Author: Kitty French
Narrator: Cat Gould
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: March 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Welcome to Chapelwick, a leafy English town in the hills of Shropshire, where chocolate pecan cookies come with a helping of sabotage.
Maplemead Castle is crawling with ghosts, and the new owners need them gone. When Melody Bittersweet and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency arrive on scene, they quickly identify the troublemakers swinging from the chandeliers...literally.
A century ago, stunning trapeze artist Britannia Lovell plunged to her death, and has done every night since. But did she really just fall, or was there something more to her demise?
Forced to work with Leo Dark, her scoundrel ex, and infuriating, irresistible reporter Fletcher Gunn, Melody's investigative powers are under strain (i.e., lost in a pink mist of lust and confusion). She needs her team on top form, but best friend Marina's cake pipeline goes AWOL, assistant Artie's distracted by a giant sausage roll, and the pug is scared witless by a lion.
Somewhere, hidden in the castle, is a heartbreaking secret, but what will it take to find it? And is there a chance it could set Britannia free, or is she doomed to repeat her last fateful act forever?
My Thoughts: Melody Bittersweet is back with her friends and one-eared Pug, Lestat to clear Maplemead Castle from a circus troupe of ghosts and their lion. Yes, there’s a ghost lion named Goliath who Lestat makes his displeasure about known. Melody’s ex, Leo Dark, and reporter Fletcher Gunn are also back which I thought added more interesting aspects to the story.
I enjoyed this book very much and couldn’t wait to find out the backstory of the ghostly circus performers and the author didn’t disappoint. This story had me laughing out loud, especially when Lestat squares off to a ghost lion and made my eyes tear up when I learned the tragic story of Britannia as well as learning more about Fletcher’s back story. He really grew on me in this installment and I am eager to see if he and Melody continue to connect. Surprisingly, I also felt less irritation and annoyance towards Leo this time around.
I liked Melody and found her easy to relate to and appreciate the care and concern she demonstrates for both the living and the deceased. I keep hoping that Marina and Artie will get together too but so far, they remain steadfast colleagues.
This story offers the perfect blend of fun, charm, mystery, intrigue and romance fans of cozy mysteries will expect. The characters are easy to connect with and relate to and the plot flows smoothly. If you prefer audiobook formats, the narration of this book was expertly performed by Cat Gould.
This book ends on the assumption that Melody and her crew will be starting another case but so far I have been unable to confirm there will be a third book in this series. I hope there will be because it would be a great disappointment to see this series stall with so many unanswered questions.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this story was fantastic and I highly recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries, romances, stories featuring dogs with or without both of their ears and ghosts.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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