How to Marry a Ghost

I just finished Hope McIntyre's HOW TO MARRY A GHOST and really loved it. Once again, the characters grabbed me and I kept resisting the urge to flip to the end to see how it all came out. Ghost writer Lee Bartholomew has left the comforts of Notting Hill for the wilds of the Hamptons, on the eastern tip of Long Island, to attend a commitment ceremony between her mother (who's actually still married to her father) and a charming, very rich man Lee calls "The Phillionaire." But almost as soon as she arrives, the body of a young man washes up on shore, dressed in a wedding gown. The book takes off from there, tying in an aging British rock star, a decades-old crime, and tensions between locals and wealthy vacationers. I was really impressed with McIntyre's plotting skills as well. There were so many red herrings and tantalizing twists and turns. And yet these all came out of the characters and the setting, so nothing felt forced. As I was reading HOW TO MARRY A GHOST, I kept seeing Paul McCartney's ads for iTunes on TV. Knowing that Hope lives near him in the Hamptons and occasionally sees him out walking on the beach, I couldn't help envisioning him as Shotgun Marriott. In all, a wonderful book, highly recommended. Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)

I couldn't put it down and devoured "How to Marry a Ghost" in one evening. The humor is clever with a humanistic and sensitve observance of human nature. I was kept in suspence until the last pages and can't wait until the next book comes out. Bravo!

HOW TO MARRY A GHOST is the second story featuring protagonist Lee Bartholomew. I was sold on the character of Lee from the first book, so my reaction to this story included a critical eye on how Hope McIntyre sustained the storyline, which I think she did well. For me the story was richer because of reference to history from the first book in the series. Lee is a nice complex character, the study of whom is perfect for sitting in front of the fireplace on a wet afternoon. She is full of personality traits and personal relationships which don't seem relevant to the murder enquiry, given that she's even supposed to stick her amateur sleuth nose in. Her attitudes frequently provide us with reasons to identify with her, although sometimes we are motivated to put her picture up on a dartboard and take shots. Lee is a fun girl who gives a good time. The characters are mostly endearing and set for the long haul. So, with a drum roll we ask, as many have asked before us, "Excuse me Miss Author, when will the next book be on the shelves?" Theresa de Valence, Mystery Fiction Reviewer

I just happened on this book and I was so pleased to have an easy interesting read. I looked forward to finding out what was going to happen next between New York and London. (both favorite locations for me) and just enough twists and turns to keep me wondering about who, what and where. Entertaining and I recommend it for summer reading for sure. On the beach would be best!

English ghostwriter Lee Bartholomew travels from London to the Hamptons in Long Island as the Maid of Honor at her mother's commitment ceremony to her partner American billionaire Philip "Phillionaire" Abernathy. Mom got the idea from the wedding section of the New York Times where gay couples, unable to legally marry because of sacred law sanctioning divorces between a man and a woman, announce their relationship. Of course mom is heterosexual but she still is married to Lee's dad (bigamy being another sacred anti-sanctioning law). Lee figures while helicopter flying amidst the rich and famous, she plans to interview secluded rock legend Shotgun Marriot; ghostwriting rival Bettina Pleshette plots to do so also. However, Marriot's son and soon afterward Pleshette are found dead, apparently murdered. The attendees at the ceremony of Hope's mother and those living at the Marriot estate are the prime suspects. Knowing she now needs to mind her business and work with a new odd client Miss Haverstram, Hope inadvertently finds herself investigating the case. Crossing the Atlantic HOW TO MARRY A GHOST, the sequel to the witty amateur sleuth, HOW TO SEDUCE A GHOST, is an amusing intelligent cozy that will hook readers even before the first corpse washes onto the beach. Lee is terrific with her ironic assessments of relationships and the law before she gets involved in the homicides and with Miss Haverstram's familiar sounding manuscript. Readers will enjoy Lee's antics as she tries to solve the murders whodunit murders and the manuscript mystery before returning across the pond. Harriet Klausner