halfway across the room with his arms open wide. Lindsey leapt at him, and he caught her in a hug that almost, but not quite, crushed her.

  When he released her, Lindsey stepped back and stared at the face so similar to her own. She had many people in her life whom she considered close friends, but the bond between siblings was one that could not be surpassed.

  “Okay, brother of mine,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest in a fair imitation of their mother when she was irritated. “Start explaining.”