The Ghost and the Dead Deb

Haunted Bookshop Mystery #2

by Alice Kimberly, Cleo Coyle

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure wants her resident sleuth-ghost, Jack, to stop haunting her customers. But when a pretty author is murdered, Jack can't rest in peace.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy, Fiction, Ghosts, Audiobook

260 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 6, 2005

About the author

ALICE KIMBERLY is a pseudonym used by New York Times bestselling authors Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. They first used it to launch their Haunted Bookshop Mystery series in 2004. Alice and Marc now write the series under their primary pen name CLEO COYLE and their Alice Kimberly titles have been re-released under their Cleo Coyle name. To learn more, visit their CLEO COYLE page here at Goodreads, as well as the pages dedicated to their two bestselling, long-running mystery series:

Alice/Cleo’s Haunted Bookshop Mystery series, hailed as a highly original and "utterly charming" (Mystery Scene) blend of cozy and hardboiled genres, features an earnest young New England widow who catches criminals with the help of a gumshoe ghost, the irresistible spirit of a tough private detective who’d been gunned down in her bookshop decades before.

Cleo’s Coffeehouse Mystery series, celebrated for pioneering both the “urban cozy” and "coffee cozy" mystery genres, follows the adventures of amateur sleuth Clare Cosi, a single mom with a complicated love life who manages a Greenwich Village coffeehouse and a quirky crew of baristas while helping the NYPD solve perplexing crimes.

In addition to their critically acclaimed mysteries, Alice and Marc have written multiple works of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. They are also accomplished tie-in writers who have created bestselling properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM.

Originally from Western Pennsylvania, Alice and Marc live in New York City, where they haunt coffeehouses, hunt ghosts, wrangle rescue cats, cook like crazy, and write independently and together.

Reviews

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute, fun installment. I still find myself wanting Penelope to actually work on solving Jack's mystery, instead of using him to help her with all of her current quandaries. It feels very selfish. I liked the peek into the life of the rich and fabulous that this book gave.

[Candace Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part about reading these books is going back in the fourties with Jack Shepard. He makes me want to continue to finish the series.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books differ from stories on film. A burst of curiosity accompanies our first visual glimpses. The novelty makes it difficult for a sequel to recapture that lustre. An author explains people, premise, setting, sentence by sentence. It is a while before they can turn to the main point of a first volume, with that job to do. Never fear, if your fascination with Penelope McClure & Jack Sheppard was gradual. "The Ghost And The Dead Deb" leaps into a cast of culprits.

Remarkable in a second volume, character development is noticeable and satisfying. The mystery is exceptionally good and affects members of their town. Not sticking to the bookstore this time, events occur close enough to check. The height of fascination, even if this plot weren't well-layered, is that Jack teaches us very clearly how to solve it. If you didn't find enough etherealness woven into the first, this novel has Penelope gaining confidence via guided dreams much more. She and Jack study similar case files in a way that very much enables one-on-one experience. These suspenseful sequences turn the tone to historical fiction. The vibe exudes a black & white movie, sirens, and gritty streets. Mystery fans would find the step by step instruction compelling, as we urge on Penelope's success.

Her son and aunt are sparse, which suits me. We focus on the bookstore very little. I've adamant a mystery and the paranormal should take precedence in such a novel and they do. Penelope co-owns the establishment and has help, therefore the heroine marches out to settle the issues that are the reason we turn those pages! Also special is the epistolary tone created by exploring Jack’s case files, which are now in her custody courtesy of a former character. We acquaint Jack exceptionally well along the way.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's the second book in the series but the first one that I've read. It was easy to catch on to and I enjoyed the concept of the ghost and loved his 40's talk. I hope to read more in the series. #readforkimberly

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When young widow Penelope Thornton-McClure moved her son and her life to a small town in Rhode Island, she knew things were going to be different. She just didn't realize how different, until the ghost of a 1940's gumshoe named Jack Shepard entered her life. Now Jack has helped Penelope realize that she's stronger than she thought and can face things she never thought possible - including the onslaught of her wealthy in-laws, who have been doing their best to run roughshod over her for years, and she's finding a new world opening up...

When a young author named Angel Stark arrives at Pen's bookstore for a promotion on her new book, Pen doesn't expect things to get heated. But she should have, considering the book is about a dead debutante named Bethany Banks whose murder is still unsolved. When Angel is attacked outside the store and local boy Johnny Napp arrives to help, Pen doesn't realize that when Johnny leaves with Angel it will unleash a slew of events that will bring Bethany's last night on earth back to the forefront; and that there's more story yet to be told, and Johnny might not only be who he says he is, but have a decidedly bigger role in it.

But when Angel disappears, along with Bethany's sister Victoria, the past comes back to haunt everyone involved, and Pen may need Jack's help more than she thinks in order to keep an innocent man from being wrongfully put away forever...

When Angel's book comes out there's obviously people who don't like it; namely, those that are participants in the story. All of them are from wealthy backgrounds and thus far have been able to protect themselves from the notoriety of murder. Yet the book promises to lay bare the details of the gruesome night Bethany was found strangled, and someone is obviously guilty.

But when Angel herself first has run-ins with several people - the dead girl's sister, for one - and then is later found murdered in a similar manner, it's obvious someone wanted to make sure this was her first and last book. But since Johnny is the main suspect, Pen feels that she needs to find the truth, because he's been dating her clerk Mina she thinks someone has it all wrong. So she enlists Jack to help her seek the real killer since it seems the police are focusing only on one person.

This is the second book in the Haunted Bookshop series, and I can honestly say that I loved it just as much as the first. Penelope is beginning to accept Jack's presence in her life, and even depend on him when the need arises. She's also becoming a stronger, more resilient person, and I really like that.

I also love the dream sequences where Penelope is able to travel backward in time to Jack's world; it's always for a purpose - to help her figure out things in her own world. I'm not going to lie; I really love that period of time, being a huge classic film buff myself, and any time I find a book that can pull me into it, I'm loving every second of it. This series is able to do just that, and I relish it.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it's more a sense of justice that is felt than any evildoing on the part of the murderer, and that's fine by me. The writing is taut, the words flow, the story is well-told and I marvel at the fact that the author(s) can take us to the past so easily and make it believable. My only hope would be that when this series does make its final episode that somehow, those 'higher ups' as it were, would find that Jack is worthy of being given a second chance in life. After all, miracles happen every day if you just look around, and this would be no different. Recommended.

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope Thornton-McClure, co-owner of Buy the Book, is back in action in her second adventure with her ghost sidekick, PI Jack Shepard. Penelope has arranged a book signing for a controversial new tell-all that Angel Stark has written surrounding the murder of her friend and rich debutante, Bethany Banks. However writing a tellall has it's risks and it seems someone is angry that Angel has told her version of the story. Riots ensue at the reading and Angel is almost run over. It turns out someone is really angry at Angel as she is found strangled the next day. With help from Jack, Penelope tries to solve not just Angel's murder, but Bethany's as well.

This is only the second book I've read in this paranormal cozy mystery series but it is fast becoming a favorite. I love the cozy mystery meets 1940's PI detective feel of the story. Penelope and Jack are such standout characters, that have a great chemistry together, both as friends and maybe more. A love story with a ghost? Well not yet, but who knows for the future!

One of my favorite parts of this book (and the first one in the series) is the way the author switches it between modern day and one of Jack's old cases, when he was alive. Somehow the case is linked (either by persons or same circumstances) to the murder that Penelope is trying to solve and I really like the way the author does this seemlessly. It doesn't hurt that I love my vintage mysteries so I love the 1940's feel of a time when Jack was still alive.

This murder was very much a case of low-middle class being set up by the rich and famous and was a tough one to solve. At the end of the mystery, I felt that satisfied sigh of a good story told, and I can't wait to read more. I'm particularly looking forward to finding out of Jack's back story in future books.

If you like your mysteries with a paranormal ghostly feel I recommend picking this series up and starting with The Ghost and Mrs McClure.

[Krystn · Rating 1 out of 5]

holy crap, boring.
I felt compelled to finish it because I had read and liked the first book in the series.
Took me two months to finally get this off my bedside table.

[Carlymor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audio book and thoroughly enjoyed it. As bookstore owner Pen investigates the murder of an author who recently wrote a tell-all about wealthy Rhode Island society, she receives help from former P.I. and ghost Jack. It is very entertaining when Jack uses his 1940's slang when speaking to Penelope. This was a lot of fun and I look forward to listening to the next one!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Buffalo coin- a new development, June 12, 2012


By Ellen Rappaport (Florida)


This review is from: The Ghost and the Dead Deb (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
Let me begin by stating some of the reasons why I love and am addicted to this wonderful series...the Haunted Bookshop series to be precise.
I'm not just reading a book. I am walking with Penelope into her (and her Aunt's) bookshop. climbing the stairs with her and envisioning Jack at the same time Pen does.
These characters are alive and I'm with them every step of the way. Only now with this new development Jack is with Pen (and myself) outside of the bookshop. The Buffalo coin makes the connection possible. In any other series by any other author(s) this would have been probably sent back to the library...but this author literally brings me into this relationship and their enviroment.

All I can say is I so enjoy this remarkable book, the characters as their relationships grow and being with Pen at the bookshop and sleuthing. I couldn't ask for a better cozy. Love this series and all it entails.

Read and enjoy!

Ellen

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have an author, a book that well, is not a hit with everyone, especially concerning the people in the book. And from there, Pen finds there's more to this than she and Jack thought. Especially if it brings a certain familiar someone that made me think, wait really? I find that a bit of a coincidence. A big on at that now that I think about it.

I was going to give this a 4.5 but thought, I did like this one, a lot. Well, I just keep breezing through these books. Might as well get the rest of the books in the series then. These are quick reads. The writing was even better in this.

Of course I stayed up wanting to finish this. And the suspense was even better in this one. Especially when you have Jack's past cases somehow relevant to Pen's present day case.

I liked the back and fourth with the two as they try to go over what they have so far and who the suspects are, etc. All the while, Pen becoming a PI like Jack in a way. Those two do make a good team. And a maybe perhaps potential couple? Maybe?

[Susan Elizabetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bookshop mystery with a ghost of a private investigator from the 1940's and two bookshop owners who get into solving murders.

Listened to the audio book presentation, I loved the story all the more. The narrators are marvelous.

[Drebbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel Stark makes an appearance at Penelope Thornton McClure's bookstore to promote her true crime novel "All My Pretty Friends". Not everyone is happy about Angel's book, which is about the murder of a debutante, Bethany Banks, including the victim's sister who interrupts Angels' speech. Someone then tries to run Angel over and shortly after that she disappears. Pen, along with the ghost of Jack Shepard, a private eye who was murdered over fifty years ago, are investigating angel's disappearance when Pen stumbles over a body that turns out to be that of Bethany's sister. Is there a serial killer on the loose?

I love this mystery series. The relationship between Jack Shepard, the ghost of a hard-boiled detective and Penelope, a modern day widow, are what makes the book work. Alice Kimberly deftly weaves one of Jack's old cases with the modern one, writing Jack's case using the jargon of hard-boiled detective literature and Pen's case in modern day language. It's particularly amusing as Jack explains the jargon used in his time and Pen tells him about modern day conveniences such as cell phones and who people such as John F. Kennedy, Jr. were. Readers will chuckle, perhaps uneasily, as Jack wonders why anyone would buy bottled water. Not too many authors could write believably about the attraction between a live person and a ghost, but Kimberly does it beautifully.

The mystery itself is reminiscent of the Kennedy-Skakel case with plenty of suspects and twists and turns. The identity of the murderer will come as a surprise to many readers but is believable. Kimberly throws in a nice way of Jack being able to leave the bookstore to help solve the mystery, which is great, because it allows the characters to interact and sole mysteries in several locations rather than be confined to the bookstore.

I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

[Paula Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I love this series so far. In this one Penelope finds herself having missing people all over the place when a controversial author Angel Stark writes a tell all about the rich and famous she meets with people who'd rather not flash murder around for profit. Lots are angry about this book and someone is angry enough to kill over it. When the body of the author is found in a body of water by the local inn, it's up to Penelope and her ghost of companion Jack the very dead P.I to find out what is going on and who's out to get whom.

This is definitely not your typical cozy mystery as Penelope likes to look at people with rose contacts/glasses. She I think in a lot of ways is still reeling from the suicide of her husband. The impact that has on Penelope and her son. She seems to be trying to give her son the good things in life without the money her husband came from. Shying away from the money and power that the McClure's represent.

Jack is a true to his time era type of P.I. full of slang of his era girls being dolls, and P.I.'s being Dicks. I enjoy how he helps Penelope but also needs her to help him find out why he was killed. He has finally got some of his story out to Penelope through old case files. I just enjoy the back and forth between the two.

The town I love how the neighbors rally together and times and generally care for one another which can be rare nowadays you don't see that as much as you did then. I definitely enjoy going back to Rhode Island time and time again!

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope Thornton-McClure is a widowed mother of one who took her husband's life insurance and bought a half interest in a run down and failing bookshop owned by her aunt. She fixes the old place up and adds a community events room where among other things she plans to host author appearances. Unfortunately for Pen the first author who comes to her store drops dead right there on the stage and she is one of the chief suspects. Fortunately for Pen her bookshop is haunted by 1940s PI Jack Shepard who was killed in that very building many years ago and with his help Pen clears her name.

As with the first book in the series this one is very well written and the characters, while not being the wacky denizens often inhabiting the pages of this genre are still an interesting lot and are very believable. Pen has already learned a lot from Jack and is becoming quite the detective in her own right but she still leans on Jack when the times get tough. The elements of noir fiction that Jack brings to the story are also extremely enjoyable and somehow this author makes this blend work and work well. She even manages to throw in a little romance to liven up the plot at times.

So far I have been very pleased with this series that I accidentally stumbled over one day and I look forward to reading the further adventures of the bookstore lady and the dead PI.

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel Stark is giving a reading from her book, “All My Pretty Friends” at Buy The Book bookshop. It’s a true crime story that took place among the East coast Newport rich kids. A crowd Angel had been part of. The turnout is packed and sales are sky high, during the book signing afterwards.

There is a fracas after the signing, between the author and an attendee. The sister of the murdered victim is present and isn’t happy about the book. The murder has never been found and the sister felt the book is damaging to her sister and their family.

The next day Angel is nowhere to be found. She had left the bookshop with a local fellow, and both are missing! A little later her body is found. Angel has been murdered in the same way the person in her true crime book was. In the investigation, some of the history of the fellow puts him in the #1 spot for suspect.

Bookshop owner, Penelope, takes up her own investigation of the case along with her secret mentor — PI Jack Shepard. Jack was murdered in the bookshop building in the 1940s and his ghost now haunts the building. Penelope is the only one who knows of him. Between Shepard’s hard-boiled PI persona and past experiences, and Penelope’s desire to catch the killer, this is a fun read. Think “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” only with murder involved.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #2 in the series

Penelope and her resident ghost P.I. who haunts her bookstore are embroiled in another murder. Angel Stark wrote a tell all book about a murdered debutante. Buy The Book, Penelope and her aunt's bookstore hosts her as a guest speaker. However, not everyone in the audience is there to support Angel. Some are downright hostile. When Angel ends up dead, fingers are pointed at a few people, including someone from the town.

I really liked the interaction between Jack and Penelope.... especially when he tells stories in her dreams. The townspeople are an eclectic group and are hilarious. I wonder though, when she's talking to Jack, does she just think to him in her head or actually talk to him out loud?

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun series, now six in all. (The sixth will be released in 2011.) The ghost of a dead PI circa 1946 is heard inside the head only of independent bookseller/shop owner, Penelope Thornton McClure, and with her aunt, they very efficiently run the storefront while simultaneously solving the latest crime of month. It's light, easy, quick, not loaded with profanity or gratuitous sex, so it's a very refreshing change from most of the whodunnits currently hitting the tops of the bestseller charts. I just wish more folks knew about this series because they are wonderful, underexposed gems truly worth reading.

[Bonnie McHenry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Haunted Bookshop mystery series and just as good as the first. Again, the throughback to the 40's really reels me in as Jack's relationship with Pen has really taken off in mutual respect for the different eras that they live in. And again, the secondary characters, now know as the Quibblers, just add that special touch of funniness, support, community and friendship needed to round out the relationship between Jack and Pen. I love the family aspect as well...Pen and her aunt and Pen with her son. Very realisic. The mystery was good too. I love how Jack helps her to become more self confident in her PI skills. Will continue on with the next in the series.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghost and the Dead Deb by Alice Kimberley is the 2nd book in the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series. Shortly after an appearance and promotion of her true crime book at Buy the Book, author Angel Stark is murdered and bookshop owner Penelope Thornton McClure together with her resident P.I. ghost Jack Shepherd investigate. An enjoyable mystery with interesting characters. I liked reading about Jack's old cases and how he uses them to help train Pen. The Quibblers make a fun team and their assistance is entertaining. A nice and engaging mystery.

[Pansy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure I would enjoy this near as much if I read it in print. I adore the audible. The actors bring this so alive it enthralls me. The descriptions are so detailed I can see them in my head. I have to say, Jack is yummy! Very sigh worthy, if a bit rough around the edges. The mystery is beautifully done with nice detail, surprises and twists galore, and a pleasing conclusion. I am loving this series. Now, on to the next one!

[Laura Rusiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Adult Investigative Love Story

With all of the quirky elements you would expect of a ghost story without the scare or silliness. Except among the living. I really enjoyed this one. Our heroine can't do it alone and has a reliable group of friends she can count on. Including her ghost!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ghost and the Dead Deb

Book two of the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries is a great page turner. I lost a good deal of sleep needing to find out who the murderer was. Also I really like the historical mystery story inserts at the beginning of each chapter. The only book I have read is The Great Gatsby. I would really love to read some of the other titles.

[Elizabeth Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another rollicking good time!
Cleo Coyle continues to show a deft hand with her characters. They are so good that fans were clamoring for the return of ghostly Jack.
Thank goodness they listened and brought the series back.
This is another tightly woken mystery, made clearer with Jack's backstory.
Great fun

[Maria Falegiardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series! Each book reminds you of the previous characters jobs and characteristics. Which makes it easier to remember them. One small town bookstore owner solving crimes with her ghost P.I. Throwing caution to the wind to help catch murders. When everyone has a motive you have to dig deeper, take chances, and maybe do something a little crazy.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Winner

Normally, I'm not a fan of books with a resident ghost, but this book has changed my mind. I decided to give it a try because I'm a fan of coffee shop series this author writes under Cleo Coyle. This book had me hooked before I finished the first chapter. I'd give it more than 5 stars if that was possible.

[Stitchywoman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as much, if not more, than the first in the series. A light quick read that you think you have figured out but are not quite sure until the very end. The characters continue to be likable and entertaining.

[Gary Ethridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent second in a series

More in depth character development and addition of new character was smooth. Definitely looking forward to the third installment. Series is classic whodunnit!

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda, Elkton patron, July 2018, 5 stars:

A great Ghost mystery! I love this author.

[Grace Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one too!

Enjoyed this story very much! I laughed and loved the characters even more. Going to read the next one! Thanks!

[Jenell Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. i was so happy that they are finally digging into Jack Sheppard's murder and her past. i want to learn more about him. i love this series. i am excited about the next book.