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Summary
Summary
In the tenth Bailey Ruth ghost novel from New York Times bestselling Grand Master of Mystery, Carolyn Hart, the "charmer of a detective" (Kirkus Reviews) takes on a puzzler of a mystery when she's sent to Adelaide, Oklahoma to rescue a woman in trouble.The late - as in Dearly Departed - Bailey Ruth Raeburn is delighted when she's assigned a new mission by Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, even if she is no good at following the rules for Earthly Visitations. This time she's determined to be the perfect unseen emissary, no matter what it takes.Arriving late in the evening in her old hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma to find a woman drowning in a pond, Bailey Ruth carries out a daring rescue with textbook invisible effort. But Bailey Ruth soon realizes there's more to Fran's accident than a late-night walk gone wrong. The young widow was running away - but what from?Soon Bailey Ruth finds herself caught up in a complex web of family secrets, loyalties and lies - and if she doesn't act fast, an innocent will be locked up for a very long time . . .Like a warm hug from a loved one, GHOST BLOWS A KISS is the perfect escapist read for cozy mystery fans, whether you're old friends with the lively, always entertaining Bailey Ruth or have yet to make her acquaintance.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In MWA Grand Master Hart's enjoyable 10th Bailey Ruth ghost novel (after 2019's Ghost Ups Her Game), spectral sleuth Bailey Ruth Raeburn saves Adelaide, Okla., antiques dealer Frances Loring from drowning, only to find Frances accused of murder. Frances has been captured on security camera footage taken shortly before the discovery of the body of wealthy Sylvia Chandler. However, Frances was on the scene to head off her volatile artist half-brother, Travis, who had a beef with Sylvia, and Sylvia's stepchildren and their spouses stand to gain from her death as prospective heirs to the sizable estate of Sylvia's dying husband. Determined to find the culprit, Bailey Ruth squares off against the acting chief of police, who's more concerned with ingratiating himself with the mayor and the well-heeled Chandlers than running a thorough investigation. Another death complicates the case, and a subplot with Frances and the widowed detective Don Smith adds poignancy. With the warmhearted and stubborn Bailey Ruth, Hart pleases longtime fans and should win new readers. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary/ICM Partners. (July)
Kirkus Review
A love story mixes with murder to be solved by a heavenly fixer. Bailey Ruth Raeburn is one of the most accomplished members of Heaven's Department of Good Intentions despite her rebellious ways. This time out, the redheaded firecracker is deposited in Adelaide, Oklahoma, just in time to rescue Fran Loring and her sister-in-law Jennifer's dog from drowning. Not far away, Fran's brother, Travis, a self-absorbed artist, enters the library of the gracious Chandler family home to find his wealthy patron, Sylvia Chandler, lying dead in front of the fireplace, covered in blood. The rest of the Chandler family is at home because the patriarch, Arthur, is on his deathbed. At first Bailey Ruth isn't worried, since her old friend Chief of Police Sam Cobb can be trusted to sort things out. But Sam's on leave, and acting chief Howie Harris is a self-satisfied incompetent who immediately seizes on Fran, who left distinctive boot prints nearby, as the obvious culprit. Fran's side is taken by handsome police detective Don Smith, who believes she's being set up. In her alter ego as Detective M. Loy, Bailey Ruth questions Arthur's children, who stand to inherit a lot of money if their stepmother, Sylvia, died before their father, in her quest for the killer and a happy ending for Fran and Don. Bailey Ruth's infectiously happy crime-solving makes up for her series' repetitive storylines. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With a brief warning of imminent danger and dark water, Baily Ruth Raeburn begins her task, riding the Rescue Express to Adelaide, Oklahoma, her hometown. Bailey Ruth is a heavenly emissary, or ghost, sent by the Department of Good Intentions to help an earthly mortal in trouble. Upon arrival, she rescues a young woman and a dog from a lake, thinking that might be her assignment. But saving Fran from the dark lake is just the beginning. At the mansion by the lake, the acting chief of police, who is trying to impress the mayor with his efficiency, rushes through the investigation of the murder of the wife of a dying corporate executive, seeking to pin it on an intruder, not a member of one of the town's leading families. Finding Fran's boot print on the lawn puts Fran in his sights. Then, Bailey Ruth goes to work. As usual, she violates most of the precepts for an emissary's behavior on Earth, as she slides through locked doors, appears as a detective, and steals passwords to log into police computers, providing delight to fans of this well-established series, all while seeking to prove Fran's innocence.
Library Journal Review
When there's danger, Wiggins, stationmaster for Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, sends an emissary to intervene. There's an emergency in Adelaide, OK, so he calls on Bailey Ruth Raeburn to return to her hometown, where Fran Loring is drowning. Bailey Ruth saves Fran, then notices her fixation on a lit-up house nearby. Bailey Ruth heads toward it and arrives at the Chandler mansion just as Sylvia Chandler's body is found. Sylvia's husband is dying, and the family has gathered to learn if they are his heirs; that's when Sylvia is killed. Instead of investigating the influential family members' possible motives to murder Sylvia, Adelaide's acting police chief finds Fran's footprints in the Chandlers' yard and concentrates his investigation on the outsider. With her friend the actual police chief out of action, Bailey Ruth is on her own to find Sylvia's killer and save Fran from becoming a scapegoat. There's even time for a new romance for Fran, who's a grieving widow. VERDICT Fans of paranormal mysteries will appreciate this 10th "Bailey Ruth Ghost" case (after Ghost Ups Her Game), a template for a traditional mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. The likable Bailey Ruth should appeal to fans of Cleo Coyle's "Haunted Bookshop" mysteries.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN