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106 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great mystery set in a bookshop with a ghost, April 14, 2004
This review is from: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Paperback)
This was a fabulous first mystery. I read it in one day! I can't wait for another in this series! Penelope Thornton-McClure has returned to Quindicott, Rhode Island, to become co-owner of Buy the Book bookstore with her Aunt Sadie. Penelope brought her seven year old son Spencer with her. Penelope's husband Calvin recently killed himself. To help increase business, Penelope sets up an author appearance by Timothy Brennan, renowned author of the Detective Jack Shield story. Unfortunately Timothy chokes during his talk and dies. The next morning when Penelope wakes with a hangover, she figures his death will be the end of Buy the Book. Boy was she wrong. Apparently they sold every copy of his new book and all of his previous books as well. The next day more copies arrive. She doesn't know how they will sell them until they open and are mobbed once again. Then the State Police determine he was killed and arrest Brennan's daughter, Diedre. She and her husband Kenneth had arrived with Brennan and Shelby Cabot from the publisher's the night of Brennan's talk. About 50 years ago P.I. Jack Shepard had been shot in a bookstore in this same location. Apparently Brennan's Jack Shield character was built off of Jack Shepard. Penelope starts conversing with Jack Shepard in her head. Most of the time she is trying to stop hearing him, but he is very persistent. I like the interaction of Penelope and Jack, even though he's a ghost. This is such a well-written cozy. She has created likeable characters, including a ghost, but it isn't scary in the least. Matter of fact, I found it funny! The interaction between the other characters is well written as well. I also like the setting of a small Rhode Island town. The bookstore setting gives it charm. She has a real winner! I highly recommend this! You won't want to put it down.
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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable first installment, February 3, 2004
This review is from: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Paperback)
Mix in a young mystery store owner, the ghost of a private detective (circa the late 1940s and very Philip Marlowe-like), and the murder of a rather unlikable mystery novelist, and you'll get the wonderfully engaging and engrossing "The Ghost and Mrs. McClure," the first installment in the Haunted Bookshop mystery series. Following the death of her husband, Penelope Thornton-McClure, decides to pack up her bags and son (Spenser) and move back home to Quindicott, Rhode Island. Using the insurance money from her husband's policy, Penelope buys half ownership of her aunt's bookstore, renames it (BUY THE BOOK) and starts remodeling the whole place. But Penelope ideas don't just end with the extensions, new furniture and lighting, she's also decided to start featuring authour events at the sore. And in a coup, has actually nabbed the famous mystery novelist, Timothy Brennan, to talk about and sign his latest book. What Penelope did not count on was that Brennan would turn out to be such a rotter or that he would keel over and die in the middle of his talk, right in front of his audience, or that the police would actually start eyeing her as a viable suspect when it turns out that Brennan's death was a suspicious one. Fortunately for Penelope she has her very own private investigator working on the case: the store's own resident ghost, private detective Jack Shepard. With Jack's help, things are bound to be cleared up soon -- that is once Penelope gets used to the notion that her store is being haunted by Jack, and that she's about the only person around who can hear him... Even though this was a rather straight forward read, I practically stayed up till late in order to finish the book -- it was that enjoyable a read. Alice Kimberly does such a wonderful job of bringing Penelope and Jack to "life" and of developing their relationship, that the uncomplicated plot was NOT a detraction at all. If you're looking for a good mystery novel to unwind with that's just pure fun, you're bound to enjoy "The Ghost and Mrs. McClure." In fact I can hardly wait for the next Haunted Bookshop mystery installment.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
surprisingly good, September 27, 2004
This review is from: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Paperback)
i'm another fan of the film, 'the ghost and mrs. muir,' and thought it might be worthwhile to try this mystery. the last few cozies i've read have been very disappointing--ranging from badly written and embarrassingly plotted to just plain boring--so i didn't have high expectations for this one.
i was so glad to be wrong! this is a delightful read--the characters are well drawn, the english is not just grammatical (what a shock these days) but also well written and enjoyable, the plot is very good, with no more red herrings than absolutely necessary. the author manages the 40s slang pretty well. and while the heroine starts out as one of those unbelievably obnoxious doormats who seem to be so popular with cozy readers, she does develop some spine by the end of the book.
i'm looking forward to the next book with these characters, and i hope there are many more after that.
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