REVIEW: Buried in the Stacks

Buried in the Stacks
Author: Allison Brook

I enjoy the Haunted Library cozy series. The idea of a librarian that not only supplies the local library cat, but also gets visited at work by the resident ghost is cute and entertaining. Why shouldn't a library be haunted by a prior librarian? That's real dedication to a career! Evelyn Havers loved the library, so why shouldn't she stick around? The ghost is woven into the plot so well in each book that the paranormal portion of the plot isn't cheesy or over-the-top....just fun. I like the quirky Clover Ridge side characters and the fact that it took awhile for locals to accept the "new girl.'' So true.....small towns can be so clique-ish. "You're not from around here'' really is a thing. I would imagine it's even more so when dead bodies start stacking up. The minute Carrie Singleton showed up in Clover Ridge....cue the murders. I can see why the local police started giving her some serious side eye from the start!

Buried in the Stacks is the 3rd mystery in the series. A local group bought a house to help local homeless people have shelter in the winter. During the day, the homeless have taken to hanging out at the library. There have been some altercations in the reading room and the locals seem nervous around the homeless. It's becoming a bit of a volatile situation. Carrie is being kept busy by her new position as Sunshine Delegate -- the library employee who visits sick and hospitalized library employees. When her least favorite co-worker is injured in a fall, she gets sucked into delivering her books at home and listening to her pain-killer induced rant about being afraid of her husband, who pushed her down causing her injury. Later when the woman is killed in a car accident, it's pretty evident she was run off the road. Carrie learns her coworker was not just a hard person to work with, but she had some pretty bad behavior in her personal life as well. Behavior that might explain why she was killed. The case might also solve the question of who killed resident library ghost Evelyn as well....   Despite not liking the deceased much, Carrie is on the case.....again.

This is another well-written, entertaining story in this series. I like the character development in each book. Carrie has come a long way! And so have the residents of Clover Ridge. I was a bit surprised at the murder victim in this newest story.....but I can't say I will miss the character. There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of this book.....Carrie's life is about to get a bit...complicated for awhile. :) Makes me sad I have to wait awhile to read the next book in this series!

I think the side plot of a small town dealing with homelessness was interesting and so true. It isn't a large city problem anymore....it happens everywhere.

Allison Brook is a pseudonym for author Marilyn Levinson. Levinson has written several mystery novels....I will fill in the time til the next Haunted Library mystery by reading more of her books! :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**