Visit my Ode to Cleo page here: https://theeditingpen.com/cleo
The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller
Penelope Thornton-McClure and her bookshop’s ghost-in-residence Jack Shepard are back on a new case in this delightful paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
A big bestseller leads to small-town trouble. Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn’t believe in ghosts until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful…
After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it–literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction. Now with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.
You’re going to like this one. Perfectly fine as a stand-alone as the author sprinkles in a bit of exposition here and there to catch you up on how things came to be. But you will want to go to book one so you can really get to know Pen and Jack and see their journey. I love how the author keeps the two worlds clear with color, lingo, and pacing, separating the present with Jack’s time period. And how Pen gets there, while not technically and fully explained, seems to work and maintains a needed sense of mystery about it. A couple of times the author so cleverly alluded that maybe it really was only Pen’s dream. Which I immediately shrugged off since I’m in love with Jack. There’s humor, flair, and a good solid plot. After hitting the town with Jack and Pen and experiencing the two separate worlds they live in, I felt a subtle undercurrent of bittersweet, almost sad poignancy between the two that leaves me hoping one day they will truly be together.
This is book six in the series. To catch up with all things Jack and Pen, click here: https://amzn.to/2nr3spB.
More goodness from Cleo Coyle: https://amzn.to/2OsCJV4
Coffee, coffee, yummy recipes, and more coffee: http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/
Visit my Ode to Cleo page here: https://theeditingpen.com/cleo-coyle/
Have you met Jack Shepard? Hop on over to say hi or offer up a shot of whisky: https://www.facebook.com/JackShepardGhost
Not for the faint of heart. He will steal yours away
Dear Annie — I’m dropping in to convey my *spirited* thanks for helping us welcome Jack and Pen back to sleuthing. Marc and I always thoroughly enjoy your reviews, and we truly appreciate the kind support you’ve given to us and our work over the years. As for Jack, well…he’s smitten. Cheers, and–
May you always read with joy!
~ Cleo
Always a pleasure to have you visit. And you and your characters are welcome anytime! (With a special little invite for Jack…)
Congrats on your book, and thank YOU for bringing joy to us readers!