"Death on the Shelf" By Allison Brook: Review/Giveaway

Review by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Angela, Carrie’s best friend and co-worker at the library, is getting married. Planning a wedding isn’t without drama, though. A fire at the restaurant hosting the bridal shower has Angela in tears. A quick email to the guests asking for recommendations solves the problem when Angela’s cousin Donna offers to host, contact the caterer, provide snacks besides, and have another cousin, Roxy, assist. The cousins can be overwhelming, even when helping.

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Donna’s husband, Aiden, is a popular surgeon. Roxy’s recently divorced and is leaning heavily on Aiden for support, perhaps more than necessary or appropriate. The shower was beautifully done, and Angela was pleased, all that mattered. 

The wedding itself went smoothly, too. The ring bearer and flower girl remembered what to do, the guests behaved, Angela and Steve were radiantly happy, and what more could a couple ask? Of course, the reception would have been better if Angela’s brother hadn’t started an argument, but that was nothing compared to what happened as guests lined up at the dessert table. Aiden dropped dead, right into the chocolate fountain. 

It wasn’t natural causes. He was murdered by a slow acting poison which could have been administered several days before the wedding. That made the list of suspects a lot longer. Besides guests at the wedding, Angela’s angry brother, the widow, the flirtatious cousin, the weeping nurse, the cousin’s ex who wanted to reunite, and any resentful patients must be considered, too. 

Carrie’s been involved in murder cases before, much to the dismay of the police chief. Angela’s mom asks Carrie to investigate, in hopes that finding the truth and clearing the family of any involvement are one and the same. 

Besides the investigation, Carrie’s busy with work, her library cat, Smoky Joe, and Evelyn, the library ghost asked Carrie to find her brother who skipped town fifteen years ago, destination unknown. Not enough? Carrie’s dad is coming to visit and bringing the girlfriend Carrie didn’t know he had. 

This is book five in the series, one I always enjoy. Carrie and Dylan are moving at a nice pace, there’s a new guy in town, and Carrie’s about to take on even more responsibilities. Pay close attention to the characters as there are more than usual with relatives and spouses added. Look for book six next year. 

To enter to win a copy of Death on the Shelf, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "shelf,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 18, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new Christmas episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book or click here. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won't see coming.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.