Mystery Annotation


Author: Allison Brook
Title: Death Overdue
Genre: Mystery (cozy)
Publication date: 2017
Number of Pages: 327
Geographical Setting: Connecticut, U.S.A.
Time Period: Contemporary
Series: First in series
Plot Summary:
Carrie Singleton is a wanderer. She never stays in one place too long and Clover Ridge is no exception. This time, though, Carrie was not expecting to be offered the head position of Programs and Events at her temp job in the Clover Ridge Library. Convinced by her loving aunt and uncle (who is on the library board of directors) to stay and take on the job, Carrie surprises herself by learning to love her new job and friends. Carrie must prove herself worthy of her new position and deal with the antics of the reference librarian, Dorothy who wanted her job. Carrie's first library program is hosting a retired detective who was coming to tell the town who murdered the reference librarian, Laura Foster, 15 years ago. Only before the detective could announce who the suspect was, he was poisoned. Working alongside Laura Foster's son, Jared and the library's ghost, Evelyn; Carrie searches for the killer who killed Jared's mother and detective. 

Subject Heading: Mystery, cozy. Libraries, murder. Amateur Detective.
Appeal:
-Story Line: Murder investigation for a cold case murder and a recent murder of detective who worked on the cold case murder.
-Characterization:  Detailed backgrounds of the main characters and secondary characters the reader interacts with.
-Frame/Setting: Focuses on every day library work while the main character is working to solve the murders.
-Tone/Mood: Cozy. This mystery is light. There are no graphic details about the murders and the main character is never in terrible danger, but rather the danger happens to those around her. The days are usually sunny and nice with little to no rain or overcast weather.
-Style/Language: Dialogue filled
-Pacing: Leisurely paced. The author draws the murder mystery out and is more involved than a fast-paced murder mystery.

3 terms that describe this book: Leisure, small town, mystery.
Read-a-Likes:
1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
2. A Stitch in Time by Monica Ferris
3. Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M.C. Beaton
All three of these books are identified as a 'cozy' mystery. They will be similar to Death Overdue by having a murder mystery and investigation but also be calm and sweetly motivated.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2018 at 6:39 PM

    Chelsea,

    While I've never actually read a 'cozy' mystery before...the fact that this one has a ghost named Evelyn might make me grab a copy for myself! I see that this is the first in a new(er) series, and was wondering if you were going to keep reading? It sounds like the plot line (murder-solving library staffer of a library which has a ghost) might keep the possibilities open and endless! Thanks for annotating this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chelsea TurnerFebruary 21, 2018 at 6:59 AM

    I loved Evelyn the ghost! She was a fun addition to the story line. The next book in the series comes out in September and I am looking forward to reading it! I love that she is a librarian and that most of the book revolved around the library. It was fun, especially because the author is not a librarian I like to think of all the research and shadowing she had to do in order to get a good idea of what librarians do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2018 at 9:25 AM

      That is awesome! It's great that someone thought libraries were important enough to deserve a bit of research to understand properly!

      Delete
  3. UnknownFebruary 22, 2018 at 7:29 AM

    I liked reading your read alike book of Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery by Joanne Fluke. This book seems to be one right up my alley. I'm going to go look for it at my library now and start reading it. You did a good job annotating this book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownFebruary 22, 2018 at 8:31 AM

    Chelsea,

    I really appreciate that you chose a cozy mystery novel to annotate, these are not always up my line of interest, but a good number of my patrons just can't get enough of them! I will definitely have to make sure that my library has this, and I love the librarian premise, so maybe I give the genre another chance!

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFebruary 25, 2018 at 5:32 PM

    I've not read a cozy mystery myself, but the librarian plot makes it sound so very interesting. I think I'll have to check this one out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Erin CataldiFebruary 26, 2018 at 12:54 PM

    Great job on this cozy mystery! I'm always partial to ones that are set in libraries. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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