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 her 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 ended her career before it really started.
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