Bookish Mewsings: Death Overdue by Allison Brook & Friday Hop Fun

Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.

Death Overdue (The Haunted Library Mysteries #1) by Allison Brook

Crooked Lane Books, 2017

Crime Fiction/Cozy/Paranormal; 329 pgs

Book Beginnings:

Time to move on. I crossed the Green and headed for the library. A gust of wind bowed the branches of the nearby trees, showering me with red and yellow leaves. I paused to inhale the tangy air. It was a glorious October morning, and I stood in the center of the most glorious setting--the historic town of Clover Ridge, Connecticut. 

Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):

The cottage was lovely, but it was also very isolated. It was only five, and the evening looomed ahead of me. I wished Dylan were home, simply to know someone was close by. Was this why the rent was so cheap? Because no one wanted to live this far from town without a neighbor for miles?

Don't be silly. You'll get used to it. 

My phone rang, sending a jolt along my spine.  

My thoughts:

Thank you to everyone who voted for Death Overdue in my October TBR Poll. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery featuring a library ghost. I loved the protagonist Carrie Singleton the moment I met her with her purple spiked hair and goth attire. She had no intention of making Clover Ridge, Connecticut her home but when her uncle and aunt appeal to her and with a job offer she just cannot refuse (and maybe the ghost whispering in her ear), she decides to give it a try. In her first event as head of programs and events at the local public library, the guest speaker falls dead of food poisoning. Carrie had taken an instant liking to the former detective and is determined to find out who murdered not only him, but the woman whose long ago murder he had claimed finally to have solved. Joining forces with the murdered woman’s son, Carrie is sure she and he will be able to solve the two homicides even as the police investigation seems to be going nowhere.

Carrie has to give up her goth appearance for a more conservative one when she takes the administrative assistant. While most everyone at the library is pleased to have her there, the reference librarian, Dorothy, is quite put out. She had been angling for the position Carrie was given. As it is, her boss doesn’t seem to be on Carrie’s side either. Dorothy is not above sabotage to try to get Carrie out.

I enjoyed getting to know Clover Ridge and some of its residents alongside Carrie. With the exception of the murders, being wrapped up in that investigation, and Dorothy and her boss, the pieces of Carrie’s life seem to be falling perfectly together. She has the perfect job, finds the perfect cottage with a rather attractive landlord, and, even despite not having an easy childhood, has a very supportive extended family by way of her aunt and uncle. Carrie also proves to be a good judge of character.

There are many possible murder suspects in Death Overdue, and the author does a good job of giving them all not only strong motives, but making them all realistic options. I had a strong suspicion early on who might be behind the murders, but the author made me doubt my assumption several times along the way. Death Overdue was such an engrossing novel that had me from page one. I got really caught up in the characters’ lives and wasn’t ready for my time with them to end. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long for the next book. I had it on hand (review to come).


Does this sound like something you would enjoy reading? Have you read Death Overdue or anything else by Allison Brook (otherwise known as Marilyn Levinson)?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What's your favorite horror book-to-movie adaptation?

I am not a huge fan of horror movies. Not because of the scare factor, but more because I have trouble buying into them. Gore and gruesomeness for the sake of a scare turns me off. And often times the way it is portrayed in films is, well, over the top funny. I much prefer more subtle horror.  Novels like Dracula by Bram Stoker and Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist come to mind (I loved them!), but none of the movies, in any of their incarnations, impressed me.  I have read a few Stephen King novels and seen their respective movies. None stand out as favorites of mine.

I am more drawn to a good psychological thriller. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris was good, and I enjoyed the movie. That has a horror flavor to it, don't you think? (Pun totally intended.)

My husband suggested I mention Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which is very unfair of him. While it has definite Gothic elements which has similarities to the horror genre, I would not classify it as a horror novel. And, to be honest, I liked the film versions, but I would not count any among my favorites.

I haven't yet seen the series based on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, but I absolutely loved the book and imagine I will like the show as well. But that doesn't count because I haven't yet seen it. Maybe most would not count it as horror, but the book sure scared me!

I think the closest to a favorite I can come up with is Interview With a Vampire. I really enjoyed the movie adaptation of Anne Rice's novel with the same title. It may not be all that scary as some prefer their horror to be, but it was beautifully done all around, even if not completely true to the novel.


What about you? Do you watch horror movies, particularly ones based on books? Do you have a favorite book-to-movie horror adaptation?

Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Each week, Carrie at The Butterfly Reads and Laura from Blue Eye Books ask participants to list what they like and don't like about that week's topic.

This week's topic is Character Most/Least Likely to go on a Road Trip

One of my favorite characters takes to the road quite often, whether walking or by vehicle. She doesn't have much choice really, given she's a ghost traveling the ghost roads. Her name is Rose Marshall, otherwise known as the Phantom Prom Date and the Girl in the Green Silk Gown. She can be found in both Sparrow Hill Road and The Girl in the Green Silk Gown,  both awesome urban fantasy novels.

The least likely to go on a road trip . . . definitely Dr. Anna Fox from The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. Anna suffers from severe anxiety and agoraphobia. She mixes her medication and alcohol quite regularly to cope--which makes it all too easy to question whether she really did see what she thought she did while looking out her window . . .

What characters would make your most/least likely to go on a road trip list? 


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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