Ah, the library—a bastion of knowledge, a home for books of all kinds, a place where one can relax and read or research.

And a pretty good place to set a mystery.

I love libraries.

I spent a lot of my childhood happily in the library of my small Missouri town, reading just about everything in the children’s section. 

That’s why I gravitated to mysteries so early—I needed another kind of book than those for children.

And I am happy to give presentations or speeches at area libraries.

Libraries have been able to change with the times, offering audiobooks, DVDs, and ebooks, and that makes them as relevant today as ever.

May libraries and librarians rule forever.

Lately, it seems as if there has been an explosion of mysteries set in libraries—which makes perfect sense to me.

In large libraries, there are lots of places to hide among the stacks or conduct clandestine business or spy on people, and that leads suspense.

So here are a few library-based mysteries worth checking out.

All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris: After a 13-year absence, Lawrenceton, Georgia librarian Aurora Teagarden makes her return in this lively novel. Charlaine Harris put Aurora on hiatus back in 2003 after Poppy Done to Death. Understandable, since Harris has been a bit busy with other kinds of novels. As usual, Harris uses her amateur sleuth to look at contemporary issues such as bullying and entitlement.

Murder at the 42nd Street Library by Con Lehane: What better place to launch a new series than the beautiful and iconic New York Public Library on 42nd Street in Manhattan, with its stone lions in front, multiple levels, and history? Here, librarian Raymond “Ray” Ambler heads the library’s crime fiction section, and his insight into the workings of the criminal mind go beyond his job. Readers will enjoy an inside look at the building’s various floors, forgotten stacks, and the veranda overlooking Bryant Park.

Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay: This series has an apt subtitle—”The Library Lover’s Mysteries.” As the director of the Briar Creek Public Library, Lindsey Norris handles patrons and authors with skill. In her latest adventure, Lindsey finds that the Briar Creek Public Library’s first overdue-book amnesty day—no fines for late returns—brings in more materials than she or her staff can handle. But what is that copy of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye doing there? It was checked out more than 20 years ago by Candice Whitley, a  school teacher who was murdered. Her killer was never found. (McKinlay’s previous effort, A Likely Story, is also just out in paperback.)

Arsenic and Old Books by Miranda James: Miranda James’ novels about Mississippi librarian Charlie and his Maine Coon cat Diesel are just delightful. There is no other word for them. Subtitled “Cat in the Stack Mysteries,” the six novels are an homage to libraries, cats, and small towns. In Arsenic and Old Books, Charlie is asked to preserve and to substantiate a set of Civil War-era diaries to the archives of Athena College. Miranda James is the pen name of Agatha Award-winning author Dean James, who writes several series.