The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller - A Review and Giveaway

Review

THE GHOST AND THE BOGUS BESTSELLER by Cleo Coyle

The Sixth Haunted Bookshop Mystery

Jack Shepard, the ghost of a 1940s private detective is back on the scene. A slightly snobbish customer has fled Buy the Book, unpaid novel in hand. It's more than the theft that concerns Penelope Thornton-McClure, it's the older woman's reaction to the latest bestseller. Concerned, Pen, accompanied by Jack, tracks the woman down. What they discover is a slightly decrepit apartment, a talking bird, and a dead body. While it appears that the troubled customer committed suicide, the scene doesn't quite add up. Pen and Jack agree-it's murder!

Almost fifteen years ago I met a man. He was a little rough around the edges, but dashing, charming, and mysterious. I developed a major crush. Oh, I knew it would never work out between us, after all, he was dead...and fictional, but that didn't stop me from dreaming. Then he disappeared. For ten years I didn't hear from him, you might say he ghosted...but now Jack Shepard is back and better than ever!

After a ten year hiatus, the sixth Haunted Bookshop Mystery continues as if practically no time had passed and while readers may appreciate more subtleties if they've read the previous books in the series, especially how Jack and Pen met, it is certainly not necessary to appreciate this captivating new mystery that is both timely and timeless.

Cleo Coyle skillfully weaves a mystery filled with intersecting stories, past and present. It gives a look at literary snobbishness and academic condescension in the face of mass popularity as well as the perils of publishing. What's fascinating is how Jack shows cases from his past that shed light on the current mystery. The way in which Jack and Pen can be together is magical, and a fun trip to the 1940s for readers. But the mystery is just part of it. 

THE GHOST AND THE BOGUS BESTSELLER illustrates how past choices can affect the present. It deals with love and loss, courage and partnership. Jack's been helping Pen, not only solve crimes, but believe in herself, heal herself and learn to love again. Welcome back, Jack.

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The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) by Cleo Coyle

About the Book

 

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)  

Paranormal Cozy Mystery 6th in Series  

Berkley (September 25, 2018) Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 0425237451 

Penelope Thornton-McClure and her bookshop's ghost-in-residence Jack Shepard are back on a new case in this delightful paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

A big bestseller leads to small town trouble.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn't believe in ghosts, until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful...

After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it--literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction. Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.

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 Coffeehouse Mysteries--now celebrating nearly fifteen years in print. They also write the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, which were originally published under their second pseudonym, Alice Kimberly (The Ghost and Mrs. McClure, The Ghost and the Dead Deb, The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library, The Ghost and the Femme Fatale, The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion). Alice has worked as a journalist in Washington, DC, and New York, and has written popular fiction for adults and children. A former magazine editor, Marc has authored espionage thrillers and nonfiction for adults and children. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together. You can learn more about Cleo, her husband, and the books they write by visiting www.CoffeehouseMystery.com.

Author Links:

Visit Cleo online: www.coffeehousemystery.com  
Friend Cleo on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/CleoCoyle  
Follow Cleo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleocoyle/  

Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller by Cleo Coyle. This book is the sixth in the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series and was released last week. After 10 years, Jack is back!

Jack Shepard, the ghost of a 1940s private detective is back on the scene. A slightly snobbish customer has fled Buy the Book, unpaid novel in hand. It's more than the theft that concerns Penelope Thornton-McClure, it's the older woman's behavior. Concerned, Pen, accompanied by Jack, tracks the woman down. What they discover is a slightly decrepit apartment, a talking bird, and a dead body. While it appears that the troubled customer committed suicide, the scene doesn't quite add up. Pen and Jack agree-it's murder!

Haunted

     While I'm always in the mood for paranormal mysteries, they seem to be even more fitting in October. There's a crisp chill in the air, darkness comes earlier, and you get the feeling that something spooky could be just around the corner. Halloween will be here soon and thoughts turn to ghosts...at least my thoughts do. I love reading about haunted buildings, especially local haunts. All kinds of places may be haunted-and our cozy mysteries give us many examples!
     If you enter Buy the Book Bookstore in Rhode Island you'll meet one of the owners Penelope Thornton-McClure. You may also see a shadow of a man in a fedora. His name is Jack Shepard, a private investigator, and a ghost. You can read more about them in The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries by Alice Kimberly.
     Perhaps you need a place to stay and want to try a nice inn. May I recommend a new guest house on the Jersey Shore? The Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries written by E.J. Copperman introduce us to single mom Alison Kerby who is renovating an old Victorian and turning it in to a guest house. The house is already occupied however, by two ghosts...and we meet more ghosts as the series progresses.
     It's said that remodeling homes increases paranormal activity. Ask Melanie Turner what she thinks. You can find her in Juliet Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series.
     Want to have a quiet evening knitting? You may want to stop in The Weaver's Cat in Blue Plum, Tennessee. Members of the TGIF Club (Thank God It's Fiber) will be sure to help you...and perhaps the late owner will as well. Molly MacRae writes the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries.
     Some ghosts are more free roaming than others. Bailey Ruth Raeburn returns to her home town to help solve mysteries after her death in the Bailey Ruth Mysteries by Carolyn Hart.
     Other ghosts haunt people. Sam Wescott finds his ex-wife, Hollis Ball, and pesters her into helping discover who murdered him in a series written by Helen Chappell.
     These are just a few of the many ghost mysteries out there. This October I dare you to come face to page with at least one of our cozy mystery ghosts.

     

The Paranormal Mystery

Interest in the paranormal cannot be denied. Look at the popularity of such TV shoes as True Blood, Being Human, and The Vampire Diaries. Let's not forget about the big screen with Twilight and Harry Potter. Books featuring ghosts, vampires, witches, and the like have been popular for decades...if not centuries. Actually all of the above shows and movies, with the exception of Being Human, were books first! Why, then, shouldn't the paranormal be found in cozy mysteries?

There are several different types of paranormal characters, with multiple types existing in the same book in some cases. You may find ghosts: The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries by Alice Kimberly, The Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries by E.J. Copperman, The Aunt Dimity Series by Nancy Atherton, witches: A Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell, The Ophelia and Abby Mysteries by Shirley Damsgaard, The Wishcraft Mysteries by Heather Blake, or psychics: The Chintz’n China Mysteries by Yasmine Galenorn, The Psychic Eye Series by Victoria Laurie, A Fortune Teller Mystery by Kari Lee Townsend.

What is somewhat surprising is that while the vampire is one of the most popular paranormal subjects when it comes to entertainment, including books, there are very few vampire cozy mysteries. Perhaps vampires tend to be a bit too dark for cozies.You can find a fun vampire cozy, however, in the Simon Kirby-Jones Series by Dean James.

There are differing degrees of the paranormal as well. Some series just hint at it. In others it's prominent. Some authors welcome you into their paranormal world as they welcome the character, who has only recently learned of their power or have known, but are relatively new to their craft. Readers get a good introduction into this world, learning as the protagonist does.

If you haven't already, try a paranormal cozy. After all, what's life without a little magic?