Haunted is Always in Fashion

I hope all of you are having a great day!  I want to remind you that Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower comes out on December 6. You will not want to miss the second installment in the A Magical Bookshop Mystery series.  It is just delightful.

Haunted is Always in Fashion by Rose Pressey is the fourth book A Haunted Vintage Mystery series.  Cassandra “Cookie” Chanel can see ghosts (a recently discovered ability).   Cookie is heading to an appointment with Juliana McDaniel and Charlotte Meadows (the ghost that refuses to cross over) is tagging along (as usual).  Along the way, Cookie encounters traffic that has come to a standstill.  Cookie gets out of the car to see what is going on and is greeted by a young woman in ghost form.  The victim turns out to be Juliana who was shot while driving her car.  Juliana was going to interview Cookie for a book on vintage fashions.  Cookie is the owner of It’s Vintage Y’All in Sugar Creek, Georgia and an expert on vintage fashions.  Juliana cannot cross over until she finds out who killed her.  Cookie now has two ghosts to keep her company.  Cookie with the help of Charlotte, Juliana, Wind Song (her cat), and Hannah Sweet (Cookie’s best friend) starts poking into Juliana’s life to see why she was murdered.  Juliana had some vintage items in her car that seem to be in demand.  What was so special about these vintage fashions? In addition, Cookie wants to find out the origins of her cat, Wind Song.  Wind Song is no ordinary cat.  She has special abilities.  Heather (the not-so-psychic psychic) introduces the group to Fatima (a real psychic).  Can she provide answers about Wind Song?  Life is never dull for Cookie. 

Haunted is Always in Fashion is an easy, breezy novel.  It may be the fourth book in A Haunted Vintage Mystery series, but it can be read alone.  Rose Pressey provides the necessary background information for the readers.  The mystery was uncomplicated and can easily be solved (much to my disappointment).  I give Haunted is Always in Fashion 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay).  The same tasks (or scenes) kept being repeated without any results.  The group would visit Fatima (a psychic) and Cookie never asked the right questions so they would visit her again (and then again).  The cat, Wind Song can only “talk” through a Ouija Board, but Cookie refuses to keep one in the shop.  She calls her friend, Hannah Sweet who walks down from her shop each time (this happens several times during the course of the novel).  Then we have the two men who are interested in Cookie.  I am really tired of love triangles (they seem to be in every book I have read recently).  When Cookie sees Dylan Valentine her heart goes “pitty-pat”.  This phrase is over used in the story.  Cookie has a first-hand witness in Juliana that she does not utilize properly.  There are some other issues, but they would be spoilers.  I did find a big contradiction in the book.  Dylan tells Cookie that Victor (a suspect) has a criminal record.  Then when Ken Harrison tells Cookie the same information, she acts like she never heard about it before (even asks why Dylan did not share this information with her). There are some lovely descriptions of Cookie’s vintage fashions (especially some gorgeous hats).  We are also subjected to the details of Charlotte’s numerous wardrobe changes (every single details of her ensemble including nail polish color).  The book also has Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping and Charlotte’s Tips for a Fashionable Afterlife.  They next book in the series is If the Haunting Fits, Wear It (which I will probably read to see if there is improvement).  

The other novels in A Haunted Vintage Mystery series are If You've Got It, Haunt It, All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt, and Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore.  You can follow Rose Pressey on Amazon and Facebook to get updates on her new books.  Ms. Pressey is also on Twitter!

I am off to make our dinner and then get ready for Arrow (third night of the four night cross-over event).  I am just starting Egg Drop Dead by Laura Childs.  I enjoy Laura Childs' other series, so I thought I would give A Cackleberry Club Mystery series a try. Have a delightful evening, take care, and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader