Ghost Writers in the Sky

Camilla Randall Mystery #1

by Anne R. Allen

Dorothy Parker meets Agatha Christie.

"Chick-lit noir with a side of funny." - Ruth Harris, NYT best-selling author of "Modern Women" and "Husbands and Lovers".

"Chick-lit for brunettes." - Saffina Desforges, Kindle UK best-selling author of "Sugar & Spice" and the "Rose Red" crime thriller series.

After her celebrity ex-husband’s ironic joke about her “kinky sex habits” is misquoted in a tabloid, New York etiquette columnist Camilla Randall’s life unravels in bad late night jokes.

Nearly broke and down to her last Hermes scarf, she accepts an invitation to a Z-list Writers’ Conference in the wine-and-cowboy town of Santa Ynez, California, where, unfortunately, a cross-dressing dominatrix plies her trade by impersonating Camilla.

When a ghostwriter’s plot to blackmail celebrities with faked evidence leads to murder, Camilla must team up with the dominatrix to stop the killer.

Meanwhile, a wannabe writer who happens to be a hot L.A. cop just may steal her heart.

~

Grab yourself a glass of wine, a box of chocolates and a comfy sofa, and enjoy.

Genres: Fiction

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2011

About the author

Anne R. Allen is the author of 10 rom-com mysteries published by MWiDP, Kotu Beach Press, and Thalia Press: FOOD OF LOVE, THE LADY OF THE LAKEWOOD DINER, and THE GATSBY GAME (now available in a boxed set BOOMER WOMEN: THREE COMEDIES ABOUT A GENERATION THAT CHANGED THE WORLD), plus the Camilla Randall Mysteries: THE BEST REVENGE, GHOSTWRITERS IN THE SKY, SHERWOOD, LTD, NO PLACE LIKE HOME, SO MUCH FOR BUCKINGHAM, THE QUEEN OF STAVES, GOOGLING OLD BOYFRIENDS, and CATFISHING IN AMERICA.

She co-authored HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE: A SELF-HELP GUIDE with PAY IT FORWARD author Catherine Ryan Hyde. And Catherine wrote the foreword of her latest guide: THE AUTHOR BLOG: EASY BLOGGING FOR BUSY AUTHORS.

Anne R. Allen's Blog (which she shares with New York Times bestselling author Ruth Harris) was named one of the Best 101 Websites for Writers by Writers Digest.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reasonably fun escapist read. A manners columnist on the down-swing goes as a speaker to a writer's conference in Santa Ynez where quite a lot of mayhem ensues. (There's a little side-trip to Solvang, which you should go ahead and look up if you've never been there. I'll wait.)

This is one of those books with a largish cast of off-beat characters participating in zany events that leave one's head spinning, trying to figure who's really done what and why.

The style of writing is solid and flows well. Totally not the author's first rodeo.

[Lucinda Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camilla Randall, the etiquette columnist otherwise known as 'The Manners Doctor' is in trouble; her unscrupulous husband Jonathan Kahn has taken off, refuses to pay out any settlement, and has started a rumour that she was addicted to every sort of sexual variant. The media is fascinated.
So, when she gets an offer to go and teach at a writing seminar at a Dude Ranch in California, Camilla jumps at the chance; particularly as her one time lover and later friend Plantagenet Smith will be there.
Camilla's troubles start with a lift from the airport that doesn't materialise and get worse; she and Plant discover a newly dead corpse in his bed, and Camilla soon finds herself surrounded by a mystery involving multiple murders, forgery and blackmail. But whatever her stresses, whether she's falling into the broom cupboard or giving a talk in a pair of shoes broken during a lift from a 'dentally challenged' biker, Camilla prides herself on her gracious manners.
This hilarious spoof introduces gay cowboys, a wonderful trans gender Manners Doctor lookalike, incredibly pushy wannabe writers and fading celebrities, a too appealing detective with a questionable past, unscrupulous journalists and an element of the tragi-comic in Mitzi Bogs Bailey, the one time cowgirl poet.
Being English, and regrettably an English person who has yet to visit the US, I found the whole Dude Ranch setting intriguingly new.
Recommended for a great laugh, a good few surprises, and an emotional uplift at the end.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good news? I'm finished. I managed to slog through this 2nd installment of Camilla's woes although I am not sure who suffered more - her or me? I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters and their assorted back-stories. In the end I finally just gave up on trying to figure out who did what, with whom and when and just read it word for word. Eventually I reached the end of the story. Sadly, I'm just OCD enough with my reading ( I like to read everything in order) that yes, I'm currently reading the 3rd installment and so far am finding it much more enjoyable. More about that in my review of Sherwood Ltd.

[Chris Blackton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book very confusing! Will not be reading any more books by this author.

[Emma's Things to Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit chaotic. Lots of characters to keep track of, a sprawling ranch which was so hard to imagine. Some of it was just silly - all a bit much for me.

[Donny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story builds well and gives plenty of relevant background and then evolves into a thoroughly entertaining read.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good manners and murder

Socialite Camilla Randall goes from riches to rags, but always displays good manners no matter what the situation, including ending up in the middle of murder investigations. Throughout this delightful series, Camilla struggles to survive while always, unwittingly, having key information to solve the crime.

[Cathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it.

[CJ Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, oddly amusing, outrageous--certainly nothing like I've ever read before.