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Overdue
Overdue is Richie Tankersley's story of a killer on a ramage and the next victim on the list.
Kathleen is working late in the library when someone returns five grisly books about death, all overdue. Then close friends begin having tragic accidents. Kathleen is sure of one thing—the killer will strike again. Is her death overdue?
Kathleen is working late in the library when someone returns five grisly books about death, all overdue. Then close friends begin having tragic accidents. Kathleen is sure of one thing—the killer will strike again. Is her death overdue?
212 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
6 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Richie Tankersley Cusick
50 books795 followersRichie Tankersley Cusick is the bestselling young adult author of over 25 titles, including two adult horror titles, Scarecrow and Blood Roots. Her popularity grew at the height of the horror/YA boom in the late '80s/early '90s, particularly with books like Lifeguard , Trick or Treat and Teacher's Pet, just to name a few, allowing her to keep company on the bestseller paperback lists with the likes of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Her fan base expanded about the time she changed publishers to Archway/Pocket Books with titles like Vampire and Someone at the Door.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 28, 2018
Kathleen (who is 17) works at Freemont Public library and she hates it. She dislikes the bossy librarian Miss Finch and she thinks the library is old, cold, and damp. One day Miss Finch leaves Kathleen in charge while she has to go to a seminar. Later that night Kathleen feels like she is being watched. Someone leaves some books in the book drop that have to do with death, torture... Passages are bookmarked, they seem like threats to her and she finds a slip of paper with the words "Horrors await you. Beware".
Kathleen eventually tells some of her friends about this, but they don't take her too seriously. Then they start having terrible accidents. A couple of Kathleen's good friends get run over by a car. Kathleen's home catches on fire. And then there's the strange messages at the scene of the crimes with books sometimes left with the victims, leaving clues. Who could be behind this, who can she trust??
This was a fun young-adult thriller from the 90's. I enjoyed the great setting, a creepy, old, run-down library. I was curious to find out who the murderer could be. There was an interesting cast of characters.
An entertaining mystery, great to read near Halloween!
Kathleen eventually tells some of her friends about this, but they don't take her too seriously. Then they start having terrible accidents. A couple of Kathleen's good friends get run over by a car. Kathleen's home catches on fire. And then there's the strange messages at the scene of the crimes with books sometimes left with the victims, leaving clues. Who could be behind this, who can she trust??
This was a fun young-adult thriller from the 90's. I enjoyed the great setting, a creepy, old, run-down library. I was curious to find out who the murderer could be. There was an interesting cast of characters.
An entertaining mystery, great to read near Halloween!
March 2, 2021
Both predictably fun and slightly cheesy, this was everything you'd expect from a 90's teen horror.
The idea that novels are being used as clues towards the friends of library employee Kathleen's who are being targeted is the bookish content that I'm here for.
I do question the choice of books used though, even now I've yet to read Dante's Inferno and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina - would the average teenage reader pick up the clues?
Whilst much of it did feel a little repetitive, the over the top reveal was perfect.
The idea that novels are being used as clues towards the friends of library employee Kathleen's who are being targeted is the bookish content that I'm here for.
I do question the choice of books used though, even now I've yet to read Dante's Inferno and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina - would the average teenage reader pick up the clues?
Whilst much of it did feel a little repetitive, the over the top reveal was perfect.
February 26, 2016
- My Description -
Kathleen works at the public library & she hates it.
Say what??! (How anyone could hate working in a library is beyond me.)
She begins to receive threats via returned books accompanied by rather unusual bookmarks.
Not to mention the accidents that follow Kathleen around like a shadow.
The killer believes Kathleen is way overdue for her death.
Time to check out?
- My Review -
I really enjoyed this book.
I didn't care too much for Kathleen's character but her friends were just the type of friends anyone would want. I know I would.
This book was enjoyable & kept me guessing till the very end.
The killer was a complete surprise.
December 22, 2021
3.5 rounded down for Goodreads. I feel like the narrator really diminished my enjoyment of the story. However, I really enjoyed the setting of the book and a lot of the bookish elements thrown in throughout the story! This was quick and easy. Most 90s YA books, like this one, aren't always the best in terms of plot, predictability, and writing style, but they are always fun and nostalgic nonetheless!
October 20, 2013
Finally! A book that tells the truth about librarians! How they run around willfully stamping books, slapping stickers on their spines while they heartlessly shush our young! What could be worse than this army of literature-loving villains?
Well, a homicidal maniac, to be honest.
Super fun book. All the things you hope will be here are, including a creepy library, with various creepy rooms lovingly detailed, a heroine who has to solve the mystery with her knowledge of classic literature, people getting locked in the library after dark, mean girls getting their comeuppances, and a barrelful of red herrings. Awe. Some.
And quite apart from that, it's a fantastic modern Gothic in which the author preys upon everyone's deepest fears: not libraries or librarians or homicidal maniacs, but the fear of not being believed. The fear of losing your mind and imagining all the terrible things going on around you, twinned with the frustration of trying to warn everyone and having them tell you you're imagining all the terrible things going on around you.
Deducted a star here for just not enough reliance on book learnin', a weird and truly avoidable plothole, and the fact that the heroine was dumb as a bag of hammers. So kind of 3.5 stars. But still...
(wait for it)
(wait for it)
Okay all together now: Definitely one worth checking out.
Well, a homicidal maniac, to be honest.
Super fun book. All the things you hope will be here are, including a creepy library, with various creepy rooms lovingly detailed, a heroine who has to solve the mystery with her knowledge of classic literature, people getting locked in the library after dark, mean girls getting their comeuppances, and a barrelful of red herrings. Awe. Some.
And quite apart from that, it's a fantastic modern Gothic in which the author preys upon everyone's deepest fears: not libraries or librarians or homicidal maniacs, but the fear of not being believed. The fear of losing your mind and imagining all the terrible things going on around you, twinned with the frustration of trying to warn everyone and having them tell you you're imagining all the terrible things going on around you.
Deducted a star here for just not enough reliance on book learnin', a weird and truly avoidable plothole, and the fact that the heroine was dumb as a bag of hammers. So kind of 3.5 stars. But still...
(wait for it)
(wait for it)
Okay all together now: Definitely one worth checking out.
August 23, 2023
So if you've followed me for a while you know I'm a sucker for creepy books that take place in a library.And this book ,Overdue by Richie Tankersley Cusack is no exception. This was an awesome buddy read full of heart and scares and a really fun mystery. The story starts off with Kathleen working at a local library talking to her friend Robin, a maintenance like guy that can't talk because an accident left him mute.We quickly learn that Mrs. Finch the library owner is going out of town. Mrs Finch is described as an old lady that is always grumpy because she was in love one time in her life.Mrs Finch wants Kathleen to run the library while she's away.Kathaleen agrees reluctantly because it is Spring break and she wants to be out ,not stuck in a stuffy damp library.One night while working, some books are dropped off in the drop box and Kathleen thinks it's weird all of the books this person dropped off has to do with death and executions.In one book in particular some pages are cut out.This of course freaks her out and we are introduced to a guy named Alexander, a guy that introduces himself as the third that overheard her screaming.He goes to a local school.She's freaked but ends up walking home and runs into a girl from her school that's basically a mean girl.She even throws books at her that she borrowed.Kathaleen gets home and goes to sleep and is awoken from a fire and sees a copy of Dante's inferno in the room, and after this we get a pattern of accidents and then books being left behind hinting at an the accident .My favorite was probably the Phantom Of The Opera accident.That was really fun.After the fire she goes and stays with her friend from childhood Bran and his mom,both of which were my favorite characters.In fact I was genuinely hoping we would get a wedding scene between Bran and Kathleen.And if your wondering why she didn't stay with her dad, it's because he's working to much and is barley home and has to also go on a trip.This books simply fun I enjoyed the books being left behind the paranoid nature of Kathleen.And I also really enjoyed Brans sarcasm.There are two scenes that genuinely made me laugh like "I know I'm not in heaven because your here"and when Kathleen is freaked out because she saw something super traumatic ,he tells her to blow her nose.This books great.The only minor complaints I have are the reason the books being left behind.Seems like the killer was trying to get caught.It wasn't explained that great. But that's it.This was a super fun book. Honestly I didn't predict who the killer was. My buddy read did, but I think she was joking.I give Overdue a five out of five stars.
June 16, 2021
Was NOT expecting that. Also libraries are scary.
September 29, 2023
3.5 stars. Loved the pulpy twist at the end! The rest was fairly standard 90s YA horror, but yeah, that crazy ending really worked for me. It made very little sense but was also pretty hilarious, and I sure as hell didn't see it coming!
October 19, 2011
I'm torn about what to rate this. I liked the whole idea with the freaky books and all the strange accidents. However, I thought the ending was TERRIBLE!! I was kind of into it until I figured out the culprit. It was the lamest reason of all time. I was like 'seriously? That's it?'. Soo stupid! Also, it didn't make much sense. The book starts where Kathleen finds all these disturbing torture books in the library drop box. Now that I know who the bad person is, it has no relevance or connection to the culprits motive. It started off as a not-so-bad book and then this terribly crap ending was tacked on. None of it makes sense!!!! I understand it might be a bit outdated but that's not a good enough excuse. I've read tons of older horror books that are really good. So being written in the 90s doesn't give a book an excuse to be bad.
I was so confused by the characters relationship to each other. At first I thought Bran and Kathleen were siblings and then I thought Della was Bran's cousin. I just didn't understand. I got it eventually but several times it threw me off and I had think about what was going on. I felt like these things should have been established clearer.
The only good things were Kathleen and Bran. I thought they were super cute together. They had pretty funny lines they shot at one another.
I was so confused by the characters relationship to each other. At first I thought Bran and Kathleen were siblings and then I thought Della was Bran's cousin. I just didn't understand. I got it eventually but several times it threw me off and I had think about what was going on. I felt like these things should have been established clearer.
The only good things were Kathleen and Bran. I thought they were super cute together. They had pretty funny lines they shot at one another.
August 23, 2019
Loved the library setting. Everything else was bad. The narrator sounded like she was in her 50s and was narrating as a teen girl. Not 1 but 3 guys were interested in the main character. Poorly written. I hope Richie Cusick has some better books.
April 11, 2022
As of right now, I don't think there is a book written by RTC that I haven't liked. It's been a while since I read The Lifeguard so I'm not sure about that one until I re-read it but I am sure that I really enjoyed Overdue.
I admit it was a little slow in some parts but mostly because RTC is very good at detail when it comes to her atmospheric descriptions but the action soon picked up. As always, most of the characters are amiable and relatable while the others are sort of ambiguous where you are not sure if you should like them or not.
Let's see there is a brunette heroine in teenage library worker Kathleen Davies, her best female friend Della Conway, some rich and snotty girls named Monica Franklin and Vivian Wenner, the librarian spinster of undeterminable age Miss Finch and as always...a handful of guys to be love interests or psychos-in-disguise.
Teenage janitor Robin who is cute and mute, Bran Vanelli who has been friends with Kathleen and Della forever that is now the hottest, most wanted boy at Fremont High School with handsome college student Alexander Hodges the Third rounding out the pool of main male characters. One of the other stand outs is Bran's widowed mother, a well-meaning Italian lady trying to set Kathleen up with her son.
The plot begins on a rainy night, the library preparing to close and Kathleen is left in charge by Miss Finch who is going out of town. Forgetting her purse and the older woman not leaving the keys, Kathleen goes back as some books are dropped off in the slot. These books are all about death, murder, execution, torture and have been defaced as if someone were taking clear notes on how to do the most awful things.
Kathleen is freaked out and the ominous feeling doesn't fade when she discovers the bookmark within the pages and its creepy warning of what is to come. Kathleen's home is almost burnt down and she goes to stay with Bran and his mother as her divorced father must go out of town but it doesn't stop the terror.
Accidents begin to happen to those around Kathleen, books leaving clues to the next deadly deed in store, and Kathleen must figure out who is behind this before her life gets checked out...permanently.
The reveal is not too surprising if you think about the suspects and the motive is a normal one in these kinds of books but it isn't necessarily bad. The ending is bittersweet after the climax but edges more toward the sweet than the sour with enough emotion to make me cry but also laugh at times.
A solid recommendation if you are a fan of RTC and YA horror.
I admit it was a little slow in some parts but mostly because RTC is very good at detail when it comes to her atmospheric descriptions but the action soon picked up. As always, most of the characters are amiable and relatable while the others are sort of ambiguous where you are not sure if you should like them or not.
Let's see there is a brunette heroine in teenage library worker Kathleen Davies, her best female friend Della Conway, some rich and snotty girls named Monica Franklin and Vivian Wenner, the librarian spinster of undeterminable age Miss Finch and as always...a handful of guys to be love interests or psychos-in-disguise.
Teenage janitor Robin who is cute and mute, Bran Vanelli who has been friends with Kathleen and Della forever that is now the hottest, most wanted boy at Fremont High School with handsome college student Alexander Hodges the Third rounding out the pool of main male characters. One of the other stand outs is Bran's widowed mother, a well-meaning Italian lady trying to set Kathleen up with her son.
The plot begins on a rainy night, the library preparing to close and Kathleen is left in charge by Miss Finch who is going out of town. Forgetting her purse and the older woman not leaving the keys, Kathleen goes back as some books are dropped off in the slot. These books are all about death, murder, execution, torture and have been defaced as if someone were taking clear notes on how to do the most awful things.
Kathleen is freaked out and the ominous feeling doesn't fade when she discovers the bookmark within the pages and its creepy warning of what is to come. Kathleen's home is almost burnt down and she goes to stay with Bran and his mother as her divorced father must go out of town but it doesn't stop the terror.
Accidents begin to happen to those around Kathleen, books leaving clues to the next deadly deed in store, and Kathleen must figure out who is behind this before her life gets checked out...permanently.
The reveal is not too surprising if you think about the suspects and the motive is a normal one in these kinds of books but it isn't necessarily bad. The ending is bittersweet after the climax but edges more toward the sweet than the sour with enough emotion to make me cry but also laugh at times.
A solid recommendation if you are a fan of RTC and YA horror.
March 31, 2017
I recently was watching a booktuber and she said 'Do not be afraid to DNF, there are so many books out there. Don't waste your time on books you don't enjoy' I really need to let books go sooner, and more often when I just... don't like them.
I cannot get past the bad dialogue of this book
It is such a small book, like a Fear Street book. I fly through Fear Street books like nothing. I can only read so many before I need a break but they are easy, and interesting. This was not.
Sure the idea behind it is cool, a person going after someone using library books. It is a very interesting idea. But the freaking dialogue is awful.
AWFUL
Who actually talks like this? It's just sooo... I cannot get past it. So I am DNF this at page 70. I know I could have pushed through this and finished it but... no. Just no.
I cannot get past the bad dialogue of this book
It is such a small book, like a Fear Street book. I fly through Fear Street books like nothing. I can only read so many before I need a break but they are easy, and interesting. This was not.
Sure the idea behind it is cool, a person going after someone using library books. It is a very interesting idea. But the freaking dialogue is awful.
AWFUL
Who actually talks like this? It's just sooo... I cannot get past it. So I am DNF this at page 70. I know I could have pushed through this and finished it but... no. Just no.
October 3, 2018
4 SPOOKY STARS
I could help but enjoy every moment of this book. Of course there was some teenage angst and a love square (three possible love interests and only one girl ... talk about complicated 🤦🏻♀️). Almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger, so you couldn’t help but want to keep on reading. I’m looking forward to revisiting more of this author’s books!
I could help but enjoy every moment of this book. Of course there was some teenage angst and a love square (three possible love interests and only one girl ... talk about complicated 🤦🏻♀️). Almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger, so you couldn’t help but want to keep on reading. I’m looking forward to revisiting more of this author’s books!
August 21, 2023
I loved the idea of this novel. It’s different than anything I have read before and I really enjoyed that. It was such a page turner and there were many times that I had trouble putting it down. The twist was so unexpected, which I loved. This was definitely a fun read and I recommend others to read it!
November 27, 2020
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
October 4, 2023
This was okay. Not great though.
March 14, 2019
This woman is great with description. The first twenty pages had me sucked in. The atmosphere was great, and I could see everything so clearly, which is rare for me. Visualization isn’t always my forte. It is one of the reasons I enjoyed textbooks more than fiction for years.
The dialogue seemed a bit off at times. There were a few times where a character would wake another just to tell them to go back to sleep. So I guess more than anything it just seemed like some information needed to be imparted to another character, and the setup would be off or something.
The book’s pace really picks up around page 120, and I burned through the rest of it without stopping once I got there. It was a bit slow before that point. The stakes were kind of low (people were getting injured but not dying). But man, from 120 on this book got solid.
She kept me guessing on who the killer was too :)
Overall I liked this book and definitely plan to read another from her. I have to dig out the one folks think is her best. I always ask for suggestions, but never get any feedback. I’ll ask anyway, which of this author’s books do you suggest?
The dialogue seemed a bit off at times. There were a few times where a character would wake another just to tell them to go back to sleep. So I guess more than anything it just seemed like some information needed to be imparted to another character, and the setup would be off or something.
The book’s pace really picks up around page 120, and I burned through the rest of it without stopping once I got there. It was a bit slow before that point. The stakes were kind of low (people were getting injured but not dying). But man, from 120 on this book got solid.
She kept me guessing on who the killer was too :)
Overall I liked this book and definitely plan to read another from her. I have to dig out the one folks think is her best. I always ask for suggestions, but never get any feedback. I’ll ask anyway, which of this author’s books do you suggest?
June 14, 2011
I recently rediscovered this book when I was visiting my parents and rummaging through the garage for something to read. The little nameplate on the inside shows that I originally read the book in 6th grade, and I remember that it was one of the my favorites. It has everything that I loved when I was 11 years old: murder, mystery, a creepy old library, clues in the form of books, and three potential love interests for the main character. It also has some snappy dialogue and sarcastic quips, and a twist at the end that surprised me.
Rereading this almost 15 years later, I was surprised to see how damn bloody it was. Teens turn up dead left and right, killed in some rather macabre ways, and there are all of these terrible accidents that occur to Kathleen's friends. These days I twitch a bit to see how often Kathleen ends up screaming for someone to save her, but overall, I think it's a fun and sorta-scary YA horror read that I am quite pleased to still have in my collection.
Rereading this almost 15 years later, I was surprised to see how damn bloody it was. Teens turn up dead left and right, killed in some rather macabre ways, and there are all of these terrible accidents that occur to Kathleen's friends. These days I twitch a bit to see how often Kathleen ends up screaming for someone to save her, but overall, I think it's a fun and sorta-scary YA horror read that I am quite pleased to still have in my collection.
April 5, 2010
This was one of my favorite books when I was a pre-teen (although it says it was published in 1995...seriously?! I guess I was a little older...). It is, of course, terribly written, full of cliches (lots of horrified backing away slowly while saying "no...no...no...") and ultimately very predictable, but it had libraries in it! And murders based on classic literature! Richie Tankersley Cusick also wrote other horror books that had Renaissance fairs and stuff like that in them, so I thought she had a conduit to all my teenage loves. So, so satisfying.
July 9, 2017
I enjoy these 90s teenage books though they are kinda cheesy. They all have pretty much the same unrealistic plots and even romance. There are bad and good ones and this was one of the slightly better ones. I just got this book because it was about books and even better a library. It was easy to figure out who the killer was and the reason why was really dumb but I guess understandable.
The ending was the worse part since the characters friend who spent the majority of the book in a coma with no changes; is better and her old self again.
The ending was the worse part since the characters friend who spent the majority of the book in a coma with no changes; is better and her old self again.
April 4, 2018
Firstly, I have to say how much I love the concept of a good library horror. This novel gets the atmosphere right and apart from a few issues I have with Kathleen's character (why does she hate libraries?!), I really enjoyed being transported back to Fremont's dark and dusty stacks. Overdue still leaves me pondering some logic and character development concerns, but I will say that the ending has a good twist. On the whole it's a lot of fun.
September 18, 2023
Fun read! I didn’t really like the main character, Kathleen, she kept saying and doing stupid things. But the story was quick and fun w some scary moments that reminded me of my first horror novels as a kid.
I’ve always been afraid of being locked in a library or bookstore and this had the creepy descriptions of what I imagine being alone in the dark between shelves of books would feel and sound like.
I’m glad I found this book, it makes a great addition to my horror collection.
I’ve always been afraid of being locked in a library or bookstore and this had the creepy descriptions of what I imagine being alone in the dark between shelves of books would feel and sound like.
I’m glad I found this book, it makes a great addition to my horror collection.
August 31, 2011
I LOVE this book!!! I must have read it back in grade 5 (95) but even now it's a great read!
The creepy library, the hot guy friend, the twisted game someone's playing, you can't go wrong.
I tell everyone about this book still and encourage people to read it!!
The creepy library, the hot guy friend, the twisted game someone's playing, you can't go wrong.
I tell everyone about this book still and encourage people to read it!!
June 21, 2016
This book was delightfully terrible. Spooky in exactly the right teenage way and with a gooey too good to be true ending
January 31, 2022
Read as part of a personal project to reread past favorites. Teenage me LOVED RTC & this book!! Adult me, not so much.
When I had 40 pages left in this book, I made the following list of suspects:
1)Alexander Hodges the third. He’s obviously suspicious, showed up COMPLETELY out of the blue 5 seconds b4 everything began, was coming inside the library after her “through the window” attack, nobody at his school has even heard of him. MASSIVE RED FLAGS. That said, I feel like he’s the kind of OBVIOUS suspect. A red herring one might say.
2)Miss Finch. She has been completely MIA the whole book but clearly she is a bitter angry old woman who seems to disapprove of young people. And she didn’t even come to work that one day and left the whole place unlocked. Perhaps because she HAS BEEN AT WORK THIS WHOLE TIME. AT WORK TRYING TO TORTURE/MURDER/KILL RANDOM TEENS. INSTEAD OF AT A LIBRARY CONFERENCE. This feels weak though bc she’s basically been “offscreen” all book and we literally know nothing about her. If it winds up being her I’ll be pissed. I feel like it is more likely we stumble across her body somewhere in the west wing.
3)BRAN’S MOTHER. I think maybe bran’s mom has some kind of reverse oediupus complex or something. She seems OBSESSED with the “bad girls” and I think she’s trying to protect BRAN’S VIRGINITY so that she can take it herself maybe? Or keep him a virgin for life? This seems like a distinct possibility as it is basically all the women surrounding BRAN that are dying/getting tortured/winding up in hospital constantly. It DOES seem like bran is at the center of everything that’s happening.
Well, if you’ve read the book, you know what happens. Hence the 2 stars. Also, none of AH III’s shadiness is ever explained or resolved. Was he secretly working with Miss F the whole time and got away with it??? Perhaps that would explain how Miss F orchestrated a driverless truck hitting bran/della whilst simultaneously planting Anna Karenina and then stealing it back, all the while totally undetected.
When I had 40 pages left in this book, I made the following list of suspects:
1)Alexander Hodges the third. He’s obviously suspicious, showed up COMPLETELY out of the blue 5 seconds b4 everything began, was coming inside the library after her “through the window” attack, nobody at his school has even heard of him. MASSIVE RED FLAGS. That said, I feel like he’s the kind of OBVIOUS suspect. A red herring one might say.
2)Miss Finch. She has been completely MIA the whole book but clearly she is a bitter angry old woman who seems to disapprove of young people. And she didn’t even come to work that one day and left the whole place unlocked. Perhaps because she HAS BEEN AT WORK THIS WHOLE TIME. AT WORK TRYING TO TORTURE/MURDER/KILL RANDOM TEENS. INSTEAD OF AT A LIBRARY CONFERENCE. This feels weak though bc she’s basically been “offscreen” all book and we literally know nothing about her. If it winds up being her I’ll be pissed. I feel like it is more likely we stumble across her body somewhere in the west wing.
3)BRAN’S MOTHER. I think maybe bran’s mom has some kind of reverse oediupus complex or something. She seems OBSESSED with the “bad girls” and I think she’s trying to protect BRAN’S VIRGINITY so that she can take it herself maybe? Or keep him a virgin for life? This seems like a distinct possibility as it is basically all the women surrounding BRAN that are dying/getting tortured/winding up in hospital constantly. It DOES seem like bran is at the center of everything that’s happening.
Well, if you’ve read the book, you know what happens. Hence the 2 stars. Also, none of AH III’s shadiness is ever explained or resolved. Was he secretly working with Miss F the whole time and got away with it??? Perhaps that would explain how Miss F orchestrated a driverless truck hitting bran/della whilst simultaneously planting Anna Karenina and then stealing it back, all the while totally undetected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2021
this book was cheesy and campy... and i loved it. i read all of cusick’s books in my middle school library years ago, so when i saw a book i hadn’t read yet on amazon i knew i had to pick it up. i was not disappointed. all of cusick’s books are a bit formulaic: high school girl with multiple love interests experiences creepy things as no one believes her until the killer is dramatically revealed, followed by a kiss from the guy our heroine chooses. however they never fail to keep me entertained. the atmosphere and descriptions cusick creates always freak me out, even when i read during the day. i also never see who the killer is until the final moments, which makes it interesting. this book especially delivered with red herrings and i was totally shocked on who the murder was. i would have appreciated a little more reliance on literature considering books were such a big part of this mystery but that’s my only complaint. i know what i’m getting into when i’m reading one of these books and i’m never dissatisfied. if you’re looking for a cheesy 90s thriller, cusick is the queen.
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June 29, 2021"Even on the sunniest of days, the library was as cold and damp as the tomb..." -- Kathleen, 17-years-old, tomb expert
RTC, you have my heart out on loan. OVERDUE details a deliriously eventful few days in the life Kathleen, part-time library clerk and object of murderous attention. When not witnessing her friends being mowed down by driverless cars or having acid tossed in their faces, Kathleen ponders life's important questions: should she smooch her uber-Italian childhood best friend (Bran), the mute but sweet and protective library janitor (Robin), or the mysterious college boy inexplicably interested in researching town folklore (Alexander)? And, of secondary importance, could one of them be the literary clue-leaving killer??? Nobody but RTC could make her gaslighting mystery thriller read for long stretches like a YA adaptation of MOONSTRUCK 🍝 Four exorbitant late fees out of four.
📚‼️BOOK DROP‼️📚
RTC, you have my heart out on loan. OVERDUE details a deliriously eventful few days in the life Kathleen, part-time library clerk and object of murderous attention. When not witnessing her friends being mowed down by driverless cars or having acid tossed in their faces, Kathleen ponders life's important questions: should she smooch her uber-Italian childhood best friend (Bran), the mute but sweet and protective library janitor (Robin), or the mysterious college boy inexplicably interested in researching town folklore (Alexander)? And, of secondary importance, could one of them be the literary clue-leaving killer??? Nobody but RTC could make her gaslighting mystery thriller read for long stretches like a YA adaptation of MOONSTRUCK 🍝 Four exorbitant late fees out of four.
📚‼️BOOK DROP‼️📚
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September 5, 2018Vintage Teen Horror Challenge Book 2
What... to say about this. I obviously chose this one for the gloriously cheesy librarian pun. My only knowledge of Richie Tankersley Cusick going into this was that she had written the novelization for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a handful of Point Horror books.
A girl working in her local library is horrified when people she knows show up dead... with library books at the crime scene. The killer is cartoonish and has a ridiculously stupid motivation. Still, the theme left me wanting to read more horror set in libraries.
Memorable Quotes:
“[She] thinks psychos are taking over the library". "What?" Mrs Vanelli looked alarmed. "Where can we be safe, if not the library?”
“I don’t want those bad girls calling here- that’s why I keep the phone a secret.”
What... to say about this. I obviously chose this one for the gloriously cheesy librarian pun. My only knowledge of Richie Tankersley Cusick going into this was that she had written the novelization for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a handful of Point Horror books.
A girl working in her local library is horrified when people she knows show up dead... with library books at the crime scene. The killer is cartoonish and has a ridiculously stupid motivation. Still, the theme left me wanting to read more horror set in libraries.
Memorable Quotes:
“[She] thinks psychos are taking over the library". "What?" Mrs Vanelli looked alarmed. "Where can we be safe, if not the library?”
“I don’t want those bad girls calling here- that’s why I keep the phone a secret.”
April 28, 2023
Kathleen is a whiny a-hole who is left in charge of the library when the worst librarian in the world leaves town to go to a conference. She has her friend, Robin and the hot guy's name is Bran Vanelli.
You can't make this stuff up. Wait, someone did.
This book goes off the rails and I'm pretty sure it is the first time I have ever 5 starred a Point Horror. Some of the murders are never fully explained and who knew an iron can burn down an entire house? But the over-the-topness of the story is what drove me to finish it in a single reading.
LOVED IT!
You can't make this stuff up. Wait, someone did.
This book goes off the rails and I'm pretty sure it is the first time I have ever 5 starred a Point Horror. Some of the murders are never fully explained and who knew an iron can burn down an entire house? But the over-the-topness of the story is what drove me to finish it in a single reading.
LOVED IT!
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