Dewey Decimated (A Haunted Library Mystery Book 6)

Author:    Allison Brook

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639100903

Crooked Lane Books

336 Pages

$26.99; $13.99 Amazon

September 6, 2022

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Carrie Singleton is just off a hot string of murder cases centered around the spooky local library in Clover Ridge, Connecticut.  She could really use a break -- but no such luck, as she, Smoky Joe, the resident cat, and Evelyn, the library's ghost, are drawn into another tantalizing whodunit.

First, a dead body is found in the basement of the building attached to the library, and it turns out to be Carrie's fiancé's Uncle Alec, who Dylan hasn't seen in years.  But Alec has no intention of truly checking out and his ghost makes itself at home in the library, greatly upsetting the patrons.  Carrie and Evelyn work hard to keep Alec out of sight, but what was he doing in Clover Ridge to begin with?  And why was he killed?

Meanwhile, the town council of which Carrie is also a member, is embroiled in a hot-headed debate over the fate of the Seabrook Preserve, a lovely and valuable piece of property that runs along Long Island Sound.  Turn it into an upscale park?  Sell it to a condo developer?  Or keep it as protected land?

As the dispute rages, there's another murder, this time involving a council member.  Could the two murders be connected?  And could Carrie be next on the hit list?

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Carrie Singleton works for the Clover Ridge library and is settling into her new life as fiancée of Dylan, her investigator boyfriend.  She loves her cat, Smoky Joe, who comes to work with her every day, and is beginning a new chapter as the newest member of the town council.

The library has bought the vacant building next door and people are anxious for the renovations to be finished, no more than Carrie, who is looking forward to the new auditorium, which will seat more people and she will be able to hold more programs as the Events and Programs Director for the library.  But things take a nasty turn when a body is found in the basement.  With no identification the police are having a hard time discovering who it is.  But the ambitious news reporter uncovers the name of the deceased, who turns out to be Alec Dunmore -- and the uncle of Dylan.  Now Carrie has to find a way to tell Dylan about Alec, and figure out why Alec hasn't crossed to the other side.  With the help of her resident library ghost Evelyn, who knows more than she's telling, Carrie is determined to figure things out.  

While she doesn't want to step on her friend John Mather's toes, the police detective isn't having as much luck as the reporter is.  So Carrie reluctantly teams up with her to discover exactly what is going on.  As Alec remembers more, Carrie becomes suspicious of a lot of people she's come in contact with recently.  And with a big vote on the Seabrook Preserve coming up on the council, it seems everyone has an agenda.  And they want her to vote their way.  Could one of them be a killer?  Or is it someone closer to home?...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I must say that I've enjoyed it the most.  We get to see a lot more of Evelyn, and she plays a larger part in this book.  We also get to see how Carrie's new relationships with the town council are playing out.  Carrie still has a reluctance to get married, seeing as how her parents' marriage turned out; but we learn more (through Alec and Carrie's relatives and friends) what Dylan's parents were like.  It's an insight that's been a long time coming, and it makes the characters become more real to us.

Getting insight on someone's background brings them into the world of reality; you can empathize with them and decide whether you like them or not, whether you agree with their decisions.  It's an important part of this book, and it makes things a little more whole in the big picture.

All Alec wants to do is move on, but realizes he can't do so until his murder is solved, which makes it a major part of the book.  We learn about the type of person he was in life, and it explains his relationship with Dylan.  There's also a couple of surprises in store for Dylan and Carrie.

But when we learn about the murderer and the way the murder occurred it makes us saddened, and finding out the reasons why are callous.  However, the book brings us satisfaction and makes us look forward to the next in the series (I'm waiting...).  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Dewey-Decimated-Haunted-Library-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09N6M1SNP/ref

Goodreads:      https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4879365040

More on Allison Brook's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/allison-brook/

Reading Between the Crimes (A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery #2)

Author:    Kate Young

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781643857428

Crooked Lane Books

336 Pages

$25.99; $13.99 Amazon

September 7, 2021

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What better time than Halloween to dig into a bracing discussion of a diabolical murder mystery?  And what better choice for the Jane Doe Book Club than Agatha Christie's Crooked House?  Lyla Moody and her friends are soon embroiled in debate over whether the heroine's actions are particularly believable.  But not long after the meeting, sleepy Sweet Mountain, Georgia, is rocked by a murder that uncannily echoes the novel in question.

When Lyla and her grandmother arrive at the charity event that Lyla's mother is hosting, they barely have time to hang up their jackets before they stumble upon a body in the library.  Leonard Richardson, it seems, was robbed and then hit over the head with a brass candlestick -- which throws suspicion on Harper Richardson, his young widow and a friend of the Jane Does.

Lyla and the rest of the Jane Does pool their prodigious intellects to clear Harper's name.  Peculiarly, all of the clues seem to have been lifted directly from the plot of Crooked House. But as Lyla probes the pages of Christie's classic whodunit for hints on catching the killer, she uncovers secrets from her mother's past -- secrets that suggest Lyla's own house may be crooked as well.

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Lyla Moody works for her uncle Calvin's private investigation agency, working to become a PI herself.  When she's not working, she spends some time with her book club, the Jane Does, who discuss mystery books.  One of their part-time members is Harper Richardson, who seems to be having trouble of her own.  It doesn't help that there's a mysterious writer in town, and he's garnering attention from people who would rather he wasn't there.

After one of their meetings, Lyla and her Gran head over to Lyla's mother's home, where Frances Moody is hosting a charity event.  But they aren't there long before Gran stumbles upon a body, and Lyla recognizes the man as Leonard Richardson, Harper's husband.  When Harper is targeted for the murder, Lyla and her fellow book club members know they have to prove her innocence.  But doing so isn't going to be easy.

Harper's family members are overly strange -- to say the least -- and her mother has become a woman she's never seen before, scared and a ghost of herself.  Also, the writer, Charles, is making a pest of himself, and her even Calvin, who's normally unflappable, seems rattled and warns Lyla to stay clear of Charles.  When there's an incident and in the process of helping Lyla is purposefully attacked, she wants to know who's doing it.  But when she starts to dig, she discovers that there are secrets that are better left alone -- and they're coming to the surface...

First off, I must say that this book has nothing to do with Halloween, as the blurb states.  Saying that, this is the second book in the series, and I found it completely riveting.  The story is one of secrets held, both old and new, and people who are not what they seem.  Curiosity kept me reading, but I found a familiarity in it, only for where I live, and have been near people like this more than once.  (Although not as strange as the characters in the book).

It's difficult to write a review without giving away too much of this plot; for it is a story that connects one thread to another, and another; until all the threads pull it together giving us a final story that was long buried and should have remained so.  

The ending was as surprising as an ending could be; the killer was most of all.  What we know we really don't; and what we see isn't always what is there.  The author has done an excellent job of this tale, and I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I was given a copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Between-Crimes-Jane-Mystery/dp/1643857428/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4511799545

More on Kate Young's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/y/kate-young/