Buried in the Stacks is the third book in the Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook. It is currently scheduled for release on September 10 2019. I do recommend reading this series in order to make some of the relationships and tensions better understood. However, I think a dedicated newcomer could still catch on pretty quickly.
Librarian Carrie Singleton is building a haven, or at least trying to, but one of her neighbors is misbehaving. Can resident spirit Evelyn help Carrie catch the culprit who made her a ghost? In winter, the Haunted Library is a refuge for homeless townspeople. When a group purchases a vacant house to establish a daytime haven for the homeless, Carrie offers the library as a meeting place for the Haven House committee, but quickly learns that it may be used for illegal activities. As the new Sunshine Delegate, Carrie heads to the hospital to visit her cantankerous colleague, Dorothy, who had fallen outside the local supermarket. She tells Carrie that her husband tried to kill her--and that he murdered her Aunt Evelyn, the library's resident ghost, six years earlier. When Dorothy is murdered--run off the road as soon as she returns to work. Evelyn implores Carrie to find her niece's killer, but that's no easy task: Dorothy had made a hobby of blackmailing her neighbors and colleagues. Carrie, Evelyn, and Smoky Joe the cat are on the case, but are the library cards stacked against them?
Buried in the Stacks is a good mystery with a nice pacing. I liked that the mystery and Carrie's character development received almost equal attention through the story. Carrie is still finding her place, and figuring out not just who she is, but who she wants to be and what she wants for the future. The mystery of who killed Dorothy and the possible nefarious purpose behind Haven House are woven nicely into Carrie's desire to help others and appease her own curiosity. I enjoyed getting to know more of the residents of her small town, and unraveling the multi layered mystery. As a Connecticut native, and someone that has worked in libraries for about 20 years now, I am sometimes distracted and a bit amazed at how freely Carrie spends money. A small town in Connecticut is expensive to live in, and even with her job and cheap rent I sometimes find myself side tracked with the logistics. However, that is my personal hang up and not something that will bother most people.
Buried in the Stacks is another solid mystery with some character development and hints toward future developments. It was an enjoyable cozy mystery.
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