The ghostly Inspector De Clercq has drafted Frankie, Verity's resident ghost, to help him solve a murder mystery at a Great Gatsby era party. They have 3 days to solve the mystery and then it will be closed to them for another year. If they don't succeed, the inspector will lock Frankie up in ghost prison for good. With motivation like that, Frankie will pay close attention to the goings on at the Adair mansion. Verity will do her best to assist them in solving the mystery even though the inspector doesn't want the help of a live woman. Not sure which he considers the bigger liability, that she is alive or a woman.
Meanwhile, Ellis (Verity's boyfriend and a cop) has a mystery of his own to solve regarding a dead body in a ravine. And then Verity has an additional mystery - someone is leaving pecan pies at her house without a note or a friendly visit. Is someone stalking her?
I love the way Verity and Frankie interact. Their banter is entertaining. And it's obvious they've come to care about each other.
The mysteries are well done, especially the ghostly mystery at the 3-day party. There were plenty of suspects with motives. I loved the descriptions of the opulence of the mansion and the party and could easily picture it being made into a movie or a film.
While it can be read as a standalone, it might just whet your appetite for the rest of the series. It's not the first one that I've read and I feel the reader would perhaps get more enjoyment out of the book if they read some of the earlier ones as well.
I give this paranormal cozy 4 stars out of 5. It's well-written and entertaining. I look forward to the next installment in the series.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.
This does sound like so much fun! I like that you can enjoy any in the series, without absolutely needing to start from the beginning!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is a fun read. Thanks for coming by.
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