The Ghost And the Dead Deb [Large Print] [Paperback]

Alice Kimberly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2006

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.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alice Kimberly is the pen name for a multi-published author who collaborates with her husband to write the national bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. They also write the bestselling Coffeehouse Mysteries under the pen name Cleo Coyle. They live in Queens, New York. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 399 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597221562
• ISBN-13: 978-1597221566
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,735,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Visit Alice Kimberly at the Haunted Bookshop page of her website: www.CoffeehouseMystery.com

ALICE KIMBERLY grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After earning scholarships to study writing at Carnegie Mellon and American Universities, she began her career as a cub reporter for The New York Times. Now an author of popular fiction as well as a New York Times bestselling media tie-in writer, Alice lives and works in New York City where she collaborates with her husband (also a bestselling author) to pen the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. They also write the Coffeehouse Mysteries under the name Cleo Coyle. In their spare time they cook like crazy, rescue stray cats, drink a lot of java, and hunt ghosts. You can learn more about Alice, her husband, and the books they write by visiting www.CoffeehouseMystery.com. Scroll down the left column of the site's Home Page and you will see links to a number of online interviews that Alice has given.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than the usual serial/genre mystery, September 14, 2005

By 

PonyExpress (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

First off I should say that I'm not a frequent reader of any mysteries--particularly not of the contemporary series that are so ubiquitous now: mysteries for foodies, coffee drinkers, pet lovers, garderners, piano tuners, lion tamers--you name it--it's been done. I've dipped into several of them, and usually I'm disppointed by generically "quirky" characters and, especially, contrived dialogue and/or predictable situations. Still, I'm a lover of classic films and ghost stories, as well as getting into the mystery mood by a recent re-discovery of the exceptional "Mr. and Mrs. North" series of the 1940s. How gratified I was to find that after impulsively buying "The Ghost and the Dead Deb" at my local mystery bookshop it's just as worthy an effort as the better books written some 60 years ago.
The author manages to create believable characters--both living and dead, and even work in a frisson of romance--just enough to be wonderfully satisfying. It's been a long time since I've found a lead female character who doesn't irritate the heck out of me by her shallowness or unreal behaviour. This one is carefully drawn. The mystery itself is tops, but most importantly you just plain care about these people. Here's a real writer! Looking forward to more.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong second entry in the series, September 2, 2005

By 

E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

i enjoyed the first book in this series a lot, and was a bit worried about the second, since so many second books don't match the first. but this one is as enjoyable as the first.

the plot is pleasantly twisty, and the denoument is handled not only dramatically, but also sensibly and effectively--our heroine does not place herself in unnecessary danger, uses her wits, and is finding more strength of character in this outing. the byplay between her and jack, the ghost of a private investigator, is amusing. both of them are believable personalities, and most of the supporting cast is also well drawn.

there are a couple of spots in the supernatural part of the story that are farfetched, even for the supernatural, but that's a minor problem.

this is an enjoyable cozy, with more depth than most of the genre, and the characters' identities and relationship are evolving nicely.

i certainly hope there's less time between this book and the next than there was between the first and this. and i hope the publisher puts more effort into promoting this series than the paltry synopsis suggests.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Series Becomes Great, September 11, 2006

By 

A. Daniels - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this series! I was iffy on the first book wondering just how the author was going to convince me that there was a palpable heat between a ghost and a very much alive young woman, but she did, and now I'm into this series for the long haul. The frequent glimpses into Jack's past were enjoyable and the construct of Penelope joining him is an interesting twist with room to grow. This entry was a great deal more enjoyable than the series entry, though the first wasn't bad, quite the contrary. The main characters, both living and dead, have become fleshed out and three-dimensional. The plotline involving a tell-all is relevant to today's unfortunate influx of people who are famous for simply being omnipresent, young, and wealthy and the ridiculous gossip they generate to keep themselves in the spotlight. I love the shots the book took at some of these celebutantes and their unnecessary and tiring antics. The secondary characters are also coming along nicely and the quaint setting is simply delicious. I highly recommend this series, especially if you love the movie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, this is a must read for you, in fact it is just a must read.