Checked Out for Murder: A Haunted Library Mystery

In Brook’s overly intricate fourth mystery featuring Carrie Singleton, the head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge, Conn., library (after 2019’s Buried in the Stacks), Carrie must contend with her distant mother and movie actor stepfather, who are visiting, as well as self-proclaimed psychic Daphne Marriott, who befriends Carrie and has a troubled past. That past apparently catches up with Daphne when someone strangles her. Meanwhile, quite a few people have changed their names for one reason or another, which gets confusing, and some of them are connected to the local Harper family. Years earlier, the abusive Chet Harper was murdered by his son, Billy Harper, and Carrie learns that she knows Billy under another name and that Daphne was his sister. After a second present-day murder occurs, Carrie; her PI boyfriend, Dylan Avery; and the Clover Ridge police chief, John Mathers, set out to find the killer. Evelyn Havers, the library’s resident ghost and Carrie’s sleuthing confidante, has little to do. This cozy is strictly for existing fans. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Aug.)