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Ghostal Living
Hamptons Home & Garden #3
Kathleen Bridge

Berkley
05/02/17/ ISBN 978-0425276600
Mystery / Cozy / Amateur Sleuth

Reviewed by Linda Morelli   

 

Interior designer Meg Barrett is working at Franklin Hollingsworth’s Bibliophile Bed & Breakfast, designing guest rooms centering on classic American authors. Each room includes costly original works by the authors, along with period pieces Meg finds at her friend Elle’s Sag Harbor antique store. Franklin, a rare book collector, owns an unpublished manuscript written by F. Scott Fitzgerald that he plans to unveil at the upcoming 1st Sag Harbor Book and Ephemera Fair. In preparation of the event he has invited a few upper-echelon bibliophiles to stay at his B&B as guests until it officially opens.

After a hurricane hits and one of the guests goes missing, Detective Arthur Shoner is called to investigate his disappearance. The man is later found – dead. As Meg searches through the attic for other period items she can use in the various rooms, she discovers an old diary, indicating a few surprises about Sarah Hollingsworth, a previous owner of the home who supposedly haunts it now. Meg also discovers that rare books are missing from the rooms. Did an employee or guest take them? The questions keep mounting when yet another guest is found dead. But deaths and surprises are just the beginning of a story that blends history, an enchanting environment, antique books and mystery.

Ghostal Living possesses wonderful descriptions of the B&B, Sag Harbor and the environs. Having visited there in the past, I felt like I was once walking down the streets and visiting the shops. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the previous two releases, but I caught on to the characters and their relationships quickly. I especially enjoyed Meg’s conundrum over which beau to choose: Byron Hughes or Cole Spenser. The book was entertaining and a good summer read, even though the mystery isn’t as strong as it could be.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Hearse and Gardens #2

 

Reviewed 2017
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