When a body was found in the basement of the building next door to Clover Ridge's library - the building being renovated as a new addition - the people of the town were shocked. It appeared the body had been there for a number of years, and the police were having trouble with identification. But it wasn't long before librarian Carrie Singleton's fiance, Dylan, discovered the body was that of his Uncle Alec, although Dylan had lost touch with him years prior.

But with Alec's ghost taking residence in the library, alongside long time resident, the ghostly Evelyn, and Carrie the only one who could see them (aside from Carrie's niece Tacey), Carrie knew the mystery of who'd murdered Alec would set him free. And when it turned out that Dylan could both see and hear his uncle (but not Evelyn), he was shocked but also grateful for the chance to find out about the past.

Carrie was a new member to the local council and when one of the long time members was murdered, Carrie decided enough was enough. She needed to have these crimes solved so firstly, Alec could leave, and secondly, so they could get on with their lives. But was she putting herself at risk in taking over from the police?

Dewey Decimated is #6 in the Haunted Library Mysteries by Allison Brook and it was lots of fun as usual. Smokey Joe, the library cat, owned by Carrie, is a real character in himself, and Evelyn is a snarky, but knowledgeable ghost! I'm really enjoying this series and look forward to the next, hopefully not too far away. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.

The “A Haunted Library Mystery” series improves with each additional book. In Dewey Decimated, Carrie may need to fear for her life after several murders keep leading back to the city council, of which she is a part. But when the body of her fiancé’s uncle Alec is discovered in the building next to the library during construction, the evidence suggests that the deaths have less to do with the city council and more to do with the past.

Family and history play a big part in this story. Finding the body of uncle Alec allows Carrie to get involved in the investigation into his death and the next victim's demise. The construction is giving everyone at the library a headache and might have something to do with underhanded business practices and the killings. Plenty of red herrings and twists help readers discover the murderer of the uncle and take them on a few hours of enthusiastic daydreaming. There is a good amount of action and no end to the suspect list. When the killer is unmasked, readers will be relieved and possibly surprised.

This story will have readers contemplating their distant relatives and how they may have played a part in shaping their families' past and future. Uncle Alec is an anxious ghost with memory problems that leaves Evelyn jumping through hoops. The construction on the building next door, once complete, will give the library even more room for everything, which will help this series continue to flourish. Dewey Decimated has a group of fun characters, romance, intrigue, and the always delightful Smoky Joe. It introduces us to uncle Alec who, by the end of the story, you have come to really like. And then there are the politics of life within a community where nothing is secret for long, and everyone knows your business to deal with. This story could be ripped from headlines in any small-town newspaper with the added element of the paranormal. And the best part for me is we finally find out why Evelyn, who has been dead for quite some time, is still hanging around! This book will captivate readers from start to finish.

This series has everything I enjoy in a cozy. A library set in a small town, a great female amateur sleuth, a cat, a bit of romance and a ghost. Carrie is the Program Director for the local (haunted) library. She is now also a member of the town council. Add to that she is good at solving murders. This time the new ghost is that of her fiance, Dylan's uncle. His body is found in the building next door when construction begins in order to expand the library. His name is Alec and he hasn't a clue as to the reason he's ghostly and in the library. Solving his murder is one thing but when another murder occurs, Carrie really has a full plate.
Doing her job and dealing with a ghost is one thing but now she has to try and avoid a pest of a reporter who wants a big scoop and sees Carrie as her means to that end. It's a lot to juggle but, after five books, the reader has full confidence that Carrie, with the help of Evelyn (the library ghost) and various other recurring characters, will find all of the answers. The puzzle and the solution make for an enjoyable reading escape and there is a spot on my TBR list for more books in the series.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Carrie finds herself in conversation with another ghost at the library. This time it's a man who was murdered in the building next door to the library, which is being renovated to be an addition to the library. In order for him to leave his murder needs to be solved. Carrie begins to figure it out with help from a nosy reporter. A good read, an interesting plot and resolution that ends we!!. Love this series and this is another great read!

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Dewey Decimated (The Haunted Library Mysteries #6) by Allison Brook from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…a fun, and intriguing, cozy mystery with a quick-witted protagonist, cleverly crafted plot, filled with red herrings, a touch of romance and a quirky cast of fun characters …

A fan of Allison Brook’s The Haunted Library Mysteries, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review Dewey Decimated, the newest entry in the series. Dewey Decimated picks up slightly after the last book and life is looking good for Carrie Singleton. With the expansion of the Clover Ridge Library finally getting underway, Carrie is still trying to settle into her new life. Life is busy with her new fiancé Dylan, good friends, quirky family, a wonderful position at the library, a recent appointment to town councilor, a cute cat named Smokey Joe and a ghostly library dwelling friend named Evelyn.

While the construction crew working on the library expansion begins breaking through the wall of the neighboring building, they uncover a body in the basement. No one knows the identity of the victim, but he appears to Carrie and Evelyn in his ghostly form and cannot remember anything. When it is revealed that the victim is Alec, her fiancé’s estranged uncle, Carrie and Evelyn need to find his murderer so that he can move on. Carrie, known as the town’s “Nancy Drew“, gets in the crosshairs of reporter Julie Theron who is looking to launch her career and is desperate to team up with Carrie in order to solve the murder and get the scoop of the century. Trying to juggle her job, solve a murder, evade a pushy reporter, deal with two pestering ghosts and decide on a contentious council issue, Carrie has her hands full. When Sean, a council member, friend, and the library’s contractor is murdered Carrie’s investigation goes on the front burner and once again she puts everything at risk to solve the crimes.

If you are looking for a fun, and intriguing, cozy mystery with a quick-witted protagonist, cleverly crafted plot, filled with red herrings, a touch of romance and a quirky cast of fun characters this book is for you.

I've read books in other series that are set in and around libraries, but this one has something the others don't: A resident ghost. And quite honestly, when near the end one of the characters agrees to not say a word to anyone else about the ghosts (actually, there are two of them), he adds, "Besides, who would believe me?" my response was something like "For sure not me." But credibility aside, it's a creative and entertaining way to add some spice to the usual cozy mystery formula.

This one, the sixth, begins as construction does likewise on an addition to the Clover Ridge, Connecticut, public library at which Carrie Singleton is in charge of programs and events. Rumor has it that the to-be-refurbished building that will house the addition is "cursed," and when a well-hidden dead body turns up that's deemed a murder, suspicions move closer to reality. Evelyn, the resident ghost, doesn't seem too surprised - at least not until another ghost, a man, turns up. Like Evelyn, Carrie can see and speak with him, but he has no memory of who he is or from whence he came.

Being the heroine of a series, Carrie has plenty of experience, albeit unofficial, solving local crimes; she makes a half-hearted effort to keep her nose out of this one (which no doubt readers of previous books know ain't gonna happen). Carrie's finance, private investigator Dylan, knows it as well and seems accepting, while her friend, police Lt. John Mathers, is a little less tolerant.

Concurrently, Carrie is appointed to the town council (a detail a bit hard for me to swallow given her age and lack of political experience), and one of her first orders of business involves collectively deciding on the fate of a nature preserve that's now legally available for repurposing. As might be expected, which future direction the project will take creates quite a furor among the council members, all of whom seem to have their own agendas.

Amid all this, the dead man is identified as Dylan's uncle Alec - and surprise (well, not really) - that's his ghost wandering around in the library. As the investigation starts to get serious, a local TV newscaster starts force-feeding her presence into the action (apparently, she's the requisite cozy "friend" who pesters the heroine and leads her into places she probably shouldn't go). Little by little, clues reveal why Uncle Alec was murdered - but it's also clear he won't leave this world until every piece of the puzzle is in place. Little by little, the chapters proceed to put them there.

All told, it's a clever and fun story that cozy lovers should love (for the record, it stands alone well; I've not read any of the others and had no problem following along). I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy (and for learning a new word - "gawp." At first, I thought it was a typo that should have been "gawk"; looking it up proved that by golly, I can be wrong.

This is the sixth book in the Haunted Library Mysteries series. Each of the books in the series can be read as a standalone, but, as with any series, the reading experience is so much more enjoyable when starting from the beginning. This is an enjoyable series. The characters, both human and ghostly, are well developed and likable. The library setting adds a nice touch where we not only have a mystery to be solved, but also experience what Carrie’s job entails, giving a glimpse into her daily life. The dual murder mysteries in this installment adds interest, multiple suspects and keeps you wondering how, or if, they’re related.

Librarian Carrie Singleton and her ghostly friend, Evelyn are back on the case again. It's certainly a case neither of them wanted.
Carrie's Clover Ridge, Connecticut library buys the building next door to use for an expansion. As the the interior demolition begins, one of the workers finds a dead body hidden in a corner. Carrie's determined not to look into this case, but changes her mind when it is discovered that the dead man is her fiancé’s Uncle Alec who hasn't been seen in years. Alec and his spotty memory aren't much help as they try to figure out who killed him and why no one knew he was in the city.
A local reporter tries to convince Carrie to team up with her and solve the murder. Carrie wants nothing to do with her but changes her mind when there is a second murder.
I love reading books by Allison Brook. She has enough characters to keep it interesting, but not too many causing confusion. No need to re-read segments because it all comes together nicely. This was a totally enjoyable cozy.

Dewey Decimated by Allison Brook is the sixth book in the Haunted Library Mystery series. A body is found in the basement of the empty building next to amateur sleuth's Carrie Singleton's place of employment, the Clover Ridge Library. The building has been contracted to become part of the Clover Ridge Library where Carrie is Program Director. Carrie has no intention of getting involved in this investigation until the ghost of the murder victim ends up in the library. This book has a very intriguing storyline. Carrie has many suspects to consider. There's lots of action and a subplot surrounding the disposition of a local plot of land. As a Counsel member Carrie has a vote on that. When all is said and done all is solved and I really enjoyed this book.

I am loving this series. Libraries are one of my favorite places. I do think it would be a great place to work. How lucky is Carrie that she gets to work on programs for the library? So fun! And she has Smokey Joe. I think every library should have a library cat. I would love to have a friend like Evelyn. Course Angela is a good one too. I enjoyed the storyline and can’t wait to see the new section of the library finished. I am very interested in what comes out of the conversation Carrie and Dylan have. I know, have patience! I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Allison Brook for the E ARC of this book. This is book 6 in the Haunted Library Series.
Carrie is one of the librarians in the library and only she and her niece, can see and talk to the resident ghost Evelyn. The library is getting some major renovation work done, which is proving disruptive in many ways. Whilst this is happening a body is found in the basement of the adjoining building – which is part of the library expansion. The ghost of the dead man then comes into the library, Carrie and Evelyn have a hard time getting this new ghost to calm down and to stay out of patron’s way. Who is the man in the basement? What was he doing in the town? As Carrie and Evelyn try to find out more questions arise.
There is also the town council having to make a decision on a piece of land and what they want to do with it. Carrie is pulled in many directions and when a member of the council is murdered, she becomes involved in finding out who the murderer is. Could the two murders be linked?
A good cosy mystery. I like Carrie and Evelyn; they are well written characters whom you enjoy learning more about. It was nice to see Carrie’s family coming more into the story. I like the small-town setting and the various characters from it you meet. I would advise that you read the other books in the series before this one as there are some references to things that have happened in the past books.

3.5 stars

I have only read one other book in the Haunted Library series, and to be totally honest, I had forgotten I had even read that one, so it was like starting afresh with these characters.

I do like the library setting (my sister is a librarian, I have asked her if she has a library ghost haha), and I liked how the everyday "boring" bits of the work were brought in 0 you know, emails, meetings etc.

I did find the use of the ghost a bit underwhelming. I don't know, it is probably just me and my headspace at the moment, but I just felt they could have been better used to drive the story - but what do I know haha

I did like the writing, and though I did find the story a bit slow moving, I was intrigued enough to find out whodunnit.

Who killed Alec? That's the question Carrie has to answer in order to allow him to move on from being a ghost in the library- or so Evelyn, the resident ghost says. He turns out to be the uncle of Carrie's fiance Dylan but Dylan doesn't know who might have done it either. Carrie, ever intrepid, also finds herself dealing with another murder, this one connected to the town council and a debate over what to do with some property. I like this series for the gentle paranormal part of it (Evelyn is a hoot) and for Carrie, her friends, and her cat. It's classic cozy territory. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read that will be fine as a standalone.

In Dewey Decimated, the 6th book in the Haunted Library Mystery series, Carrie Singleton’s life has settled down after she helped the police solve several murders. She’s ready to get back to work as Programs Director for the library, figure out a date for her wedding to Dylan, take care of her beloved library cat Smokey Joe, attend meetings as the newest town council member, and visit with her friend Evelyn, the library’s own ghost.

Renovations have finally begun on the centuries old building next door, which will bring much needed space to the library, until work is halted when a dead body is found. No one knows who the man was - even when his ghost stumbles into Carrie’s path in the library. He has no memory of who he was in life until an intrepid reporter digs up his name. Turns out he was Dylan’s estranged, ne’er-do-well uncle.

Carrie has her hands quite full with delving into Alec’s past when another murder occurs and seems to tie in to the past.

I very much enjoyed Carrie and team’s newest escapades in Dewey Decimated. This is one of those series that I find myself thinking about even long after I’ve read the book. The characters are fully-fleshed, so believable they could be my own friends and neighbors. The author, Allison Brook, has written Carrie with her own personal arc. She’s grown from a Goth Girl into a woman who cares about her town, the people in it, and her family. She’s put down roots and become a person that everyone counts on. It’s not often that characters grow so much over the course of a series, and I very much love that the author has written the series this way.

The series is so well-written that when I pick up the next book in the series, I can perfectly envision the town, where the buildings are, and even what each character looks like. I’m very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book. I’m very happy to leave a review of my thoughts and opinions.

This is book 6 in the series, but the first I have read. It's a fun cozy read, full of charming characters, including a mostly helpful resident ghost, and a very confused one! It takes a village, supernatural and if this world to solve this one! I'll be checking out the rest of the series and you will too after reading this charmer!

Dewey Decimated is the 6th book in the Haunted Library Mysteries written by Allison Brook. Set on the southern coast of Connecticut and revolving around Carrie Singleton, a young librarian who happens to have a knack for solving murders, this series continues to delight me. For starters, Carrie speaks to a ghost who lives in the library, but in this installment, a second ghost appears and begs for help. Luckily, Carrie previously told her fiancé, Dylan, that she often talks to ghosts, so it's not all that shocking when she later learns that the new spirit has a connection to them personally!

Brook has built a complex mystery where a murder from ~5 years ago comes back to haunt someone... and there are a solid 6 potential culprits, not to mention another murder that might have introduced a second killer too. When a cozy brings together all these suspenseful yet charming elements, plus a fun group of supporting characters, it's a perfect storm of creativity and depth... and that's exactly what I've come to rely on when reading this author's work. From family history and drama to admirable friendships and animosity, the small town life has big impacts on many levels of the story. Another winner in the series!

In this sixth installment in the Haunted Library series, Librarian Carrie Singleton is excited about the renovation of the building next door which will expand the library and give her space for her programs. She is also getting comfortable with being on the town council.

Things go terribly wrong when a body is discovered in the building that is being renovated. Things get worse when the man's ghost finds its way into Carrie's library. Carrie can see him, as can her ghostly assistant Evelyn, but that doesn't help much since the ghost has amnesia.

When a local TV reporter encourages Carrie to help solve the mystery, Carrie isn't really interested. She doesn't want or need the publicity. But then she learns that the ghost is the long-lost uncle of her fiancé Dylan. And when the renovation's lead contractor, and fellow town council member, Sean Powell is murdered Carrie needs to solve both murders before Dylan's uncle's ghost can move on to the afterlife.

Between a contentious issue regarding the future use of a piece of property left to the town which has put the council members at odds and arguments about the renovation, the suspects are many. Carrie also has to keep secret that she's getting help in her investigation from a couple of ghosts.

I enjoyed this episode and think fans of cozy mysteries with a paranormal bent will enjoy it too.

Another good book in this enjoyable series about a library which really is haunted by a ghost called. Evelyn. Only two people can see her, our MC and Librarian Carrie Singleton and her cousin who is still a child.

In Dewey Decimated a second ghost appears shortly after his murdered body has been found by builders who are making an extension to the library. Evelyn informs us that Alec is not able to "move on" until his murder has been solved and Carrie sets herself the task of fixing things. Who would want him dead is a huge puzzle particularly when it is discovered that he is Dylan's long lost uncle.

All this plus the fact that the Alec ghost has amnesia and cannot remember who killed him. The mystery is good, there are lots of red herrings, many nice characters and a delightful cat called Smoky Joe who spends his days in the library making up to the customers. All good,clean fun.

I love cozy mysteries and this series was responsible for me finally getting interesting in the paranormal sub genre of them. This is the sixth book in the series and the author maintains her fun mysteries and entertaining characters. This is a must read series for cozy lovers!

I gave Dewey Decimated by Allison Brook 5 stars.

This is book number 6 in the Haunted Library Mystery-series, and it was by far the best one in the series. So much happened and we got some character developments I really enjoyed. Especially learning more about Evelyn, and why she is a ghost at the library.

I also liked reading about Carries new job as a member of the town council (I imagined Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls here, haha). I hope we get more of this in the next book.

And finally, did I figure out whodunit? Nope, I had no clue!

This is set during fall, so I really recommend reading it under a blanket with a cup of tea and scented candles burning. The book comes out September 6.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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