Scan barcode
bluespirit's review
3.0
TW: suicide
Penelope mentioned how a week before her husband committed suicide he seemed more organized & upbeat. This is a common trait of people who have a plan to kill themselves. They can seem happier, give away some of their important belongings, be more outgoing, etc. If you know someone who is dealing with depression & they all of a sudden are acting like this, don't be afraid to talk to them about it. Asking someone about suicide won't plant the idea in their head or encourage them do it.
Penelope mentioned how a week before her husband committed suicide he seemed more organized & upbeat. This is a common trait of people who have a plan to kill themselves. They can seem happier, give away some of their important belongings, be more outgoing, etc. If you know someone who is dealing with depression & they all of a sudden are acting like this, don't be afraid to talk to them about it. Asking someone about suicide won't plant the idea in their head or encourage them do it.
margaretkearney's review against another edition
4.0
Really good start to the series.The killer was a bit easy to guess but I like the relationship between the hero and heroine.Good fun read.
deidrelj's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Grief, Death, and Murder
rachel_abby_reads's review
1.0
The only thing that I liked about this book is that the main character owns a book store. Everything else was pretty blah, except the ghost detective, who was irritating. I don't find 1950's slang amusing or engaging; I find it tiresome. Further, I find his casual musing about his sexual exploits to be distasteful. It reminds me of a fellow I dated once in my youth, who tried to tempt me to intercourse by citing the number of girls who had previously enjoyed his prowess. Having successfully completed high school health, included reproduction, I never saw that walking social disease in quite the same way.
So maybe my perception of the book was colored by my own back history. But I still didn't like it.
So maybe my perception of the book was colored by my own back history. But I still didn't like it.
wildflowerz76's review
2.0
I picked this up at the used book store. It looked fun. It was not. There wasn't really much sleuthing going on here. The ghost was annoying and I loathed the few sections from his POV. The main character's son was only remembered when it was convenient. There really just wasn't a lot going on in this book. The actual mystery was fine, but there wasn't a whole lot going on otherwise.
parttimebloggerbookgeek's review against another edition
3.0
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly.
Story/Mystery: 2 stars
World building: 3 stars
Characters: 3 stars (mostly, anyway with a few 2 star worthy characters thrown in)
The book is as the cover says, ‘Charming’ it oozes with it, almost too much charm, but overall, I did enjoy this book. The most enjoyable aspect of this book is the character of Jack Shepard. A man killed while working a case in a small ‘hick town’ in Rhode Island. His words and style gives homage to a bygone era of old gumshoe type novels. As to the rest of it, the mystery wasn’t all that complex. The story itself wasn’t all that compelling, but Jack and Penelope are likable for the most part, the cast of whacky small town business folks are almost hilarious. This book is a light enjoyable read for a rainy day, or even a summer beach read. And plus side, I’m willing to continue exploring Alice Kimberly’s world which after the last crappy book, (I’m looking at you Grave Sight), that I’d finished right before this book, that is a definite bonus.
Story/Mystery: 2 stars
World building: 3 stars
Characters: 3 stars (mostly, anyway with a few 2 star worthy characters thrown in)
The book is as the cover says, ‘Charming’ it oozes with it, almost too much charm, but overall, I did enjoy this book. The most enjoyable aspect of this book is the character of Jack Shepard. A man killed while working a case in a small ‘hick town’ in Rhode Island. His words and style gives homage to a bygone era of old gumshoe type novels. As to the rest of it, the mystery wasn’t all that complex. The story itself wasn’t all that compelling, but Jack and Penelope are likable for the most part, the cast of whacky small town business folks are almost hilarious. This book is a light enjoyable read for a rainy day, or even a summer beach read. And plus side, I’m willing to continue exploring Alice Kimberly’s world which after the last crappy book, (I’m looking at you Grave Sight), that I’d finished right before this book, that is a definite bonus.
saraleoni's review against another edition
3.0
i gave this book three stars mostly for its potential. the overall plot wasn't bad, nor was the ghost character; i kind of liked him although he was almost too strong for a cozy. it was mrs. mcclure who needed work. or maybe she was supposed to be that dumb. for instance, she had to be told three times within two chapters that the ghost could not follow or spy on people because he was unable to leave the building. the authors try to write her as both a tough woman and a total door mat. nor is it ever explained how she ended up with her husband (now dead) who sounds like a total loser from the moment they met. what saved it from two stars were the hints of what is yet to come and the knowledge that it's the first in a series, and possibly for the authors, which gives me hope for improvement.
kokoro's review against another edition
1.0
Mientras leía una duda se formaba en mi mente, ¿esto es en realidad un cozy?
De acuerdo con muchos, un cozy se caracteriza por una mujer detective amateur, cero lenguaje obsceno y mínimas referencias sexuales, pero...
El que Jack no pueda salir de la librería debería ser un gran plus para empujar a Penélope a tomar su papel de detective, pero es algo desperdiciado ya que solo ocurre una vez. Hablando de investigar, en ello la protagonista falla estrepitosamente ya que es su círculo quienes hacen la mayor parte, ella solo escucha y guiada por el fantasma va sacando conclusiones pero en esto también esta desaprovechado pues es muy poco lo que Jack se entromete... si lo hace, pero no con la frecuencia que esperaba, además la mejor interacción de este tipo solo ocurre casi al final de la novela y me deja un mal gusto pues yo quería ver a Penélope investigar “en el campo” y en la librería informar a Jack y este guiándola, pero no sucedió así. Ella no encaja en la imagen que tengo de un detective.
Otra cosa que no me gustó fue algunas tonterías que hacía o decía Penélope, si Jack le dice que no puede abandonar la librería, porque insiste en pedirle siga a sospechosos. O hace preguntas que son respondidas por un Jack como diciendo, pero eres tonta o que, ese “yo que sé, soy fantasma no psíquico” de lo mejor, y creo lo único que me saco una risa pues los intentos de humor con los pensamientos de la protagonista carecen de humor “es como un manuscrito sin editar de SK”
Me sorprendió leer ciertas palabras pues supuestamente en los cozy la palabra más fuerte seria crap, pero en la historia vi un a--h--e.
Y vaya que hay tensión sexual entre los protagonistas, y gracias a un sueño ella se da cuenta su suavidad encaja muy bien con la dureza de Jack, por si acaso están vestidos pero leer eso y diálogos pues me pareció un poco fuera de lugar, y en serio tan pronto meten a los protagonistas en este tipo de situación.
La novela es muy entretenida y me la pasé descartando y agregando sospechosos, se nombran diversos títulos y autores, se habla un poco de cómo se maneja los porcentajes de ganancia que se lleva una librería, que ocurre con los libros que no se venden, es algo interesante de conocer.
De acuerdo con muchos, un cozy se caracteriza por una mujer detective amateur, cero lenguaje obsceno y mínimas referencias sexuales, pero...
Spoiler
Antes de iniciar con eso, me gustaría decir el comienzo me descoloco un poco por el estilo utilizado pues parecía sacado de una novela antigua, en esta parte conocemos al futuro detective fantasmal. Con la entrada de Penélope la historia toma ese estilo ligero característico de los cozy. Pero hasta ahí encuentro las semejanzas.El que Jack no pueda salir de la librería debería ser un gran plus para empujar a Penélope a tomar su papel de detective, pero es algo desperdiciado ya que solo ocurre una vez. Hablando de investigar, en ello la protagonista falla estrepitosamente ya que es su círculo quienes hacen la mayor parte, ella solo escucha y guiada por el fantasma va sacando conclusiones pero en esto también esta desaprovechado pues es muy poco lo que Jack se entromete... si lo hace, pero no con la frecuencia que esperaba, además la mejor interacción de este tipo solo ocurre casi al final de la novela y me deja un mal gusto pues yo quería ver a Penélope investigar “en el campo” y en la librería informar a Jack y este guiándola, pero no sucedió así. Ella no encaja en la imagen que tengo de un detective.
Otra cosa que no me gustó fue algunas tonterías que hacía o decía Penélope, si Jack le dice que no puede abandonar la librería, porque insiste en pedirle siga a sospechosos. O hace preguntas que son respondidas por un Jack como diciendo, pero eres tonta o que, ese “yo que sé, soy fantasma no psíquico” de lo mejor, y creo lo único que me saco una risa pues los intentos de humor con los pensamientos de la protagonista carecen de humor “es como un manuscrito sin editar de SK”
Me sorprendió leer ciertas palabras pues supuestamente en los cozy la palabra más fuerte seria crap, pero en la historia vi un a--h--e.
Y vaya que hay tensión sexual entre los protagonistas, y gracias a un sueño ella se da cuenta su suavidad encaja muy bien con la dureza de Jack, por si acaso están vestidos pero leer eso y diálogos pues me pareció un poco fuera de lugar, y en serio tan pronto meten a los protagonistas en este tipo de situación.
La novela es muy entretenida y me la pasé descartando y agregando sospechosos, se nombran diversos títulos y autores, se habla un poco de cómo se maneja los porcentajes de ganancia que se lleva una librería, que ocurre con los libros que no se venden, es algo interesante de conocer.
cmorris2022's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great cozy mystery. Really enjoyed the audio book version. A somewhat predictable ending but funny and well told.
nvciel's review against another edition
5.0
A fun read. I love film noir so this book series fills that fandom. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.