Booked on Murder (A Haunted Library Mystery) by Allison Brook
~ About Booked on Murder ~
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.’
~ Author Guest Post ~
Though I’ve never met a ghost, I’ve read enough about ghost sightings and hauntings to believe they exist. Experts in the field say some spirits remain earthbound because they’ve experienced a brutal or sudden death and don’t realize they’re dead. Others remain here because they have unfinished business or issues they need to resolve before passing on. Ghosts, whether you believe in them or not, have a permanent place in our literary lore. Readers find their manifestations unnerving, thrilling and intriguing. I include ghosts in some of my books.
As you would expect from the title, there are a few ghosts in my Haunted Library series. Evelyn Havers,a ghostly figure in her sixties, used to be an aide in the Clover Ridge Library where my sleuth Carrie Singleton works. In fact, it is Evelyn who urges Carrie to consider accepting the position of head of programs and events instead of leaving town as planned.After getting over her shock that a ghost has spoken to her, Carrie accepts the job offer. Carrie and her little cousin, it turns out, are the only people who can see and talk to Evelyn.
Evelyn helps Carrie ease in to her new position, and soon she is helping Carrie solve the murder of a retired police lieutenant who has come to talk about a cold case he now believes he's solved and is poisoned in front of his audience. Evelyn knows the people of Clover Ridge and many of their secrets. She provides Carrie with vital information, and together they analyze clues. However, when Evelyn fears that her niece, the unpleasant reference librarian who resents Carrie, might be the murderer, she withholds valuable information, at least temporarily.
Carrie and Evelyn continue to solve murders. Carrie even uncovers the real facts of Evelyn's death in the library parking lot one cold and icy night.Their relationship deepens, and as the day of Carrie and Dylan's wedding approaches, Evelyn tells Carrie she is the daughter her husband and she never had.
The library acquires the adjoining building for a much needed expansion. The building is derelict and requires a complete renovation. A body wrapped in a blanket is discovered in the basement. When a worker breaks through the joining wall, the dead man's ghost enters the library. Unlike Evelyn, this ghost can be seen in a ghostly form. Agitated and disoriented, he causes a stir in the library, fluttering pages and knocking books from shelves. Carrie and Evelyn quickly whisk him to the library attic that's rarely used so he won't disturb the patrons. The ghost turns out to be Dylan's uncle Alec. Carrie and Evelyn identify Alec's murderer and Evelyn helps him move on. Evelyn remains in Clover Ridge,continuing to oversee the well being of the town and its residents.
When Carrie and Dylan are looking to buy a home, Carrie's great aunt and uncle suggest they look at a house quite close to the Singleton Farm where Carrie used to visit when she and her brother were young. Though the house is beautiful and in good condition, it has been on the market for three years. Carrie and Dylan soon find out why. Two little ghost girls occupy the house and have been frightening prospective buyers. But they don't scare Carrie, or even Dylan who knows of Evelyn's existence and has spoken to his uncle in his ghostly form. Carrie and Dylan decide to buy the house, and the little girls can't wait for them to move in. Carrie has told them she'll get Evelyn to help them move on.
Do you know of other series that have characters that are ghosts?
About Allison Brook
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she 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, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her romantic suspense, Come Home to Death, was released on April 30, 2024, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025.
Marilyn's juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children's Book Council Children's Choice and recently appeared in a new edition. And Don't Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil's Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.
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This looks likeva very good read. Thanks for sharing.
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