Sunday, May 7, 2023

The Ghost Goes to the Dogs - A Review & Giveaway

 Review


THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS by Cleo Coyle
The Ninth Haunted Bookshop Mystery

Quindicott, Rhode Island, and Buy the Book in particular, has gone to the dogs. In honor of St. Francis Day, the local university is spreading their celebrations into town and the Paw-some reading group has convinced Penelope Thornton-McClure to host Pet Mystery Week at her shop. Jane Cunningham, a core member of the group, was instrumental in arranging many of the activities, but it's her dog, Sparky that gets Pen's attention. Barking outside the bookstore, he leads Pen and her son Spencer to Jane, lying on the sidewalk, shot...but alive. While the Chief of Police believes it's simply a hunting accident, Pen is doubtful, and ghostly PI Jack Shepard agrees.
 
You get twice the mystery and twice the fun in a Haunted Bookshop Mystery. I love the dual mystery as how Jack teaches Pen how to solve the mystery in her time by sharing one from his. Vivid descriptions, especially of Penny's 1940s clothing immerse me in that time. The wrestlers from Jack's time still have me grinning-I want to throw some pickles! 
 
While I am most definitely a cat person, I love dogs too and was happy to meet Sparky in the ninth Haunted Bookshop Mystery. It was heartwarming to see that slice of Americana - a boy and his dog...even if it was just temporary. It was also fun watching people who don't really know about dogs handle the rambunctious pup.

Not everything is what it seems in THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS. However, I cottoned on to several clues, and I even solved the last line of the riddle well before Penny. I also had a fairly good idea of what was going on behind the modern mystery, at least one aspect of it, but I still didn't know who dun it until the very end! This ability to solve the mystery along with the protagonist made a great read even more enjoyable and reminded me of works from the Golden Age of detective fiction.

With laughs, thrills, and ghostly chills THE GHOST GOES TO THE DOGS is a doggone fun tale!
 
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The Ghost Goes to the Dogs (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) by Cleo Coyle

About The Ghost Goes to the Dogs

The Ghost Goes to the Dogs (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery 9th in Series
Setting -‎ Rhode Island
Berkley (May 2, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback: ‎ 320 pages

A stray dog leads bookseller Penelope McClure and her gumshoe ghost on a chase for a cunning criminal in this brand-new entry in the "UTTERLY CHARMING" (Mystery Scene) Haunted Bookshop Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

Pet Mystery Week brings brisk business to Penelope's Rhode Island bookshop, but a real mystery comes barking at her door when a lost dog turns up in a panic. Pen and her son Spencer follow the furry fugitive to a wooded area where the dog's owner lies unconscious. Mrs. Cunningham is a warm-hearted widow who volunteers at the animal shelter and runs Buy the Book's pet lovers book club. Why would anyone shoot such a sweet soul?

The police believe it's an accident, a shot by a careless deer hunter, but Pen remains skeptical. To straighten out this doggone mess, she whistles for the ghost of PI Jack Shepard, an expert in hounding as well as haunting. Jack has a dog story of his own, a case from the 1940s that may help Pen sniff out clues to her present predicament. Yet even with Jack's hard-boiled help, Pen may not be able to stop the killer from striking again or letting this whole case go to the dogs...

About the Author 

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 and Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, now celebrating nearly 20 years in print. With more than one million books sold, their work has been honored with starred reviews and multiple best-of-year list selections by reviewers. 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.

Author Links: 
 
 

5 comments:

  1. Hi, Kathy - I just read your beautifully written review to Marc. It was pure pleasure to read, and we are both thrilled to know that you enjoyed our latest. A boy and his dog still touches the heart. We're so glad to know it touched yours. We're also happy to know you were entertained by our motley crew of lovable wrestlers (LOL on the pickle reference)! Jack is happy, too, of course. If you feel an unnatural chill. Don't be alarmed. It's just our PI ghost, paying you a thank-you visit. :)

    Cheers again for the wonderful review and may you (and everyone) be blessed with good spirits!

    ~ Cleo

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    1. Thank you-it was such a wonderful read. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to sensing Jack!

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  2. Great read!!! Your books sounds and looks amazing!!!

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  3. Kathy your wonderful review made me want to read this Cleo Coyle book even more!

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