Kristina A. reviewed on 8/26/2016 + 1528 more book reviews

The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is the first Pluto's Snitch novel. Raissa James is twenty-four years old and a widow. Her husband died during World War I. Raissa is a teacher of high school literature in Savannah, Georgia. She is living a very quiet and dull life which does not go with Raissa's personality. Raissa's secret ambition is to be a writer. Then Raissa gets an invitation from her Uncle Brett Airlie to come to Mobile, Alabama and visit his home, Caoin House. It is a chance for her to get away and maybe move out of her mourning period. Caoin House is set to be haunted and Raissa is excited by the possibility (research for her writing). Her uncle is going to throw a party in her honor. On the train to Mobile, Raissa meets Robert Aultman. The two of them hit it off and want to continue their acquaintance. Unfortunately, their relationship is meant to be short when Robert falls to death from the roof of Caoin House during the treasure hunt at the party. Did Robert commit suicide or was he pushed? Then Raissa sees a spirit in a Confederate uniform. She is drawn to this spirit. What does he want with Raissa? It turns out that he is not the only spirit or ghost in Caoin House. There is a secret that someone does not want to come to light. Raissa sets out to get answers and free the spirits from the house. Join Raissa on her investigation in The Book of Beloved.

The Book of Beloved was just okay. I definitely felt it was too long. It needed some (okay, quite a bit) editing which would have enhanced the story. The pace was too slow which made it hard to read and enjoy. The pace does pick up in the last 15% of the book (thank goodness). I found the mystery to be extremely easy to solve. The culprit was obvious (there might as well have been a spotlight shining on this person), and I solved it very early in the book. There is one unique twist thrown in (fits with the title). There are graphic descriptions (no pictures though) of men's genitalia in the book (fair warning). Some of the historical references and word usage in the book are inaccurate for the time period and locale. An example is "gay" was an expression that meant someone was having a good time (she was having a gay old time at the party or the mood at the party was quite gay"). It did not refer to a person's sexual persuasion as it does today. The year was 1920 and the flapper lifestyle (and style of dress) did not become popular until later (starting in 1923). I give The Book of Beloved 3 out of 5 stars. The idea has potential, but I just did not enjoy the final product.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also won a copy from Goodreads. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details