Death Overdue by Allison Brook was our October 2020 Cozy Mystery Book Club read. I really enjoyed this book. Based on our livestream and conversations, everyone else seemed to enjoy the book, too.
Book Blurb
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.
I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the fact it detailed the October month and gave me Halloween vibes during the pandemic, when I otherwise wouldn't have been able to experience the spooky holiday.
For those who love their cozy elements, the name of the nearby cafe is “The Cozy Corner Cafe.” Brooks worked in lots and lots and lots of food descriptions. Every meal the characters have is mentioned and included in the text. At one point in the novel, Carrie bakes brownies and brings them to thanksgiving dinner. The novel ends up feeling like a food cozy even though it’s not. About halfway through the novel, Carrie finds a gray cat near her cabin. He becomes the “library cat” at Carrie’s library. She brings Smokey Joe to work with her and gives him a dedicated title. There is also the paranormal component of the story with Evelyn haunting the library. She worked at the library for years. She and her husband didn’t have children, so she spent extra time with the books and children at the library. Her haunting is limited to the library.
There are also *two* murders to be solved. Granted, we know (or in the very least have a high suspicion) that they were committed by the same person, but we have two bodied right off the bat. We have a cold case the murder of Laura Foster (Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks anyone???) and Al the detective who worked on the Laura Foster case. Al was scheduled to give a talk at the library and everyone in town practically showed up wanting to know what new information he found in regards to Laura’s murder. Even though the murder happened 15 years ago, Al never let it go. At the time, he was drinking heavily due to chronic pain (after being in an accident). He never forgave himself for not solving the case.
THE SUSPECTS:
Ryan: Laura’s eldest son
character trait: hot headed (a phrase used by several characters when discussing him)
Jared: Lauren’s youngest son
spoiler: he spent time in a mental institution and had a history of anger problems when he was a teenager
Bryce: Laura’s husband who had been spending a lot of time out of town on business
George: aka Uncle George to Ryan and Jared. Laura and George argued before her murder.
Ken: The family lawyer who Laura was seen leaving the library with on several occasions.
Helena: Laura’s best friend who was the first to stand up during Al’s lecture/event to say that Laura had been unhappy and wanted a divorce.
Loyd: Helena’s husband (who died 12 years prior)
which meant that there could have been two murderers
Lonny: Laura’s former next door neighbor (and maybe former lover)
Sally: The head of the library where Laura worked
minor spoiler: Dorothy is supposedly blackmailing Sally about something but the reader doesn’t know what. This comes across like a potential clue.
Dorothy: Where to start with Dorothy. Oh, boy. This woman is mad at the world. Every character in the book who meets her has an issue with Dorothy. She is mean and vindictive. At the start of the novel, Carrie receives a promotion that Dorothy believes was meant to be hers (even though she didn’t have the background, education, or experience). This prompts her to be spiteful towards Carrie (hiding the DVD of the film that is meant to he shown for movie night and breaking her car window). It comes to light that Laura was among one of the many victims of Dorothy’s negativity.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS:
Jillian: Ryan’s girlfriend (who, in my reader opinion) is way too sweet and adorable for rude Ryan
Angela: Carrie’s library friend who is no nonsense and tells it like it is. She is a create counterpoint to Carrie, knowing how to keep her grounded
Trisha: Carrie’s 1st assistant
Susan: Carrie’s 2nd assistant
Mr. Peters: Trisha’s father (Al’s longtime friend)
Tasey: Carrie’s second cousin who can also see Evelyn (the ghost)
Tasey won my heart over wanting to bring Ms. Evelyn (as she calls her) cookies because she didn’t want her to go hungry. She is the most precious thing in the world. So sweet and adorable.
Mark: Tasey’s dad. Carrie’s cousin whom she didn’t like when they were younger since he used to tease her.
In Death Overdue, Carrie’s aunt and uncle act as mother and father surrogates, wanting what is best for Carrie and taking care of her the way a parent would. They were precious. At one point her aunt gives her handwritten recipes to take with her to her new cottage. All the happy tears. So sweet.
Carrie teams with Jared to solve Laura and Al’s murder (although Jared thinks there is more to the relationship than something platonic over a common interest). However, Carrie’s landlord Dylan catches her eye and inspires romantic feelings. The reader knows that the feelings are mutual. Dylan has a cabin that he wants to rent out and he gives it to Carrie for $800.00 a month!!!!!????? That is crazy. The cabin is private, comes fully furnished (with all new furniture, TV, stove, microwave, toaster, the works ), a maid, caretaker, utilities included in the amount, and the land will be shoveled/maintained in the winter months for Carrie’s convenience. Dylan has a caretaker and maid! A man who lives like he does, does not need Carrie’s $800.00 a month. In fact, I doubt that covers the maid and caretaker’s salaries. He gives Carrie this deal because he cares about her. Awww.
RANDOM COZY READER THOUGHT:
I liked that Carrie didn’t try to exclude the local police. During her sleuthing, she finds pages that Laura wrote during her affair, detailing her emotions and experience, in the library. Laura makes a copy for herself (and her sleuthing), but gives the originals to John who is working the case. John was stunned when Carrie handed him the pages at Thanksgiving. There was not a disconnect in time from when Carrie found the pages to handing them to John; I have read books where the sleuther sits on important evidence for way too long.
There is also clearly a mystery going on with Evelyn. She was the last one to leave the library one evening and just happened to slip on black ice on her way to the car. No one found her until the next day. As a mystery reader, I would be really disappointed if Brooks left the story there. Also, I loved the Halloween parade. Carrie dressed up as a female Sherlock Holmes, which won this reader’s heart. Sherlock Forever!
SPOILER NOTE:
Helena was super creepy. I got the weird vibes from her from the start. At one point during family dinner, she says she is playing mom. What?!? The mother and wife who was murdered? That was inappropriate on an entirely new level. I thought it was going to come to light that Laura and Helena were lovers and Helena killed her in a moment of anger. I was right about the killer, but for the wrong reasons. It turns out that Laura had been having an affair with Helena’s husband, Loyd. Helena found out about the affair and confronted Laura, during the fight she picked up a nearby vase and hit Laura over the head with it. She then stole Laura’s bracelet and peacock pin (which she kept for 15 years in her jewelry box). To get even with Laura on an even stranger level, she went after Bryce, Laura’s husband. The two begin dating about mid-way through the novel. Can I just say, poor Bryce. He finds out his girlfriend killed his wife (and attempted to kill his son, Jared). Yikes.
Did you read Death Overdue? What did you think?