Be My Ghost

Written by Carol J. Perry

Narrated by C.S.E. Cooney

Maureen Doherty and her golden retriever Finn have taken possession of a charming old inn-only to discover that it's already possessed by tenants whose lease on life already ran out . . .

Maureen's career as a sportswear buyer hits a snag just before Halloween, when the department store declares bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Finn's lost his way as a guide dog after flunking his test for being too friendly and easily distracted. Sadly, only one of them can earn unemployment, so Maureen's facing a winter of discontent in Boston-when she realizes she can't afford her apartment.

Salvation comes when she receives a mysterious inheritance: an inn in Haven, Florida. A quaint, scenic town on the Gulf of Mexico hidden away from the theme parks, Maureen believes it's a good place to make a fresh start with a new business venture. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds a dead body on her property-and meets some of the inn's everlasting tenants in the form of ghosts who offer their otherworldly talents in order to help her solve the mystery . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705290361

Carol J. Perry

Carol J. Perry was born in Salem on Halloween Eve. She has written many young adult novels, and is also the author of the Witch City mystery series. She and her husband Dan live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with a cat and a black Lab. Visit her at www.caroljperry.com.

Reviews for Be My Ghost

[Darcia Helle · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Be My Ghost had all the makings of a fun cozy, but too much of the content didn’t make sense.

Maureen, our main character, inherits an inn from a woman she doesn’t know. Yet she shows only mild curiosity as to how this happened, like how I might react if I find a random quarter in my pocket, and she does virtually nothing to figure it out.

Likewise, once moving in and taking over, she doesn’t show much interest in basics such as all the stuff left behind in her suite, the everyday running of the inn, and, big one, the expense account. She allows the manager, who treats her with incredible disrespect, to go on handling all this unchecked.

To me, the killer was glaringly obvious right from the start. I never even questioned it.

The murder investigation is run by one cop, who is an “officer,” not a homicide detective. This officer is apparently both lead detective and crime scene tech, as he comes and goes to collect evidence and question people. He’s also a terrible cop because he had no clue what was going on and needed Maureen to figure it out.

Narration is okay. The main character’s voice was fine, but all the others were overly dramatized, which I found distracting.