Book 72, 2019

[chez_jae]

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Just got done reading Mrs Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton. It's the first in a new series, called the "Salem B&B" mystery series. Main character is young widow, Charlene Morris.

Needing a change, Charlene moves from Chicago to Salem MA, where she has purchased a grand old Victorian home that she plans to turn into a bed and breakfast. The first night in her new home, she is awakened by a handsome man standing over her bed. Jack Strathmore is the previous owner of the home, and he's been dead for three years. It turns out that Charlene is the first person who can see him. She is convinced that the only reason he's haunting the house is because he was murdered, even though his cause of death was listed as a stroke. Charlene isn't buying it.

In the meantime, a stray cat has appeared and made itself at home. Jack is charmed by the cat, because it can see him, too. Charlene searches for the owner, only to find that the cat traveled via the moving truck...and now she has a cat.

Eager to make connections in the community, Charlene begins visiting local businesses and making new acquaintances. She uses these excursions to ask questions about Jack's life...and his wife, Shauna, who has never been able to fit into the 'old families, old money' scene in Salem. Charlene is rebuffed each time she tries to contact Shauna, so she makes the decision to visit the woman at her home. There, she finds Shauna dead. When police rule this death as a homicide, Charlene is convinced that there's a connection between Jack's death and Shauna's. Her persistence pays off in a negative way, however, when she receives a threatening note, warning her against asking any more questions.

The story was lively, but not lite. Charlene is likable enough, but I thought her amateur investigative methods were awfully ham-handed. She ended up alienating people who may have become friends, had she not angered and insulted them. Detective Sam Holden takes a liking to her, and Charlene finds him attractive and compelling, but more and more, she's "falling" for Jack. Sigh. I didn't like that plot point. Why give Charlene a possible flesh-and-blood love interest if she's going to set her cap for the ghost, and set herself up for romantic failure? Wow.

Favorite line: "If she was drowning, I'd toss her an anchor."

I'm wavering between a three and a four here. Plot was good, characterizations were nicely done, writing was fine...I guess, since my objections were subjective, I'll give this one a four.