Hello, there! So nice to meet you. If I come across as agitated it’s ’cause I am. I am super anxious because my wedding is in two weeks. I’m not worried about being married. I love Steve and he loves me. I’ve been looking forward to my wedding for ages, and I want everything to be perfect on that special day. But I just know something bad is going to happen.

I work in the Clover Ridge Library at the circulation desk. You may have heard of my best friend, Carrie Singleton, who is head of programs and events at the library because she’s solved a bunch of murder mysteries. Carrie and three of our colleagues arranged a bridal shower for me in a lovely restaurant. But five days before the shower the place burned down! A portent of worse things to come.

Carrie and the others made calls, telling the guests of the situation. Carrie was excited when she gave me the news that the bridal shower was on, after all! My cousin Donna had offered her home. And Roxy, another of our cousins, would also act as hostess.

I could have sat down and bawled when Carrie gave me this news. My cousins Donna and Roxy are older than me and have always intimidated me. Not on purpose, but they’re both beautiful and savvy and sophisticated, and I feel awkward and tongue-tied when I’m with them. Of course, I haven’t spent much time with them recently, but I’m sure nothing has changed.

And that’s where I am right now—at my bridal shower. I’m sitting around a large table with my female friends and relatives in my cousin Donna’s upscale, gorgeous house. I have to admit that Donna and Roxy have both been very gracious and are doing everything they can to help make my bridal shower a success. They have been close friends forever, but there’s a streak of competition that runs through their relationship. Donna is married to a doctor and has two adorable little children. Roxy has recently gotten divorced—from a doctor.

We’ve just eaten our main meal and are about to have dessert when the door opens and Aiden, Donna’s husband, comes into the house. I let out a gasp and Carrie turns to ask me what’s wrong. When I tell her my brother’s with Aiden, Carrie understands. She knows that Tommy has anger issues and was abusive towards me when we were growing up, something my parents refused to believe. I’m so glad he moved to California where he produces movies, and I wish he hadn’t come east to get backers for his latest movie. Now my brother’s frowning so I know he doesn’t want to be here. But he’ll control his temper because he wants Aiden to put money into his next film.

Aiden comes over to congratulates me. He’s handsome, all right, and as sweet and kind as he is good looking. When I introduce him to my friends, he makes each one feel special in turn. And now Roxy has come to stand next to Aiden. She takes him by the arm and leads him to a seat further down the table. Right next to where she’s sitting. I notice how close their heads are as they talk. I notice Donna staring at her husband and her cousin, and I worry something bad is about to happen.

Death on the Shelf, A Haunted Library Mystery #5
Genre: Cozy
Release: November 2021
Purchase Link

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?

About the author
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 and the Twin Lakes series. Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place.

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