Read and Gone by Allison Brook

Item: Read and Gone
Rating: 4
Author: karenbaron

Posted December 22, 2022 by karenbaron in #HolidayMystery, Mystery, Paranormal, Review, Series / 1 Comment

Read and Gone

by Allison Brook

Series: Haunted Library Mysteries #2
Series Rating:

Published by Crooked Lane Books on September 11, 2018
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Pages: 316
Format: Audible Audiobook, Audio CD, ebook, Hardcover, Kindle
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Buried in the Stacks, Dewey Decimated, Death Overdue, Checked Out for Murder, Death on the Shelf, Overdue or Die, Booked on Murder

Seven-million dollars' worth of missing gems bring Carrie Singleton's long-lost and larcenous dad back into her life and it's up to Carrie to clear his name.

A devoted dad is as precious as diamonds, but Carrie Singleton wouldn't know since her dad Jim's been on the lam most of her life. In an unusual family reunion, she finds Jim breaking into her cottage in the middle of the night. The fun really starts when he begs her to help him recover his half of a seven-million-dollar gem heist he pulled off with the local jeweler, Benton Parr. When she refuses, Jim takes off again.

Carrie finds her father again behind bars for the recent murder of Benton Parr. Who made the connection? Unbeknownst to her, Carrie's boyfriend Dylan, an insurance investigator, has been searching for the gems. Determined to find the jewels herself, she starts examining every facet of Parr's life. She turns up a treasure trove of suspects, one of whom bashes her on the head as she's searching the victim's country cabin.

Retreating to the quiet confines of the library where she works, Carrie watches as Smokey Joe, the resident cat, paws at a hole in the wall. Is he after the library's ghost Evelyn, or something shinier?

Read and Gone by Allison Brook has the right amount of Christmas cheer surrounded by a mystery.

Can Carrie keep Jim Singleton from going to jail?

Carrie Singleton

Carrie Singleton is celebrating her thirtieth birthday celebration, which is also part housewarming party. After that, her dad, Jim Singleton, comes back into town and wants Carrie to help him get his part of the heist he did with another Clover Ridge resident. The problem is that Carrie doesn’t want to help Jim with any of the illegal dealings that he has done, and I wouldn’t either. Carrie is such a great person and listens to the part of herself that is still the little girl that Jim left behind and believes that her dad will still be in her life.

In this installment, Carrie grows a bit from the last book, and I have to admit that her over-worrying about Dylan seems rational when we see more of how Jim left Carrie as a kid. It hurt her more than she cares to admit. Overall, Carrie is a great character that keeps getting fleshed out each time we pick up a new book in her series.

The Mystery

Carrie Singleton gets pulled into solving this mystery because her dad gets arrested for being in the victim’s jewelry store and not calling for the police when he sees the dead body. Carrie gets in over her head after getting deeper into Benton Parr’s life. Especially on who has the best motive for killing him. I had it figured out who did it and why. Being right about whodunit was terrific.

Four Stars

Read and Gone by Allison Brook takes us into wintertime in Clover Ridge and goes through the motions of Carrie’s life. I loved this installment of the Haunted Library Mystery series. Ms. Brook can keep us on our toes with these mysteries. I almost got caught up in a red herring, but I didn’t.

I am giving Read and Gone by Allison Brook four stars and recommending it to anyone that likes a good Cozy Paranormal Holiday Mystery.

Haunted Library Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Read and Gone by Allison Brook.

Until the next time,

Happy Holiday Reading!

About Allison Brook

Allison Brook is the pseudonym for Marilyn Levinson, who writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. She lives on Long Island and enjoys traveling, reading, watching foreign films, doing Sudoku and dining out. She especially loves to visit with her grandchildren on FaceTime.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: