Book Review Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

My Halloween pick is a cozy mystery. But search though some of my past reads to figure out what other haunts I loved or just liked. Let’s get into this Book Review. But first, follow me on Goodreads.

Here’s The Blurb:

When something goes bump in the night . . . it’s most likely a plumbing problem. But fake medium Eleanor Wilde is happy to investigate and cleanse your home of spectral presences—for a fee. Hey, it’s a living . . .

Ellie has an ailing sister to care for and working as a ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts helps cover the bills. When she’s lucky, it also pays for the occasional tropical vacation. On her latest job, though, she may be in for some genuine scares.

The skeptical, reserved, and very rich Nicholas Hartford III has flown her all the way to his family’s ancestral estate in England—supposedly haunted by a phantom named Xavier. Nicholas thinks it’s all just as much a crock as Ellie’s business is, but his mother is sure that Xavier is real, and he’s willing to employ Ellie if she can put a stop to the nonsense. But when an actual dead body appears—and subsequently disappears—at Castle Hartford, she’ll have to apply her talent for trickery and psychological insight to solve a flesh-and-blood murder.

Cover Critique:

These books always have fun titles. I’m not a fan of illustrations in general, but this one gives you a lot to chew on. I love the ouiji board and the smoke. It draws my interest and adds to the mystery.

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 320
Author: Tamara Berry

Available: Google Play

So, many people on Goodreads end up ranking this 4-stars without any clear explanation as to why. I’m deciding on three and here’s why. For me, I took a point off for the hero. I found the hero a tad comical in the worst way. Instead of working with the heroine to solve the mystery of who’s playing his mother’s favorite Casper, he drops in like a bond villain with succulent clues and weird musings. It’s like, be serious. Are you working with her or not?

The subterfuge was meant to be charming and mysterious when it was just annoying. Frankly, it was kinda obsurd for him to have invited her to the home in the first place, and then once things go south to then accuse her of everything. Like sir, she’s there because of you.

Side note: This book is also guilty of info dumping. Which is par for the course with most cozy mysteries. It’s also a thing in Gothic Romances. Normally, neither bother me, but with this Halloween marathon, it may be becoming too much.

It’s with this background that I also find the setting of this book confusing. At least, it took me a minute to get adjusted. It takes place in modern times. Yet, they’re living in a Victorian-style mansion and eating porridge. My mind was doing frequent shifts in the beginning. Not enough to knock a point off, but that was ultimately decided in the end because I found the book average at best. I enjoyed it, but to some others in this Halloween-a-thon it probably wont stand out.

So what’s the book’s strong suit? The family. The characters were all very interesting in their own right. My favorite scenes were the ones in which they were all together. It felt like you were sitting with them and getting to know their little eccentricities.

The heroine is also one to root for. It’s easy to overlook the fact that she’s a scam artist and not just because of her sob story. No, she genuinely wants to help. She wants answers just as badly as anyone in that room. So we get to watch her kind of do her thing in the hocus pocus, but we also get to follow her around this mystery. Her thought process is both refreshing and unique.

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Book Review At A Glance:

Recommendation:  3 out of 5

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

🍓🍓

Character/(s) Personality:

🍓🍓🍓