THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN by Cleo Coyle
The Tenth Haunted Bookshop Mystery
It was Dory McKenna's time to shine and Penelope Thornton-McClure's bookshop was lighting the way. Celebrating her book launch at Buy the Book Dory, the former Quindicott head librarian, earned the moniker "the dead librarian" as she created a database of obituaries and even wrote current ones for the newspaper. But not everyone was happy with some family secrets and embarrassing deaths that Dory shared in her book. Pen overheard at least two arguments and when it was time to cut the cake there was no sign of the guest of honor. Pen found her in the history section only it was Dory who was history. Dead with her own obituary in her hand. Pen is pretty sure Dory didn't commit suicide however. With Jack Shepherd, the ghost of a private investigator who died in that very bookstore, guiding her, Pen will do her best to solve the case of the Dead Librarian.
I'm so excited to see Jack Shepard again! You may have noticed that I call this the tenth Haunted Bookshop Mystery while others call it the first. It's both. THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN is a reboot of the series by a new publisher. The characters and their backstories remain the same, but there's a notable difference at the end of the book showing a slight change in direction, and one in which I heartily approve. For readers who have read previous books in the series, you'll love this seamless continuation. For those who are joining for the first time, you won't feel lost at all, as the author masterfully shares important backstory that flows into the new story.
I love the mix of cozy mystery and noirish hardboiled PI. You wouldn't think those two genres would mix well, but they do. The ghost of Jack Shepard brings that noir hard edge as he shares cases from his life. But nothing is too dark so as to scare cozy fans away. At the same time, the cozy modern story isn't too saccharine sweet, but it's perfectly cozy. I enjoyed both mysteries, the modern one which included some nifty plotting and Jack's 1947 case he uses to teach Pen. There are also plenty of laughs and a great new character. I enjoyed how Pen finally one ups her sister in law.
With wit and heart THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN brings cozy and hardboiled together creating a brilliantly fun mystery.
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The Ghost and the Dead Librarian (A Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery)
by Cleo Coyle
About The Ghost and the Dead Librarian
The Ghost and the Dead Librarian (A Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery 1st in the Series - Spinoff of the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries
Setting - Rhode Island
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: September 29, 2026
Print Length: 384 pages
A LIBRARY JOURNAL "MYSTERY PICK OF THE MONTH" In an utterly charming new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle, a small-town Rhode Island bookshop owner investigates the death of an eccentric librarian with the help of a wisecracking, 1940s gumshoe ghost.
As a young widow, Penelope moved back to her quaint Rhode Island town to give her young son a safer home and her aunt's dying bookshop new life. Using her late husband's insurance money, Pen polished the store into a local treasure. But her updates did more than attract new customers. They roused a dead private eye from his big sleep.
With Pen's affection for hardboiled detective stories, it's no surprise she's developed a fondness for the wisecracking yet oddly likeable spirit. Sure, Jack's cold spots are exasperating, along with his proclivity for putting noir fiction in the cozy section. But murder was Jack's business in life, and his PI skills come in awfully handy when the body of an eccentric librarian is found amid the bookshop's aisles.
For years, Dory jokingly called herself "The Dead Librarian" because of her hobby of collecting and writing local obituaries. Now, in death, she's discovered with her own eerily pre-written obit. Was it a suicide note? Jack and Pen say no and their certainty takes them from a ghost town's ancient cemetery to a posh Newport mansion. When another body drops, a mysterious stranger makes Pen a shocking offer, one that may change her life—and Jack's afterlife. But unless Jack can help Pen prove who "checked out" the librarian, a ruthless killer may close the book on her.
"This spin-off of Coyle's 'Haunted Bookshop' series blends cozy mystery, supernatural intrigue, and classic noir influences into a suspenseful small-town murder mystery....Combining humor, literary references, ghostly interventions, and layered community drama, the novel explores how hidden truths from the past continue to haunt the present." —Library Journal (*Starred Review)
About Cleo Coyle
CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries, now celebrating more than 20 years in print, and the national bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. With more than one million books sold, their works have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; received multiple Best of Year selection honors from reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together, wrangle their rescue cats, drink a lot of java, and cook like crazy. Connect with Cleo at CleoCoyleBooks.com
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/51488.Cleo_Coyle
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