Stealing Lumby by Gail Fraser

Title:  Stealing Lumby
Author:  Gail Fraser
Publisher:  New American Library
Publication Date:  September 2007
Format:  Paperback, 329 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Lumby (Book 2)

When a famous painting, The Barns of Lumby, is stolen national attention is focused on the usually quiet town of Lumby and its very private residents.  The Montis Inn, run by Pam and Mark Walker, is over run with reporters at the same time that Mark is pushing forward one project after another.  Katie Banks, the owner of the barns depicted in the painting, has personal reasons not to trust the reporters.  No one realizes what a personal connection Charlotte Ross has to the painting and to the artist, Dana Porter.  Then one of the actual barns disappears and the town comes together in unexpected ways to help preserve a piece of national history.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Lumby Lines, and I found this installment just as charming.  The residents of Lumby all have such unique and interesting stories.  Fraser does a wonderful job at weaving the individual stories into the overall picture.  She is able to connect the residents of Lumby with the famous artist and the national story about the painting without losing the charm of life in Lumby.  Many familiar characters return in Stealing Lumby and there are a few new friends introduced as well.

It is very rare that a book will actually bring a smile to my face or cause me to laugh out loud.  Stealing Lumby is a fun book and a great break from the darkness often found in the books I read.  It was actually a perfect follow up to Susan Kelly's By Accident because it was such a change of pace.

I borrowed Stealing Lumby from my local library and all opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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