The Ghost and the Stolen Tears (Haunted Bookshop Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Cleo Coyle

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN :    9780425255483

288 Pages

Berkley Publishing

$8.99; $8.99 Amazon

October 4, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Norma is a modern-day nomad.  Living out of her van and teardrop trailer, she revels in self-reliance, solitude, and reading in the glorious peace of nature.  Jovial, wise, and scrupulously honest, she's become an uplifting presence in the little town of Quindicott, Rhode Island, where bookseller Pen is thankful to have her part-time help.  But it's Norma's other job, working as a housekeeper at the Finch Inn, that gets her into serous trouble.  Norma is accused to stealing jewels from a guest's room: the legendary Valentino Teardrops, an antique necklace and earring set, inherited by a young socialite.  Pen doesn't believe Norma is guilty of the crime -- though the evidence is distressingly strong.  And when the spirited Norma vanishes before her arrest, Pen turns to another spirit...

Jack Shepard, PI, may have been gunned down decades ago, but his memory hasn't been ghosted.  Back in the 1940s, those same Valentino Teardrops starred in a bizarre case of betrayal and murder.  From the look of things, history is about to repeat.  Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful.

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Penelope McClure, along with her aunt Sadie own and run a bookstore in small-town Quindicott, Rhode Island.  Pen is also mother to a young son, who, at the present time, is interested in forensics, which may or may not be a blessing.  She's also in a relationship -- sort of -- with the ghost of a long-dead PI named Jack Shepard, whom only she can hear (and occasionally see).  She's grateful for Jack's presence, as he's helped her in the past solve murders that stump the police.

Right now she's determined to see her part-time help who also works at the Finch Inn as a housekeeper.  But when she arrives, the nomadic Norma, who lives out of her van and teardrop trailer, is nowhere to be found.  What is found, however, is a spoiled social influencer who's claiming her priceless teardrop earring and necklace set is missing, and the housekeeper had a hand in it.

When Jack sees the set (through Pen's eyes) he recognizes it from his own time in the 1940s, and tells Pen that it brings nothing but trouble and death.  But Pen is determined to find Nora, and with the help of not only Jack, but her friends mail carrier Seymour and Professor Brainert, who are also her childhood best friends, she sets out to find the woman before the police catch her and jail her for something she hasn't done.  

But it is Jack's help, in the world they come together; the world of her dreams, that leads her to the history of the tears and the clues she needs to find Norma and solve the case.  In his world, she comes across seedy characters, gamblers, killers, and thieves, all of whom play a part and show her that anyone can kill, even those who seem the least likely...

I have read all of these books and I must admit that I am a little bit in love with Jack Shepard (Oh, c'mon, you've all fallen for someone!).  He brings the book to life, even being dead, and I love his self-assurance, his ego, and even his ability to keep Pen safe.  Even being not of this life anymore, he has that something that makes him one of the best characters in a book.

I also found many parts of this book to be humorous; namely the banter between Seymour and Brainert, who have a sort of 'frenemy' association going on.  Their conversations are the type you roll you eyes at, but enjoy nevertheless.  In this book, they are spending more time together, and that first conversation gets smiles and continues throughout.

Even Pen's son Spencer gets into the act this time, and with relish.  He's doing well in school and his desire to find a thief gets a little out of hand, but Jack thinks he's great and Pen never thought she'd be in the situation she finds herself.  As a mother of boys myself, I can sympathize -- heavily.

But when Pen starts to realize that things are not as they seem, she soon finds herself in the middle of something more than a burglary, and it's up to her and Jack to figure out how to trap a killer...

I would love to say more about this book but I daren't do so, considering the fact I don't want to ruin it for other readers.  I will say that this book is just as good as the previous ones, and for anyone who hasn't read the series, this book can be read as a standalone.  It contains no spoilers from previous books.  Ms. Coyle has a definite way with words, and I am always surprised at how she can connect the dark past of New York's 1940s with the present year and make it seem as if the two belong together somehow.    Try to imagine yourself in the world of The Maltese Falcon.  Loving classic films as I do, it is my own dream (although I don't have a Jack Shepard to help me!); and she makes it all so believable and realistic that the reader becomes part of the dream as well.

When she merges the two tales, it is almost a perfect fit, the seams coming in nicely and forming a final picture that gives us the murderer, the thief, and the reasons for everything that has come before.  It is a book that stays with you and wanting more.  I eagerly await the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book through the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Stolen-Haunted-Bookshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09PZV5F9S/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5016219854

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait (A Haunted Bookshop Mystery Book 7)

Author:  Cleo Coyle

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9780425251867

Berkley Publishing

336 Pages

$7.99; $7.99 Amazon

May 4, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

While gathering a collection of vintage book cover paintings for a special event in her quaint Rhode Island bookshop, Penelope discovers a spooky portrait of a beautiful woman, one who supposedly went mad, according to town gossip.  Seymour, the local mailman, falls in love with the haunting image and buys the picture, refusing to part with it, even as fatal accidents befall those around it.  Is the canvas cursed?  Or is something more sinister at work?

For answers, Pen turns to an otherworldly source: Jack Shepard, PI.  Back in the 1940s, Jack cracked a case of a killer cover artist and (to Pen's relief) his spirit is willing to help her solve this mystery even if he and his license did expire decades ago.

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Penelope McClure is a young widow who co-owns a bookshop in Rhode Island along with her Aunt Sadie.  She lives with her eleven-year-old son Spencer and Sadie above the shop.  When they're given an advance copy of a book on pulp art from decades ago, they are going to offer a signing event in their store with the authors.  But to help them, they've also contacted a local man who collects pulp cover art and is willing to allow them to borrow some if they will come and pick them up.

With the help of her best friends Seymour and Professor J. Brainert Parker, they head off in Seymour's van to the man's home.  When they arrive Seymour sees a painting of an ethereal woman and learns that she is Harriet McClure, an ancestor of Penelope's late husband.  The tale behind it is rather sad; the woman was declared mad and sent to live in a Queen Anne home that is now known as the Finch Inn, owned by Barney and Fiona Finch.  The home is in the painting's background, and Seymour cannot take his eyes off it, finally convincing the owner to sell it to him.

But after Seymour purchases the painting, accidents begin to occur, and Pen wonders if it is coincidence or something larger.  Her personal PI, Detective Jack Shepard is willing to help and even share one of his memories regarding the paintings on loan from the collector -- because he knew the artist and the model.  Since Jack's the ghost of a PI who was murdered at the bookshop in the 1940's, he's been there ever since and Pen's the only one who can communicate with him.  They've grown closer through the time she's known him, and it seems she needs to become part of the memory to crack the current case.  Now if she can keep a killer at bay and discover the truth before anyone else dies...

This is the seventh book in the series and I have read and enjoyed every one of them.  I love the romance between Jack and Pen, and while some may scoff, love transcends time and space, and while it's not specifically said, you can feel it with the characters when you read the words.  The pages come to life, the characters right with them; and you want to continue to read and be part of their lives.

As for the plot, it is probably one of the most interesting that I have so far read in this series.  Pen and her aunt are using the paintings of the cover art to promote the book; the collector has agreed to sell them for the right price.  But more than Seymour's attraction to the picture is causing accidents, and Pen is determined to find out which one of the people around her might be a murderer.

The fact that Jack knows the story behind one of the paintings doesn't surprise me; and I love hearing about his adventures in the 1940s.  (I'm a sucker for classic movies; they're all I watch, so this makes the book more pleasurable, going into Jack's world occasionally).  He brings Pen along in her sleep, and while he doesn't solve her murder for her, he gives her the information she needs to solve it when she wakens.  It's captivating, to say the least.

When the ending comes, the murderer is caught (because we know they will be); and everything that is hidden comes to light, it is a surprise that both stuns and gratifies, giving us a feeling of satisfaction that everything is as it should be.  I can't state how much I enjoy this series and am looking forward to the next book and Pen and Jack's adventures.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Haunted-Portrait-Bookshop-Mystery/dp/0425251861/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3859401383

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

Latte Trouble (A Coffehouse Mystery #3)

Author:  Cleo Coyle
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425204450
Berkley Prime Crime
236 Pages
$7.51; $4.99 Amazon
August 2, 2005

⭐⭐⭐

To Clare Cosi's surprise, this fall's hottest fashion trend is anything caffeinated -- because designer Lottie Harmon, a loyal coffeehouse customer, has just created an ingenious collection of coffee-inspired fashion accessories.  So naturally Lottie chooses the Village Blend as the perfect backdrop for fall Fashion Week insiders to view her new line of "Java Jewelry."

When barista Tucker unwittingly serves a poisonous latte to a prominent figure on the fashion scene, Clare suspects that the real target may have been Lottie.  Now she must protect her thriving business from negative publicity, Lottie from any further danger, and Tucker from murder charges -- even if it means jolting the fashion world with some shocking secrets...

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Clare Cosi is the manager of the Village Blend, an upscale coffee house in Manhattan.  She's hosting a party for Lottie Harmon, who's a loyal customer and also a fashion designer who has recently come out of retirement to launch a new line of jewelry - "Java Jewelry."  On the evening of the party, the place is packed, and Clare and her employees are rushing to keep up.  Unfortunately, her employee Tucker's ex-boyfriend Ricky shows up, and when Tucker is bringing a drink to Lottie, Ricky grabs it off the tray and drinks it, along with his new boyfriend.  When both men fall to the floor, Clare calls 911.  But it's too late for Ricky, who's already dead.  When the police investigate, they arrest Tucker for murder, figuring the breakup gives him a good motive.

Clare refuses to believe Tucker is capable of murder, and decides to investigate on her own.  With her friend Detective Mike Quinn out of town, she needs to enlist the reluctant help of her ex-husband, Matteo, who sometimes shares the apartment above the blend with her (long story), and also the help of her ex-mother-in-law, Madame, who treats it like a grand adventure.  Clare's determined to find out who's framing Tucker, even if it puts her own life in danger...

This is the third book in the series, and it's not a bad one.  What disappointed me is that more attention is given to the surrounding landmarks (if you're really interested in how Riker's Island got its name, you can probably find it on Google or Wikipedia); and not enough attention is given to fleshing out characters.  Instead of Clare thinking about her or Matt's libidos (which we get, anyway), I'd rather see a little background - how and where Clare grew up, etc.  From previous books we know how she met Matt, but very little about her upbringing, which makes people who they are.  We do get plenty on why the two broke up, but we've known that from previous books.  I also don't like the fact that Matt takes advantage of her (yes, he does), and she's worried about hurting his feelings?  He cheated on you, woman.  More than once.  Get a grip.

I also find it sad that Clare's entire life is the coffee shop.  She never goes anywhere, never even goes shopping or out to lunch with friends (if she has any), just takes care of the shop.  It's very sad there's no outside life for her (unless she's investigating, and that's hardly relaxing).

Saying that, I enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover the identity of the killer.  There were a few red herrings thrown about, which led in a couple of different directions.  I did like the twist to the ending, and discovered who the murderer was a little bit before Clare did, but that's fine with me.  I would have liked to have rated this higher, but Clare needs to completely (physically, emotionally) push Matt out of her life unless it's necessary to see him.  I honestly enjoyed the ending of the book, and will continue to read this series.

https://www.amazon.com/Latte-Trouble-Coffeehouse-Mysteries-No/dp/0425204456/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3328854559

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

Through the Grinder (A Coffeehouse Mystery #2)

Author:  Cleo Coyle
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425197141
Berkley Prime Crime Publishing
270 Pages
$7.89; $7.99 Amazon
October 5, 2004

⭐⭐

There's trouble brewing at the Village Blend.  Business is booming -- but Clare's customers are starting to die.  Soon after stopping at the coffeehouse, a regular jumps to her death in the subway.  Or was she has an axe to grind, especially after the "suicide" of another female customer.  Unfortunately, his prime suspect is Bruce Bowman -- the new man in Clare's life.  Bruce is the perfect blend of rugged good looks and potent personality.  Too bad the women in his life keep turning up dead.  Now Clare will risk her heart -- and her life -- to follow the killer's trail to the bitter end...

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Clare Cosi manages the Village  coffeehouse.  She also lives upstairs in a luxuriously decorated apartment, owned by her former mother-in law, which she sometimes shares with her ex-husband, Matteo, who's a coffee buyer and often out of the country.  Currently, she's worried about her daughter, Joy, since she just broke up with someone yet is ready to get out again in the dating scene.  So when Joy signs up for online dating, so does Clare, in the hopes that she'll be able to screen the men ahead of time without Joy knowing.

But Clare gets a surprise herself -- she meets a wealthy, attractive man named Bruce Bowman who's interested in her.  Surprisingly, Clare likes him and secretly hopes he'll call.  When he does, and she decides to make dinner for him, Matteo shows up unexpectedly and while she thinks the evening is ruined, Bruce makes the best of it and asks her out again.

But there's a problem in the dating world -- someone is killing off women who have been on the same dating site as Clare.  At first, it all looks like suicides, but Detective Mike Quinn is beginning to think otherwise.  And he also thinks that Bruce might be the one killing them.  But Clare refuses to believe it, and decides to launch her own investigation to prove him otherwise.  But one thing is definite -- Bruce does have a link to all these women, and Clare might be the next 'suicide' on the list if she's not careful...

This is the second book in the series, and I did like it better than the first.  Unfortunately, I still don't like Matteo.  He cheated on Clare through their entire marriage, and saying sex doesn't mean anything to him because there's no emotional connection is no different than saying killing animals doesn't mean anything if you have no emotional connection.  It's cruel, it's wrong, and it's horrible.  When Matteo married Clare, he took marriage vows -- which included being faithful, so I still think he's a pig and needs to get out of her life.

That being said, Clare is a tad too obsessed about coffee -- and this is coming from a woman who owns around ten different coffee brewers, is a Supertaster (I have more taste buds in my mouth than the average person and can taste flavors others can't), has grinders, foamers, etc., and keeps around ten or twenty different types of coffee in the house at any given time.  I love coffee.  But I don't go around telling anyone about the wonders of it.  They already know if they're coffee drinkers.  (Let's just say a major chain kinda sucks when it comes to making good coffee).  Clare makes me a bit nauseous when it comes to coffee.  I'd really like to see her back off a bit.

Trying not to give anything else away in this book is really difficult, but I will say that I didn't care for the ending at all.  It was depressing, and honestly, it makes me not want to read any more of these for awhile.  Which isn't to say it's not a good book; but if I feel this way about it the next day after reading it (and I waited until morning to write this review) then I can't in all good conscience give it more than two stars because of it.  Sorry about that.

At any rate, others might think a lot higher of this book, but I really don't like those that depress me, which is why I rarely read thrillers.  I read to relax and enjoy, not be depressed nor angry.  Still, I will try the next in the series to see how things progress...eventually.

https://www.amazon.com/Through-Grinder-Coffeehouse-Mysteries-No/dp/042519714X/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3264342983

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

On What Grounds (A Coffeehouse Mystery #1)

Author:  Cleo Coyle
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781587246470; 9780425192139
Berkley Prime Crime Publishing
270 Pages
Various Prices; $7.99 Amazon
September 2, 2003

⭐⭐

With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above The Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work.  Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.  Police arrive on the scene to investigate.  But when they find no sign of forced entry or foul play, they deem it an accident.  Case closed.  But Clare is not convinced.  And after the police leave, there are a few things she just can't get out of her mind...Why was the trash bin in the wrong place?  If this wasn't an accident, is Clare in danger?  And...are all detectives this handsome?

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Clare Cosi is divorced, her daughter is in college, and she's decided to return to Manhattan to manage the Village Blend, a coffeeshop that is the best there is (according to her).  When she arrives she finds the coffeehouse closed, and is immediately angry with her new assistant manager, Annabelle.  But her anger soon turns to horror when she finds her at the bottom of the stairs, in a heap and unconscious.  She immediately calls 911, and Annabelle is taken to the hospital.

When questioned by the officers, Clare is too shaken to respond, so she does what she does best -- makes them coffee while she answers their questions.  But things don't stop there: when the shop is finally allowed to open, and her staff is in place, she goes to her new apartment above the building and finds her ex-husband, who refuses to leave, since his mother told him he could stay there when he is in town (he travels to purchase coffee from plantations).  Clare knows her ex-mother-in-law, Madame, is thinking they'll get back together this way, but she's having none of it.

Still, things are conspiring to disrupt her life.  She's attracted to the homicide detective on the case, though she believes him married and keeps her distance, and her daughter has brought a young man for them to meet -- and her ex-husband Matt hates him on sight.  But it's the attempted murder of Annabelle that keeps her busy -- even if the police think it was an accident -- and she's not going to rest until she ferrets out who wanted the young woman dead - even if her own life is in danger...

I really wanted to like this book, since I do like the other series by this author.  And I love coffee.  A lot.  But even I found it boring when she was telling us all the different ways to make the various coffees.  I found it distracting from the murder (yes, eventually there was one).  Every time we'd hear something about Annabelle, it seemed to be an opportunity to tell us about coffee.  It felt more like a coffee guide than a mystery.

So much so, that when the murderer was identified, and the reasons for it, I really didn't even care.  But what made it difficult for me (and I hope it doesn't continue) is the fact that it read a little bit like it might turn out to be a love triangle.  I absolutely detest them.  Let me put it this way: (as I have many times before) if it were a man, and he was stringing along two women, you'd think him a dog, or worse.  But somehow it's fine if a woman strings along two men.  It's not.  It takes away from the plot.  Pick one and be done with it.

When all is said and done, I will read the next in the series to see if it improves.  But if the potential love triangle continues, I'm done with the series.

https://www.amazon.com/What-Grounds-Coffeehouse-Mysteries-No/dp/042519213X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3224386764

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop #6)

Author:  Cleo Coyle
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425237458
Berkley Publishing
320 Pages
$6.39; $7.99 Amazon
September 25, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

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.

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Penelope Thornton-McClure is a widow with a young son who moved to Rhode Island after her husband's death.  After renovating the bookstore that she now co-owns with her aunt Sadie, she discovered that she can communicate with the spirit of a dead private detective, Jack Shepard, who was murdered on the premises back in 1947.  She's become used to having him around, which is a good thing since it's apparent there's no lack of crime in small-town Quindacott, and he guides her as she conducts her own investigation along the way.

This time a distinguished older woman has entered her shop for a copy of the newest bestseller, Shades of Leather.  But seeing the book has upset her as she exclaims that the young woman on the cover is herself.  She runs out of the store, unpaid book in hand, and Penelope is so disturbed by her reaction that she vows to track her down (and, as Jack quite often points out, get the money for the book).

Seeing that the woman left her gloves behind gives her a reason to do so, and as she discovers the information she needs, she goes to the woman's residence - a run-down sort of older Victorian home - and she enters but only finds a parrot.  Exploring further she notes that the woman has a wonderful collection of first editions, and exploring further still, she discovers the woman's dead body below a balcony, apparently from a fall.

But Penelope becomes suspicious, sure that any woman who left a dinner still cooking in a crockpot and no suicide note is a victim of foul play.  While the police think differently, Jack's on her side as she begins her own probe into the death.  She asks the help of her friend Seymour Tarnish, a local postman who has also agreed to temporarily take the bird; and what he discovers after reading the book makes him realize that another friend - J. Parker Brainert, a local college professor - is involved more than he's admitting.  But when she finds that Professor Brainert might also be in danger Penelope (and Jack) step up their investigation to get a killer to confess before he or she can kill again...

It's been a few years since the last book in this series was published, and I, for one, am glad to see the resurrection has finally come about.  The author has indeed given us a delightful book with Pen and Jack, and it is all that I've hoped for.

The mystery is written extremely well, and the characters are like old friends returned to us after a long absence.  I find Seymour rather endearing this time, even in his penchant for kitsch.  He's a staunch friend and intelligent enough to figure things out on his own.

This time out we also have a friend of Spencer's, Amy Ridgeway, a precocious twelve-year-old who manages to temporarily join the household and also endear herself to the family with a clear aptitude for learning about the bookstore and how it's managed.  I can see her returning to future novels.  There's also a bit of humor about something Jack's discovered that's a favorite of Spencer's and brings a bit of lightness to the story.

I also love the dream sequences between Pen and Jack where she's transported to his time, in the guise of helping her solve the murder of her own.  It says a lot about the writing that it seems perfectly natural for Pen to transport between eras seamlessly and become a part of Jack's world as much as he has (or can, insofar as a ghost is able) become a part of hers.  My only hope - and I would like that not to be for a long time yet - is that when the series does end that somehow the "higher ups" as it were, would see Jack's 'potential' and allow him a second chance at life (of course with Penelope at his side).  Yes, even I have a soft side hidden somewhere...

The tale is woven tightly and there are plenty of twists and turns, with a lot of red herrings thrown in.  While there are misconceptions throughout, this seems necessary for the story to succeed and only adds to the pleasure in reading.  When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, everything falls into place nicely as it should giving us a final sense of satisfaction.  It says a lot when you close a book and there is a smile on your face, as this one brought to me.  Once again, I am glad to see this series brought to life and hope that it's a good, long one.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Bestseller-Haunted-Bookshop-Mystery/dp/0425237451/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2494048358

More on Cleo Coyle's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/cleo-coyle/