The first line was what cached my attention and made me picked this book. I did not know it was the 8th book in a series but that´s on me for not checking beforehand, but leaving aside the things I did not understand because of my mistake, I found the story pretty interesting and captivating, maybe someday I will read all the books.

When I realized that this eighth installment in the Haunted Library Mystery series was also the last one. I HAD to go back and read the series from the beginning. It made me miss my review window, but I don't regret all the wonderful time spent with librarian Carrie Singleton and the fun cast of characters. I quickly became attached to Carrie and enjoyed watching her and her relationships grow and evolve. Every book in this series has a compelling mystery, but I especially enjoyed that in this book, it also revolved around Carrie and Dylan's wedding. I was sad to see this series end but definitely recommend to anyone who loves fun mysteries with a touch of romance and a lovable ghost. Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the opportunity to read #BookedonMurder by #AllisonBrook #cozymystery #librarian #ghost #romance

Love books, love cosy, love a bit of a mystery and enjoyed all those aspects of this book/story. Librarian Carrie Singleton caught my interest and loved her as a character and her sleuthing ways. I have to say I have not read any of the other books in this series but think I might have to search them out as I enjoyed the authors writing.

As this was the last book of a series (I think) I felt I may have missed a bit by not reading the others but all in all I could still read and enjoy it as a standalone. I'm off in search of the other books now!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Librarian Carrie Singleton must catch a killer before she can say “I do,” in the 8th delightful installment in Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library Mystery series.

Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.

The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.

With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’
This was my first and certainly not last read by Allison Brook. I need to go read the others books in this series immediately. I loved it from start to finish. The plot was easy to follow. The characters were relatable and easy to like. Will recommend to others.

When Carrie Singletons receives an assignment from her boss to write an article about a local woman who was hanged for being a witch in 1652, little does she know the mystery will take a murderous present day turn. With Carrie planning her upcoming wedding she has to deal with food, decorations, music and murder!

I love this series! Carrie has grown from a young, woman searching for her place in life and career. Now, she's become a pillar of her community and the library in which she works., while marrying the love of her life. All the while, solving mysteries. This book is a perfect Halloween read!

I received an ARC from NetGalleyand the opinion expressed is my own.

A good finale to a cozy series I have really enjoyed. The mystery of this one kept me guessing and there’s a couple of additional story layers that added to the overall story too. I’m sorry to see this series end as it’s been one of my must reads since the beginning. A solid cozy experience!

One would think that Carrie would have enough on her plate only two weeks from her wedding to Dylan. But when a highly contested diary is stolen and the corpses start piling up, she is drawn into another investigation. She even gets Dylan involved but she is determined to figure out how a bank robbery from years back fits in with the diary of a woman who was burned for being a witch. It is a treat for the reader to unravel all the connections as the book goes on. The story is a bit like those Russian dolls where you open one and then there is another one to open. It is quite entertaining.

Carrie does get herself into tight situations but she is never capricious with it and when she does something boneheaded, she is the first to admit she got carried away. The story itself is cracking but one of the things I love about this series is Carrie’s relationship with ghost Evelyn. I was delighted when two more ghosts appeared and loved how they added a dimension to the story. I enjoyed the read very much. Five purrs and two paws up.

Booked on Murder, the eighth and final book in Allison Brook's Haunted Library Mystery series, brings the story of Carrie Singleton to a satisfying and emotional close. For those who have followed Carrie’s journey from librarian sleuth to bride-to-be, this novel offers a bittersweet farewell.

Carrie’s upcoming wedding to Dylan Avery promises her long-awaited happy ending, but when a dead body turns up at their wedding venue, the stakes are raised, blending romance and mystery in the familiar cozy style fans have come to love. However, this installment leans more heavily into Carrie's personal life, with the central mystery taking a backseat at times. Knowing that this is the series’ final chapter, this shift feels fitting. It allows readers to see Carrie not just as an investigator, but as a woman on the cusp of a new life, balancing her love for Dylan with the unexpected dangers she continues to face.

The novel's strength lies in its focus on character development. Carrie’s relationship with Dylan is tenderly portrayed, and readers are given a satisfying arc for both characters. The personal stakes, which have always been present in Carrie’s life, are more front-and-center, offering a sense of closure. The mystery, though less intricate than in previous books, still provides enough intrigue to keep the pages turning, while the familiar setting of the haunted library and its friendly ghost Evelyn adds a touch of warmth and charm.

As a conclusion to the series, Booked on Murder gives Carrie her well-deserved happy ending, while leaving fans with a fond farewell to a cozy world they’ve come to cherish.

I give it 4.75 stars

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

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAa2a7zA1t1/

Booked On Murder
A Haunted Library Mystery, Book # 8
Allison Brook
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Librarian Carrie Singleton must catch a killer before she can say “I do” in the 8th delightful installment in Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mystery series.

Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.

The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.

With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’ (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well rounded. Carrie is preparing for her wedding, which is fast approaching. When a body is found on the lawn of where her wedding is scheduled to take place, Carrie knows she has to try to solve the mystery. She has her work cut out for her before her big day.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and it pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This is a great book and series and I would suggest you read it.

This is book 8 in the Haunted Library series and I'm sad to see it come to an end. I'll miss all the wonderful characters and the ghostly help that is available to Carrie Singleton. She is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.
The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.

Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.

I really enjoyed this cosy mystery. It was such a good easy read.

Thought they would catch they guy in the last few pages BUT atleast it was still a good ending.

#bookreview #murdermystery #cosymystery
#BookedonMurder #NetGalley

I liked the premise of the story but struggled to stay engaged because of the large amount of inner dialogue about mundane details (eg how to rearrange the space for the wedding and other many details like checklist items) and too many details about each space they are in. This level of detail would be great for a play, movie or tv show to set up scenes, but for a reader it’s a lot of detail to get bogged down in. I also struggled to see the spark/chemistry between the couple.

Some things done well are setting up the mystery, the suspects and the unraveling of the mystery part of the story.

Booked on Murder is the 8th and final installment of the Haunted Library cozy series. This was a great wrap up to the series. I will miss these characters. It is a great series overall.

In this one, Carrie Singleton is preparing for her wedding to Dylan Avery. They also need to find a new place to live because it is time to move on. She couldn’t possibly have time to solve an old crime before the big day, could she? We have scenes in the library involving the finding of an old diary by a woman who was executed for being a witch. We have ghosts, lots of wedding preparations, and missing money from a bank robbery plus a dead body or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Do not start with this book, read at least two or three in this series before this one. Please check this series out if you haven’t already. I gave this novel 4 plus stars.

Booked on Murder is the eighth, and final, cozy mystery in The Haunted Library Mysteries series. Carrie is getting ready for her wedding that is to take place in a few weeks and the last thing she needs is another murder case on her plate, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. When Carrie and Dylan discover a dead body while taking a look at their wedding venue, Carrie is pulled into another sleuthing adventure. Unable to put her curiosity to rest, Carrie jumps into the mystery and does her best to unravel it in time for her wedding. Will Carrie be able to search out the killer before it’s too late? Will she uncover their identity in time for her wedding or will the murderer get the best of her?

I have loved this series since I picked the first book up years ago and always look forward to another installation. When I picked up this book I didn’t know it was likely the last one in the series and I’m glad I didn’t because then I wasn’t sad until I found out at the end. I really enjoyed this mystery and was left guessing at who the killer was and how everything was tied together. Carrie is a great lead in these mysteries and I love seeing how much she has evolved over the books. This series will always hold a special place in my heart and I am so glad I read it. I love how everything is tied together at this book in a great conclusion to Carrie’s life as we knew it. I really wish there was more to come with this series, but I’m also content with how everything ended. If you are looking for a great cozy mystery series set in a library with a ghost or two along the way this series is for you! I will miss coming back to see Carrie every year when a new book comes out, I would always look forward to it.

I absolutely love this series, and this book was exactly what we've been hoping for. It has it all: a charming small town, a library, wonderful characters, a cat, and murder. I highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to this one on audiobook instead of ebook 🤪 I really enjoyed the narrator she kept me engaged the whole story!
I liked all of the characters! This book was a lot more dark than your usual cozy mystery 😬 There was a lottttt of murder and not coziness 🤪 I loved it! So many twists and turns! This was more of a thriller than a cozy mystery! It started with such an innocent library and then went so dark! I loved it!
I can’t wait to read all of the rest in the series!

Dollycas's Thoughts

Carrie Singleton and Dylan Avery have found the perfect place to hold their wedding and can't wait to say "I do". But when they visit the venue to go over some details they find a dead body by the gazebo next to a large hole and a shovel. Billy Carpenter had just been released from prison where he was incarcerated for robbing a bank. It is believed he had buried the money from the heist there and that whoever killed him is now in possession of the cash. His accomplices in the robbery, Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez are the prime suspects. Then Luke is killed and Tino is missing.

Time is coming down to the wire, so Carrie starts diligently looking for clues. She is ready to walk down the aisle and she doesn't want the murders casting a pall on the ceremony. Will she be able to unite the killer with a jail cell? Or will it be her wedding plans getting killed?

____

Sadly, Booked On Murder is the final installment of the Haunted Library Mysteries. Carrie Singleton has grown so much since we met her in Death Overdue. Evelyn is such a friendly ghost with a wardrobe to die for. She is great at pushing Carrie to do what she wants and a font of information. It was unique that both Carrie and her niece were the only ones who could see her. Other ghosts came to visit and Dylan was able to see and hear them too. Two special ones are introduced in this story. I have enjoyed meeting all the core characters in this series. I appreciated that they all continued to develop and form close bonds.

Not only did the characters grow, so did the library. Carrie excelled at her job. With all the programs she arranged the library became an even bigger asset to the community. It was fun to read about the children's programs and the wide variety of programs for adults. The expansion added more room to showcase art and historical pieces and documents. The new auditorium opens all kinds of possibilities from lectures to plays and more.

The mystery was complex and fed by greed. Money from a bank robbery and a diary from a woman who was hanged for being a witch in 1652 had people scrambling. I found the diary to be quite captivating, others saw it for the dollars it could bring. Were the diary and robbery connected? or were there separate suspects for each? I was entertained following along as Carrie uncovered clues and worked to make them fit together. Carrie and Dylan tried to not only catch the killer but tried to help someone tangentially involved. That doesn't go exactly as planned. There were some terrifying moments when things came to a head.  I loved it! My heart was racing just a bit.

My very favorite part of this book though was the wedding. After everything Dylan and Carrie had been through, Dylan took the lead and got everything under control and in place for their wedding to happen. Thank you, Ms. Brook, for sharing the whole thing with us. I hate when authors skim over events that have been building for several books and leave readers feeling short-changed. She did an extraordinary job of letting her readers in and in the end, we knew these wonderful characters were in a good place. Although, I think a spinoff could be a possibility. For now, we can use our imaginations about what happens next for Carrie, Dylan, Smokie Joe, and all the people of Clover Ridge.

Booked on Murder was another Perfect Escape. Phenomenal characters, a strong mystery, and a beautiful wedding bring the marvelous mystery series to a close.

The entire Haunted Library Mystery Series is fun and entertaining. Each can be read on its own but for maximum enjoyment start at the beginning and escape into every one.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Carrie and Dylan have one of the most memorable wedding days in cozy mysteries!

Whenever I’ve read a new mystery in this series, I thought it was the best one – and I am saying it, honestly, once again. This is the best cozy mystery in the Haunted Library Mysteries series! I have enjoyed following Carrie, her cat, Smoky Joe, and Dylan, her fiancé. Carrie and Dylan are days from getting married, and life has never been better.

Character development throughout the series has been remarkable! Characters change the same as we do, sometimes within the course of one novel. Carrie could probably win the award for the character who has changed the most in this series. Carrie was hired as a part-time clerk at the library. She had no place else to go when she came to stay with Harriet and Bosco, her great aunt and uncle, and was ready to move on when the library offered her a position commensurate with her education, to be the head of programs and events. The goth girl had a huge decision to make. Should she accept the position and, if so, would she upgrade to a professional appearance?

Clover Ridge, Connecticut has not been the same since. She met Evelyn, the ghost of a former library staff member who had been murdered. Carrie is one of the only people who could see and hear Evelyn, one of her greatest encouragers. Carrie began to help solve murders associated with the library or her loved ones. Like Harriet and Bosco, she became very active and respected in the community.

Carrie found a diary tucked away in the historical room that had been written by a young widow convicted of and hung for witchcraft in the late 1600s. When Carrie wrote an article for the newspaper, she was very vocal that Verity Babcock should be pardoned, and many agreed, including Winnie, a woman considered a leader in the community. She was invited to join the Wise Women’s Circle, a secret group that benefits individuals or causes in need.

Carrie and Dylan went to the elegant home of Victor, a dear friend who offered the use of his home for their wedding and reception. Victor was not in but had given them a key. They needed to verify measurements both inside and out. Near the gazebo, they saw the body of a young man, next to a shovel and the hole he had presumably been digging. He had been murdered.

Billy had been released from prison that week. He had served time for a bank robbery a few years ago. The money was never found, and he never revealed who else was involved in the heist. Billy was the nephew of the couple Victor had bought the home from and had stayed with them on and off after his parents divorced.

Carrie did not want to get involved with solving this murder. Then, Luke, one of Billy’s close friends suspected of being involved with the robbery, was killed. Someone contacted Carrie, afraid to go to the police, yet wanting to tell her who killed Luke.

Verity’s diary was at the forefront of several people’s minds when they began to write letters to the editor. Most wanted the people who had been hung as witches exonerated, one person very vocally didn’t. Winnie, the current leader of the Wise Women and only known descendent of Verity Babcock, wanted Verity’s diary for herself and was beyond furious when it was stolen.

There were red herrings and unusual twists throughout this intense mystery, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I became too caught up in it to even try to figure who the killers and thieves were. It was a stunning revelation to me when each solution was revealed! This is the final novel in the series, but don’t let that stop you from reading it! I am going to miss Carrie and the people of Clover Ridge very much! Each of the mysteries in this fabulous series can be read as a standalone, but whether you read them in order or not, I highly, highly recommend this cozy mystery and series!

I’ve been following the Haunted Library Mysteries from the beginning, and I’ve looked forward to each new book. So I’m naturally sad to say goodbye to Carrie and Dylan and Smoky Joe and Evelyn and all the supporting characters who make this series such a delight to read … but a wedding IS the perfect send-off, and the author leaves us with no doubt that Carrie and Dylan have a lovely future ahead of them. Even if we won’t get to see it for ourselves (wail!)

Carrie has a lot on her plate in Booked on Murder – an article to write for the local newspaper, an historically-significant diary to protect, a new group to consider joining, a house to hunt for, an increasing number of murders to solve…. and of course her wedding in a few days. Assuming she makes it there in one piece. Or at all. Yet even with all the different plot threads to juggle, the author keeps the pace steady and the storytelling cohesive. I remained intrigued by each new layer that’s revealed and enjoyed following along as Carrie (often with Dylan’s help) works her sleuthing magic. As usual, I especially loved it when Evelyn (the resident library ghost) makes an appearance – and honestly I think I’m going to miss her most of all.

Bottom Line: Booked on Murder by Allison Brook is a lovely farewell to a lovely series, but even if you’re just jumping on with this last book you’ll find much to enjoy, from the intriguing mysteries to the winsome characters. Carrie remains an engaging protagonist that you can’t help but root for, and the addition of a few friendly ghosts along the way gives the book a magical feel that makes it all the cozier. As the bodies pile up along with the plot layers, readers will love tagging along with the bride-to-be/amateur-sleuth as she tracks down the suspects, the motives, and even some treasures too. A delightful way to spend a weekend!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Nice ending for the series with two murders solved and Carrie and Dylan’s wedding. I liked the story about the diary of accused witch Verity Babcock but couldn’t make the connection to #metoo. It’s fitting that the wedding portion was dragged out as it’s been nonstop discussed for the last few books (if it wasn’t Carrie’s, it was Angela’s). Otherwise, I felt that the series was wrapped-up nicely.