Long Overdue

by Jeff Ayers

A killer stalks habitual library abusers and exacts gruesome, yet fitting, revenge. Collection Development Librarian Nicholas Hardy is forced to cancel his vacation, and he soon learns of a major upheaval in library policy that effectively leaves him unemployed. A property-crimes police officer learns of another dead body with ties to thefts from the library. A connection between the killings and Hardy makes Hardy the prime suspect. When the real psychopath realizes that the police are getting close, he decides to implement his plan to cleanse the library once and for all. He releases a deadly nerve gas in the building and then takes the library director hostage. The final part of the criminal's plan will force Hardy to lead SWAT through a booby-trapped maze where death waits around every corner. It is up to Hardy to help rescue a man he hates from a madman he once considered his friend.

Genres: Fiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2013

Reviews

[Cass Mabbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you going until the end. Having been in the Central Seattle Public Library it was fun to see how accurate Ayers is in his description of the building. Also, being familiar with some library policy, it was very cool to hear about the bad and the good of library service. Most of all Ayers is not afraid to kill of characters that the reader thinks will be around for a while! If you are from Seattle or are visiting, pick this up. You'll enjoy it.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read for anyone who has ever worked (or even visited) the Seattle Public Library in downtown Seattle. (I should add that I work for Seattle Public, though not in this building.) A killer begins by murdering deserving (hey, maybe you should think again about defacing library books!) patrons, and ends up in a full-blown crazy attack on the Central library, forcing librarian Nicholas Hardy into the role of unlikely hero. Take this on your next long plane trip or vacation!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. There were some parts that were fabulous: I loved the description of Seattle Public's central branch building, the patrons, and the idea of someone enforcing library justice! However, I was thrown off by the grammatical errors that an editor should have caught, and I never had any kind of bond/rapport with the characters.

[Brian Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A serial killer eliminating miscreants who deface library books. An excellent premise. Jeff Ayers' LONG OVERDUE takes an unlikely hero in an unlikely setting and delivers a riveting thriller with an even unlikelier ending. A fun read from start to finish.

[Michelle Hoogterp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read my review here: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...