Book 98, 2021

[chez_jae]

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past by Traci Wilton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I completed the book Mrs Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past last night. It's the third book in the "Salem B&B" mystery series by Traci Hilton. The main character is Charlene Morris, a young widow who recently moved to Salem to open a Bed and Breakfast.

With the holiday fast approaching, Charlene has her hands full. Not only does she have guests in her B&B, but her parents are visiting as well. Charlene's mother is overly critical and driving Charlene crazy. At a local fundraiser held at a popular restaurant, the owner, David Baldwin, is stirring up his own drama. He's recently won the lottery, his second trophy wife is having an affair, and he's handing out checks to various patrons, which seem to anger some of the recipients. The worst moment of the night occurs when David turns ashen and runs out of the restaurant, only to become the victim of a hit and run. Since the driver fled the scene, the police are investigating as if David's death is a homicide. Charlene can't resist poking her nose into the investigation. What she learns is that plenty of people had motive, from David's ex-wife to his grown son to his current wife, to her boyfriend. It may take a Christmas miracle to sort this one out and still help the charity.

Hm. I didn't enjoy this story all that much. It was well-written, but Charlene had zero reason to "investigate" David's death. Her mother was a vile shrew for most of the book, and I am beyond sick of Charlene's resident ghost, Jack, getting jealous over her fledgling relationship with Sam. Charlene even thought to herself, more than once, that she didn't feel she could have a real relationship with Sam so long as Jack was around. The Jack-and-Charlene thing was sort of romantic in the first book, but now that he's still here and being an ass, it's getting tiresome. If the authors wanted Charlene and Jack to have a star-crossed romance, they should never have introduced a flesh-and-blood romantic interest for her. Exasperating.

Favorite lines:
♦ It was dark at seven thirty, the 17th of December...
Notable, because I began reading this book on December 17th!
♦ "Merry Christmas, everyone--I can't wait for the New Year--this one sucked eggs."
Ya got that right!

The setting and the timing (Christmas in Salem) made for a charming background, at least, but once again, Jack is a jerk, and Charlene's mother needed to be punted back to Chicago. Giving this one an average score.