Book 3, 2019

[chez_jae]

Downright Dead by Pamela Kopfler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished reading Downright Dead, which is the second part of author Pamela Kopfler's "B&B Spirits" mystery series, featuring Holly Davis, the owner of the Holly Grove bed and breakfast.

After a TV show was filmed at her B&B, showcasing the haunting by Holly's deceased, cheating husband, Burl, reservations are up, and she may be able to keep Holly Grove in the black. When the star of the show, Sylvia Martin, contacts Holly to do a follow-up, Holly tries to put her off. Sylvia isn't having it. Her nemesis, Tru Stalwort, skeptic, professional debunker, and all around jerk, has challenged her to prove that Holly's bed and breakfast really is haunted. The problem is, Burl has moved on.

With no way to gracefully dodge the follow up show, Holly is left wondering if Tru's debunking will ruin Holly Grove. Not helping is that Tru immediately accuses Holly of being a charlatan. How can she explain that she used to have a ghost? Holly is convinced she's about to be exposed as a fraud, until someone sends Tru over the edge of Holly Grove's widow's walk. Imagine his surprise when he rises as a ghost. Now it's up to Holly to find out who hated Tru enough to kill him. In this case, it may be easier to figure out who hated him the least and work back from there.

For the record, I just have to say that at the time Tru met his untimely demise, I could have been considered a suspect. What a foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach! I was ready to shove him off the widow's walk, myself. Kudos to the author for creating such an obnoxious, odious character. All of her characterizations were done well, from Holly to the guests to her kinda-sorta boyfriend, Jake, and even to her dog, Rhett. The action moved along quickly, and by the time it wrapped up, I was left feeling a bit sorry for Tru.

Favorite line: "If you're gonna get screwed, it oughta be fun, right?"

Delightful! Five stars!