Carolyn Hart, the best-selling author of the "Death on Demand" series and the "Henrie O" mystery series, has launched a new character with "Ghost at Work." Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a tall, lanky, out-spoken native of central Oklahoma. She's also been dead for more than 30 years. Now she's been sent from heaven to help out the pastor's wife, Kathleen, from her old church.
A Body on the Porch
Bailey gets to earth just in time to see Kathleen standing on her porch, overlooking a man's dead body. Kathleen claims she doesn't know how the body got on the parish porch, but both women know that it won't look good for Kathleen or her husband if it is found there. Although she has a few misgivings about accepting the aid of a ghost, Kathleen lets Bailey help her transport the body to the nearby cemetery and clean up the crime scene.
Cell phones and computers are all new to Bailey, who died more than 25 years earlier. However, she knows that passions run deep in Oklahoma and all of the usual motives for murder – jealousy, greed, lust – all come into play in this murder.
Ghostly Pursuits
Bailey quickly learns that she can wish herself to another place, a useful skill for an investigator. She is also invisible when she wishes to be, but any object she is holding appears to be floating in air. Since Bailey was sent to earth by heaven's Department of Good Intentions, she has rules of conduct to follow (such as no appearing and no "unnatural" events). Her supervisor, Wiggins (a former train conductor), is always having to admonish her for breaking the rules, but even he has to admit that she means well and she gets results.
Ghost at Work, is a welcome addition to Carolyn Hart's large body of work. The character of Bailey is fun without being too saccharine. The story has enough twists and turns to be interesting, but this is mostly a character-driven novel. Readers will be eager to see the next installment in the Bailey series.
About Carolyn Hart
Carolyn Hart is the author of 18 Death on Demand novels, beginning with Death on Demand in 1987. She has also written seven mystery novels featuring Henrie O, including last year's Set Sail for Murder. She has been awarded two Agatha Awards and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a non-fiction work. Ms. Hart lives in Oklahoma City and is a founding member of "Sisters in Crime."
Related Links
- Caroyln Hart Official Web site
- Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
- Santa Cruise by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark
- Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart
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