Welcome to Larkspur! I’m so glad you’re here. Spring has sprung, and you picked a wonderful time of year to visit our charming, lakeside town, nestled up here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I’m Greta Plank, library director at Larkspur Community Library.

Usually you can find me working on the budget, writing grants, interacting with our patrons, wrangling the library board president, or leading children’s story time at the red brick library in the center of town, but I’m currently down the street at Bobber’s Bar.

Yes, I know we’re in the middle of a work day, and I promise I am working! You’re just in time to join us for the Wisconsin Library Organization Annual Conference. We’re having our welcome mixer at Bobber’s Bar. All these folks you see mingling? They’re librarians from around the state.

Book people are the best people, aren’t they? I can’t wait to spend the week with my colleagues, learning from them and with them as we tackle different topics pertaining to our job as keepers of books.

I guess if I’m being completely honest, there is one librarian I’m not so excited to have in town…my ex-boyfriend, Nathan. He’s a classic narcissist. I’ll leave it at that. Having him in Larkspur is a big, fat bummer. Fortunately, my boyfriend, Detective Mark McHenry is here too. I’d much rather focus on him.

Too bad I can’t seem to find very much time to spend with McHenry. Not only is the library conference kicking off, but it’s also the anniversary of the Little Bohemia Lodge Raid.

If you’re thinking to yourself, the what? Allow me to explain.

Back in the 1930s, Northern Wisconsin was a hideout for some of the most notorious criminals of the early twentieth century. Gangsters like John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson frequented the supper clubs and lodges here in the Northwoods, keeping a low profile and trying to avoid capture by the FBI.

In April 1934, the Dillinger gang was at the Little Bohemia Lodge, not too far from here. The FBI caught wind of their whereabouts and tried to apprehend them, but they bungled the job, and the gangsters escaped into the nearby woods. You can still see bullet holes from the shootout in the lodge to this day. Pretty wild!

We’re hosting an event at the library next weekend, on the anniversary of the raid at Little Bo. Our local treasure hunting club is putting it on, and I overheard an argument between two members of the club that seemed to indicate one of them might have an announcement about hidden treasure. Maybe something left behind by some of the gangsters as they fled from the area? Who knows! I’m mostly hoping all that drama stays in the past. I’ve got enough on my plate this week.

Anyone who says being a librarian is all dusty old books and shushing people hasn’t spent nearly enough time in Larkspur! Thanks for visiting!

A Killer Hold, A Larkspur Library Mystery Book 3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2024
Format: Digital (Print and Audio to follow)
Purchase Link

A librarian’s rule for sleuthing: Better to be bookish than brash!

Spring has sprung, and with it, a full line-up of programming at Larkspur Community Library. Director Greta Plank is preparing to host the Wisconsin Library Organization’s annual conference—and dreading the arrival of her ex-boyfriend—while also helping a local treasure-hunting club coordinate a showcase highlighting Northern Wisconsin’s gangster trail and the nearby hideouts of the notorious criminals of the early twentieth century.

When Greta overhears the library board president and a larger-than-life member of the treasure-hunting club arguing about a secret discovery, her curiosity is piqued—even more so when one of the women leaves a book with a sequence of strange markings on its pages in the library book return bin. Before Greta can ask about the marginalia, the book’s outspoken owner turns up dead.

At the request of the police—though against the better judgment of her new beau, Detective Mark McHenry—Greta sets to work trying to decipher the peculiar notations, and she quickly hypothesizes that there’s more to the story. Was something sketchy going on at the deceased’s jewelry shop? Did her death have anything to do with the gangster trail event she was helping to plan and the personal research she was bragging about? Greta must work against the clock to decode the dead woman’s book code. What she finds is someone willing to go to great lengths to keep a secret buried in the stacks—and the past—even if it means killing again.

About the author
Leah Dobrinska is the author of the Fall In Love romcom series, the Larkspur Library Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and the Mapleton novels, a series of award-winning standalone small town romances. She earned her degree in English Literature from UW-Madison where she was awarded the Dean’s Prize and served as a Writing Fellow. She has since worked as a freelance writer, editor, and content marketer. Leah lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their gaggle of kids. When she’s not writing, handing out snacks, or visiting the local library, Leah enjoys reading and running. Find out more about Leah, join her newsletter community, and connect with her through her website at leahdobrinska.com.