Killer Librarian

Near the start of Kirwin’s captivating debut, smalltown Minnesota librarian Karen Nash is looking forward to her first holiday in England. When Karen’s plumber boyfriend, Dave, dumps her and cancels the trip just hours before departure, the undaunted Karen manages to secure a plane ticket on her own dime. Soon after, she spots none other than the newly dubbed “Mr. Toad” and a skinny blonde boarding the same plane. Dave and his new honey are too absorbed in each other to notice Karen on the transatlantic flight. Once in London, while on a pub night out with the owner of the B&B where she’s staying, a heartbroken Karen confides in a mysterious man that she fantasizes about murdering her scoundrel of an ex-boyfriend. A whopping headache later, Karen discovers a fellow B&B guest dead. Signs suggest that Dave and his honey could be next. Literary allusions, from Winnie the Pooh to Ian McEwan, distinguish this from the common run of cozies. (Dec.)