Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643854472
Crooked Lane Publishing
320 Pages
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
August 11, 2020
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Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on.
The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne's brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie's overbearing mother hits town. Mom's much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that;s lensing locally, and she's there to keep an eye on him: Tom's costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there's no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead.
Carrie and Evelyn investigate assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne's mean ex-husband? Carrie's sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?
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Carrie Singleton lives in small-town Clover Ridge, Connecticut, and is the director of library events and programs. When a woman strolls into her office and claims she's a psychic and wants to give a talk to people, Carrie is skeptical. But when Daphne Marriott seems to know things about Carrie, and even senses Evelyn, the library ghost, nearby, Carrie agrees. After spending time talking with Daphne, Carrie also thinks they may even become friends.
Also on Carrie's agenda is the fact that her mother Brianna (who changed her name from Linda), is going to be in town because her husband Tom is filming a movie there. Carrie's relationship with her mother has been strained for many years, since Brianna left Carrie and her brother Jordan; and wouldn't even allow Carrie to live with her for awhile when she needed someone.
But when Daphne is murdered, and one of the cast members of the film is killed - Tom's ex-fianceé, and Carrie's mother is a suspect, Carrie is finding things aren't going the way she expected them to: her mother temporarily moves in with her, Carrie's personal trainer Robby Dowd has a secret of his own to confess; and her father Jim, a reformed ex-thief, turns up to give Brianna moral support, Carrie's life is definitely becoming confusing. But when she's asked to help solve both murders, she's in a quandary: she's promised both the police and her boyfriend Dylan, a private investigator, that she'll stay out of both of the murder investigations. But with her mother's life on the line, and discovering that both murders might just be connected to an old cold case, she knows that she has to do the right thing...even if it means putting herself in the sight of a cold-blooded murderer...
This is the fourth book in the series and I'm glad that I stuck with it. I wasn't terribly impressed by the first, but as I'd hoped, the author has managed to allow her characters to develop over time, and that made this a pleasant book to read. I also like the fact that now Smoky Joe is being put in a carrier for safety and an indoor cat. (They tend to be healthier and live much longer).
The mystery was very interesting, as it not only contained two separate murders that should have had absolutely nothing to do with each other, but managed to add a twenty-year-old cold case of a man who was stabbed to death -- Daphne's father -- and bring it into view again of the police. Watching Carrie connect the dots on the three cases was a plus, as was watching her try to surreptitiously ask questions, and this time report her findings to the police instead of going off on her own.
It was also delightful to see that while last time she managed to come to terms with her father's past and finally put it at peace and become not only friends but rather close to him; and this time out, even though for the most part her mother is selfish and self-centered, there was a place in her heart for Carrie, and we watch as they work to make something of each other.
I thought the murderer was well-hidden, and we were given a workout to find the killer, which is always a good thing. While it came as a bit of a surprise, it was worth the read to discover their identity, and the reason for the murder. I've come to enjoy this series, and I will definitely read the next one. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Checked-Out-Murder-Haunted-Library/dp/164385447X/ref=
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3219015099
More on Allison Brook's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/allison-brook/
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