Deborah H. (littlepine) -
Helpful Score: 1
I am enjoying this series more and more with each book. Penelope and Jack continue to grow into such likable characters that I can not wait to read more stories containing them. I am looking forward to book # 5 in the series.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
This was very enjoyable and the ending very unexpected and good.
Kathleen W. (catsandbooks) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 68 more book reviews
The premise of this series is clever: a young widow moves back to her hometown in order to run a book store with her aunt. The ghost of a man killed in the store many years earlier haunts it and the heroine can "hear" and "talk" to him in her head. Of course, there are murders in the town and the ghost helps the heroine solve the murders before the cloddish police chief can. The ghost can also take the heroine on trips back to his era (late 40s) to help solve his unsolved cases (he was a PI). This usually happens when she is knocked unconscious, which seems to happen quite often. The problem is that the heroine never learns. She's naive, stubborn, goes off into the proverbial dark woods by herself, etc., etc. It becomes tiresome and I skipped to the last few pages to find out "who dunnit" because I was so bored. Won't read any more in the series which is a shame because Cleo Coyle normally writes great stories.
Karen S. (CacaoBear) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 87 more book reviews
So far, I have really enjoyed the Haunted Bookshop series. The interaction between Pen and Jack is well-written, and his stylized patter is fun to read.
My only complaint about this book is that whereas Pen and Jack seem to be getting more developed as characters, the other "peripheral" characters in the series are either fading away into obscurity or being so annoyingly overdrawn (Seymour and Brainert come to mind) that it is distracting to the story. The key to keeping a "small-town" series believable is to keep it's characters believable. Otherwise, everyone in town is either a murderer, or dead ... and what fun is that?
I look forward to the next book in the series, and I hope the author takes a little more time with the supporting cast. If the books narrow down to just Jack and Pen, I don't think they will be nearly as good ...
My only complaint about this book is that whereas Pen and Jack seem to be getting more developed as characters, the other "peripheral" characters in the series are either fading away into obscurity or being so annoyingly overdrawn (Seymour and Brainert come to mind) that it is distracting to the story. The key to keeping a "small-town" series believable is to keep it's characters believable. Otherwise, everyone in town is either a murderer, or dead ... and what fun is that?
I look forward to the next book in the series, and I hope the author takes a little more time with the supporting cast. If the books narrow down to just Jack and Pen, I don't think they will be nearly as good ...
Debbie C. (toomanybooks) -
This may be the best Haunted Bookshop book yet! It had lots of twists and turns throughout and it kept you on your toes! It's an easy read and keeps you engaged in the mystery right to the end.
Jeanne G. (IlliniAlum83) -
The best of the Haunted Bookshop series that I've read so far! Interesting background on detective films from the 1940's. Mrs McClure spends a lot more dream time with her resident ghost in this story which allows more romance to enter their relationship as well as more time spent in the 1940's when Jack was alive and working as a PI.
Tim H. (Timbuktu126) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 481 more book reviews
This is a good series. Good mysteries in this one too- one from the present and one from the past, both interesting and well thought out. I wasn't particularly thrilled about Pen and Jack trying to do romance through dreams, but thankfully there was not an overdose of it. Very fast paced and keeps you on your toes. The ending is jam packed and there is one line that Pen says that I just loved! Already have the next one in the series!
Deanna C. (punkbunny) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 13 more book reviews
Another awesome book in the series. I am not a super big fan of romance novels, but I look forward to Pen & Jack's "courtship". They are too funny and sweet. The back & forth between the past & present are brilliant and the repartee among the cast is fantastic. The characters are great and I love how the story line is coming together throughout the series. I just bought #5!
Doris P. (mnmomma11) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 2 more book reviews
Enjoyed the book so much I requested two more books from the Haunted Bookshop series.
Sharon B. (bighairtexan) reviewed The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop, Bk 4) on + 32 more book reviews
Cute. That's what I'd say about this "cozy mystery". I enjoy the relationship between Jack and Pen; and the other quirky characters in the series are a lot of fun. I do see that there's only 1 more in the series (which barely includes "male lead" Jack), and she just stopped writing this series years ago, though the end of the last book implies that more Haunted Bookshops are shortly on their way. Too bad about that. I'd say this is a good "beach read."
Barb W. (kidcrazybarb) -
This is a great cozy series!
