Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

Eva Gates' profile page

Eva Gates is a national bestselling author who began her writing career as a Sunday writer: a single mother of three high-spirited daughters, with a full-time job as a computer programmer. Now she has more than twenty novels under her belt in the mystery genre, published under the name Vicki Delany. She lives in Ontario. This is her sixth Lighthouse Library mystery.

Praise for Read and Buried:
"Historical injustices combine with a touch of romance and codebreaking in a neatly packaged cozy."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Delightful...Gates provides loads of eccentric and amusing suspects, shifting motives for the theft and for the murder, and a surprising solution to the mystery contained in the map."
—Publishers Weekly
"A sure bet for library-loving cozy readers."
—Booklist
"I LOVE visiting Nags Head, North Carolina....in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series books that is!! And the main character, Lucy Richardson, is someone I would love to hang out with."
—Cozy Mysteries Book Reviews
"A rollicking good read that cozy fans will love."
—Suspense Magazine

"A fun read with many an unexpected plot twist and turn...simply outstanding."
—Midwest Book Review

Praise for Something Read Something Dead:
“The fifth in Gates' sprightly series sets romance and a mighty good mystery against a delightful picture of the Outer Banks.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"An engaging mystery...Readers who enjoyed Miranda James's 'Cat in the Stacks' mysteries will discover this series similarly entertaining, complete with a library, a cat, and a captivating location and sleuth."
—Library Journal starred review

“Charming… This entry reinforces Gates’s position at the top of the cozy genre.”
—Publishers Weekly

“If the other stories in this series are this enjoyable, they all belong in the reader’s library.”
—NY Journal of Books

"I can’t wait for another one. Eva Gates is a talented author with a knack for hitting all the right cozy mystery notes."
—MyShelf