Princess Fuzzypants here:: Even though there is a resident library ghost, I like my cozies to have a certain amount of realism to them. I really dislike heroines who do things that make them nominees for Darwin awards. I am so pleased that Carrie is not one of them. Yes, she does get into some exciting situations and yes, she does do lots of sleuthing but there is subtlety to how she questions her suspects and she does not work at cross purposes to the law. She has a finance who is a private investigator and the two of them are able to unravel a mystery that hits Dylan painfully close to home.

It involves a highly professional art forgery ring and there will be three murders before all is resolved. But in the process, Carrie finds the murderer (whom I suspected), makes some new friendships, and finally settles on the details for the upcoming wedding to Dylan. A good job in all. Plus it was an entertaining read that kept me interested from beginning to end. And of course, I love Smokey Joe, the cat.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title. This is the 7th book in the Haunted Library and the first I read by this author.
Carrie Singleton works at the library, is preparing for her wedding, arranging an art exhibit. A local art gallery owner is found murdered in her gallery, and Carrie investigates.

I found this book hard to get through, largely due to the main character. I didn't find her engaging and was mostly annoyed with her by the end id the series. She seemed whiny and spoiled to me.

The mystery was interesting, though a bit convoluted. I may have enjoyed this more if I was more familiar with the series.

First, thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

Another tale into Carrie Singleton's life as a librarian and on the side, amateur sleuth for town and community.

This was an interesting take on Carrie's advancing career in the world of detectives and murder. This time, a splash of characters with the mafia (allegedly) in the mix and the art world collide. On the other aspect, I will say there was some tie ins near the end that had me a little flummoxed by the conclusion but overall it was still enjoyable. Evelyn was a little sparse in this book but again, it didn't take away from the book exactly.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars *rounded up*

Working on planning her wedding, Carrie Singleton’s life gets turned upside down when her Uncle Bosco suffers a heart attack. Her fiancé, Dylan Avery tries to cheer her up. Soon, the duo along with Carrie’s ghostly friend, Evely Havers, find themselves deep into art forgeries, mysteries, and murder amongst their wedding plans. As Dylan goes off to Chicago to recover stolen art and to clear out his great aunt’s apartment. One night, while planning the opening of a new library wing, Carrie gets word that Dylan has been attacked and the painting has been restolen. When Dylan returns, the duo go to a local businessman’s house to view his art gallery, they find the stolen painting in his gallery. To make things more complicated, Martha, a local art gallery owner is found murdered. Can Carrie and Dylan solve the mystery?

The plot is well written and full of twists and turns. The characters are likable, realistic, and entertaining. Fans of cozy mysteries, library fiction, and treasure hunter type novels will want to pick this one up. Although it is recommended that readers read the other books in the series first, it is possible to read this one out of order.

Please Note: A copy of this review was given in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

Overdue or Die is the 7th book in the Haunted Library cozy mystery series. I've been reading this series ever since it started, and have loved every book so far!

I love books....mysteries, horror and suspense mostly. So tales about a haunted library and a librarian that seemingly always discovers murder victims is right up my alley!

This time Carrie is trying to juggle wedding planning and setting up an art show at the library, when tragedy strikes. The local art gallery owner is murdered and turns out there is a lot more going on than just a killing.

So much going on in this newest mystery in this series! It definitely kept my attention from start to finish -- interesting characters, twists, lots of suspects and sleuthing! Plus some nice character development in this book!

I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next book in this series! Always an enjoyable story!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This is one of my mainstay cozy series. I always enjoy the adventures Carrie and her crew end up on and this one was no exception. The art angle of the mystery was interesting and there’s no shortage of suspects in this read. Enjoyed this one!

Carrie Singleton has come a long way from the Goth girl who arrived in town to live with her aunt and uncle. She’s now in charge of events held at the newly expanded public library. This has led to caretaking its popular cat, Smokey Joe, and solving crimes with the help of Evelyn, the library’s resident ghost. Oh, and she is getting married to Dylan Avery so there’s a wedding to plan too.

For an art show at the library, Dylan goes with Carrie to choose the paintings—except that there is one he knows to be a forgery. Martha Mallory is murdered in her art gallery—can her death be tied to the forgery? The suspect list rivals a Who’s Who list.

On a personal note, Carrie is worried about her uncle who had a heart attack and is in the cardiology care unit at the hospital. If that isn’t enough, one of her employees at the library just might be lured away by the art gallery. And then there’s the event her boss planned before telling her about it—a circus act with dogs and horses, not virtual but real, live animals in the library. Carrie’s protective of her job as events planner but she can’t really go against her boss. Solving a murder feels like the easiest part of her days.

This is book seven in the series. Carrie is a valued employee at the library, a beloved fiancé for Dylan and is creative and fun to be around. Although the mysteries work in any order, to follow Carrie’s growth into the woman she’s become, start at the beginning. Evelyn, a former librarian and now a ghost, helps out as she can but is limited to how much information she can share, a frustrating aspect for Carrie.

A June wedding is planned—wouldn’t it be fun to dress up a bit, have a nice dinner, cake, and read book eight? You know you love a good wedding.

Librarian Carrie Singleton & her fiancé Dylan are fruitlessly searching for wedding venues, and she is busy setting up events at the library's newly finished expanded facilities. Dylan spots a forgery among the paintings owned by art collector Victor Zalinka. As he continues to investigate, local art gallery owner Martha Mallory is found murdered at her business. It soon becomes clear that Martha’s murder is part of a bigger scheme and linked to the forged painting.

Although I ended reading earlier books in this series, the last two books have not worked for me.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

In this seventh installment of the Haunted Library series, Carrie Singleton certainly has a lot going on. She's working at the library, planning her upcoming wedding and, of course, attempting to solve murders. On top of all that, she's worrying about her uncle's health and the possibility of losing her assistant to a local art gallery.

There really is so much going on here that it sort of overshadows the murder mystery.
The mystery itself was interesting, but I think it would have been more enjoyable with a more streamlined plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Overdue Or Die
A Haunted Library Mystery, Book #7
Allison Brook
5 Stars

Synopsis:


Carrie Singleton has a wedding to plan, a killer to catch, and a conspiracy to uncover in this charming seventh novel of Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mysteries.

Carrie Singleton has more than her fair share on her plate: her job at the Clover Ridge Library, preparing for her wedding to Dylan Avery, and hoping that the local art gallery doesn’t steal away one of her part-time employees. Her fiancé Dylan accompanies her to the beautiful home of Victor Zalinka—art collector and successful businessman—to select paintings for an art show at the library. While Carrie muses that Victor's home would be the perfect wedding venue, Dylan spots a forgery among the paintings in Victor's collection.

Then Martha Mallory is found murdered in her art gallery. With the assistance of Evelyn, the library ghost; the resident cat, Smoky Joe; and the office manager of Dylan’s private investigation company, Carrie comes up with a suspect list long enough to rival the size of an encyclopedia. During her investigation, Carrie stumbles across a terrible truth: Martha’s murder was part of something far bigger and more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. And it all leads back to the art gallery.

How far will Carrie go to find the killer and uncover the truth? If the killer finds her first—will Carrie finally be taken out of circulation? (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Carrie has a lot of stuff on her plate, including her wedding. When someone is killed in an art gallery, Carrie knows she has to find the killer. But it will not be easy and she will need the help of the library ghost and the library cat to solve it.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery is well plotted and there were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through.

I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. The book and series are really good.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Allison Brook continues the haunted library mysteries in Overdue or Die. Carrie is working in a haunted library and trying to plan her wedding when murders upset the community. Fake paintings, bad relations among the criminals and the heirs of the victims add fuel to the fire. Carrie sticks her nose into everything. Enjoy an artsy cozy.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This author continues to amaze me with how her main characters grow and each mystery is fresh and unique. All are depicted beautifully through conversations, thoughts, and actions. This time, one of Carrie’s beloved family members suffered a heart attack, which adds to Carrie’s concerns and this reader’s vision of how very quickly life changes.

Carrie is head of programming and events at Clover Ridge Library, and being promoted to that position changed her life in ways nobody could have foreseen except perhaps for her beloved great-uncle Bosco and great-aunt, Harriet. She met the man of her dreams in one of her brother’s childhood friends when looking for a cottage to rent. Carrie saw Dylan for the first time in years, and the rest has been a sweet time of discovery and romance. She enjoys living in the cottage on the property of the estate he inherited. Smoky Joe is a handsome cat who adopted Carrie shortly after her move. He is also very popular with library patrons and is there most days that she is at work.

Carrie, her young cousin Tacey, and Smoky Joe are the only ones who can see Evelyn, the resident ghost of the library. Carrie, with help from her friends and Evelyn, helped solve several mysteries since living in Clover Ridge. Dylan is a private investigator specializing in locating stolen, high-end art and gems. As partner in the company, he and his boss hired Jim, Carrie’s father, who gave up a life of mostly unsuccessful crime and jail and used the tricks and schemes of his former life to catch other thieves.

Dylan’s late great-uncle had left a special painting to him that he went to Chicago to get from his uncle’s friend who had stored it. Before he could leave town, Dylan was attacked at a nearby mini-mart and the painting was stolen. Dylan and his boss are very knowledgeable in art forgery and since most of this artist’s work is privately owned, forgers have a huge market for good copies.

Carrie has been working with Victor, a local art collector and patron of the library and the local arts community. For the grand opening of the new wing of the library, he is sharing paintings from his personal collection for the new library gallery. She and Dylan went to Victor’s estate to help select the paintings he would loan them. Dylan saw a painting in a place of honor at Victor’s home and recognized it as a poor forgery of a work by the same artist whose painting was stolen from Dylan. He wondered if Victor is part of a ring selling forgeries, especially since he had an import – export business.

One of Carrie’s part-time assistants is a talented young artist. The local gallery recently began selling her work. Martha, co-owner of the gallery, has been spending more time with Susan in recent weeks. Susan blossoms and has begun to dress as a successful young woman, but it seems the more time she spends with Martha, the more emotional she becomes. Then Martha was found dead in the back of the gallery.

Evelyn and Martha had been good friends when they were still alive. Before Evelyn’s death, Martha had shared a huge secret about her past, one that could cost her life if the wrong people knew. Among other possible motives, Evelyn was concerned about certain people from her past. Evelyn wants Carrie to find Martha’s killer even as others want to know what involvement Martha may have had with forged artwork.

This mystery goes down some of the most twisty, winding, curves, and I was totally surprised at the many layers of the crimes and murders. Within days of Martha’s death, an elderly lady was murdered at an office building, then one of Martha’s family members was killed. Forgeries, decades-old betrayals, and marital affairs were only a few possible motives for the murders. I was also shocked at who was behind the murders, as I couldn’t remember any clues that would give away the real mastermind. There were no open ends left behind, and even one of the couple’s personal challenges was resolved that they worked on throughout. I highly recommend this cozy mystery and series!

This is the seventh entry in Allison Brook’s Haunted Library series. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Our leading amateur detective, Carrie Singleton, has to deal with a family member’s illness, find her wedding venue, and find out who has been forging art in the neighborhood. In addition, a local member of the community who is connected to the art galley is murdered. Carrie has her hands full with all this plus hosting her first Thanksgiving meal.

I like Carrie and her fiancé Dylan a lot as characters. Her extended family is also one of my favorites of all the series I read. The Connecticut setting is well-developed. I gave this book four stars. I missed a bit of the interaction with the local ghost librarian.

"Overdue or Die" the 7th instalment in the A Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook. Carrie Singleton has a wedding to plan, a killer to catch, and a conspiracy to uncover.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself right to the very end. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Crooked Lane and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As I mentioned in my review for Dewey Decimated, I’ve been reading this series since the first book came out, and I look forward to each new installment. Carrie, Dylan, Smokey Joe, Uncle Bosco, Aunt Harriet, and all the members of Carrie’s close circle in Clover Ridge feel like dear friends. And of course, so does Evelyn Havers, the librarian’s resident ghost seen only by Carrie and her adorable little cousin Tacey. Carrie and Evelyn make a formidable team of amateur sleuths, and they’re at it again in Overdue or Die.

Carrie is juggling quite a few things in this book – her job at the library (and putting the finishing touches on the new addition there), the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, wedding plans with Dylan (at last!), and Uncle Bosco’s health scare. Not to mention the murder(s) she ends up investigating, a mob boss or two, and the danger that even Dylan gets into in this book. Isn’t that just like the holiday season though? One obligation after another until you don’t know whether you’re coming or going lol. Okay, so most of us don’t solve murders along with planning family dinners, shopping for Christmas gifts, and finding a wedding venue, but for Carrie it just fits. I loved seeing how happy she is and watching her feel more comfortable in her role as a bride-to-be.

The mysteries in Overdue or Die are layered to start with, and they only get more so as the story progresses. For one thing, Carrie (and local law enforcement, of course) must figure out if there’s one person or team behind all the various recent crimes or if there are multiple culprits to track down. I must confess that I kept changing my guess on that very thing right up until Carrie solves it for me, and while I wasn’t completely surprised I did not, in fact, have it all parsed out either. I enjoyed following the various red herrings and rabbit trails that Carrie explores, with some help from Evelyn, and the author’s writing style makes me feel like I really am tagging along for the ride.

Bottom Line: Overdue or Die by Allison Brook is another delightful read in the Haunted Library Mystery series, and readers will love spending time with all the familiar faces of Clover Ridge. The murders in town keep piling up, and I’m pretty sure it would give Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove a run for its money when it comes to the most dangerous Northeastern small town in which to live lol! The author has crafted a clever plot that held my attention and kept me guessing, and it was fun to watch Carrie’s sleuthing and Dylan’s job intersect once again in this book. Already looking forward to their next adventures!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Really enjoy this series and this book was no exception. Always fun reading about Carrie and Dylan and their group. Look forward to seeing what's next for this duo.

Overdue or Die (Haunted Library 7)
Allison Brook


While this book seems to start a bit slower than the previous stories, it is fraught with turmoil and intrigue along with wedding planning shenanigans..and of course Murder!


Carrie has changed a lot in the 18 months she’s been in Clover Ridge. She is a director, solves crime, has healed family rifts, and is even now engaged to the love of her life Dylan.

Now they just have to plan a wedding. This is proving to be more problematic than either believed. Especially when other life issues began to intrude.

Carrie’s library has finally finished with the expansion and renovation. They have an interrupted grand opening. Uncle Bosco has suffered a heart attack. Aunt Harriet is understandably not handling it well.
Dylan’s uncle passes away leaving Dylan as his heir. Due to the cost, he must travel to Chicago to finalize his inheritance and pick up a Terrance Haggerty painting in person. He is subsequently assaulted! Upon his return, life with Carrie quickly gains steam. They meet Mr. Victor Zelinka at his home to evaluate his paintings for the show. Carrie manages to gain the attention of a mobster! He asks for her help. Oh, Carrie!!!

I truly enjoyed this addition to the Haunted Library’s catalog. There just wasn’t anything “haunted” about it except for the bad guys. Still a wonderful book on its own!

Advice for new readers, please read the prior book for a better understanding of the characters and the connections.



Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.
#OverdueorDie #HauntedLibrary #AllisonBrook #cozy #mystery #artforgery #mob

Carrie Singleton is working at the small town library she loves in Clover Ridge, Connecticut, planning her wedding to Dylan Avery, and helping her uncle recover from a heart attack. Then she suddenly becomes involved in two cases - counterfeit art, and a murder at the local art gallery. She works to solve them with the help of her ghostly friend, Evelyn.

I wanted to read Overdue or Die because I love the Haunted Library mystery series. I have enjoyed the other books in this series and always await the next in the series!

This was a wonderful read. Carrie is always a smart, intuitive detective, and I love the way Evelyn helps her with clues in the cases. The mystery is well paced with several plausible suspects. It was fun detecting along with Carrie.

I also enjoy Carrie's relationships with Dylan, her aunt and uncle, her friends - and her kitty Smokey Joe! I always especially enjoy cozy mysteries with lovable cats or dogs.

I recommend Overdue or Die - and the whole Haunted Library series - to fans of cozy mysteries, and especially to anyone who enjoys a library setting or small town atmosphere.

Quick, satisfying read. I like the setting of the cute Connecticut town and the various patrons at the library. The mystery with the artwork was interesting. I think Evelyn, the library ghost, has overstayed her welcome and should maybe move on. I found that while the mystery interested me, it did move a little slowly and there was so much other stuff thrown in – wedding planning, constant description of what and where they are eating, everyone ending up in the hospital – that it ended up dragging on longer than it should have. Hoping the wedding planning is wrapped up in the next one; it feels like the last few have been focused on wedding planning and while I don’t mind it occasionally, it’s gone on so long in this series.

One of the best surprise endings revealing the killer I read this year. Author did excellent job incorporating potential killers in the story. I understand why the character Evelyn was included, but she was annoying and did nothing for the storyline.. And the book title was lame. The editors had so many plot points that could have led to a cleverer title (forgery, art, paintings).
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Overdueordie for advanced digital copy.