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North Dakota Library Mysteries #2
Poisoned by the Book: A North Dakota Library Mystery
Books can be deadly when in the wrong hands.
Thea Olson is looking forward to volunteering at the annual book fair and raising money for her local library. When the town’s resident buffalo turns up demanding attention and disrupting the event, Thea isn’t thrilled. But just when she thought her day couldn’t get worse, someone ends up dead.
Can Thea nab the killer before they strike again?
Poisoned by the Book is the second installment in the humorous library series set in the fictional town of Why, North Dakota. If you like quirky characters, obnoxious buffalo, and all things bookish, you’ll love this whodunit.
Thea Olson is looking forward to volunteering at the annual book fair and raising money for her local library. When the town’s resident buffalo turns up demanding attention and disrupting the event, Thea isn’t thrilled. But just when she thought her day couldn’t get worse, someone ends up dead.
Can Thea nab the killer before they strike again?
Poisoned by the Book is the second installment in the humorous library series set in the fictional town of Why, North Dakota. If you like quirky characters, obnoxious buffalo, and all things bookish, you’ll love this whodunit.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
301 pages, Paperback
Published August 10, 2024
14 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Jacobson
51 books118 followersEllen Jacobson is a chocolate obsessed cat lover who writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies. After living on a sailboat for many years, she now travels around in a teeny-tiny camper with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon.
Her Mollie McGhie cozy mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth, is inspired by her own sailing adventures and misadventures living aboard sailboats in New Zealand and the States.
Her Smitten with Travel romantic comedy series is inspired by her life as an expat in Scotland and New Zealand and love of exploring new countries and learning about new cultures.
You can find out more about Ellen and her books at:
https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/
Subscribe to her newsletter for updates on new releases, works in progress, sales / promos & live on the road in a teeny-tiny camper at:
https://www.subscribepage.com/m4g9m4
Her Mollie McGhie cozy mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth, is inspired by her own sailing adventures and misadventures living aboard sailboats in New Zealand and the States.
Her Smitten with Travel romantic comedy series is inspired by her life as an expat in Scotland and New Zealand and love of exploring new countries and learning about new cultures.
You can find out more about Ellen and her books at:
https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/
Subscribe to her newsletter for updates on new releases, works in progress, sales / promos & live on the road in a teeny-tiny camper at:
https://www.subscribepage.com/m4g9m4
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 13, 2025
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We are back in Why, North Dakota, where the community is preparing for the annual book fair. Thea Olson and her grandmother, retired library director Rose, are happy to help organize the event. But they learn that some of the donated books came from Martha Lund; they know there must be a huge mistake. Martha is an “avid collector” of books and has never offered to give any of them away. In fact, she shops the book fair to add more to her collection. Rose decides to make some calls. Thea and the cute, nerdy, new library director, Hudson, plan to visit Martha at her home to confirm her wishes regarding her donations to the library. While there, she confides to Thea that someone is trying to kill her, and Thea needs to find out who.
Just a few hours after Hudson and Thea’s visit, they received the unbelievable news that Martha was dead. Even after Thea conveys that Martha was concerned someone was trying to kill her to the chief of police, she believes the woman died of natural causes. That calls for a meeting of the Three Investigators – Thea, Rose, and Hudson.
Can the Three Investigators get to the truth regarding Martha’s death? Will one of their “Scenarios” be right and enable them to throw the book at the killer? Or will a 2nd death mess up all their theories and put all their lives in danger? And just what does Edgar the chameleon know that’s so darn important?
I was happy to return to the quirky town of Why with its eclectic residents, its big, beautiful buffalo, now officially named, and Edgar, whom only Thea has the honor of seeing. Rose continues to be my fave. Her huge heart and positive outlook are very uplifting. Thea is unsure about what’s going on with her relationship with Hudson, but by the end of the book, it is clear that Hudson is not confused at all. I love how the Three Investigators work together to follow clues, ferret out secrets, and ask some hard questions, all while trying to avoid the wrath of Police Chief Jeong. These characters are well-crafted and easy to root for. They are joined by a supporting cast of friends and neighbors, many of whom could be viable suspects.
While there are a variety of suspects, the method of Martha’s murder is evident to readers early in the story. Thea and Hudson talked to Martha and learned about her concerns a few hours before her death, so working out a timeline was their first idea, but new information changed the direction of the investigation. I appreciated that the Three Investigators tried to share everything with the police, but the new chief was not very receptive. The author added some nice twists and turns, and a couple of red herrings to keep everyone on their toes. Thea and Hudson’s attempt at “Good Cop/Bad Cap” cracked me up, as did their stakeout, until it became much more dangerous. The reveal and takedown were exciting, and I learned how I was so wrong about WhoDunIt.
In Poisoned by the Book, Ms. Jacobson has written an entertaining mystery, laced with an abundance of humor, with characters who are genuine and feel like old friends, plus just a touch of magic. I really enjoyed my second visit to Why and hope to return soon. A Death for the Records was recently released and is high on my wish list.
*This book is from my private collection. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
We are back in Why, North Dakota, where the community is preparing for the annual book fair. Thea Olson and her grandmother, retired library director Rose, are happy to help organize the event. But they learn that some of the donated books came from Martha Lund; they know there must be a huge mistake. Martha is an “avid collector” of books and has never offered to give any of them away. In fact, she shops the book fair to add more to her collection. Rose decides to make some calls. Thea and the cute, nerdy, new library director, Hudson, plan to visit Martha at her home to confirm her wishes regarding her donations to the library. While there, she confides to Thea that someone is trying to kill her, and Thea needs to find out who.
Just a few hours after Hudson and Thea’s visit, they received the unbelievable news that Martha was dead. Even after Thea conveys that Martha was concerned someone was trying to kill her to the chief of police, she believes the woman died of natural causes. That calls for a meeting of the Three Investigators – Thea, Rose, and Hudson.
Can the Three Investigators get to the truth regarding Martha’s death? Will one of their “Scenarios” be right and enable them to throw the book at the killer? Or will a 2nd death mess up all their theories and put all their lives in danger? And just what does Edgar the chameleon know that’s so darn important?
I was happy to return to the quirky town of Why with its eclectic residents, its big, beautiful buffalo, now officially named, and Edgar, whom only Thea has the honor of seeing. Rose continues to be my fave. Her huge heart and positive outlook are very uplifting. Thea is unsure about what’s going on with her relationship with Hudson, but by the end of the book, it is clear that Hudson is not confused at all. I love how the Three Investigators work together to follow clues, ferret out secrets, and ask some hard questions, all while trying to avoid the wrath of Police Chief Jeong. These characters are well-crafted and easy to root for. They are joined by a supporting cast of friends and neighbors, many of whom could be viable suspects.
While there are a variety of suspects, the method of Martha’s murder is evident to readers early in the story. Thea and Hudson talked to Martha and learned about her concerns a few hours before her death, so working out a timeline was their first idea, but new information changed the direction of the investigation. I appreciated that the Three Investigators tried to share everything with the police, but the new chief was not very receptive. The author added some nice twists and turns, and a couple of red herrings to keep everyone on their toes. Thea and Hudson’s attempt at “Good Cop/Bad Cap” cracked me up, as did their stakeout, until it became much more dangerous. The reveal and takedown were exciting, and I learned how I was so wrong about WhoDunIt.
In Poisoned by the Book, Ms. Jacobson has written an entertaining mystery, laced with an abundance of humor, with characters who are genuine and feel like old friends, plus just a touch of magic. I really enjoyed my second visit to Why and hope to return soon. A Death for the Records was recently released and is high on my wish list.
*This book is from my private collection. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
December 17, 2024
4.5 stars
What a delight it was to go on another visit to the quirky town of Why in North Dakota! The fun bits of magical realism always appeal to me, as does the humor. I mean… where else can you read a cozy mystery with an invisible-to-everyone-else-but-Thea chameleon from NYC AND a town buffalo that is basically everyone’s oversized pet? I loved the contest – and the subsequent ‘rivalry’ banter – to pick a name for the cuddle-loving & nosy buffalo in this book, as it just emphasized again to me why I love this series. (And yay! my fave name won!)
The mystery in Poisoned By the Book involves an elderly hoarder of rare books who (as you may guess) is poisoned to death by an unknown culprit or culprits. (Although… I do feel led to mention here… the internet assures us that it’s not hoarding if it’s books lol) The self-proclaimed ‘Three Investigators’ – which consists of our protagonist Thea, her grandmother (also the retired library director), and Hudson (the current library director) – are on the case once again. But they’ve got to sort through a suspect list of their own friends & neighbors and get around the new police chief who is not the friendliest flower. I thought the clues and red herrings were cleverly woven together along with some twists that took me by surprise, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out along with Thea and her ‘team’. Also making me happy in this book? More sparks between Thea and Hudson – I am rooting for them and think they would make such a fabulous couple. If Hudson can get past Thea’s ‘library guide’ (aka the chameleon), if he ever finds out about it.
Bottom Line: Poisoned by the Book by Ellen Jacobson had me chuckling, grinning, and putting on my own sleuthing cap to solve the mystery of who killed this eccentric character (and by Why’s quirky standards, calling someone ‘eccentric’ is saying something). The suspect list was long, the characters were layered, the humor was on point, and the red herrings were satisfyingly difficult to separate from the real clues. Mystery notwithstanding, I loved the progress that was made in the ‘will they or won’t they’ romantic chemistry between Thea and Hudson but it doesn’t overpower the story if you are more of a mystery purist. I also loved seeing more of Thea’s grandfather’s personality – he’s such a classic Midwestern male character and I’m very curious to see how the events at the end of this book will play out in the next one where he is concerned. If you’re looking for a story that entertains & delights you, make sure you add Poisoned by the Book to your TBR list!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
What a delight it was to go on another visit to the quirky town of Why in North Dakota! The fun bits of magical realism always appeal to me, as does the humor. I mean… where else can you read a cozy mystery with an invisible-to-everyone-else-but-Thea chameleon from NYC AND a town buffalo that is basically everyone’s oversized pet? I loved the contest – and the subsequent ‘rivalry’ banter – to pick a name for the cuddle-loving & nosy buffalo in this book, as it just emphasized again to me why I love this series. (And yay! my fave name won!)
The mystery in Poisoned By the Book involves an elderly hoarder of rare books who (as you may guess) is poisoned to death by an unknown culprit or culprits. (Although… I do feel led to mention here… the internet assures us that it’s not hoarding if it’s books lol) The self-proclaimed ‘Three Investigators’ – which consists of our protagonist Thea, her grandmother (also the retired library director), and Hudson (the current library director) – are on the case once again. But they’ve got to sort through a suspect list of their own friends & neighbors and get around the new police chief who is not the friendliest flower. I thought the clues and red herrings were cleverly woven together along with some twists that took me by surprise, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out along with Thea and her ‘team’. Also making me happy in this book? More sparks between Thea and Hudson – I am rooting for them and think they would make such a fabulous couple. If Hudson can get past Thea’s ‘library guide’ (aka the chameleon), if he ever finds out about it.
Bottom Line: Poisoned by the Book by Ellen Jacobson had me chuckling, grinning, and putting on my own sleuthing cap to solve the mystery of who killed this eccentric character (and by Why’s quirky standards, calling someone ‘eccentric’ is saying something). The suspect list was long, the characters were layered, the humor was on point, and the red herrings were satisfyingly difficult to separate from the real clues. Mystery notwithstanding, I loved the progress that was made in the ‘will they or won’t they’ romantic chemistry between Thea and Hudson but it doesn’t overpower the story if you are more of a mystery purist. I also loved seeing more of Thea’s grandfather’s personality – he’s such a classic Midwestern male character and I’m very curious to see how the events at the end of this book will play out in the next one where he is concerned. If you’re looking for a story that entertains & delights you, make sure you add Poisoned by the Book to your TBR list!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
July 18, 2024
Life in the small town of Why, North Dakota is quiet, quaint, and murderous. Thea Olson volunteers at the local library and is helping with the annual book fair. It helps that the director is handsome and sweet. Yet when the most infamous book collector in town dies, Thea is convinced it's murder. With the help of her grandmother and the cute director, she investigates the tangled web surrounding the death and may end up a target herself.
This is the second book in the fantastic cozy mystery series, the North Dakota Library Mysteries. I was so happy to be back in Why with Thea and her family. It's a lovely little town where everyone knows everyone else's business, but there are still secrets. Thea is sweet and determined, and her library guardian makes me laugh every single time. She needs to get him more hot dogs! The mystery had me wondering until the end. Every suspect could have been the one. This is a wrap-me-in-a-warm-blanket, light-hearted, wonderful read. I can't wait for the next on in the series!
This is the second book in the fantastic cozy mystery series, the North Dakota Library Mysteries. I was so happy to be back in Why with Thea and her family. It's a lovely little town where everyone knows everyone else's business, but there are still secrets. Thea is sweet and determined, and her library guardian makes me laugh every single time. She needs to get him more hot dogs! The mystery had me wondering until the end. Every suspect could have been the one. This is a wrap-me-in-a-warm-blanket, light-hearted, wonderful read. I can't wait for the next on in the series!
August 5, 2024
This is the third book in the North Dakota Library Mystery series, it is the first one I have read, each book can be read as a standalone. This story grabs your attention right from the beginning and keeps you guessing until the end. Thea, the main character, lives with her grandparents in a small town and helps at the local library. She does have her own consulting business which gives her the flexibility to help at the can library and solve mysteries, with her grandma, Hudson the local librarian. When she tries to help the local police with the newest murder, they keep telling her to mind her own business. She and her team continue to investigate and solve the murder before the police do. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series. I was provided a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions in this review are my own.
September 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this follow-up to the latest Ellen Jacobson series. I've read three of her series now and always seem to enjoy them. I like how this story makes references to her other series either directly or indirectly. It's fun finding those little 'easter eggs'.
I like how the author is being practical with her portrayal of the amateur sleuths. They don't presume to know all the answers but they know when something doesn't sit right with them. They still have a lot to learn, but I like how they're all the time meeting over coffee to actually discuss their case as though they are on the clock. I
The characters in this little town are a very sweet and very small town. Plus, they have a bull who act like a giant dog. What's not to love? Can't wait for the next one.
Highly recommended to fans of cozy mysteries, libraries, and the style of Ellen Jacobson.
I like how the author is being practical with her portrayal of the amateur sleuths. They don't presume to know all the answers but they know when something doesn't sit right with them. They still have a lot to learn, but I like how they're all the time meeting over coffee to actually discuss their case as though they are on the clock. I
The characters in this little town are a very sweet and very small town. Plus, they have a bull who act like a giant dog. What's not to love? Can't wait for the next one.
Highly recommended to fans of cozy mysteries, libraries, and the style of Ellen Jacobson.
September 13, 2025
I just love reading Thea and her brother’s lighthearted bickering as siblings, it’s just too funny sometimes. And I keep hoping she’ll let Hudson get closer, but being he’s widowed, she’s probably afraid of scaring him off. A couple murders kept Thea, Grandma and Hudson busy as the three investigators did what they did best.
The showdown was tense but good, and luckily help came when needed. I enjoyed the final explanation from Leif, and Grandpa sure surprised everyone too. The very ending was super sweet! Can’t wait to read the next book!
The showdown was tense but good, and luckily help came when needed. I enjoyed the final explanation from Leif, and Grandpa sure surprised everyone too. The very ending was super sweet! Can’t wait to read the next book!
July 18, 2024
When Thea and her grandma are suspicious of a donation to the library, who would have thought that they would be looking at murder next?
This is such a fun cozy mystery. The characters were very entertaining and the storyline was just wonderful, while keeping me guessing to the end. A really fantastic book to read.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.
This is such a fun cozy mystery. The characters were very entertaining and the storyline was just wonderful, while keeping me guessing to the end. A really fantastic book to read.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.
July 18, 2024
The Library in Why is collecting books for their annual book sale & they have been given some books by someone, supposedly from someone who’d never part with her books. So Thea & Hudson decide to return the books. Later the lady is found dead. Poisoned. So Thea, Hudson & Thea’s grandmother start to sort out the clues to who killed her. Another enjoyable book in this series.
July 18, 2024
An interesting cozy mystery set in the town of Why, ND. Grandma Olson and her daughter, Thea, have solved a couple of murders in their home town which has frustrated the town's Sheriff tremendously. With Hudson's help and Thea's chameleon library helper they work their way towards solving the mystery.
August 3, 2024
Ellen Jacobson is a master of the cozy mystery genre.
I love the quirky setting of the town of Why and the sneaky "Easter eggs" that lead to Coconut Cove from the Mollie series.
Lots of suspects and red herrings to keep me guessing.
And fabulous characters - heroes and villains alike. Another fabulous read!
I love the quirky setting of the town of Why and the sneaky "Easter eggs" that lead to Coconut Cove from the Mollie series.
Lots of suspects and red herrings to keep me guessing.
And fabulous characters - heroes and villains alike. Another fabulous read!
July 16, 2024
An intriguing story, full of humour and suspense. The characters are fantastic (Edgar!), and I loved the chapter titles. A well deserved 5 stars!
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
September 10, 2025
another fun romp with the Olsons
Thea, Hudson and Grandma Olson are investigating another murder. Pratfalls ensue.
An easy, quick read that is lighthearted despite the murder mystery theme.
Thea, Hudson and Grandma Olson are investigating another murder. Pratfalls ensue.
An easy, quick read that is lighthearted despite the murder mystery theme.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews