Dollycas's Thoughts
The story starts out with a nice housewarming party with friends and lots of food, then everything goes crazy ð Carrie wakes up to find an intruder in her house that turns out to be Jim, her father. He is only there for one thing, Carrie's help to get back his share of gems from a heist from several years ago. His partner in crime, Benton Parr, a local jeweler, agreed to hide the loot until Jim came for it. Well, Jim wants it and hopes Carrie smooth the way. Carrie agrees to contact the man to get her dad out of her house.
But, the next time she hears from her dad it is to get him out of jail. Benton Parr was murdered and good ole' dad was found standing over the body. If that isn't enough, Carrie learns that the case her new boyfriend Dylan is working on is recovering the very same gems her father had stolen. Was he only leading her on to track down her father? Did he only rent to her in the hopes her dad would drop by? Bad enough, Dylan travels so much for his job, was he avoiding her or was he really working? Is anything about their relationship real?
Carrie's whole life has been turned inside out. Thankfully she can escape to her job at the library with Smokey Joe. Maybe she will be able to track down the gems herself. What does that mean for her relationship with Dylan? What will that mean to the relationship with her dad? Does she want to have a relationship with her dad?
OMG! I started this book and I couldn't put it down. I stayed up until early in the morning to finish it all in one sitting.
The first couple of chapters felt off, forced, not what I expected from this author. I was worried. But then the story started to flow and the author exceeded my expectations.
The characters in this series are so clearly written. Carrie, her aunt, and uncle are so genuine. They try to see the best in everyone and are truly there for each other. Her dad returning is quite a shock but his brother and his wife take him in for a while until he moves in with Carrie. Evelyn is a unique character in that, she is a ghost. A very well dressed and coiffed ghost, who appears in the most opportune moments and can only be seen by Carrie and one other person. She gives Carrie âfood for thoughtâ and adds a few laughs to the story. I had an aunt the was named Evelyn and the Evelyn in this story reminds me very much of her. She passed on several years ago and to my knowledge she doesn't haunt anyone though. ð Carrie's cat Smokey Joe has become the library cat. The patrons love him. As for Dylan, he gets in some hot water with Carrie this time and in my mind, he deserves being there.
The author takes these wonderful characters and twists and turns them around in a marvelous mystery. There is a treasure trove of suspects, the man had enemies. His family and a few âfriendsâ had means, motive, and opportunity. Carrie's dad is the perfect suspect but she knows he is being set up. There is a very well embedded subplot to the story that adds interest too, how it ended both warmed and broke my heart.
Christmastime in Clover Ridge, Connecticut sounds absolutely delightful. There are plenty of programs at the library including carolers and choirs performing. Carrie is doing very well in her job as the head of programs and events and the town is very happy she decided to make her home in Clover Ridge.
This story reads very well on its own, but if you haven't read Death Overdue, it has a Halloween theme and there is no time like the present to start this series from the beginning so you can get to know Carrie and the residents of Clover Ridge from the start.
I highly recommend this one. Be sure to plan accordingly, you may have a late night and a book hangover the next day, but it is so worth it!
The story starts out with a nice housewarming party with friends and lots of food, then everything goes crazy ð Carrie wakes up to find an intruder in her house that turns out to be Jim, her father. He is only there for one thing, Carrie's help to get back his share of gems from a heist from several years ago. His partner in crime, Benton Parr, a local jeweler, agreed to hide the loot until Jim came for it. Well, Jim wants it and hopes Carrie smooth the way. Carrie agrees to contact the man to get her dad out of her house.
But, the next time she hears from her dad it is to get him out of jail. Benton Parr was murdered and good ole' dad was found standing over the body. If that isn't enough, Carrie learns that the case her new boyfriend Dylan is working on is recovering the very same gems her father had stolen. Was he only leading her on to track down her father? Did he only rent to her in the hopes her dad would drop by? Bad enough, Dylan travels so much for his job, was he avoiding her or was he really working? Is anything about their relationship real?
Carrie's whole life has been turned inside out. Thankfully she can escape to her job at the library with Smokey Joe. Maybe she will be able to track down the gems herself. What does that mean for her relationship with Dylan? What will that mean to the relationship with her dad? Does she want to have a relationship with her dad?
OMG! I started this book and I couldn't put it down. I stayed up until early in the morning to finish it all in one sitting.
The first couple of chapters felt off, forced, not what I expected from this author. I was worried. But then the story started to flow and the author exceeded my expectations.
The characters in this series are so clearly written. Carrie, her aunt, and uncle are so genuine. They try to see the best in everyone and are truly there for each other. Her dad returning is quite a shock but his brother and his wife take him in for a while until he moves in with Carrie. Evelyn is a unique character in that, she is a ghost. A very well dressed and coiffed ghost, who appears in the most opportune moments and can only be seen by Carrie and one other person. She gives Carrie âfood for thoughtâ and adds a few laughs to the story. I had an aunt the was named Evelyn and the Evelyn in this story reminds me very much of her. She passed on several years ago and to my knowledge she doesn't haunt anyone though. ð Carrie's cat Smokey Joe has become the library cat. The patrons love him. As for Dylan, he gets in some hot water with Carrie this time and in my mind, he deserves being there.
The author takes these wonderful characters and twists and turns them around in a marvelous mystery. There is a treasure trove of suspects, the man had enemies. His family and a few âfriendsâ had means, motive, and opportunity. Carrie's dad is the perfect suspect but she knows he is being set up. There is a very well embedded subplot to the story that adds interest too, how it ended both warmed and broke my heart.
Christmastime in Clover Ridge, Connecticut sounds absolutely delightful. There are plenty of programs at the library including carolers and choirs performing. Carrie is doing very well in her job as the head of programs and events and the town is very happy she decided to make her home in Clover Ridge.
This story reads very well on its own, but if you haven't read Death Overdue, it has a Halloween theme and there is no time like the present to start this series from the beginning so you can get to know Carrie and the residents of Clover Ridge from the start.
I highly recommend this one. Be sure to plan accordingly, you may have a late night and a book hangover the next day, but it is so worth it!
Read and Gone by Allison Brook is the second novel in A Haunted Library Mystery series. Carrie Singleton is the head of Programs and Events at Clover Ridge Public Library and has settled into her new life quite nicely. Tired after hosting a combination birthday and housewarming party, Carrie drifts off to sleep. She is awakened in the middle of the night when someone breaks into her cottage. It turns out to be her estranged father, Jim Singleton. Jim has been gone most of Carrie's life making a living as a thief. He needs Carrie's help in recovering his half of $7 million dollars in jewels from his last heist. His partner, local jeweler, Benton Parr is holding the goods and not responding to his queries. Carrie, of course, refuses and Jim disappears into the night. Benton Parr gives a lecture at the library that evening and the next morning Carrie receives a call from Lt. John Mathers. Benton Parr was found dead in his shop by an employee and Jim Singleton just happened to be there trying to get into the safe. Turns out that Carrie's boyfriend, Dylan Avery is the insurance investigator tasked with tracking down the stolen gems (oh dear). Carrie sets out to find the gems and Benton Parr's killer. Someone, though, is not happy with Carrie's sleuthing and attempts to take her out of the game (they do not know Carrie very well). Will Carrie be able to wrap up the case before Christmas?
Read and Gone may be the second book in A Haunted Library Mystery series, but it can be read alone. The author provides all the information a reader needs on Carrie and what occurred in Death Overdue. Read and Gone can be confusing in the beginning as the author overloads readers by introducing them to numerous characters (it gets easier after the party). I do like that the author has taken the time to establish Carrie as a character. However, Carrie was on a pity party in this book regarding her father and Dylan which made her unappealing. I believe therapy would be beneficial. Read and Gone has a charming small-town, friendly characters, a frisky feline, and an elderly ghost. Carrie's great aunt and uncle are sweet, caring people. Carrie needs to spend more time with them (establish a family dinner night). Evelyn Havers, the ghost, is my favorite character. I wish she had been included more into the story. I would like to see Evelyn be Carrie's partner in crime solving. The Clover Ridge Public Library is a place where I would like to hang out. It is wonderful that they have so many activities for their patrons, but I am baffled how a small town can afford such a large staff. The mystery begins with Jim, the jewels and the dead jeweler. The corpses begin to stack up as more people begin digging around for the elusive gems. I would have appreciated a good twist since I accurately identified the killer very early in the story. It is a good thing that Smokey Joe is getting exercise at the library chasing those mice considering the amount of food he has been eating. I was worried the little fellow would ingest tinsel from Carrie's tree (tinsel and cats are not a good combination). If you are looking for an entertaining cozy mystery with friendly characters and an adorable cat, then look no further than Read and Gone.
Read and Gone may be the second book in A Haunted Library Mystery series, but it can be read alone. The author provides all the information a reader needs on Carrie and what occurred in Death Overdue. Read and Gone can be confusing in the beginning as the author overloads readers by introducing them to numerous characters (it gets easier after the party). I do like that the author has taken the time to establish Carrie as a character. However, Carrie was on a pity party in this book regarding her father and Dylan which made her unappealing. I believe therapy would be beneficial. Read and Gone has a charming small-town, friendly characters, a frisky feline, and an elderly ghost. Carrie's great aunt and uncle are sweet, caring people. Carrie needs to spend more time with them (establish a family dinner night). Evelyn Havers, the ghost, is my favorite character. I wish she had been included more into the story. I would like to see Evelyn be Carrie's partner in crime solving. The Clover Ridge Public Library is a place where I would like to hang out. It is wonderful that they have so many activities for their patrons, but I am baffled how a small town can afford such a large staff. The mystery begins with Jim, the jewels and the dead jeweler. The corpses begin to stack up as more people begin digging around for the elusive gems. I would have appreciated a good twist since I accurately identified the killer very early in the story. It is a good thing that Smokey Joe is getting exercise at the library chasing those mice considering the amount of food he has been eating. I was worried the little fellow would ingest tinsel from Carrie's tree (tinsel and cats are not a good combination). If you are looking for an entertaining cozy mystery with friendly characters and an adorable cat, then look no further than Read and Gone.
