November 11, 2021 – mjbreviewers

Death on the Shelf: A Haunted Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (November 9, 2021)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643857800
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643857800
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08WCB3SBN

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Allison Brook and her new book Death On The Shelf. It is the fifth book in her A Haunted Library Mystery. I have read them all and their fantastic.

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

Death on the Shelf: A Haunted Library Mystery
by Allison Brook

She weaves these elements together along with a couple of subplots and a slew of suspects to deliver a mystery that proves challenging to amateur sleuths on and off the page. Another excellent installment in this cozy series!
~Reading is my Superpower

Librarian Carrie Singleton sleuths a murder at her best friend’s wedding in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook’s fifth Haunted Library mystery.

Clover Ridge librarian Carrie Singleton is thrilled to attend her best friend Angela’s wedding, but Angela’s family can be a bit…much. Angela’s wealthy cousin Donna hosts an extravagant bridal shower at her resplendent home, but the celebrations turn to gossip as the guests notice Donna’s surgeon husband, Aiden, spending a bit too much time with Donna’s cousin Roxy. At the wedding reception, the sweet occasion turns darkly bitter when Aiden topples into the chocolate fountain–dead.

The suspect list is as long as the guest list, and as difficult to sort out as the seating chart. A few of the top contenders on Carrie’s suspect list are the flirtatious Roxy, emotionally unstable since her recent divorce; Angela’s grouchy brother, who feels Aiden betrayed him; and Roxy’s scorned ex-husband. Even Donna may have had reason to want her husband dead. And Aiden’s gossipy office manager has plenty to say about them all.

Then another member of Angela’s family is murdered, making Carrie more determined than ever to find the killer. Can library ghost Evelyn and library cat Smoky Joe help Carrie solve the murders before she becomes the next of Angela’s wedding guests to head to the grave?

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Carrie’s best friend, Angela is getting married and they have lots to do. They have to go to the bridal shower, get their dresses fitted and do all the last minute things that are involved in getting married. When someone is murdered, Carrie also has to figure out who the killer is. She will have help from the library ghost, Evelyn, and her cat, Smoky Joe. When another person is murdered, they really have to put their heads together and figure it out before someone else is killed.

The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me onto the story from the very beginning. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough suspects to consider and clues to figure out.

I would highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I think the books just keep getting better.

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

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 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.

Author Links

Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Amazon page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
Twitter: @MarilynLevinson; @AllisonBrookML
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/