Carrie is bogged down trying to find the perfect venue for her wedding, but it doesn’t stop her from investigating a murder . . . or two. The owner of an art gallery is found murdered, and it’s not long before Carrie’s sleuthing, aided by her PI husband and the library’s resident ghost, unearths some terrible secrets about the deceased. Forged paintings and even the underworld figure in the not-so-cozy mystery. It’s another fine addition to the series. The setting of a much loved library in a quaint town is well described, and the characters are quite likable (well, most of them) and seem like real people. It would a wonderful place to live, even with the occasional murder. ( )

Overdue Or Die is the seventh book in The Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook.

Carrie and Dylan have been busy working on their plans for their wedding. They’ve been researching various venues but haven’t found one they can agree on. They put the search on hold as Dylan had to go to Chicago to settle his late great-uncle’s estate and pick up a valuable Terrance Haggerty painting. While Dylan is on his way to Chicago, Carrie learns that her Great-Uncle Bosco has been admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

At the library, the staff is getting ready for the opening of the recently completed renovation of the building next to the library. This addition will provide more meeting rooms, an auditorium, and a room to display artworks that will be loaned to the library. Also of concern to Carrie is that the owner of an art gallery in town, Martha Mallory, is trying to hire away Carrie’s valuable employee, Susan. The opening of a new addition doesn’t go off without a hitch, though. An elderly lady later learned to be suffering from dementia, stands at the beginning of the celebration and claims she owns the building. A quick investigation proves her to be wrong.

After Dylan returns, they visit Victor Zelinka’s beautiful estate to select artwork from his collection, which will be displayed at the library. Carrie thinks his home is gorgeous and would be perfect for their wedding. After leaving, Dylan confides with Carrie that some paintings are forgeries, particularly a Terrence Haggerty painting. When Martha is found murdered in her art gallery and some mobsters arrive in town, Dylan believes there may be an art forgery ring at work in Clover Ridge. Martha had worked at the library with the library’s resident ghost, Evelyn, who asks Carrie to look into the death of Martha.

As Carrie and Dylan begin investigating, they find an art forgery ring working in Clover Ridge, but it’s unclear who it is or how widespread it is. They will soon find no shortage of suspects.

The book is an exciting addition to this wonderful series. I found the book to be well-written and plotted. There is a wonderful cast of very believable and well-developed characters. I particularly like Evelyn, the library’s resident ghost. Evelyn’s appearance was a bit light in this book, but she still brought a smile to my face.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this great series. ( )

Carrie Singleton is really busy in this seventh Haunted Library Mystery. The new wing is opening. She's trying to find a venue for her wedding. She's worried about losing her best assistant to the local art gallery. And she has three murders to solve.

A local art dealer is murdered in her shop which leads to an art forgery ring. Dylan has spotted a forgery at the home of Victor Zalinka who has a wonderful art collection. In fact, he will be showcasing some of his collection in the library's new gallery.

Then an elderly lady with dementia is murdered. She's the same lady who disrupted the dedication ceremony of the new wing by claiming that the building belonged to her. Evelyn, the library ghost, is encouraging Carrie to find her murderer since Evelyn knew and liked her when she was alive.

This story was filled with twists and turns and with lots of suspicious characters who have all sorts of hidden relationships with each other. I like the way Carrie manages to gather clues and share them with the police.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this episode. New readers will find great characters and an interesting plot. ( )

library-cat, library, librarian, family, friendship, friends, relatives, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, ghosts, suspense, art-theft, detective, swindles, angst, art-forgery, series, private-investigators****

Carrie is a librarian who is engaged to Dylan (who is a Private Investigator specializing in art thefts) and in the midst of planning their wedding. Then her beloved uncle has a heart attack, Dylan gets beaten and left in a parking lot in Chicago while a valuable painting is stolen from him, the library has an Open House for their new building but it goes awry, and local art gallery manager Martha gets murdered. Let the sleuthing begin! Lots of suspects, plot twists, and red herrings along with some sly humor. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Crooked Lane Books. Thank you! ( )

Carrie Singleton is trying to find time to plan her wedding to Dylan Avery, the owner of a private investigation firm. But she's also wondering if her employee Susan is going to be poached by the owner of a local art gallery. In between this, an art collector, Victor Zalinka, is willing to offer several of his paintings for a show at the library.

But more is happening in Carrie's life: there's a problem with her Uncle Bosco, and she's worried about him; and Dylan has to travel once more to retrieve a painting his late uncle left for him. So, Carrie is manning everything by herself without trying to feel overwhelmed, even if it's hard to do. Then, the owner of the art gallery, Martha Mallory, is found dead; bludgeoned with a heavy object, and of course the first suspect is her husband Ron. But when he turns out to have an alibi, Carrie once again tries to find out who the murderer might be. Was it a wannabe artist who has a bad past and disliked her? Was it the son of a noted mob boss? Or could it have been someone Carrie never even suspected in the first place...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all. I loved this one even more than the last. While we watch Carrie's angst at planning her wedding, we also see that she can handle stress and multitask like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is no tomorrow for the dead woman, and Carrie only hopes that her employee Susan isn't involved in the murder. While Evelyn, the library ghost, offers cryptic clues and pushes Carrie to solve Martha's murder, Carrie soon finds that the list grows with every day. But what surprises her is actually a surprise about Martha, and this revelation brings more doubt and even more suspects. For Carrie, the truth isn't going to be easy, and no matter what she does, she discovers that she might have her eye on the wrong people.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is a cold day indeed; one that brings us to realize just how one of the Seven Deadly Sins can cause murder and distrust. This story is not only well-written, it is done with aplomb and intrigue, and kept me reading in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )