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The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Wheeler Large Print Cozy Mystery) | 
 enlarge | Author: Alice Kimberly
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
Category: Book
Buy New: $25.95
New (15) Used (4) from $25.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 1689677
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Lrg
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 423
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 1597228338
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781597228336
ASIN: 1597228338
Publication Date: October 17, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
The local Film Noir festival takes a dark turn when a legendary femme fatale is nearly killed. Now, bookstore owner Penelope Thornton-McClure enlists the help of Jack Shepard, P.I.even though he and his license expired more than fifty years ago.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Review of "The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library" January 4, 2009
I really like this series revolving around female-sleuth Penelope Thornton-McClure and her Haunted Bookshop called "Buy the Book". I love the dialog between her and Jack the Ghost, even though his time was the 1940's and hers is now. When he takes her back in time into his world, women were meant to be seen and not heard. To see how she reacts makes this series all the more fun for me. Can't wait for more!
Another Great Mystery Yarn By A Master January 1, 2009
Alice Kimberly's Haunted Bookshop Mystery series is a treat for cozy mystery readers. The conceit of having a single mom team up with a ghost of a private eye from the late 1940s might not, on the surface, seem like it would work, but Kimberly has done a swell (to use the 1940s lingo) job over her last four books. The fifth book is due out in January 2009.
Alice Kimberly is a pseudonym for two writers. Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini are real life husband and wife. In addition to the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, they also write the Coffeehouse Mysteries under the name Cleo Coyle. They've authored several other books in addition to these two popular mystery series.
Penelope Thornton-McClure is hosting an author signing at Buy The Book, the bookstore she owns with her aunt Sadie. To complement the opening of the renovated Movie Town Theater and its Film Noir Festival, Pen has several authors lined up to sign books. The event turns out even more successful than the businessman involved expected after legendary and reclusive screen actress Hedda Geist agrees to do a signing.
One of the best things about this series is the supporting cast. Brainert and Seymour had me cracking up several times as they continued their longstanding feud. Fiona and Aunt Sadie weren't on hand as much in this novel but they still lent their support when needed. Although I've never been to Rhode Island, I feel like I know this town well. I liked the way Bud has stepped forward to challenge Councilwoman Marjorie Binder-Smith for her seat. Even though the books can be read independently and in any order, there is an organic feel to them. The lives of the characters and the town are progressing and are part of the reason I keep returning to the series. I want to find out what happens to these people. It's a good hook, and the authors do a great job of it.
Back in the day, Hedda Geist played femme fatales in cheaply made noir films. She was picked as a star on the rise and even headhunted by other studios. That all stopped the day she accidentally killed Irving Vreen, the studio exec she was contacted to. Those events continued to follow Geist around and basically killed her career before it really started.
Jack Shepard, the ghost PI that haunts Buy The Book, also crossed paths with Geist back in 1948 while on another case. He was investigating a local district attorney who was cheating on his wife. One of the interesting twists I liked about the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries series, and there's a lot to like, is the way one of Jack's old cold cases dovetails with the investigation Pen gets involved with. Sometimes the tie between the cases is obvious, but the novel takes unexpected twists and turns that always keep me turning pages to see if I've got everything figured out. In the end both cases get solved.
As always, the book is fast paced. Cozies aren't traditionally known for fast pacing, nor for much in the way of changing locations. The authors deliver that pacing effortlessly and move the novel's actions around town instead of stagnating in one place. The dialogue is exceptionally well done also. Knowing that a husband and wife are writing the books sometimes makes me wonder if they each write from a particular character's point of view or if they have learned to write both points of view.
I always block out the time to read these books from cover to cover. Or as close to that as I can manage. The mysteries are challenging and interesting enough that I want to know if I'm as sleuthy as I like to think I am.
Like all the other books in the series, THE GHOST AND THE FEMME FATALE is a lighthearted romp with plenty of guesswork. Every time I thought I'd figured out who had done it in this one, that person ended up dead. The false leads were played perfectly and fairly. And this one kept me guessing all the way until the final few pages. Mystery novels just don't get any better than this.
If you haven't picked up a Haunted Bookshop Mystery before, this is a really good one to start with. You don't have to worry about spoilers. If you like this one, you can go back and hunt down the earlier books.
 Another Great Installment December 8, 2008
The Ghost and the Fem Fatale is another in a great series of fun and fast little mysteries. People who have stuck with the series this long know the score Alice Kimberly does both sensitive bookshop owner (Pen) and hard boiled detective (Jack) really well. The gang is all here to help Pen solve this latest crime a series of murders at the town Film Noir Festival.
Overall-This installment is solid enough but (and I never thought I would say this) Spencer is virtually absent. This seemed odd to me.
Good mystery July 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this mystery. Penelope and Jack have a certain chemistry that keeps me coming back for more. A nice cozy mystery, but, not the first in the series. So, if you want to read this book, look back at this author's previous books in this series.
Ghost & The Bookseller June 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am really enjoying these "ghost stories." The interaction between Mrs. McClure and Jack are heartwarming in their differences due to generation changes. I did miss the opening chapter dealing with Jack's death/murder in 1948 but there are other 'scenes' that do make up for the ommission. I look forward to how the relationship is dealt with between human and ghost in the future.
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