Amanda was in the process of divorcing her lying, cheating husband Charley when he was murdered, so she’s stuck with his last name. And even worse, she’s stuck with his ghost.
She can’t seem to get rid of his ghost, but at least she is able to go to court and get rid of his name. Elated at the small victory, she returns to her motorcycle repair shop ready to celebrate. But her assistant, Dawson, is having a meltdown because his younger brother has been kidnapped.
Amanda can see the obvious pain Dawson is in, but in the two years he’s worked for her he’s never mentioned a brother. Is this brother real or only an avatar from one of the computer games he loves to play? Charley thinks Dawson is losing it. Amanda thinks Charley lost it a long time ago.
Dawson produces an e-mail from johndoe666@e-mail dot com demanding computer code written by Dawson’s father as ransom for the boy. That seems a little odd. Don’t kidnappers typically want large sums of money in unmarked bills as a ransom?
When Dawson tells Amanda his name isn’t really Dawson Page and that, since his parents were murdered two years ago, he and his brother have been living under false identities bequeathed to them by their father, she really begins to worry about him.
Then she talks to his next door neighbor to find out if he saw anything, and the man wearing a tin foil hat tells her he’s never seen Dawson’s brother, but if somebody’s missing, aliens undoubtedly took him to work in the crystal mines on Alpha Centauri.
Though the kidnappers have warned Dawson not to bring in the police, Amanda decides the situation has gone beyond her ability to help by offering a cold Coke and soothing words. She calls Jake Daggett, the detective who saved her life a couple of months before. Charley isn’t happy about that. He claims she only called Daggett because she wants to see him again. That really isn’t the only reason, but he does look nice in his T-shirt stuffed with bulging biceps, pecs and deltoids.
In case the kidnappers are watching when he arrives and might identify him as a cop, Amanda greets him as cousin Jake and throws her arms around him in a friendly cousin sort of way which Charley finds completely unnecessary.
Will the kidnappers believe Jake is her cousin? Do the kidnappers even exist? Is Grant only an Avatar? Will Amanda ever find a way to torture Charley? Will she give up her trademark Coke for a Pepsi? Will Global Warming melt Amanda’s Magnum Double Chocolate ice cream bar?
Okay, you need to test that last question for yourself, but the answers to everything else are in this book!
“Write what you know,” they said. I’d been married three times. I wrote romances.
Fast forward ten years.
“Write what you know,” they said. I’d been divorced three times and fantasized about murdering my ex. Only massive doses of chocolate kept my finger off the trigger.
Now I write about murder and chocolate and the occasional ghost.
Amanda was once again on the case – this time because her employee and friend, Dawson Page’s young brother Grant had been kidnapped. The email to Dawson had alerted him and warned if police were involved, Grant would die. The computer program the kidnappers were after was obviously of great importance to them. But when Amanda called Jake, her policeman friend, and he arrived – incognito – with partner Ross, they could tell the kidnappers were amateurs.
With ghostly Charley by Amanda’s side – much to her disgust – she was thrust into danger once again. His antics, though driving her mad, occasionally helped – after all, he still imagined he was alive! But would she manage to help Dawson rescue Grant? Or would it be too late for him?
The Ex Who Glowed in the Dark is the 2nd in the Charley’s Ghost series by Sally Berneathy and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first. It was very similar to the first, but at the same time Amanda’s interactions with Charley bordered on the ridiculous at times. I have #3 to read and will get to it soon. In the meantime, I love the author’s Death by Chocolate series and have one more to look forward to. Recommended.
Amanda may have rid herself of her lying, cheating husband’s name, but she was still stuck with his annoying ghost, which provided us (well, me, at least) with another fun, rollicking adventure involving the feisty, snarky motorcycle mama and her unwanted sidekick.
The mystery was not too deep or complex, but the entertainment came from the interactions between Amanda and Charley. And, as much as Amanda didn’t want to admit it, her scumbag ex-husband actually proved himself to be a valuable help in her investigation. His jealous reactions to the presence of the good-looking cop Jake Daggett were hilarious. I have to admit, though, that I’m getting a little tired of impossibly handsome police officers with their bulging biceps and tight buns that send the main female character into lust-filled swooniness every time she sees him. Are there no average-looking guys out there with nice eyes and a nice smile that would cause a little bit of a flutter in the heroine’s heart but not make her want to jump his bones at first sight of him? Oh, well, that’s just my pet peeve and may not be an issue with other readers.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this fun, entertaining series.
If you need a laugh AND a good mystery, here's the book for you! The pace is quick, the characters are believable, and there's plenty to keep you guessing. I liked this one better than the first in the series, but it was great, too. Prepare to laugh and be unable to put book down when you start this one.
Stunning second book. Was the boy really kidnapped? What is the code that they want? With the help of her ex husbands ghost and the delectable detective, will Charly get to the truth. Really enjoy the by play between the two men (even if one is a ghost ). The series so far is fabulous.
“The Ex Who Glowed In The Dark”, second in the 'Charley's Ghost' series, relies rather too heavily on plotting coincidence to be successful as a mystery. Amanda's sole employee, the reclusive Dawson Page, reveals that he lives with a younger brother, Grant, and he has been kidnapped for ransom. The reason? Their parents had programmed a mysterious program before they were murdered and the brother went on the run and assumed new names. And, of course, if the police are brought in Grant will die. If anyone orders Chinese food Grant will die (I made that up). It's up to Amanda and her ex-husband, the ghost Charley, to investigate. The ending is good but the book, while readable, just didn't grab me very much. 3 Stars.
When Amanda’s assistant, Dawson, has a meltdown because his brother is kidnapped, what else can she do but get involved? Or get him some help since she doubts the boy ever existed. Upset that she legally reverted to her maiden name, her almost ex-husband’s ghost, Charley, is stuck with her. He might as well help, even when her new almost-love-interest cop gets involved. When Amanda rides into a heap of trouble chasing leads, Charley’s advice might get her killed. With a delightfully twisted plot, snarky dialogue, remarkable characters, near misses, and a good dose of tension, this book kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I highly recommend it for paranormal mystery readers who enjoy some fun in the story.
Ok, Charley is a hoot! He often acts like he is still alive (old habits die hard), which means he isn't much help at all. But his antics are lots of fun. I do have problems with the heroine who disarms the bad guy then runs, leaving the gun to be picked up to still be used against them. Other than that, the story-line was good and I enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend the series and this book to anyone.
This one was much better on the editing/proofreading than the first book was.
This is another great adventure story with Amanda and Charley's ghost. When I got halfway through the book, I had to finish it in one sitting as one suspenseful thing after another was happening. Sally Berneathy has a wonderful writing style that keeps me reading until the end. I love her books and this series!! Follow along as Amanda and Charley help find out who the criminals really are.
I love this series so far. Amanda and Charley are a great pair. As a husband he was horrible. As a husband ghost she can't get rid of its quite comical.
Amanda has finally gotten rid of Charley's name, but his ghost is still with her. When Amanda learns Dawson's brother has been kidnapped, she doesn't believe him. Dawson has been keeping secrets and lies from Amanda, for two years he and his brother has been in hiding. His parents killed and false identities, until now. Some one has found them, Dawson and Amanda need to find a program his father has in order to get back his brother. That's easier said than done, but Amanda refuses to back down, even when she and Dawson are kidnapped. With Charley's help and grit Amanda, Dawson and his brother have a chance of surviving. Now can Amanda actually have time with Jake Daggett, the sexy hot cop who has caught her eye, only time will tell. Its a laugh out loud story as Amanda, tries to help Dawson and his little brother. Her mouth running faster than her brain and the reaction of the people around her makes you turn the page to see what other trouble she can get into.
#2 in the series. An OK read. Nothing too deep. Light mystery and some humor. Amanda's dead ex, Charley, is still hovering around but he comes in handy at times. Her friend, Dawson, needs help finding his brother who is kidnapped for computer codes. But Dawson doesn't know where the codes are hidden, but needs to find them to save his brother.
Second book in the 'dead-ex' saga - and it dragged just a bit. There didn't seem to be enough material to fill the second book so many of the scenes went on for longer than they should have. But the ending was pretty good and made it worth the read.
This is the second book I have read by Sally Berneathy. I really enjoyed both books. I had a hard time putting them down and read each book in one day. They were both very exciting.
This book was entertaining. I enjoyed reading it and it only took me about 1 day to finish it, because I couldn't put it down even though I needed to. I liked the mystery although it wasn't too deep. It was a light read and had some funny moments. I like Amanda and she's very brave and funny. I'm also seeing a possibility with Jake, although Charley the ghost, aka Amanda's sort of ex, murdered husband, is still around and always killing the moment. We'll see...