The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion
Alice Kimberly
Berkley, Jan 2009,
ISBN: 9780425224601
When Penelope McClure’s husband committed suicide, she packed up their things and with their young son moved to Quindicott, Rhode island where she bought into Buy the Book bookstore. The building comes equipped with the ghost of Jack Shepard, who was murdered there in the 1940s and so can’t leave the premises unless Pen takes his buffalo nickel with him; and then he can only go where Pen goes. From believing he was a hallucination, Pen realizes she has romantic feelings for him although they can only meet in her dreams.
Delivering books to the reclusive Miss Todd, Pen notices her letter carrier Seymour Tarnish hurrying from there with a red stain on his shirt. At the Todd mansion, Pen finds Miss Todd dead. Pen calls the police who suspect Seymour has something to do with the homicide as he had opportunity since he could enter her home with the mail; Seymour swears Miss Todd gave him permission; the red spot turns out to be ketchup to Pen’s mixed feelings as she is happy that Seymour seems innocent and a bit mortified it was not blood. He remains the prime suspect so Pen and Jack who believe he is innocent investigate those who would inherit the estate.
Jack is molded from the Philip Marlow school of hard boiled sleuths while Pen is a proper lady similar to Mrs. Muir of the Ghost film fame. This off beat pairing turns into an electrifying chemical combo that leads to a stand out series whose latest entry like its predecessors “The Ghost and …” tales is a delightful paranormal cozy noir; an apt description of the lead couple as well. Alice Kimberly provides a haunting whodunit.
Harriet Klausner
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment