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.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Dewey Decimated is the sixth installment in The Haunted Library Mysteries series set in Clover Ridge, Connecticut and featuring librarian Carrie Singleton. Carrie and fiance Dylan Avery are in the early stages of planning their wedding, the new extension to the library is underway and the town council is embroiled in a heated debate over the fate of the Seabrook Preserve. Then, the contractors discover a body wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under a basement shelf in the abandoned building next door to the library.
Renovations come to a halt while the police try and determine the identity of the body, and a new ghost suddenly appears in the library. The ghost seems to have a case of amnesia but it doesn't take long to discover that this is the man who was murdered and left in the basement next door, AND that he's Dylan's Uncle Alec Dunmore who hasn't been seen in years.
While Carrie works with resident ghost Evelyn and Police Lieutenant John Mathers to track down a killer, another member of the community is murdered and it quickly becomes evident that the murder of Uncle Alec is connected to the recent murder. It's up to Carrie to figure out how and most importantly why.
A pleasant afternoon read with the return of cast regulars including Smokey Joe, Carrie's cat. Two mysteries are deftly crafted into one plot, with a surprising conclusion.
Renovations come to a halt while the police try and determine the identity of the body, and a new ghost suddenly appears in the library. The ghost seems to have a case of amnesia but it doesn't take long to discover that this is the man who was murdered and left in the basement next door, AND that he's Dylan's Uncle Alec Dunmore who hasn't been seen in years.
While Carrie works with resident ghost Evelyn and Police Lieutenant John Mathers to track down a killer, another member of the community is murdered and it quickly becomes evident that the murder of Uncle Alec is connected to the recent murder. It's up to Carrie to figure out how and most importantly why.
A pleasant afternoon read with the return of cast regulars including Smokey Joe, Carrie's cat. Two mysteries are deftly crafted into one plot, with a surprising conclusion.
