Dewey Decimated
Carrie Singleton is just off a hot string of murder cases centered around the spooky local library in Clover Ridge, Connecticut. She could really use a break from murder and construction, but no such luck, as she; Smoky Joe, the resident cat; and Evelyn, the library’s ghost, is drawn into another tantalizing whodunit, and Dylan’s uncle Alec is at the center of the investigation.
First, a dead body is found in the basement of the building attached to the library, and it turns out to be Carrie’s fiancé’s Uncle Alec, who Dylan hasn’t seen in years. But Alec has no intention of truly checking out, and his ghost makes itself at home in the library, greatly upsetting the patrons. Carrie and Evelyn work hard to keep Alec out of sight, but what was he doing in Clover Ridge, to begin with? And why was he killed?
Meanwhile, the town council, of which Carrie is also a member, is embroiled in a hot-headed debate over the fate of the Seabrook Preserve, a lovely and valuable piece of property that runs along Long Island Sound. Turn it into an upscale park? Sell it to a condo developer? Or keep it as protected land? As the dispute rages, there’s another murder, this time involving a council member. Could the two murders be connected? And could Carrie be next on the hit list?
The Details
Series: A Haunted Library Mystery – Book #6
Author: Allison Brook
Genre/Category: Cozy – Library/Paranormal
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1639100903
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
The “A Haunted Library Mystery” series improves with each additional book. In Dewey Decimated, Carrie may need to fear for her life after several murders keep leading back to the city council, of which she is a part. But when the body of her fiancé’s uncle Alec is discovered in the building next to the library during construction, the evidence suggests that the deaths have less to do with the city council and more to do with the past.
Family and history play a big part in this story. Finding the body of uncle Alec allows Carrie to get involved in the investigation into his death and the next victim’s demise. The construction is giving everyone at the library a headache and might have something to do with underhanded business practices and the killings. Plenty of red herrings and twists help readers discover the murderer of the uncle and take them on a few hours of enthusiastic daydreaming. There is a good amount of action and no end to the suspect list. When the killer is unmasked, readers will be relieved and possibly surprised.
This story will have readers contemplating their distant relatives and how they may have played a part in shaping their families’ past and future. Uncle Alec is an anxious ghost with memory problems that leaves Evelyn jumping through hoops. The construction on the building next door, once complete, will give the library even more room for everything, which will help this series continue to flourish. Dewey Decimated has a group of fun characters, romance, intrigue, and the always delightful Smoky Joe. It introduces us to uncle Alec who, by the end of the story, you have come to really like. And then there are the politics of life within a community where nothing is secret for long, and everyone knows your business to deal with. This story could be ripped from headlines in any small-town newspaper with the added element of the paranormal. And the best part for me is we finally find out why Evelyn, who has been dead for quite some time, is still hanging around! This book will captivate readers from start to finish.
The Author
A former Spanish teacher, Allison Brook, writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for young readers. She loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her grandchildren, Olivia and Jack, on FaceTime. She lives on Long Island with Sammy, her feisty red cat. She also writes under the name Marilyn Levinson.
Another book in the “A Haunted Library Mystery” series readers will enjoy is Checked Out for Murder or Read and Gone.
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