Death on the Shelf, the 5th in the Haunted Library Series finds Carrie Singleton preparing for her best friend Angela's bridal shower and wedding. Angela's family is a handful and somewhat volatile, In addition to Angela's parents we meet Angela's older cousins Donna and Roxy, Donna's doctor husband Aiden, Roxy's ex-husband Miles, and Angela's brother Tommy, who has some mob-like tendencies. The wedding appears to go off without a hitch until Aiden dies at the reception. Suspects abound as it would seem many of Angela's family members, and a few friends/co-workers, might have had a reason to murder Aiden. Angela is of course upset and does not want to leave her family in this predicament to go on her honeymoon. Carrie convinces Angela to go on her honeymoon, and she agrees, at the request of Angela's mother, to help solve the murder. Carrie certainly has her hands full, but with the help of boyfriend Dylan, Police Chief John and Angela, she is able to put all the clues together.

Of course Evelyn, the library ghost, is ever present, this time asking Carrie to help locate her brother Donald who she has lost track of over the years. She wants Carrie to locate Donald because his daughter Michelle, who he abandoned 15 years prior because of some shady business dealings, is in serious need of help. Carrie, through her connections, is able to help Michelle get a new job and keep from losing her apartment. She also reunites Michelle with her father, and gets him to come to the library so Evelyn can see him too. Michelle's and Angela's story is connected, and this connection, when revealed, is quite surprising!

Carrie is an awesome character and one who you'd like to have as a friend.. Carrie's care and concern for her friend Angela and her desire to help Evelyn are apparent. She is a good soul. Throughout the series we watch Carrie turn her life around, establish roots, build a network of good friends and a career for herself at the local library, heal relationships with family and meet a library ghost! Dylan knew Carrie as his friend's kid sister and their relationship has bloomed over the series as well.

This is a great installment in the series and, after the first four books, I'd expect no less. I very much looked forward to reading this book and will look forward to many more!

⭐⭐

I really have little to say about this one. I apparently read book one in this series (and forgot). Going back to my review of that book, I see I had a major issue with Carrie. That actually wasn't the case here. Carrie was fine. This time it was her annoying drama queen of a BFF (Angela) that brought my rating down. Obviously, this isn't the series for me.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Librarian Carrie Singleton thinks attending her friend's wedding is the only thing on her plate, but when the bride's cousin drops dead she finds herself smack in the middle of another mystery. On top of that, library ghost Evelyn has a request for her and the town council wants to offer her a job!

My experience with cozy mysteries up until now has been that it doesn't really matter which book you start with, because each book is very self-contained. In fact, it's better to skip the first few books and start once the author has hit her stride. That's not the case with this book, though. There was a great deal of focus on side characters I didn't know or care about. I actually think that it's great the author devotes so much detail to the side characters, but it didn't help my personal enjoyment of the book. I did like that this book has a younger protagonist, but that wasn't enough to carry the book for me. There wasn't a whole lot of ambiance, the pacing was so off that the mystery didn't really get going until the last quarter of the book, and the main character is self-centered. If you're already a fan of this series, then Death on the Shelf is probably a good addition. There's some juicy development in Carrie's professional life. If you haven't read any Haunted Library Mysteries before, don't start with this one.

This was a fun read and a great addition to an established cozy series. As a cozy reader, you take a big chance at falling in love with the characters in the first few books and hope there is a chance for renewal and I was thrilled to keep loving and liking these characters.

Here we're back in Connecticut with Carrie Singleton, librarian and her friends and family. This time, we're focusing on Carrie's best friend Angela who is getting married. After a murder at Angela's reception, it's full on sleuth - and danger - mode. Ending with a satisfying conclusion.

Once again, our library ghost, Evelyn seems shady and secretive with her requests for help from Carrie. She is a ghost of mystery that I look forward to continue learning more about in future installments.

It's a summer of love....and murder in the small Connecticut town of Clover Ridge. Carrie's best friend Angela is gearing up for wedding in couple of weeks and there are lots of family gatherings and festivities in store, from the bridal shower to the family barbeque, and of course you can't have a wedding without a rehearsal. When Angela's brother arrives in town, against Angela's wishes, he brings a whole host of trouble with him. When Aiden Harrington, town doctor and cousin in law to the bride drops dead at the wedding right in front of Carrie, she jumps at the chance to investigate. With the help of members of the community as well as resident library ghost Evelyn, Carrie is sure to find the killer. However things become even more complicated when a suspect to the murder becomes a victim as well. Can Carrie solve the mystery and prevent any more murders from taking place?
Death on the Shelf is the fifth book in the charming Haunted Library mystery series featuring amateur sleuth and librarian Carrie. Clover Ridge, Connecticut has all of the idyllic small town charm and the library setting exudes all the charm cozy readers have come to expect from their mysteries. The addition of Evelyn, the resident library ghost adds the perfect amount of paranormal to the mix. The mystery itself is complex with plenty of suspects and lots of strained family relationships, drama, infidelity and even budding romance, to keep things interesting. While the cast of regulars in small in this series, they are all charming and the bond that continues to grow between them over the course of the series is quite endearing. The book has quite a few surprising twists towards the end that will leave readers craving the new book in the series.

I loved Death on the Shelf, as well as the entire series.

This book starts with Clover Ridge librarian Carrie Singleton helping to plan her BFF Angela's bridal shower. After their original choice of restaurants burns down its decided that the shower will be held at Angela's cousin Donna's home. Donna and Roxy (another cousin) provide the setting for a perfect wedding shower. Carrie notices some odd family relationships when Donna's husband, Aiden comes home and gets Roxie's full attention.

Carrie continues to observe odd behaviors at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and wedding. Tension mounts until Aiden suddenly dies at the wedding reception.

Angela's brother and her cousin seem to top the list of suspects. Angela's mother begs Carrie to identify the killer.

The book is full of possible suspects. Carrie, with the help of her boyfriend Dylan, her BFF Angela and the library ghost Evelyn are certain to identify the killer.

I’ve followed the Haunted Library Mystery series from the beginning, and I always know I’m going to love the next book. Death on a Shelf is no exception. I adore the dynamics between Carrie & Evelyn (the resident library ghost), and their scenes are inevitably my favorites, though I always love the swoony scenes between Carrie & Dylan too. The author does a great job of capturing the sort of tension that is unique to weddings & the family drama they seem to stir up… and when you throw a couple of murders into the mix, too, well you can imagine all the emotions that are flaring. 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!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

This was my first book by this author. I wasn’t aware when I started reading it that it was a haunted library mystery so I was surprised when a ghost made an appearance and was a main character. I just didn’t get the point.

I appreciated that there were a lot of potential villains. That made the mystery more interesting. The downside for me was that there were very few likeable characters in the book.

If you are interested in the idea of a ghost that talks with the librarian, give this book a try. It wasn’t what I was expecting and just felt odd to me.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Angela, Carrie’s best friend and co-worker at the library, is getting married. Planning a wedding isn’t without drama, though. A fire at the restaurant hosting the bridal shower has Angela in tears. A quick email to the guests asking for recommendations solves the problem when Angela’s cousin Donna offers to host, contact the caterer, provide snacks besides, and have another cousin, Roxy, assist. The cousins can be overwhelming, even when helping.
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Image Source Crooked Lane
Donna’s husband, Aiden, is a popular surgeon. Roxy’s recently divorced and is leaning heavily on Aiden for support, perhaps more than necessary or appropriate. The shower was beautifully done, and Angela was pleased, all that mattered.

The wedding itself went smoothly, too. The ring bearer and flower girl remembered what to do, the guests behaved, Angela and Steve were radiantly happy, and what more could a couple ask? Of course, the reception would have been better if Angela’s brother hadn’t started an argument, but that was nothing compared to what happened as guests lined up at the dessert table. Aiden dropped dead, right into the chocolate fountain.

It wasn’t natural causes. He was murdered by a slow acting poison which could have been administered several days before the wedding. That made the list of suspects a lot longer. Besides guests at the wedding, Angela’s angry brother, the widow, the flirtatious cousin, the weeping nurse, the cousin’s ex who wanted to reunite, and any resentful patients must be considered, too.

Carrie’s been involved in murder cases before, much to the dismay of the police chief. Angela’s mom asks Carrie to investigate, in hopes that finding the truth and clearing the family of any involvement are one and the same.

Besides the investigation, Carrie’s busy with work, her library cat, Smoky Joe, and Evelyn, the library ghost asked Carrie to find her brother who skipped town fifteen years ago, destination unknown. Not enough? Carrie’s dad is coming to visit and bringing the girlfriend Carrie didn’t know he had.

This is book five in the series, one I always enjoy. Carrie and Dylan are moving at a nice pace, there’s a new guy in town, and Carrie’s about to take on even more responsibilities. Pay close attention to the characters as there are more than usual with relatives and spouses added. Look for book six next year.

This series has always been one that I keep up with because I enjoy the characters so much, particularly Evelyn, the library ghost. The mysteries are always solid and while Carrie actively investigates, she spends her time asking questions and not too much more. There was one TSTL moment in this one that really bothered me but otherwise another great mystery to solve with a satisfactory conclusion. While the mysteries are well-developed and the secondary storylines are also interesting, I have had enough of all the wedding talk and had hoped it would stop with Angela's wedding finally taking place but it seems like now, with Carrie constantly thinking about what it would be like to be married to Dylan, we're in for more of it in the coming books.

Just when I thought I had this figured out, the second murder threw me for a loop. Really fun story, lots of twists and turns. Kept me guessing right up to the end.

On the plus side the many secondary story lines had depth to the series, but they really slow down the book.

There were also some elements I didn't find helpful. Evelyn brings up a situation to Carrie and Carrie back burners it even after finding out the person is in bad shape. Someone pops up later on who played a role in Evelyn's problem and there's no resolution. Someone is framed but doesn't fight it supposedly for some reason that hasn't come up before. So much filler that causes questions because it's dropped.

As I mentioned in a previous review, the fact the Evelyn could be a live individual cuts the knees off this being a Haunted Library mystery. Literally any of the series characters that are "alive" could perform the role she does.

After reading two in a row, I would make this a second tier read for me, okay if my favorite series were all caught up to date.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Death On The Shelf
The Haunted Library Mystery, Book #5
Allison Brook
5 Stars

Synopsis:

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? (Goodreads)

Review:

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.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

This is book 5 in the Haunted Library series and it's a good addition. Carrie and her ghostly sidekick Evelyn, are trying to help best friend, Angela's wedding. At the wedding, Angela's cousin's husband drops dead while flirting with another cousin, Roxy. Now there are two dead family members and Carrie is determined that Angela won't be next. This book is a fun read and can be read as a stand alone. there's lots of catching up with previous characters and the library is doing well. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While this author is prolific in a number of genres, this is the first novel I have read by her. The heroine is Carrie, the head of programs and events at the local public library. While at the reception after the wedding of her best friend, a well liked local doctor falls over dead. Having previously solved mysteries, Carrie is on the case.

The narrative is a good balance of Carrie's personal life and the amateur sleuth investigation. We find there have been a number of affairs and hidden relationships between various people so there is a plethora of suspects. Carrie has to do lots of talking and thinking to narrow the field. There is not much suspense except at the very end. Brook's writing style is clear and entertaining.

I found this to be an enjoyable cozy mystery. It is definitely a woman's book as Carrie goes clothes shopping and does other activities of interest mostly to women. Carrie sort of stumbles into solving the crime so there is no great intellectual work involved. I found the ghost in the library amusing but did not feel it was an essential aspect to this murder mystery.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Death on the Self (A Haunted Library Mystery 5)


In book five of this wonderful series we find returning heroine Carrie Singleton up to her neck in wedding issues helping with her friend and fellow librarian Angela’s wedding! Evelyn needs Carrie’s assistance with a mystery, the mayor wants her to campaign for a counsel set and she has a murder to solve! Y’all Carrie’s so busy in this book I felt like offering her a whole pot of coffee!!

Angela receives a call her bridal shower location caught fire and won’t be able to host the gathering! In steps Carrie to the rescue, she’ll find a new location.
Angela’s snooty wealthy cousins Donna and Roxy offer to help out.

Carrie and the library gang turn out a wonderful party with only a
few issues noted. But later at the wedding Donna’s husband Aiden dies!

I love this book. I always notice how each somehow seems better than the prior. 5*****

Family, they can bring joy or stress, or possibly murder. Carrie is busy being the Maid of Honor who is organized and ready and constantly reassuring her BFF Angela, that everything will be okay. Keeping Angela calm becomes increasingly difficult with a murder at the wedding reception and a selection of suspects, many of which are relatives. This is such a busy and intriguing storyline that you can’t put the book down. Not nearly are busy as Carrie, who in addition to helping Miss Evelyn’s latest quest, considering being a part of the city council, and learning to be comfortable with the fact that her Dad works with her boyfriend. In addition to the excellent plot, there are some nice meals mentioned such as eggplant rollatini and double chocolate brownies.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Another fabulous entry into one of my favorite library cozy mystery series! Keep them coming! I love the strong sense of place and well developed characters. And of course there is the mystery element that I can never guess. What a treat!