My name is Penelope Thornton-McClure. For decades, customers believed our bookshop was haunted. I never did. Then one dark night, I met him. The ghost.

In 1949 Jack Shepard was a New York private investigator. While following a lead in a case, he was gunned down in our shop and never left. Now his spirit speaks to me at will—his will, not mine—blowing in and out of my head like a blustery gale.

As for my typical day, it begins in my hometown of Quindicott, Rhode Island. Most mornings I wake up to a warm bowl of Aunt Sadie’s slow-cooker oatmeal. After getting my son off to school, I head downstairs to help my aunt open the store. I always enjoy visiting with our regulars, including our resident ghost.

Jack’s appearances are unpredictable, though he often has suggestions for our business. Like the other day when I was restocking shelves, his deep voice suddenly rumbled—

You know what this dusty store needs, Penny?

“What’s that, Jack?”

Hard liquor. A few shots of hooch will make those boring book talks a lot more interesting.

“Maybe for you, but we’re a bookshop, not a tavern! Though I will consider serving wine if you’ll tone down the cold spots and stop putting noir novels in the cozy section…”

I can’t deny Jack’s big-city spirit is frustrated by his small-town afterlife, but one thing does make the dead man come alive, and that’s news of a crime. We’ve had some doozies around here, and suspicious deaths are Jack’s specialty. He always pushes me to get involved, follow clues, find answers, and do some good by bringing dark deeds to light.

Sure, when it comes to sleuthing, I’m the amateur—as Jack continually reminds me. Well, what does he expect? I’m a bookseller, not a professional investigator. A stack of novels, a pot of tea, and a long weekend is my idea of heaven, although there is one exception.

When I finally nod off at night, my gumshoe ghost sometimes sweeps me away to his memories of 1940s New York, where he shows me his past PI cases. These time-travel dreams (or whatever you’d like to call them) are exciting and educational. They’re Jack’s version of “PI School,” where he teaches me how to be a better detective.

Given our differences, we do argue at times. Yet, whenever I’m dealing with this dead man, I can’t help but feel exhilarated and (yes) even more alive. As for Jack, our detective work together (past and present) is less a calling than a boredom killer. Or as he puts it…

What else am I going to do in this cornpone town? Why, there isn’t a decent gin mill or racetrack in sight. Talk about dullsville.

“You know, Jack, with your attitude, you could have spent eternity in a far hotter place.”

You’re not wrong, doll. I once lost my shirt in a Miami craps game. But it’s about time we get to work on our new case, unless the idea of tracking down a cold-blooded killer scares you.

“Not much scares me anymore. After all, I live with a ghost.”

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win an autographed hardcover copy of THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN. The giveaway will end October 15, 2026. Good luck, everyone!

THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN
Series: A Haunted Bookshop Detective Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2026 
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

In an utterly charming new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle, a small-town Rhode Island bookshop owner investigates the death of an eccentric librarian with the help of a wisecracking, 1940s gumshoe ghost.

As a young widow, Penelope moved back to her quaint Rhode Island town to give her young son a safer home and her aunt’s dying bookshop new life. Using her late husband’s insurance money, Pen polished the store into a local treasure. But her updates did more than attract new customers. They roused a dead private eye from his big sleep.

With Pen’s affection for hardboiled detective stories, it’s no surprise she’s developed a fondness for the wisecracking yet oddly likeable spirit. Sure, Jack’s cold spots are exasperating, along with his proclivity for putting noir fiction in the cozy section. But murder was Jack’s business in life, and his PI skills come in awfully handy when the body of an eccentric librarian is found amid the bookshop’s aisles.

For years, Dory jokingly called herself “The Dead Librarian” because of her hobby of collecting and writing local obituaries. Now, in death, she’s discovered with her own eerily pre-written obit. Was it a suicide note? Jack and Pen say no and their certainty takes them from a ghost town’s ancient cemetery to a posh Newport mansion. When another body drops, a mysterious stranger makes Pen a shocking offer, one that may change her life—and Jack’s afterlife. But unless Jack can help Pen prove who “checked out” the librarian, a ruthless killer may close the book on her.

About the author
CLEO COYLE (cleocoylebooks.com) is the New York Times bestselling pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, collaborating with her husband, Marc Cerasini. With more than 1 million copies of their books sold, Alice and Marc have gained an enthusiastic following. THE GHOST AND THE DEAD LIBRARIAN, a Library Journal Mystery Pick of the Month, marks the launch of an exciting new spin-off series in Cleo’s beloved “Haunted Bookshop” world. Cleo also writes the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries with its 22nd entry, EAT, DRINK, AND GET BURIED, just released with more titles to come. Cleo’s novels have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Czech; earned starred reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus; received Best of Year selection honors from multiple reviewers; and have been recommended by Booklist as among the best culinary mysteries for core library mystery collections. Alice and Marc have also created bestselling tie-in properties for NBC, Lucasfilm, Disney, Fox, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or wrangling their rescued stray cats, they cook like crazy, drink a lot of java, and write independently and together.