ARC Review: The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait by Cleo Coyle

“So all in all, I do think it’s an enjoyable read. I just would like to see Penelope be in the spotlight for even longer or just more to create some more dimension to her character.”

~ Under the Covers

THE GHOST AND THE HAUNTED PORTRAIT is book seven in the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series. I’m glad that Cleo Coyle is returning to this world a little more often because I do think that the premise is very interesting. You have a bookshop owner who solves murders with the help of a PI ghost. It’s really quite interesting and unique if you think about it.

In the beginning of the book, we get a nice little flashback of Jack Shephard during the 1940s when he was alive and kicking. He’s got a bit of a swagger to him, which I think is nice to see because it makes his character that much more interesting. I will say though that sometimes I feel like Penelope, who I consider the main protagonist of this series, gets a bit overshadowed by Jack a lot in this series. So that’s really my own complaint. I would like to see more Penelope and see her acting and thinking on her own a bit more. It might be a different change of pace for this duo.

Nevertheless, the writing is great and you can tell that there was some research done for this book too. So all in all, I do think it’s an enjoyable read. I just would like to see Penelope be in the spotlight for even longer or just more to create some more dimension to her character.

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READING ORDER & BUY LINKS

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About Cleo Coyle

Cleo Coyle is the New York Times bestselling pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Under the name Cleo Coyle, they've written 15 Coffeehouse Mystery titles, including the latest, DEAD TO THE LAST DROP, which was chosen as a Baker & Taylor Fall "Trends" Pick, a "Most Wanted" selection of the Mystery Guild, and honored with four Best of Year list picks, including the Examiner.com's Best Mystery Books for Book Clubs.

With well over 1 million books in print, Cleo Coyle has gained an enthusiastic following. The first in their bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series is now in its 20th printing; two entries have earned starred reviews, including BILLIONAIRE BLEND, which was honored with a Kirkus Star and called "a highly satisfying mystery" by Publishers Weekly. Every book in the series has hit national bestseller lists, including HOLIDAY BUZZ, which was a Top-10 New York Times bestseller.

Cleo also writes a mystery series set in a New England book shop. THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP MYSTERIES are published under the name Alice Kimberly. There are five books published thus far with more under contract. The first book in the series, THE GHOST AND MRS. McCLURE, is now in its 12th printing and all of the titles were national bestsellers.

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