"Great mystery set in a bookstore"

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.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Courtesy Mystery Lovers Corner
Posted March 19, 2006

Summary

The spirit is willing...to solve a murder.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure wants her resident sleuth-ghost, Jack, to stop haunting her customers. But when a pretty author is murdered, Jack can't rest in peace.