Description (from cover):'The case of the killer case?
Ropes, revolvers, daggers, arsenic...They are the classic, go-to murder weapons, from Christie to Clue. But death by bookcase? With one good shove a crafty killer can keep investigators guessing: did it fall or was it pushed? That's what sassy Midwestern librarian Karen Nash must determine--and if so, who did the pushing--when an avalanche of books and splintered wood fatally flattens Sally Burroughs, the ex-girlfriend of Karen's squeeze, London B&B proprietor Caldwell Perkins, who appears the most likely suspect for murder. In the library. With the bookcase.
And maybe he has grounds? Just as he and his librarian love are making a go of opening their dream bookstore (that's bookshop, in British English), Sally pops up years after abandoning him, to demand her share of the B&B's sale. To Karen's orderly mind, sorting her jumbled feelings about uprooting her life in Minnesota and taking a chance on Caldwell is much like sorting his four-thousand-three-hundred-and-twenty-four precious volumes: everything has its place. A little research reveals that more than one person may have had Sally issues, and Karen must prove that Caldwell is obsessed with books, not revenge. But will her hunt for a killer turn up too little, too late?'
My thoughts:
I have previously reviewed the first book in this series Killer Librarian and if you read that review (click here) you will understand a little of my concerns with this book. While, I love the theory of this series, a librarian leaving her Midwestern town to move to England and falls in love with an English B&B owner, all the while solving murders, it just is starting to seem that this is not the series for me. In my review of the first book, I stated that the mystery 'takes a backseat to the romance story' and I absolutely don't like that. It may work for some readers, but I find it very hard to read when I expect a mystery and get a whole lot of romance instead. This whole story is basically Karen deciding whether her love for Caldwell is enough to make her uproot her life and move to London to live his dream of opening a bookshop. Ugh.
The mystery is this one is very obvious and the author seems to care more about the love story of the characters than actually writing a compelling mystery story. I was immensely bored and I couldn't stand the back and forth of Karen's decision to stay with Caldwell or return to her Midwestern life. I understand that the author wanted to make this a big decision and move for the main characters, but enough already. I could care less. Over and over, the reader has to hear about how this is such a dramatic life change and simply I had enough. The ending really ticked me off and it was like all of that struggle and inner turmoil for this?
In my previous review, I had hoped that the author would focus more on the mystery and not the romance line of the story and that I was willing to give this series another chance. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It actually seemed worse and I am strongly feeling that this series isn't one that I will be continuing with. It may work for those who like romance with their mysteries, but I don't prefer that and I can honestly say that I am very disappointed. When reading a mystery, I want a mystery and I didn't get that with this one. I just got a poor attempt instead.
Overall Rating: 1
Title: Death Overdue
Author: Mary Lou Kirwin
Series: Karen Nash Mystery #2
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Pages: 256
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was selected from the library by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
