Kate Racculia

Tuesday Mooney has always been a bit odd and, ever since her best friend disappeared back in high school, keeps everyone at arm's length. At one of the fundraisers she was working with, an old eccentric rich man dies, and then leaves behind a treasure hunt that he announces in his obituary. Deciding to try her hand, Tuesday finds possible allies in Archie, a rich young man she meets at the fundraiser, Dex, who's been her somewhat distanced friend for awhile, and Dorry, her teenage next door show more neighbor. But all of the players have a motive of their own and secrets they keep from each other while working on the puzzle.

This was so much fun to read! I enjoyed the setting of Boston, the quirky characters, and the way the plot unfolded as they attempted to solve the puzzle. There were enough solid, grounding details that I could accept some of the more fanciful elements, including a ghost who may or may not be talking to Tuesday throughout. The puzzle and general plot kept me guessing, and the solution was satisfying. show less

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts is an enjoyable mystery, the first of what I hope will be a series featuring the stubborn researcher Tuesday Mooney. Mooney is a character after my own heart, prickly, solitary, and brilliant. She works as a researcher for a large hospital fundraising office, preparing dossiers on donors so the development staff can cultivate major donors. She is working on of their events when she meets Archie, an appealing rogue who is so very different from his dossier. At show more the same event, an eccentric billionaire, Vincent Pryce, suddenly dies.

When Pryce’s will announces that the winners of a treasure hunt will inherit his fortune, Tuesday and Archie team up, mostly because Archie offers to pay her. They, along with some help from her best friend Dex and her teenage neighbor Dorry, collaborate in a loose and somewhat wavering alliance. They have that special love of the macabre that helps them in the contest. That and Tuesday Mooney talks to ghosts. More accurately, she listens to one particular ghost, her best friend who disappeared one night while they were still in school

I enjoyed Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts a lot. I liked Tuesday. She’s smart, but so are other people. She screws up, but she admits it. She is a good friend, even when she transgresses. I thought the mystery was fair, though the penny dropped for me a bit sooner than for Tuesday, but then pheromones may have clouded her thinking. I appreciate the way this book sets itself up for a series featuring Tuesday and the others. This is a light, cozy mystery with a dash of ghostly shivers.

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Kate Racculia author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/9780358023937/ show less

A rich, eccentric old Bostonian dies and leaves his fortune and collection of bizarre objects to anyone who can follow the clues he left around the city. Tuesday Mooney, black-clad introvert, loves a good puzzle, but to solve this one she'll need help from her friend Dex (whom she's always kept at arm's length), her tween next-door neighbor Dorry, and a handsome mysterious millionaire. Wait, why would a millionaire care about inheriting a fortune?

I'm not sure what to say about this book show more except that it hits me in exactly the right spot. The characters are complicated and relatable, and the plot is fun. Very Boston-y. The plot twists are twisty. And there are real consequences for the stupid things people do in the name of figuring out the mystery! What more could you want? show less

Arthur Rook's wife Amy is killed in a workplace accident. Arthur cannot comprehend that she is well and truly gone from his life. In going through her closet, he comes upon a pink shoebox filled with tiny treasures and mementos.

And an unmailed postcard from 16 years ago that reads:

"Mona, I'm sorry. I should have told you. Anyway I left you the best parts of myself. You know where to look. Amy
So Arthur in his grief, set out to Ruby Falls, New York to find Mona and maybe learn more about Amy show more and the past she never talked about.

This Must Be the Place is not really about Amy though. It's about those she left behind - Mona, her daughter Oneida and Arthur. For each of them, Amy played a pivotal role in their lives. As Arthur struggles to come to terms with Amy's death, Mona is forced to confront her past. Secrets long buried can no longer be kept hidden.

Kate Racculia's book was a wonderful find for me. There is the mystery of Amy's past, but for me it was the exploration of relationships that I found attractive. Mona and her love for her daughter Oneida. Oneida's complicated coming of age (this was a great subplot) and Arthur and Mona's tentative reaching out to each other and the loss of Amy. The book is populated with marvellously quirky characters that lend an almost enchanted feel to the Darby-Jones boarding house Mona runs. I did guess Amy's secret about halfway through, but it didn't detract from enjoying the rest of the book at all.

A great debut by a new voice. I enjoyed Racculia's whimsical, unique tale and characters very much and look forward to her next offering. show less