Author: Traci Wilton
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496733054
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$8.99; $6.99 Amazon
August 23, 2022
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Charlene has hired a van to ferry her B&B guests to an all-you-can-eat corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by Salem's Irish community at the Ancient Order of Hibernians club -- but she should have booked a hearse. It's never a good sign when the family black sheep drunkenly crashes a party by punching the guy dressed as a leprechaun. But things go from troublesome to fatal when Charlene stumbles upon a second brawl in an upstairs room -- and thing fight Connor Gallagher loses, his anonymous assailant rushing past Charlene, hidden by a hoodie.
Now Detective Sam Holden has another homicide on his hands, with Charlene as the only eyewitness. Even if she can't give the police sketch artist much to go on, Charlene is determined to ID the murderer, with the help of Dr. Jack Strathmore, the charming ghost who haunts her B&B. The answer lies in the motive, and to uncover that sleuth and spook with need to shine a light on Connor's shady past -- before the killer pulls another Irish goodbye...
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Charlene Morris left Chicago and her old life behind when her husband was unexpectedly killed, and moved to Salem, Massachusetts to open a B&B. Little did she know that it was haunted by the previous owner, Dr. Jack Strathmore, who is tied to the property due to his murder. But while Charlene and Jack have learned to live together as a team, she is the only one who can see and hear him -- besides her cat, Silva.
Currently she has a house full of guests who are ready to get their St. Patrick's Day dinner at the local pub, courtesy of Charlene. When they arrive, the pub is full, but they manage to have a good time. That is, until Connor Gallagher shows up, drunk and ready to fight. When the hostess, his cousin, manages to calm him down, everything goes back to normal. But after Charlene returns to the hall to retrieve something a guest left behind, she's in the dark -- and has stumbled upon a fight that turns out to fatally wound Connor. His family isn't talking, but Charlene knows when something is suspicious. And his family certainly is. With a mysterious guest that also isn't talking, Charlene calls on Jack for help in finding out what's going on. And what's going on could get her killed...
This is the sixth book in the series and I have read them all. Rather, I should say that I have devoured them all, for they are so delicious to read. I absolutely love Jack and wish the heavens would give him a second chance on earth somehow so he could really be with Charlene (hey, it's fantasy, so why not?) but that's a book for another time.
In this one, Charlene has her hands full with a houseful of guests, and one mysterious man who seems to show up everywhere Charlene goes, and disappears just as quickly. But spying on her guests is out of the question, so she tries to figure out other ways to get him to talk. To top things off, her parents decide to visit on a whim, and her mother is acting strangely...very strangely, which has Charlene wondering what's going on.
When the problems escalate in the Gallagher and O'Brien families, Charlene is pulled into the middle. Watching her question people -- not intrusively -- is the heart of the book, that and Charlene's own heart, which is big enough to allow others into it. I love the interactions between Charlene and Jack, and the way they work together to solve the murders they encounter. They're like Mr. and Mrs. North by Frances and Richard Lockridge.
When we get closer to the end we discover why everything has been happening the way it has, and of course, who the murderer is. A complete surprise, and an outstanding find by Charlene. When she asks for help in locating the killer, it comes from an unlikely -- but willing -- source, and the ending is done perfectly. I can only hope that this series goes on a lot longer, as I love getting the glimpses into Charlene's life and the descriptions of Salem. Never having been there, with each book it brings me closer to wanting to make a trip. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Traci Wilton's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/traci-wilton/
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