Ellen Elizabeth Hunter

Ashley Wilkes is excited that her home has been selected for Wilmington's annual Candlelight Tour of its historic homes, even though she hasn't completed its renovation. The home's previous owner never allowed it to be open for the tour. Ashley isn't so excited when a friend is murdered during the tour. What secrets does her house harbor?

The mystery showed promise until the last few chapters, where it took a strange turn with the addition of a Wiccan, tarot card readings, etc. I wasn't show more expecting that. Even though I had guessed which of the suspects was the murderer, the resolution of the murder depended on knowledge that wasn't shared with readers until the final summation. I didn't care for the romance between Ashley and the homicide detective, and I think I'd quickly tire of their relationship if I read more books in the series. The strong Christmas theme made this an enjoyable holiday read, but I don't have much interest in reading other books in this series. show less

I enjoyed this book very much. I was in the mood to read a cozy mystery, and this certainly fit the bill. There are actually several murders in the book, but since all seem to be related, Ashley decides that solving one will solve all. I enjoyed the setting. I liked the main character, Ashley, but did not really care for her sister, Melanie. Melanie's character is all over the place emotionally, and I could never tell if she really liked Ashley or not.

The part in the book when we realize show more that Ashley's mom has dementia was unexpectedly sad for me. Caring for a parent with dementia and having to make decisions for them really rang true to me.

The thing that bothered me most about the book was even though the title included "ghost", I felt that the book barely touched on any supernatural presence, and really only at the very end. It seemed like a throw away move to me.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this book. It was a quick read, and entertaining. show less

Ashley Wilkes' home is on the Candlelight Tour for Wilmington, NC's Christmas season. At the close of the first evening, a body is found in the library with another of her friends holding a poker in his hand. Ashley is convinced he did not commit the dastardly deed. A robbery occurred in 1960 that remained unsolved. Is there a tie between the present murders and the robbery? Ashley becomes involved in the case despite her homicide-investigator-boyfriend's best efforts to keep her out of it. show more I was ready to give this mystery 4 stars until the introduction late in the book of a character who practiced Wicca that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot on hand and whose Wiccan blessing and practice had no bearing on the outcome of the story. It was totally unnecessary and narrows the appeal of the novel. Then there were some other flaws that began to spring up such as the mention of something that she had withheld from her boyfriend that was treated as though they'd already discussed it. show less

I liked the North Carolina history but this cozy is of a type that I don't care for - those in which the case is solved not by investigation or logic but by intuition, coincindence and confession. Oh well...