Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
It is my pleasure to share my thoughts about
Overdue or Die by Allison Brook!
Overdue or Die (A Haunted Library Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Crooked Lane Books (October 10, 2023)
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1639104836
ISBN-13 : 978-1639104833
Kindle ASIN : B0BRMP7C37
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?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Clover Ridge Library addition is almost complete and Carrie Singleton is excited about all the new events and programs the library will now offer. Art collector Victor Zalinka has committed to display several of his paintings in the new art gallery. He has invited Carrie and her fiancé Dylan to his opulent home to select the paintings that will be part of the exhibit. She and Dylan are trying to find the perfect venue for their upcoming wedding. Victor’s home seems to check all the boxes of what they are looking for but they don’t know him well enough to ask. Dylan grows pensive when he sees a forgery prominently hanging in his home.
Martha and Ron Mallory own the local Gallery on the Green and Carrie’s assistant Susan Roberts is an amazing artist who has been showing her work at their gallery. Carrie knows she will someday lose Susan to her art but she hopes it isn’t soon. Then Martha is murdered and Carrie, the library ghost Evelyn, Dylan’s office manager, and her cat Smoky Joe find themselves in the middle of her murder investigation and it’s a doozy. And it’s dangerous!
Will Carrie catch the killer? or will the killer catch her?
Carrie and Dylan are finally starting to concentrate on their wedding while handling the trials and tribulations of their lives and now another murder is thrown into the mix. Dylan is trying to wrap up his uncle’s assets following the events in the previous book and his short trip doesn’t go as planned adding extra drama to their lives. Both characters are resilient and keep pushing forward in everything they do. They work and play well together. It is so much fun to tag along with them each step of the way. It was so cute how Dylan treated Carrie as they were looking for a wedding venue. All he wants to do is make her happy.
Readers are introduced to Emily Fielding, an older woman who claims she still owns the building now housing the library addition. Sadly, she is dealing with dementia. Her niece did her best to keep track of her aunt but Emily must have witnessed something she shouldn’t have because she becomes another victim of the killer. My heart broke for the woman and her niece.
Again, Ms. Brook has written a very complicated mystery with multiple suspects and deaths. Could there be more than one killer on the loose? Carrie keeps digging proded on by library ghost Evelyn who just gives her little snippets of information. Two others ask for her to investigate too. And investigate she does. She uncovers secrets and lies and eavesdrops to get to the truth. She also finds herself in a dicey situation but gains some information. Like Carrie, I had pared down my suspects but we were both surprised when the killer came into focus. I love it when that happens. Carrie had one of the moments, that truly lasted several minutes when I wanted to jump into the book and stop her. Okay, I may have jumped in and gone with her but one of us had to be smart. But she surprised me. I have to give Carrie props. She didn’t do what I thought she would but the showdown was still very exhilarating.
Overdue or Die was chock-full of entertaining characters, twists, turns, and surprises. Ms. Brook just continues to top herself with each new entry in this series. Booked on Murder will be released on August 6 and I can’t wait to read it!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About Allison Brook
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. Allison Brook writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.
Her juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and has recently come out in a new edition. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, and chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids.
Website and Newsletter Sign Up Amazon Page Facebook Goodreads Pinterest BookBub
Twitter/X: @MarilynLevinson; @AllisonBrookML
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”