Carrie’s long-lost dad shows up, not in a traditional way but by breaking into her cottage. There are some tense moments between them, since Carrie cannot forget all the hurt he has caused her, nor the fact that he is a thief. In fact, recovery of some stolen gems is what brought him to her town now. But the murder of one of his cohorts turns everything upside down, and she wonders who her father really is. This cozy is enhanced by the resident library ghost who offers advice to Carrie as well as information about the residents of the town. Well-written and quite interesting, this mystery is entertaining and the characters are believable, even the ghostly one who seems as real as when she was alive. ( )

The second book from The Haunted Library Mystery series.
Carrie Singleton is settled in her new job and home and is enjoying life with a new boyfriend, but her estranged dad is now in her life. Her dad is accused of murder which memes their relationship.
I loved the second book in the series as much as I did with the first book. Easy to read and be hard to put down. ( )

It's almost Christmas and Carrie Singleton has been busy with holiday programs at Clover Ridge (CT) library. Her father Jim who's been gone most of her life came to town to claim his share from a gem heist. To top it off Carry's boyfriend, Dylan, an insurance investigator has been working to recover the gems. Rocky relationship, three murders and missing gems made this a fun cozy mystery. 3.5 ✩ ( )

Read and Gone is the second cozy mystery in the Haunted Library Mystery series. Carrie Singleton is the head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge, CT library. She loves her job, even though the library comes with a special guest...the ghost of a former librarian, Evelyn. In this second mystery, Carrie is gearing up for the holiday season at the library, when her long-lost father shows up, begging her to help him. Jim Singleton is a crook and Carrie hasn't seen him in years. He tells a tale of a jewelry heist gone wrong and the local jeweler who refuses to give him his share of the take. Soon after, the jeweler is found murdered. Is her father a crook and a murderer? Or....is a dangerous criminal hanging around hoping to get the jewels they stole?

Read and Gone is an entertaining continuation of this new cozy series. I like the background theme of a haunted library. Evelyn is a hoot and a very helpful ghost when it comes to sleuthing. Smokey Joe is awesome as the designated library cat, of course. I like the characters in this series. Carrie is intelligent, creative and feisty when necessary. She is also kind -- she agreed to help her horrid father, even though he pretty much abandoned her in childhood. The mystery and sleuthing moved along at a nice pace, with plenty of investigation, suspects and twists. With Fall coming on, I really enjoyed reading a cozy with a ghostly element to it. :)

I will definitely be reading more of this series. It always provides a cozy, entertaining reading experience. Allison Brook is a pen-name of Author Marilyn Levinson. Levinson has published several books including A Murderer Among Us and Giving up the Ghost. I will be reading some of her other books while waiting for book 3 in this series! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

This was an interesting mystery with some good twists and turns. I had a hard time connecting with the supernatural elements in the story. They almost felt forced. The main character is like able but seems frustrated much of the time. I liked this book but I’m not sure I would pick up the next book in the series.