Just a bit too chaste for me. ( )

So there has been almost a 10 year wait for Jack and Pen to return. I had no idea until after I read this book since I’ve only recently started this series. And return he does, with as much attitude and sexiness as ever.
Well written and feels updated without being obvious. And Jack is now my Facebook friend! ( )

Once again Penelope stumbles across a body while trying to do a kindness for a bookstore patron. Questions are in Penelope's mind about her customer when she runs out claiming her photo is on the back of the latest blockbuster and runs out of the shop with the book. Penelope starts investigating when she finds the body and does not agree with the police assessment of suicide. She then finds other deaths which may be connected to this one.

I enjoyed this book. Jack puts his two cents worth in as he pulls Penelope into his past with cases that parallel this case. Spencer is growing up and Penelope is not ready for it as he helps a friend who is going through the same thing he did. Poor Eddie is put through the ringer between Penelope and the merchants. This is fun. I did not figure out the murderer until it was explained at the end. I look forward to the next installment. ( )

Fun, fluff book. Cover pretty much describes the tale. ( )

I am not a patient book lover. I don't usually wait long periods of time for a new book in a series. But....there are a few favorites that I don't mind waiting on. The Haunted Bookshop Mystery series is one of those favorites. The husband and wife writing team wrote five books in this series from 2004-2009, and a sixth book was announced. I even knew the title. But.....no book. Assuming publisher/agent/contractual issues at work behind the scenes, I waited patiently. For almost 10 years.

Then......in February this year I saw the book once again had a release date. I have never pre-ordered a book so fast in my life! :) I love this cozy mystery series! The first five books have been waiting patiently on my keeper shelf for their new buddy to show up. And, today, my lovely brand new paperback copy showed up on my porch. Release day delivery is the bomb! I've had a digital review copy of this book on my computer for months....and I read the first half....but I wanted a real physical copy in my hand to finish the story.

This afternoon as soon as all my adulting was done, I shut myself in my room and finished the mystery book I waited 10 years to read.

Loved it!

Bookshop owner Pen McClure is haunted by the ghost of a 1940s detective, Jack Shephard. Jack can be a pain at times, but he also helps her when problems arise. Like murders, dead bodies, criminal investigations....run of the mill events around her store, Buy the Book. In this long-anticipated sixth book in the series, Pen is excited about brisk sales for a new racy bestseller, Shades of Leather, until a customer takes one look at the cover and runs out of the shop without paying for the book. That's just the first weird event. People associated with the book start dropping dead. Sex sells.....but sometimes it also kills. Pen & Jack are on the case again, hoping to track down what's so killer about the spicy new release.

It was so awesome to finally get to read another mystery with Pen and Jack! So worth the wait!

The first five books were published under the pseudonym Alice Kimberly. Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini published this new book under Cleo Coyle, the penname they use for their Coffeehouse Mystery series (another cozy series I love!).

Can't wait for the next book! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )