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.