Customer Reviews

The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion (Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, No. 5)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It seemed like I'd been waiting a long time for this latest book in this series, but when I checked dates, it's only been 8 mos. since the previous one.
They get better all the time. The plot is this one is more complex, and it wasn't even clear there was a murder until close to the end, not that there wasn't plenty of action and suspense. The relationship between Penelope, the bookshop co-owner and Jack, the resident ghost has grown. An element of the plot was one of the characters wanted to exorcise all the town's ghosts which made Pen worried, as she's come to depend on Jack, not only to help solve the town's mysteries, but as a friend/confidant.
I love this series and will be counting the months until there's another
installment.

I was late to this series and found it accidentally, but I am a huge fan of Cleo Coyle's coffehouse mysteries and didn't realize that she also writes this series. I then read all of the prior books and really liked them. This one was my favorite one so far. The mystery definitely had a different twist and as always I really liked the interaction of the two main characters. This is truly a "cozy" book to curl up with!

This was the first book that I read in the series, and I was hooked immediately. Our ghost, Jack Shepherd, is pure 1940's Raymond Chandler, and is the perfect companion for our heroine, twenty-first century bookstore owner Penelope McClure. I'm now going back and reading them in order, and I love that Jack has his own ongoing mystery. The supporting cast of Pen's son and aunt, the local mailman, small town political people and other town figures are fleshed out nicely but don't "hog the limelight."

I picked this book up when I discovered that Alice Kimberly is a nom de plume of Cleo Coyle, whose Coffeehouse series is a favorite. The series are entirely different, but both are wonderful - more, please!

I was in Borders, trying to finda book or two that were what I consider lite but great reads. I was with my Aunt and she reads English mysteries and Cozy mysteries. She happened to be reading the back of this particular title and handed to me. Well, not only did I like what I read, I went to the shelf, and looked for more titles by Alice Kimberly. Unfortunately, there were only two. I bought this one, my Aunt bought the other. Needless to say, I am hopelessly addicted! I hope that she never stops writing. I personally think that everyone should read this series. Sorry that I babled, but she is wonderful!!!

That is what got me going on this series in the first place, but these books are much more than just that. There is a mixture of cozy and hardboiled mystery as well as a touch of the occult in each book. This book has more than a touch of occult, but it's a lot of fun. Penelope is on a mission to help her friend, mailman Seymour Tarnish when he inherits a supposedly haunted mansion. There are people who will stop at nothing to get rid of Seymour and get the house. These books are charming, but there is always a major kicker for the denouement, and this book is no exception. Pen and her spectral friend Jack Shepard need to solve a 60-year old crime before they can see the light on the modern-day one. This series is a real delight, and I'm grateful to have found it.

I loved this book! I hated to see it end...best in the series so far.

This is the latest book in the Haunted Bookshop series featuring female-sleuth Penelope Thornton-McClure.

The story centers around the home of recently deceased Miss Timothea Todd, which is reported to be haunted. In fact Penelope discovers the body of Miss Todd while making a book delivery. Penelope thinks the woman looks like she has been scared to death! The book follows Penelope and her Ghost PI, Jack Shepard as they follow clues and try to solve the mystery of the haunted mansion.

I like this well-written series and enjoy the relationship between Penelope and Jack. I also enjoy Penelope's friends Fiona, Brainert and Seymour. I didn't think the book was too scary but it was suspenseful.

I would recommend it, and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

When Penelope McClure's husband committed suicide, she packed up their things and with their young son moved to Quindicott, Rhode island where she bought into Buy the Book bookstore. The building comes equipped with the ghost of Jack Shepard, who was murdered there in the 1940s and so can't leave the premises unless Pen takes his buffalo nickel with him; and then he can only go where Pen goes. From believing he was a hallucination, Pen realizes she has romantic feelings for him although they can only meet i+n her dreams.

Delivering books to the reclusive Miss Todd, Pen notices her letter carrier Seymour Tarnish hurrying from there with a red stain on his shirt. At the Todd mansion, Pen finds Miss Todd dead. Pen calls the police who suspect Seymour has something to do with the homicide as he had opportunity since he could enter her home with the mail; Seymour swears Miss Todd gave him permission; the red spot turns out to be ketchup to Pen's mixed feelings as she is happy that Seymour seems innocent and a bit mortified it was not blood. He remains the prime suspect so Pen and Jack who believe he is innocent investigate those who would inherit the estate.

Jack is molded from the Philip Marlow school of hard boiled sleuths while Pen is a proper lady similar to Mrs. Muir of the Ghost film fame. This off beat pairing turns into an electrifying chemical combo that leads to a stand out series whose latest entry like its predecessors "The Ghost and ..." tales is a delightful paranormal cozy noir; an apt description of the lead couple as well. Alice Kimberly provides a haunting whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

I love Alice Kimberly's "Ghost" books (Haunted Bookshop Mysteries). I can't wait for them to come out. They present a great read, and I love her and her Ghost's detective work. I especially enjoy his memories where he pulls her into his past.

Keep them coming.

Mailman Seymour Tandish, friend of bookstore owner Penelope Thornton-McClure, should be ecstatic when he inherits a mansion, but he isn't. For one thing, the police suspect he killed the elderly owner in order to get her estate. For another thing, the mansion seems to be haunted. Penelope is very familiar with ghosts - the ghost of 1940's private investigator Jack Shepard is often by her side - and she thinks she can help Seymour with his ghosts. But Seymour has other ideas - he wants to exorcise all the ghosts out of town - and Pen has to convince him not to do that, or she'll lose Jack forever.

Author Alice Kimberly (pen name for husband and wife writing team Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini who also write as Cleo Coyle) has created a delightfully unique cozy mystery series. The supernatural elements are well done and the series is filled with strong characters starting with Pen who picked up the pieces of her life after her husband committed suicide and helped revitalize her aunt's bookstore. Jack is another great character, a typical 1940's private investigator who doesn't always quite get the innovations of modern times. Some of the best parts in this series are when Pen, through her dreams, is pulled into past cases that Jack investigated. Kimberly does a good job of not only creating Jack's past world, but the town of Quindicott where Pen lives and the townspeople who are all quite realistic.

Having said all that, I was slightly disappointed in "The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion". It had some great moments and I love the way that Kimberly adds more dimension to Jack in each book (in this book she does a great job of explaining why Jack disappears for long periods of time). The mystery itself is good with plenty of suspects and red herrings, but some suspects aren't fully developed and Kimberly gives away the identity of the killer too early in the book (and it's hard to believe the characters didn't catch on as early as readers do). The elderly woman giving away her estate to someone who is practically a stranger is a well worn plot device (although it was fun to read as Seymour tries to fit into his new neighborhood) and was a bit rushed as Seymour moved very quickly into the house. Finally, the scene where they confront the killer is another cliché and totally unbelievable. However, Kimberly does add a very nice twist at the end of the book.

"The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion" is not the best book in The Haunted Bookshop cozy mystery series, but it's such a good series it's still worth reading.

The other books in the series are:

The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)
The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)
The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, No. 4)

Enjoy.