The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)

I love this series! I was iffy on the first book wondering just how the author was going to convince me that there was a palpable heat between a ghost and a very much alive young woman, but she did, and now I'm into this series for the long haul. The frequent glimpses into Jack's past were enjoyable and the construct of Penelope joining him is an interesting twist with room to grow. This entry was a great deal more enjoyable than the series entry, though the first wasn't bad, quite the contrary. The main characters, both living and dead, have become fleshed out and three-dimensional. The plotline involving a tell-all is relevant to today's unfortunate influx of people who are famous for simply being omnipresent, young, and wealthy and the ridiculous gossip they generate to keep themselves in the spotlight. I love the shots the book took at some of these celebutantes and their unnecessary and tiring antics. The secondary characters are also coming along nicely and the quaint setting is simply delicious. I highly recommend this series, especially if you love the movie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, this is a must read for you, in fact it is just a must read.

I ran across the first title in this series, The Ghost and Mrs, McClure, in my local library. After finishing it, I made a trip to my used bookstore and was lucky enough to find both titles in stock. I am now anxiously awaiting the third. Penelope and her ghost private detective Jack must solve another mystery. This one has some overtones which remind Jack of one of his cases from 1940s. Jack uses dreams to show Penelope what his life was like. The quirky townspeople are back as well to lend a hand in solving the mystery. Fans of 1940s film noir and fans of cozy mysteries will definitely love this book.

I'm enjoying this series -- no obvious fake red herrings, enough believable suspects to keep the reader guessing, and a strong but not annoying female lead. The forties-type ghost who's the second character is a good match for the lead, and the beginnings of a "he's here and now" but "he can bring her into his past" is leading to some interesting heat. The contrast between Newport society and the rest of the world was well drawn, too.

Penelope Thornton-McClure is back solving another mystery. She has young author Angel Stark speak about her latest novel, true crime, in her bookstore Buy The Book that she owns with her Aunt Sadie. Angel's book is about the unsolved mystery surrounding a debutante found strangled to death. There are juicy details pointing fingers at a lot of people in the dead deb's circle of friends. Many of them are at this event and speak out about Angel's new book. Then when Angel ends up strangled to death, too, Penelope begins to investigate things. She is assisted by her bookstore's resident ghost, hard-boiled PI Jack Shephard. Fifty years ago, he was shot in the bookstore without knowing who shot him. He has been stuck there ever since. Can Penelope and Jack discover who the killer is without anyone else becoming a victim? I normally don't like mysteries with ghosts, but I love this series. It is such a great cozy and the ghost is so well written that I often forget he is a ghost. He always shows up at just the right time with just the right words. He often helps Penelope, but sometimes he flusters her with his words. This is the second book in the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series, and I hope there will be many, many more. I always enjoy reading them. I highly recommend this book and the series.

First off I should say that I'm not a frequent reader of any mysteries--particularly not of the contemporary series that are so ubiquitous now: mysteries for foodies, coffee drinkers, pet lovers, garderners, piano tuners, lion tamers--you name it--it's been done. I've dipped into several of them, and usually I'm disppointed by generically "quirky" characters and, especially, contrived dialogue and/or predictable situations. Still, I'm a lover of classic films and ghost stories, as well as getting into the mystery mood by a recent re-discovery of the exceptional "Mr. and Mrs. North" series of the 1940s. How gratified I was to find that after impulsively buying "The Ghost and the Dead Deb" at my local mystery bookshop it's just as worthy an effort as the better books written some 60 years ago. The author manages to create believable characters--both living and dead, and even work in a frisson of romance--just enough to be wonderfully satisfying. It's been a long time since I've found a lead female character who doesn't irritate the heck out of me by her shallowness or unreal behaviour. This one is carefully drawn. The mystery itself is tops, but most importantly you just plain care about these people. Here's a real writer! Looking forward to more.