Customer Reviews

Ghostwriter

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Noreen Wald answers that question in her book Ghostwriter and she answers it well. This is a great first in a series.

A witty, quick read, Ghostwriter tells the story of Jake O'Hara, ghostwriter extraordinare. She lives in New York with her mother and belongs to GA (ghostwriters anonymous). All is fine until she is asked to ghost for the Queen of Murder Most Cozy and her fellow ghosts start turning up dead. Will Jake be next? Who is killing off her friends by the book? Could it be the handsome and wealthy Dennis Kim, a successful agent and a childhood enemy of Jake's? Could it be Too Tall Tom or the Mob? What about Gypsy Rose, her mother's best friend and occultist? Or the sensual therapist who seems to have a connection to everyone and anyone?

With the help of her family and friends Jake teams up with the police detective assigned to the case but can she find the killer before he finds her?

While this was not the most suspenseful mystery I have read it certainly was fun - mostly because of the wacky characters that Noreen Wald has so expertly drawn. I can't wait to read more of the series.

I really enjoyed this book. One reason was because of the interplay between Jake, the amateur sleuth, and her mother with whom she lives. The book also covered an area of writing that has not been talked or written about much...the ghostwriter. It was interesting to learn about this group of writers and their feelings about their work. I couldn't help but wonder just how much was real and how much was author creation/speculation. All in all, an extremely good read.

Ghostwriter Jake O''Hara accepts the well-paying job of writing renowned author Kate Lloyd Conner's' Suzy Q cozies. Before she can begin her new assignment, Jake learns that someone killed one of her peers Barbara Bernside. An autographed copy of The Godfather turns out to be the murder weapon. When a second ghostwriter Emmie Rogers also dies from a blow with Crime and Punishment, Jake feels somewhat responsible. Barbara confided in Jake that she was ghosting for a Mafia daughter. Jake also missed an appointment with Emmie. In both cases, the victim was murdered not long afterward.

Jake decides to investigate because of feeling guilty and also because she fear that she could be next. She gathers all the Manhattan members of Ghostwriters Anonymous Association together to learn what they knew about Emmie and Barbara. As she continues to make inquires, Jake places herself in jeopardy from a killer who has plans to make it to the top even if it means commiting murder to attain that goal.

The debut of the Jake O''Hara amateur sleuth tales provides readers with a humorous and entertaining novel. The who-done-its is enjoyable, but it is clearly Jake and her support cast that brings alive Manhattan shtick so that the audience has fun reading the antics of a wisecracking heroine. Noreen Wald will receive much acclaim from sub-genre fans who, after reading GHOSTWRITER, will want more novels starring Jake O''Hara.

Harriet Klausner 410/99

Ghostwriter was a fun book to read. The humor wasn't insulting and obvious. The author avoided stating the obvious, particularly when it came to the ethnicities of her characters. The final sentence was great. I particularly enjoyed the insight into the world of ghostwriting.

I really liked the first of the Jake O'Hara books. The characters were hilarious, the mystery interesting, the descriptions of different areas of NYC very well drawn. I particularly like the funeral scene in Calvary Cemetary. It was a perfect description of a burial in that old cemetery. This is a good start to the series.

What a pleasure to read a witty, clever book that makes you feel good and puts you smack in the middle of the greatest city in the world. I felt and breathed New York while reading about Jake's adventures. This great story would make a clever, classy TV series. I felt like Jake was one of us girls! I hope we hear much more from Jake O'Hara and Noreen Wald soon.

I've never been to New York, but I felt like I'd been taken on a guided tour after reading this book. A top-notch mystery with a rich setting, I can't wait to see more of Jake O'Hara.

A witty and fast-paced book. Captures the essence of New York City. I foresee a promising future for Ghostwriter, Jake O'Hara and author, Noreen Wald. I can't wait to see more.

A clever, witty, fastpaced, whodunnit. I think The characters are rich, especially Jake and Gyspy Rose. Ghostwriter reminds me of "Who's killing the great chefs of Europe." I hope there's another Jake O'Hare mystery soon.

As a fiction writer, I find the character, Jake O'Hare, witty and sophisticated in the style of Nick and Nora Charles. The plot is clever and fast moving, the dialogue funny, and the setting rich with fimiliar New York surroundings. I can't wait for Jake O'Hare's next ghostwriting adventure.