[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Charlene and her parents are dining at Bella’s Italian Ristorante for an auction fundraiser for the Felicity House for Children. The event is hosted by the restaurant’s manager, and Charlene’s friend, David Baldwin. David recently won the lottery, and there’s lots of talk about his winnings. He even passes out some checks to people at the event – to his business partner, a graduate of the Felicity House program, and to the Felicity House staff (although it’s a much smaller check than what he’s promised to deliver later). His own son gets an IOU as well.
Then, before the night is over, David goes running out of the restaurant mumbling names no one recognizes. And then he’s struck, but no one saw the vehicle that hit him. Now David is dead, his second wife has closed the bank account so no one can cash David’s checks, and she’s ready to leave town with all of his money.
Charlene is determined to do what she can to help Felicity House. David’s promised money was going to go to an addition onto one of their facilities; they are outgrowing what they already have. Now, they don’t even have money for Christmas, so Charlene’s going to help find some. And Charlene’s ghostly friend, Jack, is ready to offer his insights as she works on who killed David.
Review
This is the third book in the Salem B&B Mystery series, but the first I have read. I like Charlene and her B&B. I loved the Felicity House pieces – the agency’s mission, the fundraiser, Charlene’s support of them, and the connection Charlene makes with one of the teens. That piece is probably my favorite from the book.
The ghost piece was interesting. It was like reading a book with a love triangle, but one leg of it is implausible. I liked how Jack tweaked Charlene’s mom and the cat, but otherwise the character didn’t grab me. Maybe I would have liked him more if I started the series from the beginning.
The mystery here was good. Lots of suspects to consider. I was able to puzzle out the killer before Charlene, but I was guessing for a long while.
Charlene’s mom made this hard to enjoy at times. She had some lovely moments, but not enough to completely offset her awful ones. She has a prickly, abrasive way about her, both with those she’s close to and also with total strangers. She’s a lot to take.
Series fans should check out Charlene’s latest adventure set at Christmas (with a few references to Wicca and the solstice). I think new readers can pick the series up here without issue.
Rating: ♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥=Good/fine/sold