Ghost Ups Her Game by Carolyn Hart

Welcome!  It is the first day of August which means the hottest days of the summer are ahead of us in Florida.  The perfect time to stay inside with a cool drink and an ereader full of books.  The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis is out today along with Across the Winding River by Aimee K. Runyan, and Trust No One by Debra Webb.  Castelmezzano, The Witch is Dead by Adriana Licio is now out.  It is the prequel to the author's new Italian cozy mystery series, The Homeswappers.  What is next on your TBR list?

Ghost Ups Her Game by Carolyn Hart has Bailey Ruth Raeburn heading back to Adelaide, Oklahoma when an urgent call comes through the Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions.  She quickly hops aboard the Rescue Express with Wiggins calling out that this case is “Irregular.  Problematic.  Out of the Ordinary.” He issues a final warning about following the Precepts.  Bailey Ruth arrives to find Matt Lambert, Vice President of Outreach at Goddard College, dead on the floor with Professor Iris Gallagher standing near the victim with the murder weapon in her hand.  Newly minted attorney, Robert Blair also in the room.  Bailey Ruth quickly starts searching for clues.  She knows Police Chief Sam Cobb will soon have Iris at the top of his suspect list.  The clues are few, but it turns out that there are several people who were not happy with the victim.  Unfortunately, the evidence is stacked against Iris who soon finds herself behind bars.  Bailey Ruth needs to save Iris before the local prison becomes Iris’ permanent home and Bailey Ruth finds herself out of a job.  

Ghost Ups Her Game by Carolyn Hart is the 9^th A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel.  Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a delightful character.  Bailey Ruth is a woman who loves her heavenly job as well as fashionable clothes.  When an urgent call from Adelaide arrives at the Department of Good Intentions, Bailey Ruth knows the assignment is for her.  I always enjoy the Bailey Ruth novels because they have humor, mystery, and a fashionable female sleuth from Heaven.  I thought Ghost Ups Her Game was well-written with steady pacing.  I do not believe this would make a good standalone book because some key details are missing for new readers.  I suggest beginning with Ghost at Work.  The mystery was fun to solve.  I can always count on Bailey Ruth to diligently search for clues and question witnesses.  I like that she keeps Sam Cobb, the Adelaide Chief of Police, up to date.  They get along for the most part.  It is great how they bounce ideas off each other when they are not eating unhealthy food.  The mystery is not hard to solve, but that did not diminish my reading pleasure.  Ghost Ups Her Game is one of those books that you just sit back, start reading, and enjoy the ride.  My favorite line from Ghost Ups Her Game comes from Bailey Ruth when she says, “A ghost must do what a ghost must do.”  The only thing I dislike about the book is the descriptions of every outfit.  I do not need to know what each and every one of Bailey Ruth’s outfits look like especially since she changes so often.  I look forward to Bailey Ruth’s next adventure.  Ghost Ups Her Game is an entertaining tale with a mystifying murder, a curious clue, a weighty weapon, a careful cop, a pushy politician, and a heavenly emissary riding the rails to the rescue.  

Bailey Ruth standing in front of murder board

Ghost Ups Her Game is available from major booksellers including Amazon*.  You can find the other eight A Bailey Ruth Mystery series here.  Thank you for visiting today.  I will be back next time with The Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara Davis.  I do hope that you have a heavenly day.  Take care, stay safe, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Walking on My Grave: A Death on Demand Mystery

It's Friday!  Congrats on making it through another week!  Cindy Woodsmall's Gathering the Threads will be be published on August 15. It is the third book The Amish of Summer Grove series.  The publisher is giving readers an opportunity to download and read the first chapter of Gathering the Threads.  Click here to go to the Waterbrook Multnomah site for the download link.

Walking on My Grave by Carolyn Hart is the twenty-sixth (and last) novel in A Death on Demand Mystery series.  When Rufus Roundtree passed away a year ago, he left his fortune to his sister, Ves.  Upon Ves’ death the money will pass to six heirs listed in the will.  Four of the heirs need money and would like some of their inheritance now.  Ves has no intention of parting with the money and as she is only in her 40s, Ves expects to live a long life.  On the one year anniversary of Rufus’ death, Ves holds a dinner at her home.  She invites the six heirs—Curt Roundtree, Bob and Katherine Farley, Jane Wilson, Fred Butler, Adam Nash—along with Gretchen Roundtree (Curt’s mother) and Tim Holt (Jane’s boyfriend).  When Jane brings in the dessert she feels a cold chill—like someone is walking on her grave—and knows that someone wishes to kill her.  A few days later, Ves limps into Death on Demand to speak with Annie Darling.  Ves confides that someone tried to killer her.   Ves confronts the heirs with Max Darling present hoping to find the culprit.  Fred Butler disappears and is discovered by a fisherman in the harbor.  When Ves fails to show up at a meeting, Annie and Police Chief Bill Cameron go to her house.  They find blood smears along with her purse, but they find no sign of Ves.  Did the killer get to Ves?  Annie, Max and their friends work together to find the guilty party before he strikes again.  Will they succeed?

Walking on My Grave will appeal to the fans of A Death on Demand Mystery series.  If you are new to the series, I suggest starting with Death on Demand (first book).  Walking on My Grave is easy to read and has interesting main characters (Annie and Max Darling).  It was nice to revisit Broward’s Rock and the delightful characters in this series.  I would love to visit Annie’s bookstore Death on Demand.  It would be paradise to visit a bookstore filled with just mystery novels.  I also appreciate that Annie and Max work with the police.  They may gather information and talk to suspects, but they share the intel with the local authorities.  There are no mean or idiotic police in Carolyn Hart’s series (for which I am very grateful).  Unfortunately, Walking on My Grave was not on par with the previous books in the series.  There is repetition of information throughout the story (especially about the case).  I lost track of the number of times we are told about Max’s cars.  Do readers need to be told whether he is driving the Lamborghini or the VW (each and every time he goes out)?  Annie is working on chapbooks for Laurel, Emma and Henny.  We hear about them frequently throughout the book along with book titles and authors, Latin quotes, clothing descriptions and mystery quotes.  It felt like the author was trying to pad the story.  I found Laurel (Annie’s mother-in-law) annoying and quickly tired of her nonsense (I do not know how Annie puts up with her).  My rating for Walking on My Grave is 3 out of 5 stars.  I wish I could say that the mystery redeemed Walking on My Grave, but that would be an untruth.  I identified the perpetrator before Ves fell down the stairs.  Only one suspect could commit the crimes and that person sticks out like an individual with fluorescent pink hair.  It felt like the author’s heart was not into this book knowing it was the last.  I do wish there had been an epilogue, but I did like who identified the books that went with the watercolors.  I am looking forward to Carolyn Hart's Ghost on the Case. It is the eighth A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel and will be published on October 3.

I appreciate you visiting and reading my books reviews.  The next book I will be sharing with you is Plain Haven by Susan Lantz Simpson.  May you have a fantastic Friday!  Be careful if you are out driving.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader