What do you think?
Rate this book
Bailey Ruth #4
Ghost Gone Wild
Bailey Ruth loves to return to earth as an emissary from Heaven's Department of Good Intentions. Problem is, she's a bit of a loose cannon as far as ghosts go - forgetting to remain invisible, alarming earthly creatures - so she's far from the top of department head Wiggins's go-to list for assignments. That's why she's surprised when the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops her off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man is playing the drums. When a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth's hasty intervention saves Nick Magruder from taking a bullet. When she materializes to reassure him, she finds she can't go back to vanishing. What gives?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
69 people are currently reading
1007 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn G. Hart
126 books944 followersAlso writing as Carolyn Hart.
An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29
The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.
Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.
Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.
www.CarolynHart.com
And for cat lovers:
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart
I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.
In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.
Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;
. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.
A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.
. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.
And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.
Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers
An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is Dead by Midnight (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2007). She is one of the founders of Sisters in Crime, an organization for women who write mysteries. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma."
New Books: Dead By Midnight Carolyn Hart
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart On Sale March 29
The police say suicide. Annie Darling suspects murder. Max is unconvinced until Annie follows a trail behind the dead woman's house.
Annie unravels the mystery of a towel hidden at midnight in a gazebo, the interesting lack of fingerprints on a crystal mug, blood on a teenager's blue shirt, and the secret of a lovers' tryst. Max plunges deep into the woods to find incriminating evidence.
Annie sets the perfect trap for a merciless killer, but her cell phone rings and Death is on the line.
www.CarolynHart.com
And for cat lovers:
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart
I love to have fun when writing a mystery. If I laugh, I think a reader will laugh. In the Death on Demand series, I especially enjoy writing about Annie Darling's ditzy mother-in-law, Laurel Roethke. Laurel is usually excited about a new interest, something that surprises and often confounds Annie.
In Dead by Midnight, Laurel creates Cat Truth Posters, which she wants Annie to hang in the bookstore. Annie thinks books should be the store's focus, but the posters enchant her.
Each poster features a cat's photograph with a caption. Here are three of the Cat Truth posters;
. . . a silky furred, mitted, and bicolored Ragdoll stretched out on a red silk cushion, looking as comfy as Eva Longoria in a Hanes ad: Go with the Flow.
A rectangular-muzzled, green-eyed, cholocolate colored cat appeared as brooding as a Gothic hero: Always Say Yes to Adventure.
. . . a thick-furred, piebald Siberian forest cat, its white front a brilliant contrast to a charcoal back and head. Its face appeared almost angelic: Always try a Smile First.
And yes, one of the posters points to a killer.
Fun for me and fun, I hope for readers
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
July 16, 2021
In this 4th book in the humorous 'Bailey Ruth' series, the heavenly emissary is sent to Oklahoma to protect a young man. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
The fact that Bailey Ruth Raeburn is dead doesn't slow her down one bit. Bailey Ruth works for 'Heaven's Department of Good Intentions' which sends emissaries to Earth to help people in trouble. Bailey Ruth always means well, but she can't help breaking the 'Precepts for Earthly Visitations', which includes rules like: avoid public notice; work behind the scenes; don't show yourself to people; don't frighten people; and more.
Because Bailey always breaks the rules, her heavenly boss - Wiggins - is reluctant to give her new cases.
Thus Bailey Ruth is a little surprised when a woman on a black horse gallops up, tells the emissary she has a new assignment, and sends her to Earth on the 'Heaven-Sent Rescue Express.' Bailey Ruth thinks the woman is Wiggins' new assistant, and rides the train to her destination - a house in Adelaide, Oklahoma.
In the house, an invisible Bailey Ruth sees a young man named Nick Magruder playing the drums. She also sees a rifle barrel slipping into the window - and shoves Nick out of way just as a shot is fired.
Nick is completely bewildered, so Bailey Ruth - ignoring the Precepts (as usual) - swirls into visibility to explain about his near death experience.
When Bailey Ruth can't become invisible again she realizes something is wrong. It turns out that this isn't an official assignment after all. The horsewoman who sent Bailey Ruth down to Earth is Nick's deceased Aunt Dee, who wants the emissary to help her endangered nephew. Since Wiggins knows nothing about this visit, Bailey Ruth lacks her usual abilities: she can't switch between visibility and invisibility; she can't conjure up new clothes; and she can't 'teleport' to new locations. Still, Bailey Ruth is determined to fulfill her mission, which is to ensure Nick's safety. To accomplish this, Bailey Ruth plans to 'warn off' anyone who might have a grudge against Nick.
Bailey Ruth learns that Nick recently returned to Adelaide after being paid nine million dollars for a videogame, starring spiders, that he created. Moreover, Nick came back to settle some scores. In high school, some bully boys made fun of Nick's interest in arachnids and nicknamed him Phidippus - for a spider he liked. (Phidippus' are actually cute jumping spiders.....so not such a bad nickname IMO. Ha ha ha). The worst high school offender was Cole Clanton, and Nick plans to get him back.
Phidippus
Cole now heads a project to re-create parts of historical Adelaide, which will attract visitors and raise funds. Cole wants to re-build a general store on the field where it once stood, but his plans are thwarted when Nick swoops in and offers to buy the field.....an offer the owner can't refuse. Bottom line: Cole won't be permitted to build his structure.
This leads to a huge fracas between Nick and Cole, and agitation among some other townsfolk - who want the project to proceed. Pretty soon someone is dead and Nick is accused of murder.
Bailey Ruth and Aunt Dee now have to work together to clear Nick's name. By this time Wiggins knows what's going on, so both 'ghost detectives' have all their powers. This leads to lots of fun as the gals frequently 'think up' new outfits (don't you wish you could do this); appear and disappear; play private eye and cop; gather evidence; try to put the police on the right track; and generally cause a bit of mayhem.
Interesting secondary characters in the story include Nick's girlfriend Jan; her 'cougar' mom Arlene; a newspaper man; a diner owner; a local merchant; a cheating wife; a jealous husband; and more. One fun aspect of the earthly ghosts is that they eat and sleep.....just like regular people. (Sounds like a good gig to me!)
This humorous cozy has a slow start, but once it picks up steam it's a very enjoyable light mystery.
Recommended to cozy mystery fans. You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
September 26, 2013
I won this book off of Goodreads' Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads and the author for letting me read this book.
Ghost Gone Wild is a cozy murder mystery novel with its main character, Bailey Ruth, as a ghost. Bailey stumbles into to trouble when she leaves heaven to help out a ghost’s nephew, Nick Magruder. Unbeknownst to Bailey, this heavenly mission was not approved by Wiggins, and she is stranded on earth trying to protect Nick from murder. Bailey must use her sleuthing skills to determine who the attempted murderer is and why. She eventually teams up with his Aunt Dee – who sent Bailey on this mission. Can she solve the mystery and prove Nick’s innocence before it’s too late?
The story is written in first person following Bailey Ruth. As a ghost, she is able to disappear and reappear on earth, stay invisible or be seen, and move objects. She is…I shall use the word: quirky. She loves changing outfits and doesn’t mind breaking the rules that guide the emissaries from heaven. When she gets to earth to save Nick, she finds out she is stuck there because it was not a true mission from the Department of Good Intentions. Using her sleuthing skills and sweet talk, Bailey goes undercover in different disguises to solve the crime. Nick’s Aunt Dee joins up with Bailey. Although the two are different in the styles of their mission, they want to help protect Nick and find the perpetrator before the Department of Good Intentions/Wiggins finds out and takes them back to heaven. Nick is a young man who struck it rich with a video game. He was picked on in high school, and thus, doesn’t mind showing his influence as a wealthy man now. This, however, surfaces different targets that might want to hurt Nick. Add in an old historical treasure hunt to this mystery and there are more targets/motives to deal with.
I won’t go into the plot in much detail because this is a mystery novel. One thing that I would have liked to see was a little more background on Bailey Ruth – such as her husband, her life on earth, her children, etc. The reader doesn’t get too much of her background minus the quotes that her mama used to tell her. I would have also liked to see a few short stories from her prior missions to earth.
Overall I enjoyed the book. If you like cozy mysteries and ghosts, then you should check this book out.
Ghost Gone Wild is a cozy murder mystery novel with its main character, Bailey Ruth, as a ghost. Bailey stumbles into to trouble when she leaves heaven to help out a ghost’s nephew, Nick Magruder. Unbeknownst to Bailey, this heavenly mission was not approved by Wiggins, and she is stranded on earth trying to protect Nick from murder. Bailey must use her sleuthing skills to determine who the attempted murderer is and why. She eventually teams up with his Aunt Dee – who sent Bailey on this mission. Can she solve the mystery and prove Nick’s innocence before it’s too late?
The story is written in first person following Bailey Ruth. As a ghost, she is able to disappear and reappear on earth, stay invisible or be seen, and move objects. She is…I shall use the word: quirky. She loves changing outfits and doesn’t mind breaking the rules that guide the emissaries from heaven. When she gets to earth to save Nick, she finds out she is stuck there because it was not a true mission from the Department of Good Intentions. Using her sleuthing skills and sweet talk, Bailey goes undercover in different disguises to solve the crime. Nick’s Aunt Dee joins up with Bailey. Although the two are different in the styles of their mission, they want to help protect Nick and find the perpetrator before the Department of Good Intentions/Wiggins finds out and takes them back to heaven. Nick is a young man who struck it rich with a video game. He was picked on in high school, and thus, doesn’t mind showing his influence as a wealthy man now. This, however, surfaces different targets that might want to hurt Nick. Add in an old historical treasure hunt to this mystery and there are more targets/motives to deal with.
I won’t go into the plot in much detail because this is a mystery novel. One thing that I would have liked to see was a little more background on Bailey Ruth – such as her husband, her life on earth, her children, etc. The reader doesn’t get too much of her background minus the quotes that her mama used to tell her. I would have also liked to see a few short stories from her prior missions to earth.
Overall I enjoyed the book. If you like cozy mysteries and ghosts, then you should check this book out.
December 3, 2013
I won a free copy of this book through Goodreads’ First Reads.
I’m not very good at reviewing mysteries, which is why I rarely do. They’re mainly good, bad or meh. After continuing to put this review off for two months, I probably won’t do much worse than I would have reviewing right away. The mystery was decent, and I didn’t even remotely guess the killer, . Aunt Dee is right: Bailey Ruth does think and talk about her appearance way too much. I don’t remember noticing it so much in the first three books in the series, or maybe I just picked up on it more in this one, because of Dee mentioning it early on.
I enjoy Hart’s Death on Demand and Henrie O series much more than the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. However, I actually liked this series more than I thought I would based on the premise, when I read the first three books a few years ago.
I’m not very good at reviewing mysteries, which is why I rarely do. They’re mainly good, bad or meh. After continuing to put this review off for two months, I probably won’t do much worse than I would have reviewing right away. The mystery was decent, and I didn’t even remotely guess the killer, . Aunt Dee is right: Bailey Ruth does think and talk about her appearance way too much. I don’t remember noticing it so much in the first three books in the series, or maybe I just picked up on it more in this one, because of Dee mentioning it early on.
I enjoy Hart’s Death on Demand and Henrie O series much more than the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. However, I actually liked this series more than I thought I would based on the premise, when I read the first three books a few years ago.
June 26, 2017
I loved this story! Bailey Ruth was tricked into being sent to earth to help someone in need, by another emissary, (ghost) and loses her ability to disappear and reappear, to change her clothes and to come up with money. Luckily, it is temporary and she ends us partnering with the other ghost, Dee, to clear a man of murder. A lot going on in this book!
July 23, 2014
Bailey Ruth Raeburn, the heroine of Carolyn Hart’s latest mystery series, is a fashion-conscious sleuth. Who also happens to be a ghost. After all, just because a body is, well, dead, doesn’t mean she can’t be stylin’.
Bailey Ruth usually returns to earth as an official emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. And unfortunately, she’s known as a bit of a loose cannon among others in the department—particularly her immediate superior, the Very Superior Wiggins—as she frequently forgets to remain invisible, alarming the very earthly creatures she’s been assigned to help. And then there are all those sudden wardrobe changes.
In “Ghost Gone Wild,” the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops Bailey Ruth off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old home town, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man, Nick Magruder, is playing the drums. Bailey Ruth can’t figure out why she’s been sent there, until she sees a rifle barrel aiming straight at the unsuspecting young man through an open window. Her hasty intervention saves Nick’s life, but when she materializes to reassure him, she finds out she can’t go back to vanishing. Nor can she change her wardrobe at will. What on earth is going on?
It turns out she’s been tricked by the young man’s late aunt to come to his rescue, and Wiggins has no idea where she is. When a real murder occurs and Nick is arrested, it takes all of Bailey Ruth’s connections—heavenly and otherwise—to save him.
“Ghost Gone Wild” is another first rate mystery from a real pro.
Reviewed by Susan Santangelo, author of “Class Reunions Can Be Murder” for Suspense Magazine
Bailey Ruth usually returns to earth as an official emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. And unfortunately, she’s known as a bit of a loose cannon among others in the department—particularly her immediate superior, the Very Superior Wiggins—as she frequently forgets to remain invisible, alarming the very earthly creatures she’s been assigned to help. And then there are all those sudden wardrobe changes.
In “Ghost Gone Wild,” the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops Bailey Ruth off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old home town, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man, Nick Magruder, is playing the drums. Bailey Ruth can’t figure out why she’s been sent there, until she sees a rifle barrel aiming straight at the unsuspecting young man through an open window. Her hasty intervention saves Nick’s life, but when she materializes to reassure him, she finds out she can’t go back to vanishing. Nor can she change her wardrobe at will. What on earth is going on?
It turns out she’s been tricked by the young man’s late aunt to come to his rescue, and Wiggins has no idea where she is. When a real murder occurs and Nick is arrested, it takes all of Bailey Ruth’s connections—heavenly and otherwise—to save him.
“Ghost Gone Wild” is another first rate mystery from a real pro.
Reviewed by Susan Santangelo, author of “Class Reunions Can Be Murder” for Suspense Magazine
November 2, 2013
Well thank goodness Carolyn Hart did not thank her editor because this book came off more along the lines of self-published than a book from a reputable publishing house. Missing words, wrong words, definitely not a finished product.
Book four in the Bailey Ruth series reads like the previous three books. Bailey Ruth is an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. This time, she is hoodwinked into thinking that she has been given a new assignment only to discover that Delilah Delahunt Duvall has her own agenda, she needs someone to help save her nephew Nick from himself.
Apparently, Nick Magruder has some serious money and he plans to use it to get even with those that have wronged him in the past. Little did he know that he has managed to step on the wrong toes and someone is out to keep him away from property that holds a suspected buried treasure.
The story is a bit convoluted and drawn out; repeated wardrobe changes of the main character seem to be more of a priority than keeping the storyline focused. Besides, what kind of backwater town is Adelaide, Oklahoma that would not recognize two women running around pretending to be part of the police force?
If you are willing to suspend all forms of belief, you might like Bailey Ruth - there is enough rehashing of the character for the reader to be able to pick up this book without reading the previous installments, but it would be up to you on where you would like to start.
Book four in the Bailey Ruth series reads like the previous three books. Bailey Ruth is an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. This time, she is hoodwinked into thinking that she has been given a new assignment only to discover that Delilah Delahunt Duvall has her own agenda, she needs someone to help save her nephew Nick from himself.
Apparently, Nick Magruder has some serious money and he plans to use it to get even with those that have wronged him in the past. Little did he know that he has managed to step on the wrong toes and someone is out to keep him away from property that holds a suspected buried treasure.
The story is a bit convoluted and drawn out; repeated wardrobe changes of the main character seem to be more of a priority than keeping the storyline focused. Besides, what kind of backwater town is Adelaide, Oklahoma that would not recognize two women running around pretending to be part of the police force?
If you are willing to suspend all forms of belief, you might like Bailey Ruth - there is enough rehashing of the character for the reader to be able to pick up this book without reading the previous installments, but it would be up to you on where you would like to start.
November 9, 2013
Great book. Other than the outrageous premise of a ghost coming back to help solve problems, the plot was great! Always exciting, quick-moving, keeps your interest, many twists and turns..... Love this series!
Carolyn Hart’s "irresistible cozy sleuth”* is back—good-hearted ghost Bailey Ruth Raeburn just can’t say no to an earthly rescue, even when maybe she should….
Bailey Ruth loves to return to earth as an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. Problem is, she’s a bit of a loose cannon as far as ghosts go—forgetting to remain invisible, alarming earthly creatures—so she’s far from the top of department head Wiggins’s go-to list for assignments.
That’s why she’s surprised when the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops her off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man is playing the drums. What kind of rescuing does he need—drum lessons? But when a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth’s hasty intervention saves Nick Magruder from taking a bullet. When she materializes to reassure him, she finds she can’t go back to vanishing. What gives?
It turns out she’s been tricked by Nick’s late aunt—Delilah Delahunt Duvall—to come to the young man’s rescue, which means she isn’t back on earth in service of the department. Wiggins has no idea where she is—and now she may be trapped in Adelaide forever. Unless she can help Aunt Dee snare the person who wants her nephew dead.
Carolyn Hart’s "irresistible cozy sleuth”* is back—good-hearted ghost Bailey Ruth Raeburn just can’t say no to an earthly rescue, even when maybe she should….
Bailey Ruth loves to return to earth as an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. Problem is, she’s a bit of a loose cannon as far as ghosts go—forgetting to remain invisible, alarming earthly creatures—so she’s far from the top of department head Wiggins’s go-to list for assignments.
That’s why she’s surprised when the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops her off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man is playing the drums. What kind of rescuing does he need—drum lessons? But when a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth’s hasty intervention saves Nick Magruder from taking a bullet. When she materializes to reassure him, she finds she can’t go back to vanishing. What gives?
It turns out she’s been tricked by Nick’s late aunt—Delilah Delahunt Duvall—to come to the young man’s rescue, which means she isn’t back on earth in service of the department. Wiggins has no idea where she is—and now she may be trapped in Adelaide forever. Unless she can help Aunt Dee snare the person who wants her nephew dead.
January 7, 2017
There are not many books that I can't wait to come out but this series is one of them. I can't get enough of this series. I hope she writes more of them soon.
October 27, 2013
"Ghost Gone Wild" is the fourth book from author Carolyn Hart which features the sassy and classy ghost, Bailey Ruth Raeburn and follows her adventures as she returns to Earth from Heaven to help out the folks in Adelaide, Oklahoma.
I love this series, and I love the character of Bailey Ruth. She is a smart gal with a lot of fashion sense and charm, but she is also very protective of the folks from her old hometown and tries to do her best to help them out when trouble comes calling.
In this story, Bailey Ruth is duped by a fellow ghost, Delilah Delahunt Duvall, who just wants to keep her beloved nephew out of trouble! Between the two ghostly gals, they find adventure and mayhem wherever they go! But they manage to get a lot done for a couple of other-worldly ladies. I would love to see Delilah come back for more "appearances" in future Bailey Ruth stories!
This is a fun story that fans of cozy mysteries will just adore! I always look forward to a new book from Carolyn Hart - she never disappoints!
I love this series, and I love the character of Bailey Ruth. She is a smart gal with a lot of fashion sense and charm, but she is also very protective of the folks from her old hometown and tries to do her best to help them out when trouble comes calling.
In this story, Bailey Ruth is duped by a fellow ghost, Delilah Delahunt Duvall, who just wants to keep her beloved nephew out of trouble! Between the two ghostly gals, they find adventure and mayhem wherever they go! But they manage to get a lot done for a couple of other-worldly ladies. I would love to see Delilah come back for more "appearances" in future Bailey Ruth stories!
This is a fun story that fans of cozy mysteries will just adore! I always look forward to a new book from Carolyn Hart - she never disappoints!
March 21, 2016
I love this series, and typically adore Bailey Ruth. But this book starts with the character so out of sorts, I wasn't sure I was going to like it at all. Fortunately, my favorite ghost settled a bit, and the book became much more enjoyable. Granted, the recipient of Bailey Ruth's earthly intervention started out being an A-1 jerk, and I wanted him to go ahead and get out of the story, but I wound up liking him as well as the other "good guys". All-in-all, it wasn't my favorite of the Ghost Mystery series, but still an enjoyable read.
February 16, 2014
The charm and quirkiness the author was going for was so forced things just came out as ridiculous. Bailey is busting out into song and dancing around, and swirling into new outfits and spouting out weird phrases that no one outside of the Deep South would have ever heard of. The craziness really hit me though when Bailey is on a scooter with Dee, Nick’s aunt, which didn’t even have to happen. There was no reason for two women to be riding together on a scooter, and it was just so stupid. Bailey sees a police officer she knew in her human life, and so she juts her chin out to alter her appearance. “It was an effort to keep my chin out as I talked, and it added an odd cadence to my words.” I’m not sure if that was supposed to be funny or what, but I’m picturing this idiot with her chin stuck out and let me tell you, the image is nowhere near funny. It’s hideous.
Bailey was so vain and spent the entire novel changing outfits and admiring how good she looked. If you want me to like your character you might not want to make her so conceited and full of herself. I can’t stand people like that. She was so vain the way she said she knew she looked good, and her hips were perfect. Even though she was defending them when Dee said something about them, it was still vain and unlikable. I can’t believe she had her character say she was perfect. And every time she changed outfits, it wasn’t enough to just say it, no, she had to describe in minute detail the colors of each article, the kind of fabric it was, the brand, how it all added up to make her look just gorgeous. I was so freakin sick of having to sit there and hear about what she was wearing. I don’t give two craps about the outfit someone is wearing. What a waste of ink. And there was also this recurring theme of redheads. Everyone would describe her as a redhead or make a comment like “I’m not going to be seen with a redhead” and it was insulting and annoying, and I’m not even a redhead.
Bailey didn’t make the right decisions, and it’s so difficult to be on the journey of a character you don’t agree with, and be with them when they’re doing things that are just wrong. Jan, the town slut, comes over thinking she’s going to get with Nick. Jan has a husband, but that only encourages her to sleep around because her husband drinks and is without a job. Nick apparently led her on, the manner of which was never clear, and she wants to get with him. Brian, her jealous husband, comes after Nick and is really angry. So Bailey, ever the helpful emissary, and boy was I sick of hearing that word, steps in and convinces Brian that Jan was only trying to make him jealous by pretending to like Nick. I hated that and that’s when I was convinced that I would never like Bailey. She let that whore get off easy and let a married man go home with a cheating, good for nothing wife. Cheating is absolutely deplorable and unforgivable and I can’t believe Bailey covered it up. That was so wrong of her to do. She could have gone with the truth and said the person you should be mad at is your lousy wife, and that Nick didn’t do anything. Instead she lies and glosses over it like cheating should be kept a secret.
The ghost concept was a total letdown. There were no unique abilities to being a ghost, no benefits or interesting things, and I love ghosts and mysteries, so it’s pretty hard to ruin a ghost for me, but this author managed it with flying colors. At first Bailey can’t “pop” anywhere, or whatever choice phrase the offer favored. She acts like a little baby about it, too, practically whining to Dee and Nick that she’s stuck where she is, and acting like she couldn’t go anywhere just because she couldn’t instantly transport herself there. Bailey fell victim to being thrown in a pond, had to ride around on a scooter to get anywhere, and even had to eat and drink as if she was a human. Why be a ghost if you’re going to have to do everything that a human does, practically? The only difference was that she could make herself invisible, and when she got that ability back, the story didn’t get better. In fact, it got worse. She’d go into the police station and the officers would see notebooks in midair as Bailey held them, and the chalk writing message by an unseen person. And I kept waiting and hoping that Cobb and Price would get to see her. Her identity is mentioned once, and I wanted so badly for them to see her, but it never happened. The author had Cobb shake his head and say really inane things like “must’ve wrong that down earlier,” or “must’ve not gotten enough sleep” and other ridiculously stupid statements that just explained it away with no qualms. How disappointing. It was interesting when Bailey said her and Price found each other way too attractive, the story would’ve been better if Bailey hadn’t been a dead married woman with kids, and had just been a live human being.
There’s one scene where Bailey is at the library or somewhere, and gets the death certificate of a possible lead, and she knows she can’t just float it up and out of the room, because there’s people around and that would be impossible to explain. So she resorts to folding it into a paper airplane and dodging a fat woman who is running and diving after it. Bailey barely makes it away, and the lady actually ripped a corner of the document off. I mean, really. What the freak is happening here? I read, dumbfounded, at the many shenanigans this total idiot went through.
I had hoped for some romance in here, and the story on the inside cover is so not what I was expecting. I hate when authors mislead readers and I feel so cheated out of the story I was promised. Nick was a loser—there’s really no other word for it. I tried not to feel that way, I really did. But he’s a grown man wearing bummy, ripped, oversized clothes on a skinny frame, who makes video games where clever spiders, Phidipuses, outsmart people or some such nonsense, and he sticks up for spiders in a way that was creepy and just plain weird.
The terminology and phrases the author used were strange and just clashed with the stories and the characters. The things they said were out of character and it seemed so forced, like the author was trying to be creative or funny, and everyone knows when you’re trying too hard you just fail. It was not natural at all. And not only did she use “colorful” sayings, she used them again and again and again. If she said it once she said it a dozen times. You can’t repeat yourself at all in a book, because readers have very fresh memories, and I for one get tired of hearing the same sayings, phrases, descriptions and ideas expressed over and over again. I get sick of it real fast, and it takes away from the writing, like all she could come up with were a few ideas and then just recycled them from the inability to come up with alternatives.
Here are some examples of the almost offputting wording choices. And note the abundant use of similes absolutely grated on my nerves.
“they’re on me like june bugs.”
“more moola than a mogul and tight as a tick.”
“full lips curved lower than a downward parabola.”
“the doorbell made my head feel like a gigged catfish.” This was on page89. Then, “the scooter jumped like a gigged catfish.” This second sentence was on page 97. I couldn’t believe the author used the same scenario so shortly after just using it. You can’t get stuck on phrases you happen to know, because chances are people living in another area really can’t relate at all, and you especially don’t use them so close together, then it just means nothing when you’re throwing out one phrase for many different occasions.
“He barges in and asks for Cole with a look on his face that would scare a sumo wrestler. Cole’s not there and Nick paces around like a caged lion.”
“Practically everybody in town has heard you’re hunting for Cole Clanton like a sheriff after a horse thief."
“The word was slapped down like a knight’s truncheon on a Viking’s helmet.”
“His cell phone rang. Although, to be accurate, the summons wasn’t a ring. Rather, quarter notes on the backbeat of a snare drum played with brushes. An ordinary ring should be good enough for anyone. I have never found making oneself seem special an attractive quality.”
Here’s one of her highhanded opinions. This isn’t Bailey Ruth speaking; this is Caroyln Hart imparting one of her lofty ideals through her character. This is an example of the unnaturalness of the characters, they say things when there’s really no reason for them to say them. I’m assuming the author thought this little gem up when in the proximity of an innocent person personalizing their own ringtone. And fyi, that doesn’t mean they think they’re important, so I’d discard that high notion right now. It means they want to hear a tune they like instead of an annoying programmed ringtone, or they want to easily identify when their phone is ringing versus the phone of the person next to them. If everyone had the same ringtone it would be hard to distinguish which phone was ringing, now wouldn’t it? And I have never found hypocrisy an attractive quality; I find it downright ironic that someone that says “I have perfect hips” and “I knew I looked good” would accuse someone of thinking they’re special because of a freakin ringtone.
The author spent the whole time referencing what I’m guessing were TV shows and movies from her heyday, and as a 21 year old I had absolutely no idea who she was talking about. I was just lost a good deal of the time Bailey was making these random connections.
There was some nonsense about Siamese cats, that kept translating as Siamese princesses. I can’t even remember all of the times she made a dumb connection to Dee and herself acting like Siamese princesses. How utterly strange. The same things were retired over and over. Dee looked elegant, disdainful, aristocratic, and her voice was acerbic. Bailey, and I had extreme difficulty remembering her name throughout the entire course of the novel, what with her multiple identity changes and all, was always quoting her Mama. “As Mama always said,” “It’s like Mama always said,” “Mama was always saying.” Jeeze, how irritating. What grown woman quotes their Mama all the time, for every single situation that life possibly has to offer?
Wiggins only popped in when the author I guess realized that he should. That, too, was forced. He would say “Ladies, roof.” And they would float to the roof of whatever building they happened to be at, and then this mysterious train materialized and they heard the woo-woo-woo of it running over the tracks—the author’s words, not mine—and then Bailey would go all psychologically manipulative on him, and he would relent, and the train would fade away. They so easily sent him away, each and every time. Idk how many times that happened, but I was sorely sick of it. Wiggins was supposed to be a stern official figure, I’m sure, but he was an easily manipulated, mild shell of a guy and came off so vague as a character I couldn’t even visualize him. Make that the same for every character in this book, and every scene. This is one of the most difficult times I’ve had trying to envision what was happening and what the characters looked like. That’s complete failure on the author’s part when that happens.
Bailey was so vain and spent the entire novel changing outfits and admiring how good she looked. If you want me to like your character you might not want to make her so conceited and full of herself. I can’t stand people like that. She was so vain the way she said she knew she looked good, and her hips were perfect. Even though she was defending them when Dee said something about them, it was still vain and unlikable. I can’t believe she had her character say she was perfect. And every time she changed outfits, it wasn’t enough to just say it, no, she had to describe in minute detail the colors of each article, the kind of fabric it was, the brand, how it all added up to make her look just gorgeous. I was so freakin sick of having to sit there and hear about what she was wearing. I don’t give two craps about the outfit someone is wearing. What a waste of ink. And there was also this recurring theme of redheads. Everyone would describe her as a redhead or make a comment like “I’m not going to be seen with a redhead” and it was insulting and annoying, and I’m not even a redhead.
Bailey didn’t make the right decisions, and it’s so difficult to be on the journey of a character you don’t agree with, and be with them when they’re doing things that are just wrong. Jan, the town slut, comes over thinking she’s going to get with Nick. Jan has a husband, but that only encourages her to sleep around because her husband drinks and is without a job. Nick apparently led her on, the manner of which was never clear, and she wants to get with him. Brian, her jealous husband, comes after Nick and is really angry. So Bailey, ever the helpful emissary, and boy was I sick of hearing that word, steps in and convinces Brian that Jan was only trying to make him jealous by pretending to like Nick. I hated that and that’s when I was convinced that I would never like Bailey. She let that whore get off easy and let a married man go home with a cheating, good for nothing wife. Cheating is absolutely deplorable and unforgivable and I can’t believe Bailey covered it up. That was so wrong of her to do. She could have gone with the truth and said the person you should be mad at is your lousy wife, and that Nick didn’t do anything. Instead she lies and glosses over it like cheating should be kept a secret.
The ghost concept was a total letdown. There were no unique abilities to being a ghost, no benefits or interesting things, and I love ghosts and mysteries, so it’s pretty hard to ruin a ghost for me, but this author managed it with flying colors. At first Bailey can’t “pop” anywhere, or whatever choice phrase the offer favored. She acts like a little baby about it, too, practically whining to Dee and Nick that she’s stuck where she is, and acting like she couldn’t go anywhere just because she couldn’t instantly transport herself there. Bailey fell victim to being thrown in a pond, had to ride around on a scooter to get anywhere, and even had to eat and drink as if she was a human. Why be a ghost if you’re going to have to do everything that a human does, practically? The only difference was that she could make herself invisible, and when she got that ability back, the story didn’t get better. In fact, it got worse. She’d go into the police station and the officers would see notebooks in midair as Bailey held them, and the chalk writing message by an unseen person. And I kept waiting and hoping that Cobb and Price would get to see her. Her identity is mentioned once, and I wanted so badly for them to see her, but it never happened. The author had Cobb shake his head and say really inane things like “must’ve wrong that down earlier,” or “must’ve not gotten enough sleep” and other ridiculously stupid statements that just explained it away with no qualms. How disappointing. It was interesting when Bailey said her and Price found each other way too attractive, the story would’ve been better if Bailey hadn’t been a dead married woman with kids, and had just been a live human being.
There’s one scene where Bailey is at the library or somewhere, and gets the death certificate of a possible lead, and she knows she can’t just float it up and out of the room, because there’s people around and that would be impossible to explain. So she resorts to folding it into a paper airplane and dodging a fat woman who is running and diving after it. Bailey barely makes it away, and the lady actually ripped a corner of the document off. I mean, really. What the freak is happening here? I read, dumbfounded, at the many shenanigans this total idiot went through.
I had hoped for some romance in here, and the story on the inside cover is so not what I was expecting. I hate when authors mislead readers and I feel so cheated out of the story I was promised. Nick was a loser—there’s really no other word for it. I tried not to feel that way, I really did. But he’s a grown man wearing bummy, ripped, oversized clothes on a skinny frame, who makes video games where clever spiders, Phidipuses, outsmart people or some such nonsense, and he sticks up for spiders in a way that was creepy and just plain weird.
The terminology and phrases the author used were strange and just clashed with the stories and the characters. The things they said were out of character and it seemed so forced, like the author was trying to be creative or funny, and everyone knows when you’re trying too hard you just fail. It was not natural at all. And not only did she use “colorful” sayings, she used them again and again and again. If she said it once she said it a dozen times. You can’t repeat yourself at all in a book, because readers have very fresh memories, and I for one get tired of hearing the same sayings, phrases, descriptions and ideas expressed over and over again. I get sick of it real fast, and it takes away from the writing, like all she could come up with were a few ideas and then just recycled them from the inability to come up with alternatives.
Here are some examples of the almost offputting wording choices. And note the abundant use of similes absolutely grated on my nerves.
“they’re on me like june bugs.”
“more moola than a mogul and tight as a tick.”
“full lips curved lower than a downward parabola.”
“the doorbell made my head feel like a gigged catfish.” This was on page89. Then, “the scooter jumped like a gigged catfish.” This second sentence was on page 97. I couldn’t believe the author used the same scenario so shortly after just using it. You can’t get stuck on phrases you happen to know, because chances are people living in another area really can’t relate at all, and you especially don’t use them so close together, then it just means nothing when you’re throwing out one phrase for many different occasions.
“He barges in and asks for Cole with a look on his face that would scare a sumo wrestler. Cole’s not there and Nick paces around like a caged lion.”
“Practically everybody in town has heard you’re hunting for Cole Clanton like a sheriff after a horse thief."
“The word was slapped down like a knight’s truncheon on a Viking’s helmet.”
“His cell phone rang. Although, to be accurate, the summons wasn’t a ring. Rather, quarter notes on the backbeat of a snare drum played with brushes. An ordinary ring should be good enough for anyone. I have never found making oneself seem special an attractive quality.”
Here’s one of her highhanded opinions. This isn’t Bailey Ruth speaking; this is Caroyln Hart imparting one of her lofty ideals through her character. This is an example of the unnaturalness of the characters, they say things when there’s really no reason for them to say them. I’m assuming the author thought this little gem up when in the proximity of an innocent person personalizing their own ringtone. And fyi, that doesn’t mean they think they’re important, so I’d discard that high notion right now. It means they want to hear a tune they like instead of an annoying programmed ringtone, or they want to easily identify when their phone is ringing versus the phone of the person next to them. If everyone had the same ringtone it would be hard to distinguish which phone was ringing, now wouldn’t it? And I have never found hypocrisy an attractive quality; I find it downright ironic that someone that says “I have perfect hips” and “I knew I looked good” would accuse someone of thinking they’re special because of a freakin ringtone.
The author spent the whole time referencing what I’m guessing were TV shows and movies from her heyday, and as a 21 year old I had absolutely no idea who she was talking about. I was just lost a good deal of the time Bailey was making these random connections.
There was some nonsense about Siamese cats, that kept translating as Siamese princesses. I can’t even remember all of the times she made a dumb connection to Dee and herself acting like Siamese princesses. How utterly strange. The same things were retired over and over. Dee looked elegant, disdainful, aristocratic, and her voice was acerbic. Bailey, and I had extreme difficulty remembering her name throughout the entire course of the novel, what with her multiple identity changes and all, was always quoting her Mama. “As Mama always said,” “It’s like Mama always said,” “Mama was always saying.” Jeeze, how irritating. What grown woman quotes their Mama all the time, for every single situation that life possibly has to offer?
Wiggins only popped in when the author I guess realized that he should. That, too, was forced. He would say “Ladies, roof.” And they would float to the roof of whatever building they happened to be at, and then this mysterious train materialized and they heard the woo-woo-woo of it running over the tracks—the author’s words, not mine—and then Bailey would go all psychologically manipulative on him, and he would relent, and the train would fade away. They so easily sent him away, each and every time. Idk how many times that happened, but I was sorely sick of it. Wiggins was supposed to be a stern official figure, I’m sure, but he was an easily manipulated, mild shell of a guy and came off so vague as a character I couldn’t even visualize him. Make that the same for every character in this book, and every scene. This is one of the most difficult times I’ve had trying to envision what was happening and what the characters looked like. That’s complete failure on the author’s part when that happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
didnt-finish-didnt-start
January 24, 2019Just could not read any more of it. Don’t think I will go back. Quitting the series.
January 8, 2019
A cute, light book.
I like the premise and the character is entertaining and likeable.
I think this book holds my personal record of the number of occurrences of the word "slacks".
I like the premise and the character is entertaining and likeable.
I think this book holds my personal record of the number of occurrences of the word "slacks".
October 19, 2013
Ghost Gone Wild - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
Excerpt from GHOST GONE WILD: I was afraid I was beginning to understand. The telegram from Wiggins had been counterfeit. Nick's aunt Dee had nosed about the department and found my name. Any thriller writer would consider it child's play to purloin information from Wiggins's old-fashioned paper files, which were kept in accommodatingly unlocked wooden filing cabinets. It was possible she sometimes served as an emissary. However, Wiggins was always insistent that emissaries not contact family members who knew them... In any event, if she'd wanted to send help to Nick, obviously she would have hunted about in the files for someone connected to Adelaide, and so she had sent the spurious telegram and waylaid me as I was en route.
Bailey Ruth arrives in Adelaide, OK, to help out Nick, who became the target of a bullet within minutes after her arrival at his house. Luckily Bailey Ruth was able to push him out of the way before the bullet struck him. Bailey Ruth tries to convince him to call the police but his cell phone is missing. And then people started appearing due to a text that was supposedly sent to them by Nick. Jan, Nick's girl friend, showed up but wasn't thrilled to see that another woman was there. After some fast thinking, Bailey Ruth was able to calm her down. That is until Lisa showed up due to her text from Nick which invited her to come over. And then the third person showed up... Lisa's husband demanding to know where she was. All arrived 'after' the shot was taken at Nick. Did the shooter want to implicate these three in the killing of Nick? Well, thanks to Bailey Ruth saving him, the shooter's idea was spoiled and Bailey Ruth now had some possible suspects.
Author Carolyn Hart has done her usual in writing another fun-filled story of suspense, murder, humor and spirits. Oh, did I forget to tell you that Bailey Ruth is a ghost? From time to time she is allowed to descend upon earth to help a person in danger. This is normally done through Wiggins but in this case the person, or should I say ghost, that sent Bailey Ruth to earth is Dee, Nick's aunt who decides she has to keep an eye out and make sure Bailey Ruth does everything correctly to save her nephew. Problem is, with Dee being the one to send Bailey to earth, she has no control over her abilities to appear and disappear, so once Bailey Ruth appeared, she was unable to disappear and with Wiggins not knowing of her descent, she became OF the earth and not ON the earth.
This series is one that I keep an eye out for the next Bailey Ruth story to hit the shelves. The characters are always so real, including Bailey Ruth, to the point that you actually feel that you know them as neighbors. Now I "patiently" wait for the next volume to see what Bailey gets herself into next.
Excerpt from GHOST GONE WILD: I was afraid I was beginning to understand. The telegram from Wiggins had been counterfeit. Nick's aunt Dee had nosed about the department and found my name. Any thriller writer would consider it child's play to purloin information from Wiggins's old-fashioned paper files, which were kept in accommodatingly unlocked wooden filing cabinets. It was possible she sometimes served as an emissary. However, Wiggins was always insistent that emissaries not contact family members who knew them... In any event, if she'd wanted to send help to Nick, obviously she would have hunted about in the files for someone connected to Adelaide, and so she had sent the spurious telegram and waylaid me as I was en route.
Bailey Ruth arrives in Adelaide, OK, to help out Nick, who became the target of a bullet within minutes after her arrival at his house. Luckily Bailey Ruth was able to push him out of the way before the bullet struck him. Bailey Ruth tries to convince him to call the police but his cell phone is missing. And then people started appearing due to a text that was supposedly sent to them by Nick. Jan, Nick's girl friend, showed up but wasn't thrilled to see that another woman was there. After some fast thinking, Bailey Ruth was able to calm her down. That is until Lisa showed up due to her text from Nick which invited her to come over. And then the third person showed up... Lisa's husband demanding to know where she was. All arrived 'after' the shot was taken at Nick. Did the shooter want to implicate these three in the killing of Nick? Well, thanks to Bailey Ruth saving him, the shooter's idea was spoiled and Bailey Ruth now had some possible suspects.
Author Carolyn Hart has done her usual in writing another fun-filled story of suspense, murder, humor and spirits. Oh, did I forget to tell you that Bailey Ruth is a ghost? From time to time she is allowed to descend upon earth to help a person in danger. This is normally done through Wiggins but in this case the person, or should I say ghost, that sent Bailey Ruth to earth is Dee, Nick's aunt who decides she has to keep an eye out and make sure Bailey Ruth does everything correctly to save her nephew. Problem is, with Dee being the one to send Bailey to earth, she has no control over her abilities to appear and disappear, so once Bailey Ruth appeared, she was unable to disappear and with Wiggins not knowing of her descent, she became OF the earth and not ON the earth.
This series is one that I keep an eye out for the next Bailey Ruth story to hit the shelves. The characters are always so real, including Bailey Ruth, to the point that you actually feel that you know them as neighbors. Now I "patiently" wait for the next volume to see what Bailey gets herself into next.
August 19, 2013
This was the first Bailey Ruth book I've read and it's not the first in the series, so I did feel some slight confusion in the first few chapters. I usually make it a point to always start any series by reading the first book, even if that series is a long running mystery series- but I won this in a Goodreads giveaway so there wasn't time for me to play catch up. I did enjoy the book, there were times where the main character, the ghost Bailey Ruth, I found terribly annoying, but that was mostly her preening and fussing over her appearance. It was a tad narcissistic. I would have appreciated a little more descriptiveness with the setting of the town- it felt very generic to me and usually while reading I can form a nice image in my head of the setting, but found that nearly impossible here. Overall, still an entertaining read, pretty unique too in that these books are supernatural, but without all the generic supernatural trappings that are so popular nowadays, so kudos to Carolyn Hart for not giving in to trends. It was a pretty good mystery, difficult to suss out whodunnit (Hart is always very good at this, I've read nearly all her Death on Demand books), and still had some nice lighthearted moments. I probably will read the other books in the series and see if I get more into them by starting from the beginning.
May 22, 2017
4.5
Cosy Mystery with a Fantasy twist
4th in Bailey Ruth series, but could be read without reading the others.
Rated PG - Children probably wouldn't enjoy it.
Appropriate for middle school - adult
No sex
Violence happens, but not described in detail.
No memorable strong language. Absolutely no F-bombs.
Bailey Ruth, our fashion-conscious ghostly heroine is tricked into leaving heaven on a mission of mercy only to find that because it's an unsanctioned trip she doesn't have her usual abilities to appear and disappear or (heavens!) change her outfits.
The mission continues as she saves a vengeful young man from himself, and along the way meets the ghost who deceived her into returning to earth.
Light entertainment.
Cosy Mystery with a Fantasy twist
4th in Bailey Ruth series, but could be read without reading the others.
Rated PG - Children probably wouldn't enjoy it.
Appropriate for middle school - adult
No sex
Violence happens, but not described in detail.
No memorable strong language. Absolutely no F-bombs.
Bailey Ruth, our fashion-conscious ghostly heroine is tricked into leaving heaven on a mission of mercy only to find that because it's an unsanctioned trip she doesn't have her usual abilities to appear and disappear or (heavens!) change her outfits.
The mission continues as she saves a vengeful young man from himself, and along the way meets the ghost who deceived her into returning to earth.
Light entertainment.
January 27, 2016
A solid entry in the series-- more shenanigans with Bailey Ruth, emissary from the heavenly Department of Good Intentions. This time, however, she has been high-jacked for an unauthorized mission. Fellow emissary Dee is worried about her nephew Nick, and since the rules discourage relatives from helping relatives--well, Dee sends Bailey instead. And Nick is, indeed, in a peck of trouble. The mystery unfolds a fair pace, with clues scattered judiciously throughout. Just the thing to read while curled up on the couch with a cat and cup of cocoa on a cold winter's day-- or maybe while swinging in the hammock under the big shade tree out back in the summer.
January 20, 2014
Another top-notch mystery from Carolyn Hart. Bailey Ruth, the ghostly Nancy Drew in Hart's series, is back on the case, and through most of it she has a partner, as in another ghost. Much of the premise had me scratching my head, but then with the whole idea of a ghost solving a murder you have to sort of suspend belief anyway. After a while Bailey Ruth's vanity wore a little thin and I tended to skip her drooling over her own appearance. All in all, it was entertaining and a really good story.
June 2, 2018
This one was a bit different from the previous three in the series. Bailey Ruth is hijacked by a woman on a horse who gives her a ticket for the train to earth. BR accepts the challenge, instead of going through Wiggins as she should have. Once she gets there, she finds she has lost her 'ghostly' powers - she cannot change her clothes just by thinking, she cannot disappear, she cannot 'float' to get places - in fact she is totally earth-bound. The woman who sent her wants her to save a young man from himself - he turns out to be an arrogant, but slightly slow, man who wrote a video game involving his favorite spiders, and made millions from it. He has come back to Adelaide to get revenge on the people who made his life miserable in high school. He also considers himself quite a womanizer. When the woman on the horse shows up again, she turns out to be his dead Aunt Dee, who loves him. Bailey Ruth immediately saves him from being shot, but all he wants is to be rid of her. When one of his enemies is killed, he ends up in jail. Then it is up to BR and Dee to find the real murderer. This was a fun read because Bailey Ruth had to deal with the loss of her 'heavenly powers' for a good share of the book. Also Aunt Dee turns out to be just as stubborn and rash as BR can be, so they tend to bump heads a lot.
December 11, 2017
I'm new to this series and if I didn't need a book for Oklahoma for a challenge I might not have finished this. It started off on a sanctimonious note and a whiny one but luckily it did get better and turned out to be rather enjoyable. Bailey Ruth is a sort of a psychopomp working for Wiggans who sends her to help people when she's not busy flitting around heaven. In this one, Bailey Ruth believes Wiggans has sent Dee, a woman on a horse, to take her to help someone.
However, this isn't the case. The person she's meant to help is Dee's nephew, Nick. Someone is trying to kill him, literally. SHe knocks him out of the way of the rifle only to find out she can't go incorporal. She's stuck in human form. Naturally Nick doesn't exactly believe she's a ghost from heaven sent to help him, much like most people don't believe someone tried to kill him. Nick was a geek kid who made millions from a computer game and is back in town to rub his riches in the faces of his high school bullies.
One of which ends up dead and he gets blamed. Bailey Ruth has to save him with Dee's help.
Over all it's not a bad story. I'd probably read another one.
However, this isn't the case. The person she's meant to help is Dee's nephew, Nick. Someone is trying to kill him, literally. SHe knocks him out of the way of the rifle only to find out she can't go incorporal. She's stuck in human form. Naturally Nick doesn't exactly believe she's a ghost from heaven sent to help him, much like most people don't believe someone tried to kill him. Nick was a geek kid who made millions from a computer game and is back in town to rub his riches in the faces of his high school bullies.
One of which ends up dead and he gets blamed. Bailey Ruth has to save him with Dee's help.
Over all it's not a bad story. I'd probably read another one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2020
Another in the Bailey Ruth series, with Bailey Ruth being conned by another ghost into helping with a problem that is not authorized by the Department of Good Intentions, which means that she loses her ghostly powers as soon as she materializes on Earth. (Insert giant eye roll)
As usual, I continued listening partly because I want to know who done it, and partly because I didn't have anything else in the lineup to listen to. I am driven to distraction by the arbitrary and insane rules of the ghostly kingdom and Bailey Ruth's incessant vanity and the descriptions of her outfits that have NOTHING to do with the story except to emphasize how vain she is, and I have a hard time believing that an actual angel or "heavenly emissary" would be concerned with those things, let alone be able to materialize into a solid person or be hungry or be able to eat while in their invisible state, or why they can't see each other on earth, but can in heaven. It's all just too, too, much! But the basic plot of somebody being in trouble and needing rescue and solving the murder of the town jerk keeps me reading. So I grudgingly give 3 stars.
As usual, I continued listening partly because I want to know who done it, and partly because I didn't have anything else in the lineup to listen to. I am driven to distraction by the arbitrary and insane rules of the ghostly kingdom and Bailey Ruth's incessant vanity and the descriptions of her outfits that have NOTHING to do with the story except to emphasize how vain she is, and I have a hard time believing that an actual angel or "heavenly emissary" would be concerned with those things, let alone be able to materialize into a solid person or be hungry or be able to eat while in their invisible state, or why they can't see each other on earth, but can in heaven. It's all just too, too, much! But the basic plot of somebody being in trouble and needing rescue and solving the murder of the town jerk keeps me reading. So I grudgingly give 3 stars.
July 7, 2020
I love the fun of reading Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth series. The mysteries are always good, the solving of the mystery using the special talents of being a ghost make it very entertaining. In this story, Bailey Ruth is shanghaied by a fellow ghost named Dee, to save a relative of Dee's from disaster. Their supervisor, Wiggins, is not happy at all with this maneuver.
Dee's nephew, Nick, is a young 20-something who has been paid a fortune for a video game he's created. He comes back to his hometown of Adelaide and disaster is at every turn.
Of course with two ghosts at work and Bailey having been 'taken for a ride' things do not always go smoothly. I loved it.
Dee's nephew, Nick, is a young 20-something who has been paid a fortune for a video game he's created. He comes back to his hometown of Adelaide and disaster is at every turn.
Of course with two ghosts at work and Bailey having been 'taken for a ride' things do not always go smoothly. I loved it.
March 27, 2023
Bailey Ruth believes she has been sent back to Adelaide, Oklahoma as a heavenly emissary once again. She quickly saves Nick Magruder's life but when she appears to reassure him she finds she can't disappear again. Bailey Ruth soon discovers that Wiggins didn't send her here on an official mission, she was tricked into coming by Nick's aunt Delilah Delahunt Duvall. It was fun having another ghost for Bailey Ruth to interact with. There is still too much emphasis on what outfit Bailey Ruth is wearing and there was some really long info dump sections. overall I mostly enjoy the series so I'm going to continue with it.
October 15, 2017
Weak read till the end. Granted when you bring a ghost into it there is a certain amount of suspension of reality, but this went beyond even the most reasonable ghost at some point.
Growing up I loved Topper -- with Leo G. Carroll and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is still one of my all time favorite movies. There is the feeling of some of those favorites of mine in the Bailey Ruth books...this one wasn't quite there.
Growing up I loved Topper -- with Leo G. Carroll and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is still one of my all time favorite movies. There is the feeling of some of those favorites of mine in the Bailey Ruth books...this one wasn't quite there.
January 27, 2024
I really enjoy this series. The main character Bailey Ruth has a lot of spunk and loves to wear clothes that look good on her! The mysteries I find are always intriguing even this one too! I have not been disappointed in the plots so far with book 4. Looking forward to the next book!
An afterthought, I do enjoy the idea of heavenly help coming to earth to help solve mysteries!
An afterthought, I do enjoy the idea of heavenly help coming to earth to help solve mysteries!
November 18, 2017
This is one of my favorite authors but this series is a little silly. I started it so I will finish it but it is at the bottom of my list to read. Not that it is poorly written or anything just that the story line is not the greatest. If you like Carolyn Hart you can give it a try.
April 10, 2022
3.5 stars
I've started branching out in my reading to include some fantasy and magical realism. That aspect of this novel was fine but the repetition wasn't. Carolyn Hart writes a lot of books and has a lot of fans. I'll try another in this series before deciding whether to continue.
I've started branching out in my reading to include some fantasy and magical realism. That aspect of this novel was fine but the repetition wasn't. Carolyn Hart writes a lot of books and has a lot of fans. I'll try another in this series before deciding whether to continue.
December 6, 2022
Let me be clear...obviously giving a book 3 stars says I don't really LOVE the books but I do like this series and plan to continue on through the series.
Cute, cute stories! I love the thought of ghostly helpers being out there to help and guide us.
Cute, cute stories! I love the thought of ghostly helpers being out there to help and guide us.
December 28, 2018
Simplistic. Not very interesting. Not interesting prose. Not very engaging story, not a very engaging character. Main character kept locking her dog in the car. Sorry. Can't get past it.
July 27, 2017
Good ghost and murder tale
This time Baily gets conned by another ghost and ends up with a partner to help solve the crimes
This time Baily gets conned by another ghost and ends up with a partner to help solve the crimes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews