Read and Gone

This is an entertaining, easy read about a 30-year-old librarian who solves mysteries in a small town. The second in the Haunted Library Mystery series, this book begins in the days leading up to Christmas and can be read as a stand-alone.

Carrie Singleton has settled in as the library's Events & Programs manager. She has made friends with some of the women she works with as well as the library's resident ghost. She rents a cute cottage from Dylan, an attractive single landlord with whom she is soon to be romantically involved. Her doting aunt and uncle live nearby, and her cat Smokey Joe comes with her to work each day. Everything is finally going well in Carrie's life when her long-lost and larcenous father turns up looking for gems he show more stole with the local jeweler years ago.

When the murders begin, Carrie believes she must find the murderer AND the twenty million dollars worth of missing gems before her father is put in prison once again. Several suspicious characters and various clues are sprinkled throughout the book so the reader can solve the crime along with Carrie.

In bringing Carrie's father into the story, the author provides some depth to Carrie's character as she deals with feelings of abandonment from her childhood. The family drama competes with the mystery to keep the reader guessing: Where are the stolen gems? Has someone else found them? Who is the murderer? Will Carrie and boyfriend Dylan get together? Has Carrie's father really changed his ways? Will all be solved by Christmas?

I received an advance reader's copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

Carrie’s long-lost dad shows up, not in a traditional way but by breaking into her cottage. There are some tense moments between them, since Carrie cannot forget all the hurt he has caused her, nor the fact that he is a thief. In fact, recovery of some stolen gems is what brought him to her town now. But the murder of one of his cohorts turns everything upside down, and she wonders who her father really is. This cozy is enhanced by the resident library ghost who offers advice to Carrie as well as information about the residents of the town. Well-written and quite interesting, this mystery is entertaining and the characters are believable, even the ghostly one who seems as real as when she was alive.

Read and Gone is the second cozy mystery in the Haunted Library Mystery series. Carrie Singleton is the head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge, CT library. She loves her job, even though the library comes with a special guest...the ghost of a former librarian, Evelyn. In this second mystery, Carrie is gearing up for the holiday season at the library, when her long-lost father shows up, begging her to help him. Jim Singleton is a crook and Carrie hasn't seen him in years. He tells a tale of a jewelry heist gone wrong and the local jeweler who refuses to give him his share of the take. Soon after, the jeweler is found murdered. Is her father a crook and a murderer? Or....is a dangerous criminal hanging around hoping to get the show more jewels they stole?

Read and Gone is an entertaining continuation of this new cozy series. I like the background theme of a haunted library. Evelyn is a hoot and a very helpful ghost when it comes to sleuthing. Smokey Joe is awesome as the designated library cat, of course. I like the characters in this series. Carrie is intelligent, creative and feisty when necessary. She is also kind -- she agreed to help her horrid father, even though he pretty much abandoned her in childhood. The mystery and sleuthing moved along at a nice pace, with plenty of investigation, suspects and twists. With Fall coming on, I really enjoyed reading a cozy with a ghostly element to it. :)

I will definitely be reading more of this series. It always provides a cozy, entertaining reading experience. Allison Brook is a pen-name of Author Marilyn Levinson. Levinson has published several books including A Murderer Among Us and Giving up the Ghost. I will be reading some of her other books while waiting for book 3 in this series! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

This was a fun and enjoyable cozy. It had a nice atmosphere, with the book largely taking place in the library and Carrie's charming cottage. I liked most of the characters and felt there were a good and varied mix of main and secondary characters. I even liked the little cat, Smokey Joe, which isn't normal for me as I'm a dog person. The story was pretty solid. It was well paced, and I hadn't figured the mystery out til the very end. My only complaint, and it's a tiny one, is that Carrie made some bad decisions - most cozy characters do, which often drives the story, but my issue was more her personal life decisions. She was very wishy washy with her boyfriend, and at times came across as immature. It wasn't a big thing, however, and show more didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and books with library settings. I look forward to reading more in the series. show less

This is the second in the Haunted Library series by Allison Brook. The series (and the characters) have great potential but I didn't like this second one nearly as much as I liked the first one, [Death Overdue]. Carrie Singleton, the head of her library's programs and events, gets back into sleuthing once again, of course, but her father the thief is back and staying with her. The plot seemed to drag for me and, while I love Christmas-themed mysteries, this one could've used more Christmas.

I'm certainly going to continue with this series but I hope the next one picks up. For now, this one earns a middling grade, 3.5 stars, from me.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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 show more 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. show less

This was a fun mystery, with a lot of probable suspects and a few red herrings to boot. When Carrie Singleton's dad shows up, her life goes every which way. Jim is rarely around to be much of a dad, and she is immediately conflicted with how much she should help him with a little task that may be slightly on the sketchy side. I enjoyed Evelyn's gentle presence at the library and how many of the characters are coming into their own. I was a bit surprised by the time I got to the end, but it was definitely a good read.