Dewey Decimated by Allison Brook takes us back to Clover Ridge, Connecticut. Carrie Singleton is happily engaged to Dylan, but she wants to know more about his family. Dylan circumvents the subject when Carrie brings it up. Renovations are beginning on the library expansion. Work comes to a halt when a skeleton is found hidden in a dark corner of the basement. The ghost of the deceased ends up in the library. He is confused and his memory is fuzzy. Carrie wanted to stay out of the investigation, but the ghost cannot move on until his killer is caught. Dewey Decimated is the sixth A Haunted Library Mystery. It can easily be read as a standalone if you are new to the series or if you have missed a book or two along the way. I found Dewey Decimated easy to read. The pacing, though, was on the slow side. It picks up in the latter half of the book. We follow Carrie as she goes about her day-to-day routine (big yawn). She goes to work with Smokey Joe, does her work, goes to lunch at the diner with best friend, dinner with her aunt and uncle, etc. It does get monotonous. Evelyn is back and she has a friend who needs help. I just love Evelyn. I am glad that we got to see more of her in this book. Her spirited friend causes some upheaval in the library as well as in the life of someone close to Carrie. The mystery involves a skeleton found wrapped in a blanket in the new library expansion as well as a current murder. The mysteries were straightforward. There are a couple of suspects in both cases along with some misdirection. I wish the solutions to both crimes had not been so obvious. Case details are repeated frequently throughout the story (I got it the first time; I do not need it repeated twelve times). Carrie does not begin investigating right away. She eventually begins sleuthing (what happened to the Carrie we met back in Death Overdue). A pushy reporter keeps nagging Carrie to team up with her to solve the case. I did not like how the reporter (Julie Theron) put down Lt. John Mathers. Both cases have a good wrap up at the end. Carrie is on the town council, and they are debating what to do with Seabrook Preserve. The preserve loses its sanctuary status in three months. There are three different proposals for the property. The debating is hot and heavy plus there is behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. The situation is discussed quite a bit throughout the story (which means a lot of repetition). The ending is sweet and hopeful. Dewey Decimated is a nice story (humdrum), but I felt it lacked some pizzazz. There needed to be more action and less about Carrie’s daily activities. Dewey Decimated is a chilly tale with a fall festival, a discovered skeleton, a cuddly cat, a spirit surprise, a preserve dispute, a shocking murder, and a nervy reporter.

Dewey Decimated by Allison Brook is the sixth mystery in the Haunted Library Mystery series. In this mystery, when a long dead body is discovered in the building next to the library when the library expansion is starting, Carrie Singleton finds herself on the case to find out who the missing person is and who murdered them.

I have been reading this series from the beginning and was very glad to see that a new mystery was coming out. I was not disappointed with this new mystery, which fit into the series perfectly. I really enjoy following Carrie as she uncovers the clues that lead to solving the mystery. The addition of Evelyn the library ghost is always a welcome one that makes me love this series even more. Overall this was a good read and I would recommend it to cozy mystery lovers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this mystery!

This was the first book by Allison Brook I’ve read. Although it is a sixth book of Haunted Library mysteries, the author did an outstanding job and I was immersed in the story.
I really enjoy the atmosphere that was created in this book: A friendly, small town vibe where everybody knows each other but still there’s room for secrets and skeletons in the closet. Even though there are murders, it isn’t scary or bloody. There are also ghosts present but they appear to be friendly and really polite.
The book was easy and pleasant to read, there were some nice twists to the story. I will definitely read more books by this author.

DEWEY DECIMATED by Allison Brook
The Sixth Haunted Library Mystery

Librarian Carrie Singleton knew things wouldn't be quiet around Clover Ridge, not with her new position on the town council and construction on the building the library just bought. Contentious plans for the towns nature preserve is one thing, but finding a body in the library's new building is something else. Especially when the ghost of the dead man decides to remain at the library. Now Carrie will have to find her footing as the newest council member, appease a new ghost, and help find his killer all before a hot shot journalist gets her killed!

DEWEY DECIMATED focuses on themes of trust and family. The fun uncle who later let you down too many times, the domineering brother, father and son dynamics, happily married couples, and Carrie, who doesn't want to set her own wedding date...yet, all of these relationships play out and shape the murder mystery.

I enjoyed the way several storylines overlapped as they twisted and turned. An old homicide, a new one, and a debate over town property all mingle creating motives and suspects and find Carrie finding her way as a responsible citizen. I appreciated the way Alec adapted to his ghostly form as well as the way Carrie worked to help solve the murder and dealt with the future of the nature preserve. I also liked the way she put that intrepid reporter in her place...although I don't think we've seen the last of her.

One thing really bothered me, however, though it had nothing to do with the writing or plotting of the mystery. I got really annoyed at Angela who was determined to get a designer dog, but pleased with Carrie for recommending adopting a dog from a shelter. However, at the end of the book Carrie talks with Dylan about getting two dogs, the first from a breeder, the second from a shelter, as they ooh and ahh over Angela's new puppy-a "Maltipoo". With so many wonderful dogs, including purebreds, being euthanized in shelters daily, the very idea of promoting breeders is irresponsible, especially backyard breeders "creating" new "breeds" that are actually just mixed breeds, AKA mutts. There is nothing wrong with mixed breeds, I've had several in my life, what's wrong is breeding them to try and make a profit. Unless you're wanting a rare purebred for a specific reason, adopt, don't shop! While it didn't stop me from enjoying the puzzle that was the mystery, I lost a lot of respect for the characters.

DEWEY DECIMATED combines greed and family dynamics in a captivating ghostly mystery.

Dewey Decimated was a fun read. I’m not usually a fan of the supernatural, so when Evelyn, the library’s resident ghost turned up, I was wary but soldiered on. It was worth my while. Evelyn, like everything else about Dewey Decimated, was a delight. This book was number six in Allison Brock’s Haunted Library series, but it was easy to jump in midstream. Nothing makes a reader happier than “discovering” a writer and finding they have a nice backlist to catch up on.

Librarian Carrie Singleton is excited about the new addition to the library, which will allow her to offer more services to her beloved Clover Ridge, Connecticut, community. She worries about the disruption and expense, but that pales in comparison to the stress she experiences when a body is found during excavations for the new building. The discovery unleashes a restless and amnesiac ghost. Evelyn tries to keep the new spirit contained while Carrie gets to the bottom of his death.

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, she’s a reluctant town council member. She winds up embroiled in a hotly-contested decision regarding a desirable piece of property – with deadly results.

The book was well-paced, the characters varied and well-rounded, and there were enough subplots to keep things interesting without being scattered.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Dewey Decimated from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.

Dewey Decimated" is the 6th instalment in the A Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook.

A dead body is found in the basement of the building attached to the library, and it turns out to be Carrie’s fiancé’s Uncle Alec, who Dylan hasn’t seen in years. But Alec has no intention of truly checking out, and his ghost makes itself at home in the library, greatly upsetting the patrons.

The protagonist Carrie is one of the librarians and Evelyn (ghost) was also before her untimely death. This time Evelyn wants Carrie to find out who murdered the man in the basement next door as his ghost is now flying around the library. Plus things are about to get real for Carrie as she thinks about telling Angela about him. I also loved the inclusion of the library cat, Smokey Joe into the story.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself right to the very end. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Crooked Lane and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Cute cover!

This is one of those times where my horrible memory of late has worked to my advantage.