The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller by Cleo Coyle is the sixth book in the “Haunted Bookshop” mystery series. Publisher: Penguin Random House, coming September 25, 2018.

Penelope Thornton-McClure and her bookshop’s ghost-in-residence Jack Shepard are back on a new case in this delightful paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

A big bestseller leads to small town trouble.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn’t believe in ghosts, until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful. . .

After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it–literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction. Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.

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This is the first time reading this series and I have to say I enjoyed it. When an older woman runs out of the store with a rather expensive book (yes, $29 is expensive for a book), Penelope goes on a search for her. She finds the woman, but not alive and suspects foul play and with the help from Jack, she starts looking into who would want this woman dead.

This is a well-written multi-plot drama that quickly grabbed my attention. The writing is crisp and fresh and the pacing makes it easy to follow along with the characters in the book. The suspect list was curated in the right amount to keep me guessing and I liked how the author strategically placed clues with a few twists and turns that had me devouring every small detail that would lead me to the killer’s identity. When I thought I had it figured out, the author changed direction, all to the betterment of how well this story was being told. The dream sequence was exceptionally done – I even believe it was possible and that is kudos to the author’s writing. With that said, this was a delightfully engaging tale and I look forward to more adventures with Penelope and Jack. Welcome back duo. You were missed by your readers.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the author.