Showing posts with label ghost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghost. Show all posts

Book Review: Be Our Ghost (Merry Ghost Inn) by Kate Kingsbury

Be Our Ghost is the third book in the Merry Ghost Inn Mystery series by Kate Kingsbury. I have only read the first book in the series, and somehow missed the second. I feel like I was able to pick up the characters and larger story pretty quickly and think that newcomers to the series will be able to jump in fairly easily.

Melanie West, her grandmother, Liza, and their beloved sheepdog/wolfhound mix, Max, are rapidly getting the hang of running their charming bed-and-breakfast inn on the rocky Oregon coast. Not that business goes without a hitch when your hostelry boasts its own laughing resident ghost, you’d better be expect the out-of-the-ordinary. But Melanie and Liza take it all in stride…until a hotshot real estate developer arrives in Sully’s Landing, touting his plans to build a tacky amusement arcade smack dab in the middle of the tasteful cliff-side town. No one in Sully’s Landing can stand the gaudy developer, but it’s still a shock when he ends up murdered. It’s even more shocking when Liza’s friend, Doug, emerges as the chief suspect. Melanie and Liza put on their sleuthing caps yet again and set out to clear Doug’s name. They nearly check into accommodations six feet under when, en route to the crime scene, their brakes give out and they narrowly miss plunging over the cliffs to the beach below. Meanwhile, the merry ghost who haunts the inn tries to help by dropping clues for Melanie to find, but her mind is otherwise preoccupied when the killer kidnaps Liza and holds her prisoner. Now, it’s up to Melanie to piece together the ghost’s clues, save her mother, exonerate her friend, keep her guests happy, and make sure Max gets his walkies.

Be Our Ghost is an entertaining cozy mystery with a splash of paranormal and some interesting secondary stories. I thought the mystery, and the involvement of Doug was very engaging and entertaining. I enjoyed the exchanges between Liza and Doug. I though the closer look at the town and the community was very well done and the details of the players were revealed slowly and in fun ways. There were neat little hints and clues as the story progressed, that left me thinking about several possibilities for the guilty party. I do have to admit that I was a bit bothered by the amount of time poor Max spent stuck in a car. Regardless of the weather I think that leaving animals or children unattended in a car is generally a bad idea. I felt like the romance between Melanie and Ben is unnecessary, and it felt thrown in there because some romance seems expected. However, I would have been fine without that ingredient to the story since there was more than enough going on already. It was not badly done, but just felt like it was included because it as 'supposed' to be there rather than being important. 

Be Our Ghost is a good cozy mystery with a little bit of everything. Fans of the author and the series will not be disappointed, although I felt that there was some more potential here.

Book Review: Death Overdue: A Haunted Library Mystery by Allison Brook, Marilyn Levinson

Death Overdue: A Haunted Library Mystery is the first book in a series by Allison Brook and Marilyn Levinson. Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies. The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite push back from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Death Overdue: A Haunted Library Mystery is a mystery that caught and held my attention, even though I was reading it only during lunch breaks and the like. I admit that I picked it up because it was about a librarian, and since I have been working in libraries for almost 20 years now, that caught my attention. I did not notice that it was set in a small Connecticut town until I had begun, but as a Connecticut native (currently living in a town that in no way resembles Clover Ridge) it endeared itself to me even more. I liked Carrie, who resembles many of the new adult generation that I know personally, and her conflicting emotions about being independent and staying connected are right on point. The politics, family connections, and drama that take place are totally possible- and I have seen similar issues in libraries, churches, and other organizations that require people to work together, and gives some more power than others- particularly in small towns or groups where everyone knows each other. I also like that while Carrie building connections; in friendship, work, and the romantic possibilities, are important to the story her personal growth and the mystery at hand remain the main focus of the story rather than overshadowing them. That is sometimes a hard balance to strike, but it was nicely done here. I also like that the mystery was wrapped up nicely, but the promise of further growth with Carrie, and further mysteries to solve leaves readers wanting more without leaving them hanging with unanswered questions.

Death Overdue: A Haunted Library Mystery is a book that took me much longer to read than it should have. The characters and pacing were pretty perfect, but since I was reading it on my phone on lunch breaks rather than on my Kindle in my normal reading time it seemed to take forever- but I loved every minute. I look forward to see what the future might hold in store for Carrie and her ghostly companion. 

Early Book Review: Cast No Shadow by Nick Tapalansky, Anissa Espinosa

Cast No Shadow is a graphic novel written by Nick Tapalansky and illustrated by Anissa Espinosa. It is currently scheduled for release on October 10 2017. Greg has lived in Lancaster his whole life. The town's always had its quirks, and being born without a shadow means he's counted among them. When Greg discovers an old mansion in the woods just outside of town, he didn't expect to meet a smart, beautiful, funny, and dead teenaged girl named Eleanor. Yeah. He's in love with a ghost. And before he knows what's happening, Greg finds himself at the wrong end of a history lesson when the town's past, and his own, threaten to pull the two of them apart permanently.

Cast No Shadow is an engaging graphic novel. I enjoyed the unusual lack of a shadow from our main character, and the story that stemmed from that. I really liked how that played out. I also liked that Greg faces some realistic family issues, and complicated friendships. His imperfect life made his emotions and the trouble he faced that much more real and relatable as a reader. While there is a romance involved, I also liked that his best friend is a girl and the idea of girls as more than a romantic interest is clear. Although, the fact that she has her own romance negates that a little bit, her clear personality and utter lack of fitting the 'girl best friend' stereotype did help a little. I like that the town and most of its inhabitants are a little odd, and the story is unexpected in many ways. I thought the art did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life, adding details and little bits of information that made the read even more enjoyable. The combination of heart felt emotion and facing real life struggles of family and friend relationships along-side the paranormal aspects and humor struck a chord with me.

Cast No Shadow is a graphic novel with a unique twist to teen romance. I enjoyed the art and the story and think that many readers from middle grade on up through adults will enjoy the read.