Homeless people are a concern for the librarians, who want to allow them access to the library when they have to leave the shelter where they sleep. But because some of their regular patrons are upset by a ruckus caused by a couple of the younger homeless men, they want to find them a place to be during the day, but that is proving to be difficult task. Adding to Carrie’s distress is the death of one her coworkers, a person much disliked by many people. It’s murder for sure, but list of possible perpetrators is lengthy. Carrie is determined to get to the bottom of this case, but keeping herself from harm is going to be difficult. It’s another entertaining installment in this well-written and imaginative series. The characters are interesting, especially the library’s ghost, and the mystery is a good one. ( )

In winter, the Haunted Library is a refuge for homeless townspeople. When a group purchases a vacant house to establish a daytime haven for the homeless, Carrie offers the library as a meeting place for the Haven House committee, but quickly learns that it may be used for illegal activities.

As the new Sunshine Delegate, Carrie heads to the hospital to visit her cantankerous colleague, Dorothy, who had fallen outside the local supermarket. She tells Carrie that her husband tried to kill her—and that he murdered her Aunt Evelyn, the library's resident ghost, six years earlier.

And then Dorothy is murdered—run off the road as soon as she returns to work. Evelyn implores Carrie to find her niece's killer, but that's no easy task: Dorothy had made a hobby of blackmailing her neighbors and colleagues. Carrie, Evelyn, and Smoky Joe the cat are on the case, but are the library cards stacked against them?

A fun, quick mystery with more humour than I expected!

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ( )

Buried in the Stacks by Allison Brooke
This is the third book in The Haunted Library Mysteries series.

Carrie Singleton is a Librarian at Clover Ridge and is good at her job. Apart from her very young cousin, Carrie can see and speak with the library resident ghost, Evelyn.
There is a problem with the homeless entering and staying in the library for extended stays, which some of the locals don’t care for. But it is winter and very cold.
When a local lost her purse, the finger were pointed to the homeless couple who at one time were respected citizens of Clover Ridge. With the help of Carrie, the homeless situation was eventually taken care of.
Dorothy, Carrie’s co worker was in hospital after she slipped on black ice. Not all ends well with Dorothy.
I have a few favorite cozy mysteries and this series is on my top three.
The characters are all life like. The situation regarding the homeless is sadly true and I was happy to see the author had this in her book.
This is a captivating book that had my attention from start to end and I am looking forward to reading the fourth book not to mention excited to see what crime Carrie solves. ( )

This one was very good! It's pretty rare in cozy to write off a main supporting cast! ( )

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.**
( )

First, let me say that I haven't read the other books in this series and I had no problem following the story. Would like to read the other books though just to flesh it all out. It was a very entertaining read. I used to work in a library so naturally I loved the setting. We didn't have a ghost that I know of though! LOL! The characters are wonderful, even the ones you don't like. The homeless using the library during the winter is definitely on point and it really highlights the problems they face due to stereotypes and prejudices. All in all, a really good cozy!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it. ( )

Buried In The Stacks is the third book in the A Haunted Library Mystery series.

Winter is upon the residents of Clover Ridge and walking is quite treacherous. Research librarian, Dorothy, has gone grocery shopping and as she is loading her purchases into she falls and injures herself and is hospitalized. Carrie, having been recently appointed Sunshine Chairman for the library she has to put aside her feelings for her nemesis and visits with Dorothy at the hospital. While talking Dorothy shares with Carrie that she is sure her husband, Fred pushed her. Soon he is released from the hospital and returns to work. Shortly after returning to work, she leaves the library and as she is driving home she is forced off the road and dies in the wreckage. Even though she says that she isn’t going to investigate, she can’t help to give it some thought. One thing she needs to think about is Evelyn, Dorothy and the library’s resident ghost that only Carrie and her niece can see. She slipped like Dorothy and ended up freezing to death. She begins to wonder if they are somehow related.

Meanwhile, at the library, with the cold weather, the homeless don’t have any place to go and have been using the library as a place to stay warm during the day and have been making excess noise in the normally quiet library. Carrie soon learns that a group of residents is raising monies to purchase a home and make it into a place for homeless to stay during the day. But soon there seems to problems raising the money needed and questions about the real reason the home is being refurbished. Now Carrie has several suspects to think about. On the positive side, it appears that Carrie’s boyfriend, Dylan, will be moving back in the area.

Once again Alison Brook has provided the reader with a well-plotted and told story with well-developed and believable characters.

I will be watching for the next book in this interesting series.Buried In The Stacks is the third book in the A Haunted Library Mystery series.

Winter is upon the residents of Clover Ridge and walking is quite treacherous. Research librarian, Dorothy, has gone grocery shopping and as she is loading her purchases into she falls and injures herself and is hospitalized. Carrie, having been recently appointed Sunshine Chairman for the library she has to put aside her feelings for her nemesis and visits with Dorothy at the hospital. While talking Dorothy shares with Carrie that she is sure her husband, Fred pushed her. Soon he is released from the hospital and returns to work. Shortly after returning to work, she leaves the library and as she is driving home she is forced off the road and dies in the wreckage. Even though she says that she isn’t going to investigate, she can’t help to give it some thought. One thing she needs to think about is Evelyn, Dorothy and the library’s resident ghost that only Carrie and her niece can see. She slipped like Dorothy and ended up freezing to death. She begins to wonder if they are somehow related.

Meanwhile, at the library, with the cold weather, the homeless don’t have any place to go and have been using the library as a place to stay warm during the day and have been making excess noise in the normally quiet library. Carrie soon learns that a group of residents is raising monies to purchase a home and make it into a place for homeless to stay during the day. But soon there seems to problems raising the money needed and questions about the real reason the home is being refurbished. Now Carrie has several suspects to think about. On the positive side, it appears that Carrie’s boyfriend, Dylan, will be moving back in the area.

Once again Alison Brook has provided the reader with a well-plotted and told story with well-developed and believable characters.

I will be watching for the next book in this interesting series. ( )

Buried in the Stacks is the third book in A Haunted Library Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. Carrie Singleton finds herself becoming the library’s new Sunshine Delegate and involved in a group trying to establish a daytime sanctuary for the homeless population in Clover Ridge. When Dorothy Hawkins, the tetchy reference librarian, ends up dead, the library’s resident ghost & Dorothy’s aunt, Evelyn asks Carrie to find the guilty party. I found Buried in the Stacks to be easy to read. Carrie has certainly changed from when she first appeared on the scene with her colorful hair and a wardrobe more suited to rock concert than a library. She has settled into her cottage, has Smoky Joe (her cat), dating Dylan, and getting involved in community events. With the homeless population needing a daytime facility (where they can read books, play games, crochet, etc.), a group of local citizens bought a home they are going to turn into Haven House. Carrie joins the members, but she soon learns that some citizens have ulterior motives. I like how the author deals with the topic of homeless. She shows that they are not anonymous people that should be ignored. They have fallen on hard times and just need a little extra help. As with any group of people, there are various types of personalities. Dorothy Hawkins ends up dead and her aunt, Evelyn (the library’s resident ghost) is upset. I am shocked that some individuals were not doing a little jig and singing “Ding dong the witch is dead” when the news was announced. Dorothy was an unlikeable woman who collected secrets and used them to her advantage which leads to a long list of suspects. It is amazing that Dorothy lived as long as she did. While identifying the guilty party is a walk in the park, I did like that a cold case gets solved in the process. Carrie did not seem as involved in solving Dorothy’s death as she did in what was happening with Haven House. She took some unnecessary risks that did not yield good results. I would have liked the story to have more focus on Dorothy’s murder with less repetition of case details. I do not know why people keep warning Carrie to not investigate, as with any cozy mystery sleuth, she cannot help herself. I am curious how the title related to the book since no one was buried or trapped beneath a pile of books. Buried in the Stacks is a haunting cozy mystery a chubby cat, a sweet spirit, deceptive do-gooders, an irascible reference librarian and pugnacious patrons. ( )

Carrie Singleton, librarian, has been persuaded to take on the task of being the Sunshine delegate for the library. Her first assignment is to visit Dorothy who slipped on ice in the grocery store parking lot. This makes for an interesting visit since Dorothy and Carrie don't get along, however, Dorothy confides in Carrie that she thinks her husband is trying to kill her so Carrie is a bit more sympathetic. After returning to work, Dorothy is run off the road and dies. Carrie feels that she owes it to Dorothy to find out who did this. Evelyn, the library ghost is also anxious to know since Dorothy was her niece and Dorothy believed that whoever was trying to kill her also killed her aunt.

At the same time as Carrie is trying to discover who had it in for Dorothy, she is also working with a group that is trying to create a facility for the homeless to use during the winter days rather than spending their daytime hours in the library.

It was very interesting how the two story-lines were woven together and especially the resolution. Love the characters especially Evelyn and Smokey Joe the cat. ( )

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing a review copy of this eBook. The views expressed are my own.
Full-time librarian and amateur detective Carrie Singleton is prodded to investigate the suspicious death of a fellow librarian by the ghost of the victim's aunt. Dorothy Hawkins, the reference librarian in the Clover Ridge public library, is hated or feared by almost everyone in town. There's not much sadness when she is killed in a suspicious car crash that looks to be a deliberate attack on her. However, her death is soon deemed to be a murder. Her aunt, Evelyn, who also died in suspicious circumstances and now is a ghost living in the library, wants Carrie to investigate Dorothy's death. . Of course the local police are not pleased with Carrie's sleuthing, especially when she receives threats. Carrie perseveres, in due course identifying Dorothy's killer and bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion.
This is an enjoyable murder mystery story. It is easy to read and probably will not burden anyone's mental capability or upset their sensitivities. Even the presence of a ghost is OK, and a neat hook. The story has most of the characteristics of a cozy mystery, although it is grittier than some. Carrie as the protagonist (and narrator) is a realistic character, not cloying like some cozy detectives. Several bad guys are in plain sight and even some of the good guys come under a cloud of suspicion as Carrie investigates. There's plenty of red herrings to make things interesting.
It's the third in a series and can be read as a standalone. Events of the past from previous entries in the series are sufficiently described to aid in filling in the backstory.
A superior cozy mystery and recommended reading. ( )

Carrie Singleton works as a librarian in the town of Clover Ridge, Connecticut. She's been asked to be the new Sunshine Delegate - who sends cards and gifts to employees - and unfortunately her first assignment is Dorothy Hawkins, who dislikes Carrie because she believes Carrie's job should have gone to her.

When Carrie visits Dorothy in the hospital, she tells her that her husband tried to kill her. Carrie doesn't know what to think, but allows it to pass. Then, when Dorothy is murdered, she wonders if she could have prevented it and if Dorothy was really afraid of her seemingly gentle husband, Fred.

There's also a homeless problem in the library - they come there to keep warm this February, but several of them are disruptive and the patrons want them removed. When a solution is offered, Carrie jumps at the chance to help. But she soon finds that all is not what it seems, and the solution might be hiding something illegal.

Her ghost-in-residence Evelyn, Dorothy's aunt, asks her to find out who killed Dorothy. But when she starts investigating - against the wishes of the police - she discovers that it might be her who's next on the killer's list...

This is the third book in the series and I will say that it is better than the first two, but I have to wonder if anyone in this library ever comes to read books. People come in looking for solutions to household problems that they can figure out themselves on their own computers (unless they're dumber than a box of rocks you don't need books to figure out any of these problems), hold meetings, watch programs, etc.; but no one is ever reading (except the homeless people).

I'm also amazed at how much money this library has for extra things - a charge card for gifts for employees? At most businesses, they take up a collection among employees for flowers when someone takes ill or dies, but I've never heard of a specific job for this. If this library has all this extra money - for programs, cafes, gardens, etc.; why doesn't the town have any money to help the homeless? As a note, you can't kick homeless people out of a library because patrons don't like them there. It's a public institution paid for with taxpayer dollars and is open to the public. The ACLU would make quick work of them.

I was irritated at Doris and Henry's son for not finding a way to keep his parents with him. They lose their business, and in order to live with him at all, he makes them get rid of their beloved pet, then gets a one-bedroom apartment and throws them out on the streets. What kind of jerk is he? I'd sleep on the floor and give my parents my bed before I'd allow this.

Also, Angela states how Carrie is her maid-of-honor, then later mentions how her cousin is, then even later it's back to Carrie; and more than once Carrie tells us that she wanted to live with her mother but she wouldn't let her. These are details that should have been picked up on but weren't. Honestly, we really don't care about Angela's wedding. We all know what brides are doing to prepare, and it's not interesting at all. (Although I did figure out that Carrie's favorite style of dress is sweetheart neckline).

As to the murder, I found it odd why Carrie would stand up at the funeral and basically tell people she was going to find the murderer. Nice way to make yourself a target, and then she's surprised when someone notices her investigating. Why would she do that? Announce it to all and sundry? It didn't make any sense.

I guess the truth of the matter is the book was disappointing. There was so much back-and-forth in the book so you really couldn't get into the murder at all: the murder, the homeless, the wedding, Dylan's business, Carrie's baggage, the library programs (which are mostly not plausible), Carrie's meals, Evelyn's withholding of information, looking for Smokey Joe, etc., and not enough on the straightforward murder investigation, which should have been the crux of the book. You couldn't really get drawn in when everything else was taking you back out.

I never felt that we really got to know the suspects, because there just wasn't any time given to any of them, so while the murderer was a surprise, it would have been no matter who the murderer was because we never got to investigate anything. We weren't given any clues at all because of the aforementioned back-and-forth.

I would have liked to have enjoyed the book more, but I basically finished it in order to find out the killer, and if I had realized the plot device addition, I would have known who the killer was (I'm not saying it here, but it pretty much explained it all). Anyway, I think I'm done with this series as it just doesn't seem believable to me. Sorry. ( )

cozy-mystery, ghosts, friendship, family, librarian, library, library-cat, law-enforcement, murder

A nice, comfortable cozy murder mystery with some library praise as well as highlighting the uncomfortable subjects of swindlers, homelessness, Alzheimers care, and dealing with unpleasant judgmental people. Carrie is one of the librarians and Evelyn was also before her untimely death. The current corpse is Evelyn's unpleasant niece. Lots of suspects, plot twists, and red herrings along with some sly humor. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books. Thank you! ( )

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It has many, many wonderful characters--unfortunately a few too many. This is the third in a series, and for some reason whenever a character appears, the author feels compelled to insert a paragraph about that person's role in the previous books. After a while, it got a little old.

But librarian Carrie's romantic and professional troubles are a fine distraction, and I soon became absorbed in the tangle of her life and the criminal activities in her tiny New England town. The writer spun a wonderful plot, and I particularly liked the absolutely non-gratuitous way her cat was used. The suspenseful bits were just right--scary, but not so graphic as to be a turn-off.

Buried in the Stack is a book that touches your funny bone on its way to your heart. I highly recommend it. ( )