The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library

Alice Kimberly - The Ghost and The Dead Man’s Library [3rd Penelope Thornton-McClure & Jack Shepherd]; 254 pages (B+)

It is the third and so far last installment in the series about bookshop co-owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and ghost Jack Shepherd. Penelope and her aunt Sadie visit an old friend of Sadies', Peter Chesley, who gives them the entire collection of Edgar Allen Poe books in the Phelps edition. Those books are very rare and therefore rather valuable. As soon as they leave Mr. Chesley, he is murdered. This means the copies are now Aunt Sadie's, as he said he wanted her to have them, should he die before they are sold. Soon after the first copy is sold, its acquirer, a Franco-Canadian lawyer, who actually bought a copy for his uncle, is found dead, presumably because of a car accident.

It seems as the books get worse as I read a long - well, not really bad, but each time I graded the book was a little less good than the one before. Go figure... What annoyed me a little with this one was, that the author still feels the need to take about two sentences per book to explain how it sounds when those New Englanders talk (the “r” is missing). At least after the second book, you should’ve got it. And if this is your first book, then it won’t matter either, as it is not a clue to the crimes. I don’t think it is necessary to point it out that often. Also, it was not so good, that all but one cop were described as stupid and incapable of really doing their job. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book, so that the rating still is a good B+. I just like how Penelope and Jack interact!

*K*