Death Overdue by Allison Brook is the first book in the NEW “Haunted Library” mystery series. Publisher: Crooked Lane Books, October 2017

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she’s offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie’s determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it’s the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura’s case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it’s due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook.

This was a fun book to read and I enjoyed the pacing and the ease of how this drama moved from chapter to chapter. The mystery was nicely done and the author did a great job in presenting the suspects and clues to keep me glued to the pages. Every time I thought I had a handle on the killer, the author changed direction which added to how well this story was being told. The characters were well-developed and the narrative put me in the middle of all the action. Boasting a likeable cast and engaging dialogue, this was a good introduction to this debut series.