Thursday, November 7, 2013

Book Review - Death Overdue


Death Overdue: Librarian Mysteries

By: Mary Lou Kirwin
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publishing Date: November 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4516-8466-7
Reviewed by: Mary Lignor
Review Date: November 7, 2013

After reading the first in this author’s series about librarians, Killer Librarian, it was easy to get started on this second librarian book called Death Overdue. This series features a librarian, Karen Nash, living in the Midwestern US who is in a relationship with Caldwell Perkins, a book lover who runs a B&B in London. Karen and Caldwell are trying to decide whether they want to take their relationship into marriage so Karen has gone over to London to help Caldwell open a bookstore.

Sadly, their plans for a lovely time peter out when Caldwell’s former partner, Sally Burroughs, shows up. She apparently was the former girlfriend of Caldwell and is now coming back to London as she thinks the B&B is part hers and she wants a partnership again with Caldwell. She isn’t romantically inclined toward Caldwell as she brought her Italian fiancĂ© with her. She only wants to help run the B&B and is not very happy about Karen being there knowing that Karen and Caldwell want to sell the B&B and start a book store. One evening, while Sally is looking up at a large book case, it falls on her, killing her. If this can’t be called an accident, Caldwell is suspect number one. Karen quickly decides she will find the real killer and save Caldwell.

The story goes on and seems a lot like a Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot mystery or even, coming to modern times, Jessica Fletcher. This novel is a terrific English country house crime with more than one suspect who all or most of them anyway could easily be the culprit. They include of course, Karen and Caldwell, Sally’s Italian boyfriend, Sally’s sister and a gentleman who is a book lover visiting London. It’s a great whodunit and goes along at a fast pace.

Quill says: This is a fascinating book about the unsung hero, the librarian. One of the best quotes in the previous book: “When she checks in, someone always checks out” is a real gem.




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