Ghost at Work
by Carolyn Hart
Published by William Morrow (October 21 release)
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Caryn St. Clair
Welcome to the Department of Good Intentions, a place where Heaven’s residents have the opportunity to “give back” to the earthly communities they left. Meet Bailey Ruth Raeburn, Heaven’s newest applicant to the Department of Good Intentions.
As Carolyn Hart’s newest protagonist, Bailey Ruth is a detective with an added twist¬¬–she’s dead. Before she even has a chance to study the Department of Good Intentions, Bailey Ruth is sent out on her first assignment. She’s sent back to Adelaide, Oklahoma, her former hometown, to help the Episcopal rector’s wife, who is about to discover a dead body on her back porch. It’s a tough job for sure, because not only does Bailey Ruth need to keep Kathleen from being arrested, she needs to solve the crime and make sure that the sheriff manages to catch the murderer. How Bailey Ruth goes about her various tasks makes for a few hours light-hearted reading.
First there are those pesky rules Bailey Ruth is supposed to follow. The very first rule–avoid public notice–becomes almost impossible for Bailey Ruth to follow. How is she supposed to leave clues or rescue neglected dogs without being noticed? It’s especially difficult for her to follow rule number four–become visible only when absolutely essential. How is a ghost supposed to interview suspects if she’s invisible? But Bailey Ruth does manage to solve the case, lead the sheriff to the real culprit and rescue a dog in the meantime. After her return to Heaven, and her review of the case with her handler, Wiggins, I think readers can be assured that even though Bailey Ruth repeatedly broke the rules, she will be back for another assignment.
There is a trend in the mystery field toward the paranormal. Hart enters the sub genre with Bailey Ruth. Certainly fans of her Death on Demand series as well as Henry-O readers will love this new protagonist. I think Hart may pick up some new readers as well. Readers of Debbie Macomber’s Shirley, Goodness and Mercy books or fans of the Maggie and Alexandre books by Kasey Michaels would all love Ghost at Work.
Armchair Interviews says: Author Carolyn Hart spins a fun tale with this unique main character.
Author’s Web site: http://www.CarolynHart.com