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Tell-Tale Tavern Mysteries #1
Gin & Ghosts
A psychic raven, meddling ghosts, and a few odd locals serve up trouble on the island of Capers Cove!
Bartender Edie Allan might be a little odd, she can talk to ghosts and her pet raven, Poe, but she turns sleuth when a body shows up in the sand, and she discovers the cute new tavern owner might just be a murderer! Edie and her best friend, Officer Jessica Cho, begin an impossible search for clues in a case where almost all of the townspeople in Capers Cove have a motive. Can she serve burgers, mix cocktails, and deal with her suspicious new boss while there's a killer on the loose?
Or will the search for the murderer leave her job - and her life - in jeopardy?
*This book can be read in any order with the other books in the series. It is a clean read, with no graphic violence, sex or profane language.*
Bartender Edie Allan might be a little odd, she can talk to ghosts and her pet raven, Poe, but she turns sleuth when a body shows up in the sand, and she discovers the cute new tavern owner might just be a murderer! Edie and her best friend, Officer Jessica Cho, begin an impossible search for clues in a case where almost all of the townspeople in Capers Cove have a motive. Can she serve burgers, mix cocktails, and deal with her suspicious new boss while there's a killer on the loose?
Or will the search for the murderer leave her job - and her life - in jeopardy?
*This book can be read in any order with the other books in the series. It is a clean read, with no graphic violence, sex or profane language.*
108 pages, ebook
Published May 23, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 3, 2017
A fun cozy mystery! Fans of Edgar Allan Poe will love it, from the name of Edie's bar to the name of her pet raven! Although it seemed like a quick read, it was full of twists and turns and interesting characters such as Edie's new boss Ben who seems to be hiding something and also some ghosts who talk to Edie and help her when she tries to seek out the truth behind the first murder in Caper's Cove in the last 75 years! Be sure to read the prequel so you don't miss any of the fun!
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.
May 24, 2017
Edie Allen helps run a tavern that her family used to own, and hopes to own it one day. She's not very happy to find out the current owners sold it to someone else without telling her, or asking her if she wanted to buy it first. When a dead body is discovered, Edie finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. Gin & Ghosts has engaging characters, and is a fast paced, exciting read that kept me glued to my seat until the end. I highly recommend this book!
December 10, 2018
Concrete jungle
A much better read then book 0. Must admit that the culprit came out of nowhere. The characters are gaining life and vibrancy. Shame about some of the proofing errors.
She is now an adult and has always started work early to get the prepping done. Not expecting to find a stranger in charge (her family had sold the business after her parents had died). They immediately start off on the wrong foot. Him because he's trying to put his mark on the place and her because she's been used to running the place (manager in all but name). They're united however when a business man comes and starts trying to get ownership of the tavern. They don't expect to find his dead body y he next morning. Is it the new owner that's responsible or the wannabe property tycoon? As she starts investigating, she is attacked. Is it the killer or is the killer still an unknown? Can her raven and the ghosts she talks to help?
A much better read then book 0. Must admit that the culprit came out of nowhere. The characters are gaining life and vibrancy. Shame about some of the proofing errors.
She is now an adult and has always started work early to get the prepping done. Not expecting to find a stranger in charge (her family had sold the business after her parents had died). They immediately start off on the wrong foot. Him because he's trying to put his mark on the place and her because she's been used to running the place (manager in all but name). They're united however when a business man comes and starts trying to get ownership of the tavern. They don't expect to find his dead body y he next morning. Is it the new owner that's responsible or the wannabe property tycoon? As she starts investigating, she is attacked. Is it the killer or is the killer still an unknown? Can her raven and the ghosts she talks to help?
May 26, 2017
Let’s start with the typos and grammar mistakes. There are MANY. I can usually overlook the typos and grammar if the story was engaging but guess what? The story was not engaging.
Edie is a two dimensional, unlikeable character that only thinks of herself throughout the entire book. She always jumps to conclusions, she is whiney, she smart mouths to just about everybody, suspicious of everyone and thinks nobody knows how to do their job except her. She always has to have the last word no matter how immature is it, and gets butt hurt when people are rude to her.
***SPOILERS***
I didn’t like that Edie just started assuming Ben her boss was the killer. Even though the police said his alibi was verifiable, she finds out Ben lives in the apartment over the tavern and he is immediately again a suspect in her book. She sneaks into his apartment. And of course Ben catches her.
The storyline is predictable. There is no twists and turns.
And if Edie truly believes Ben is the killer, why did she tell him she hears spirits? And when she tells him she hears spirits, Ben says “why don’t you ask the ghosts if they know who the killer is”. Edie ignores him. Ben goes to his office, and Edie thinks “why don’t she ask the ghosts if they saw anything”. And Edie goes so far as to think “why didn’t I think of that before?” Like she was the one who first thought of it, not Ben. *smh*
She even runs her smart mouth to her best friend Jessica and hurts her, and doesn’t care.
What made me want to stop reading the rest of the book was when Ben and Edie got into yet another fight. She of course is running her mouth, he finally has enough and tells her the Tavern is HIS, not HERS, She is his employee and that her family couldn’t keep up with the tavern and lost it. He was just telling her the truth and Edie’s mouth just falls open in shock and then, she starts calling Ben names. He FINALLY FIRES HER. And it’s of no surprise that Edie is shocked and how dare he fired her??! Than the tavern is falling apart without Edie, that the only waitress left is Tia and Tia is wailing like she lost a loved one so close to her. Tia was mentioned to be a new employee at the Tavern. Tia and Edie barely spoke three words to each other before this. Why is Tia wailing and crying and carrying on so much? If the author wanted us to think Edie and Tia had a very close relationship and were such good friends, then she should of written more scenes with them two or tell us in the book they were great friends, but the author didn’t, so the scene made no sense to me. Then, Ben calls Edie and begs Edie to come back cause he couldn’t run the Tavern without her. He even gave her a raise….
Did I mention this book was predictable?
It got to the point that I didn’t care who the killer was.
When I got to chapters 17,18,19 (the last three chapters in the story) the writing seemed to of changed. Yes, still had typos and grammar mistakes but Edie was written to be more tolerable. Either the author got better so quickly or the chapters were written by someone else. I do not know. The writing just flowed differently.
Positives about the book:
Author got better towards the end of the book.
There is a story here, a beginning, middle and end.
The ghosts and Poe were written very well.
Easy, light hearted, clean read.
Cons:
Edie the main character has a smart mouth, I’m better than you attitude; didn’t care to much for it. I think the author was trying to make Edie look like a smart, fierce, independent lady. But she only made Edie seem childish, mean, self-fish, a smart mouth with no respect for authority.
There is nothing I can write that I liked about Edie. I could not relate to her. Edie is a weak character and needs work.
Typos and grammar mistakes throughout the entire book. Fire your editor.
I would of given the book 3 stars but I just couldn't get past Edie's attitude.
I received an advanced copy to read and this is my honest review.
Edie is a two dimensional, unlikeable character that only thinks of herself throughout the entire book. She always jumps to conclusions, she is whiney, she smart mouths to just about everybody, suspicious of everyone and thinks nobody knows how to do their job except her. She always has to have the last word no matter how immature is it, and gets butt hurt when people are rude to her.
***SPOILERS***
I didn’t like that Edie just started assuming Ben her boss was the killer. Even though the police said his alibi was verifiable, she finds out Ben lives in the apartment over the tavern and he is immediately again a suspect in her book. She sneaks into his apartment. And of course Ben catches her.
The storyline is predictable. There is no twists and turns.
And if Edie truly believes Ben is the killer, why did she tell him she hears spirits? And when she tells him she hears spirits, Ben says “why don’t you ask the ghosts if they know who the killer is”. Edie ignores him. Ben goes to his office, and Edie thinks “why don’t she ask the ghosts if they saw anything”. And Edie goes so far as to think “why didn’t I think of that before?” Like she was the one who first thought of it, not Ben. *smh*
She even runs her smart mouth to her best friend Jessica and hurts her, and doesn’t care.
What made me want to stop reading the rest of the book was when Ben and Edie got into yet another fight. She of course is running her mouth, he finally has enough and tells her the Tavern is HIS, not HERS, She is his employee and that her family couldn’t keep up with the tavern and lost it. He was just telling her the truth and Edie’s mouth just falls open in shock and then, she starts calling Ben names. He FINALLY FIRES HER. And it’s of no surprise that Edie is shocked and how dare he fired her??! Than the tavern is falling apart without Edie, that the only waitress left is Tia and Tia is wailing like she lost a loved one so close to her. Tia was mentioned to be a new employee at the Tavern. Tia and Edie barely spoke three words to each other before this. Why is Tia wailing and crying and carrying on so much? If the author wanted us to think Edie and Tia had a very close relationship and were such good friends, then she should of written more scenes with them two or tell us in the book they were great friends, but the author didn’t, so the scene made no sense to me. Then, Ben calls Edie and begs Edie to come back cause he couldn’t run the Tavern without her. He even gave her a raise….
Did I mention this book was predictable?
It got to the point that I didn’t care who the killer was.
When I got to chapters 17,18,19 (the last three chapters in the story) the writing seemed to of changed. Yes, still had typos and grammar mistakes but Edie was written to be more tolerable. Either the author got better so quickly or the chapters were written by someone else. I do not know. The writing just flowed differently.
Positives about the book:
Author got better towards the end of the book.
There is a story here, a beginning, middle and end.
The ghosts and Poe were written very well.
Easy, light hearted, clean read.
Cons:
Edie the main character has a smart mouth, I’m better than you attitude; didn’t care to much for it. I think the author was trying to make Edie look like a smart, fierce, independent lady. But she only made Edie seem childish, mean, self-fish, a smart mouth with no respect for authority.
There is nothing I can write that I liked about Edie. I could not relate to her. Edie is a weak character and needs work.
Typos and grammar mistakes throughout the entire book. Fire your editor.
I would of given the book 3 stars but I just couldn't get past Edie's attitude.
I received an advanced copy to read and this is my honest review.
October 28, 2025
This is a fun series! Gin & Ghosts is Book #1 in the Tell-Tale Tavern Mysteries! It is preceded by the prequel
Bigfoot is back! Edie Allen is the barmaid/manager of the Tell-Tale Tavern. She is related to Edgar Allen Poe and someone like her granddaddy's great-granddaddy opened the tavern in his name. Her family has owned the tavern for over a hundred years, but no more... For the last 8 - 10 years the tavern has belonged to Harry and Margaret Workman; but these folks sold the tavern and didn't have the decency to tell Edie! She's been running the business on their behalf! She comes to work one day and there is a new owner! News travels fast!
Everyone in town knows that Edie can talk to her friend/pet raven, Poe; that she sometimes talks to ghosts and is 'just a little nuttier than a squirrel's poop'! Living in Capers Cove her whole life, everybody knows everything about everyone!
Not only is the tavern the center of attraction because of a new owner, now there's a dead body! Someone the whole town wanted dead!
Strange, new person in town, first murder in over 80 years... Suspects are everywhere or are they???
Come see Edie and her best friend officer Jessica Cho solve the murder ! What does Poe know??? Did the ghosts see anything ???
This is a cozy paranormal mystery for 13+, with easy reading, murder, and paranormal activity!
Can't wait to see what the ladies will get into in Capers Cove in Book #2 Murder & Mimosas !
Bigfoot is back! Edie Allen is the barmaid/manager of the Tell-Tale Tavern. She is related to Edgar Allen Poe and someone like her granddaddy's great-granddaddy opened the tavern in his name. Her family has owned the tavern for over a hundred years, but no more... For the last 8 - 10 years the tavern has belonged to Harry and Margaret Workman; but these folks sold the tavern and didn't have the decency to tell Edie! She's been running the business on their behalf! She comes to work one day and there is a new owner! News travels fast!
Everyone in town knows that Edie can talk to her friend/pet raven, Poe; that she sometimes talks to ghosts and is 'just a little nuttier than a squirrel's poop'! Living in Capers Cove her whole life, everybody knows everything about everyone!
Not only is the tavern the center of attraction because of a new owner, now there's a dead body! Someone the whole town wanted dead!
Strange, new person in town, first murder in over 80 years... Suspects are everywhere or are they???
Come see Edie and her best friend officer Jessica Cho solve the murder ! What does Poe know??? Did the ghosts see anything ???
This is a cozy paranormal mystery for 13+, with easy reading, murder, and paranormal activity!
Can't wait to see what the ladies will get into in Capers Cove in Book #2 Murder & Mimosas !
May 28, 2017
In my opinion the Tell-Tale Tavern Mysteries Series is going to be fun reads. They are are going to be funny, nothing to serious with lots of quirkiness. You have Edie that talks to ghost, her sort of pet raven Poe, her best friend Jessica and new boss Ben Sullivan and they all have her back. Edie started off as whiny, petulant and rude, but yet there was something lovable about her, in my opinion. She has been thrown a curve ball when the Tell-Tale Tavern was sold without her knowledge and now she has to come to terms with that while trying to solve murders that happen. Megan Marple wrote a fun mystery with a couple of twist, one I was surprised the one I was not surprised by, I had that figured out from the beginning. This was lighthearted and funny mystery. The is a couple of fights nothing to graphic, no sex and a little suspense. Nothing was over the top. In my opinion Gin & Ghosts is worth reading as long as your not looking suspenseful and violent mysteries. I received an ARC edition for my honest and voluntary review.
November 5, 2020
This was such a fun book to read! I'm not a fan of birds, but I just loved Poe, Edie's pet Raven and how the tavern name was a little homage to one of the human Poe's stories. Edie's ghost friends that she could hear were cool too, and they were definitely a big help when the showdown arrived. I really didn't like the new owner Ben for the longest time, but after coming to the end of the book, I think he's grown on me!
I would never have guessed the killer and thought the showdown was pretty cool well except for the fact that someone was trying to kill Edie. I'm anxious to read on in this series!
I would never have guessed the killer and thought the showdown was pretty cool well except for the fact that someone was trying to kill Edie. I'm anxious to read on in this series!
March 19, 2021
Slow paced but interesting
This series has an imaginative premise that is rife with potential for future installments. Edie Allan is supposedly Edgar Allan Poe's descendent which explains the names of the tavern and the raven (and possibly the writer's madness and Edie's "gift"). The murder mystery is not particularly compelling, and the killer comes out of left field. The bigger mystery is why the new owner, Ben, is so obnoxious and what chased him from Chicago. His identity is no surprise; however, I'm still wondering how the family lost the tavern and what happened to Edie's grandfather...
This series has an imaginative premise that is rife with potential for future installments. Edie Allan is supposedly Edgar Allan Poe's descendent which explains the names of the tavern and the raven (and possibly the writer's madness and Edie's "gift"). The murder mystery is not particularly compelling, and the killer comes out of left field. The bigger mystery is why the new owner, Ben, is so obnoxious and what chased him from Chicago. His identity is no surprise; however, I'm still wondering how the family lost the tavern and what happened to Edie's grandfather...
May 24, 2017
I read this book immediately after reading the prequel, The Tell Tale Treasure. I absolutely loved this book! The writing is a mesh of nostalgic, light-heartedness, suspense and quirky. It has all the makings of a great cozy mystery!
Edie Allen works in the tavern her family used to own. She also talks to a sort of pet Raven, Poe and ghosts. When it's sold to a new owner, Edie is upset as it was her desire to own it as her family had in the past. Enter a greedy landowner who winds up dead. Can Edie figure out who killed him and why the new owner Ben looks so familiar?
Edie Allen works in the tavern her family used to own. She also talks to a sort of pet Raven, Poe and ghosts. When it's sold to a new owner, Edie is upset as it was her desire to own it as her family had in the past. Enter a greedy landowner who winds up dead. Can Edie figure out who killed him and why the new owner Ben looks so familiar?
June 1, 2017
Edie is working in the tavern her family opened centuries ago. She hopes to buy it back one day. After being constantly asked about selling for development the owners sell it to a stranger. When the developer turns up dead Edie has another adventure.....a murder to solve. After almost dying, Edie finds out the new owner isn't the stranger she thinks he is......I voluntarily received an advanced copy of this book book for a honest review
June 28, 2017
When I was in high school I devoured anything and every thing by Edgar Allan Poe and was thrilled about the premise of this story! A descendant of Mr. Poe who can speak to ghost? Brilliant! I am happy to say the author did not disappoint with both Edie and the plot of Gin and Ghost.
You can find the rest of my review plus a yummy cocktail recipe inspired by the book here-
https://eatingbetweenthelinesinc.word...
You can find the rest of my review plus a yummy cocktail recipe inspired by the book here-
https://eatingbetweenthelinesinc.word...
December 21, 2024
Very good read.
May 29, 2017
ARC review For honest review. When Eddie comes into work she finds out that the bar was sold to and he is new to the town there is a murder and they all need to find the person who done it this was a great Mystery story even ghosts
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews