At the Milford Public Library, there are no snugly romance novels or page-turning biographies, just mysteries... lots and lots of mysteries. They can be cozy, procedural, hard-boiled, or just a good old whodunit.
Also known as the Milford Mystery Library, this month is the library's moment to shine (er, lurk in the dark?). May is recognized as National Mystery Month by the Mystery Writers of America and the American Library Association.
The library has been around since 1900 and was part of the Clermont County Library system for a while.
Barbara Burke started visiting the Milford Public Library when she was 7 years old and it was just a regular lending library. That was more than 80 years ago. Now, she is one of its volunteers.
She says the small storefront reading room on Water Street wasn't big enough for the growing Clermont County system, which left in 1985. But back in 1930, the building's owner said the city of Milford could keep the building on one condition: it always house a library.
When Clermont County 'checked out,' Burke says volunteers 'checked in.' She says they put their heads together and reopened the library but with only mysteries.
"It was felt that if it was made a certain genre then it would be a little niche," she says. "It's been that way since the 1980s, so we've been here quite a while."
Burke says they have a wide selection of authors; all of them mystery writers.
“Just taking our cozy authors we have Agatha Christie, we have Alexander McCall Smith, MC Beaton,” she says. “Nita Prose, Richard Osman, Lilian Jackson Braun — she’s 'The Cat Who...' lady — Joanne Fluke (and more).”
Burke admits the library may not be well known, but it has its fans.
“We used to have a couple who… once a month on Saturdays would do their quirky libraries: They would go to the Mercantile, they would go here.”
Burke says the library is only open limited hours, Wednesday through Saturday, and anyone can check out books once they've signed up.
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