Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Published: November 9, 2021

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Audio, and Hardcover

My Review: I have to admit I almost DNF’d this book at the beginning and I’m glad I did not. For the first 30% or so it read very amateurish and not at all like I am used to for this series. It was infuriating to me. I kept reading and somewhere along the way after Angela’s wedding it got better. It was back to the writing style I am used to in this series.

Evelyn, the ghost, appears asking Carrie for help with finding her brother. While the storyline here is good, I’m just not sure it fits. It was almost like the author couldn’t figure out how to use Evelyn in the main murder mystery.

The main murder mystery was very intriguing and I for the life of me couldn’t figure it out.

If I could rate it as 3.5 stars I would but did bump it up to 4 (Goodreads and NetGalley do not let you rate in 1/2 stars). The ending is surprising.

I do look forward to the next installment even though this was my least favorite of the series.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

From NetGalley: Librarian Carrie Singleton sleuths a murder at her best friend’s wedding in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook’s fifth Haunted Library mystery.

Clover Ridge librarian Carrie Singleton is thrilled to attend her best friend Angela’s wedding, but Angela’s family can be a bit…much. Angela’s wealthy cousin Donna hosts an extravagant bridal shower at her resplendent home, but the celebrations turn to gossip as the guests notice Donna’s surgeon husband, Aiden, spending a bit too much time with Donna’s cousin Roxy. At the wedding reception, the sweet occasion turns darkly bitter when Aiden topples into the chocolate fountain–dead.

The suspect list is as long as the guest list, and as difficult to sort out as the seating chart. A few of the top contenders on Carrie’s suspect list are the flirtatious Roxy, emotionally unstable since her recent divorce; Angela’s grouchy brother, who feels Aiden betrayed him; and Roxy’s scorned ex-husband. Even Donna may have had reason to want her husband dead. And Aiden’s gossipy office manager has plenty to say about them all.

Then another member of Angela’s family is murdered, making Carrie more determined than ever to find the killer. Can library ghost Evelyn and library cat Smoky Joe help Carrie solve the murders before she becomes the next of Angela’s wedding guests to head to the grave?