Rated of 5
by Cathy G. (Shelton, CT) Light reading, but not much ghostly interaction
When I read the back cover of this book i was expecting to read a book that had a lot of interaction with ghosts in addition to a lively mystery with many twists in the plot. Instead, the mystery got bogged down with too many detailed explanations about who was who and who did what. The book would have been better if there was more interaction with the ghosts and the mystery wasn't so slow.
The author seemed to be writing to a younger audience, stating things that would be obvious to an adult but might need explaining to an older child or very young teenager.
The mother tries to explain the afterlife to her very young child by telling him details of a gruesome story of a death in the family ending with the fact that she doesn't know if there's a heaven. The afterlife is a difficult concept for many adults and one that a 5 year old would never be able to grasp. Then she couldn't understand why he is afraid of death...and proceeded to lie to him about the fact that she would never die.
It just made no sense to me. A little like trying to explain where babies come from to a young child who then says the baby just comes out of mommy's tummy.
In my opinion, it would be a good book for an older child or young teenager to read. Some light mystery with a little ghostly interaction. But I definitely would not recommend it to anyone who is interested in a more complex story plot or character development.
Rated of 5
by Penny N. (Saginaw, MI) Ghosts and Illuminations
A clever and "spirited" mystery about ghosts and an ancient book that takes place in modern Cambridge, MA. Anza O'Malley, a single mom and ghost-whisperer, solves the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful, illuminated manuscript. With the help of three ghosts O'Malley not only solves the crime she also brings an estranged family together. The book is also an interesting introduction to the art of bookbinding.
Rated of 5
by Dianne S. (Shelton, connecticut) A Wonderful Surprise of a Read!
As it says on the back of the cover “the criminal underworld collides with the spiritual otherworld” describes this book perfectly! And for once what you read on the back cover and the blurbs is exactly what you get. Anza O’Malley is a ghost whisperer who can help those who need to go over to the “other side”. Her friends all believe in what she can do and so she is called to help out when ghosts take a liking to making life miserable for Sylvia Cremaldi who is working on re-binding this important document. But soon this Illumination gets stolen and things take a turn for the worse.
This was a surprisingly enjoyable read for me. I wasn’t sure about reading yet another novel about ghosts and the people that talk to them, but this book wasn’t just another paranormal read for me. This book was many things; it was a mystery book, a wonderful story about friendship and family and a knowledgeable glimpse into the inner workings of rare book acquisitions and to those that maintain the books.
The story and characters are wonderfully written and came alive for me. I actually wished that I had family and friends like the ones here! The mystery had enough red herrings that it made it difficult to figure out who really stole the manuscript and the writing made me think that perhaps I should rethink the existence of ghosts living among us.
A very fine start to what looks to be a new series. I can’t wait for another.
Rated of 5
by Rita L. (Green Bay, WI) Not really my kind of story.
I am not a big mystery fan, but I was intrigued with the mention of ghosts in the synopsis of this novel, because I like a story that’s a bit different. However, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more interaction with the protagonist and the ghosts. It was a good light mystery involving the disappearance of a priceless manuscript, with a subplot about a missing deed, but if it hadn’t been for my promise to review the book, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. If you like a light mystery, you will probably find this book is one you may want to add to your “want to read” list, but if, like me, you look for something a little edgier or with a twist, you may want to pass this one up.
Rated of 5
by Loren B. (Appleton, WI) Light weight
I would say that this novel read like a typical "cozy" but that would be giving a well-written "cozy" a bad name.
When I read the synopsis I thought this would be an interesting mix of historical mystery/ghost story. It wasn't. The plot was drawn out with way too much of the main character's "in her mind" romance with her ex-boyfriend and not enough concentration on what could have been a fascinating story.
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by Cathy G. (Shelton, CT) 
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by Penny N. (Saginaw, MI) 
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by Loren B. (Appleton, WI) 
