Tome Thursday: Here Ghost Nothing

 

Hello everyone!

 

I'm back with a slightly shorter book to review this week, but that's okay because I'm probably going to drag out some sort of behemoth some other time.

 

I usually do, in any event.

 

But that doesn't mean the book I picked is bad or anything of the sort!

 

Actually, it's the kind of cozy read that I really love during the late autumn/early spring days, when it's still dreary enough outside that you want to just snuggle up under a blanket and not leave your room for the foreseeable future.

 

Anyone else feel that way? No? Just me? Hmm ..

 

Anyway, without further ado, let's hop right back in, because Salem awaits us, and it isn't with the witch trials, either.

 

It's with an amateur sleuth who returns in Here Ghost Nothing!

 

Links to previous posts can be found at the bottom of the page, as always.

 

With Dina Marie announcing that the fourth book in this series is releasing at the beginning of April, I was reminded that I'd never truly reviewed the third one yet - or the two novellas that released in between some of these main books!

 

So Here Ghost Nothing picks up with Clara Kelly who's opening her very own bed and breakfast situation, has just gotten a set of business cards in the mail, and decides to randomly sponsor this Youtuber who's coming to Salem to spend the night at a supposedly haunted house.

 

Kai has this online show that people RAVE about, where he does a daredevil thing every episode (from sleeping in a nest of snakes to spending the night in freezing weather conditions) and donates proceeds to the charity of his choice.

 

He picks a "haunted" house in Salem to sleep the night in, and if he survives until the next morning, then the charity gets their money. If, however, the ghost or paranormal being haunting the house gets him in the night, then no money goes anywhere.

 

Ha ha, you say, this has to be the world's worse premise.

 

Except, Clara can see ghosts, so she KNOWS this house is actually haunted - by a lovely deceased young mother and her baby who'd never hurt a fly - and Kai IS in fact killed during the night.

 

But he's killed via pillow-smothering, not anything ghostly, so obviously there's a murderer out there.

 

As Clara and the other sponsors, as well as Kai's crew and his mother, are the only ones who know this in the morning upon trying to wake him, his mom begs them to buy her time so she can find some sort of loophole in the contract for the money to still go through, or alternately, to help her solve this case.

 

Through asking questions and looking at various pieces of uncovered evidence, it turns out every single person there had motive to get rid of Kai, himself not the most pleasant person on the planet (I mean, seriously, the amount of self-absorbed this due is and we get to meet through his ghost as he talks to Clara is giggle-inducing).

 

In the end it all boils down to an episode of his show that he had done on his own without knowledge of his crew: he took DNA samples from all of them and dug into THEIR personal history without their permission, and was going to air the episode.

 

The only problem?

 

One of the crew members had Nazi connections in the family, and if you're thinking that this crew member is probably the person with the strongest motive ... you'd be right.

 

After falsely accusing several among each other, Clara tugs the sleeve of the obnoxious journalist Taylor to get the REAL murderer - who didn't want his grandfather's Nazi-ties revealed, especially as he was hoping to eventually make his own web show - under lock and key.

 

Oh, and she also blackmails him into helping her clear the name of her own resident ghost, William, who was accused of treason and hanged for it back in the day.

 

After kicking her sister-in-law off the property (sister-in-law seems determined, for some as yet unexplained reason, to kick Clara ot of there), Clara celebrates William's birthday with him and gets him his very own phone, then cajoles him into making a wish.

 

And that's where we leave them, happily embarking on their new bed-and-breakfast adventure, with probably MORE mysteries to uncover in future!

 

I got this book as an ARC, by the by, and ahhhh more Clara and William! Listen I really don't much care for Sebastian lol sue me, I'm #TeamWilliam all the way.

The story itself is fairly straightforward and easy to follow as well as to pick out clues and facts. Sad to say Clara isn't really the sharpest crayon sometimes but, I suppose she's learning with each passing murder. Er, story. I DO like how she's standing up to her ex-SIL and I hope Allison gets hers ASAP.

The Youtuber, unlike the previous author victim, is definitely less precious and adorable, but I really like the motley array of characters and the community of Salem the author's building. Will definitely be coming back for more!

 

xx

*image not mine

 

Going Ghost - Ghost Writer