I still love Jack Shepard, although I’m glad that the use of “doll” and “baby” were toned down in his vocabulary. Not that it doesn’t fit his character, but in the last book it was so overused that it got a bit annoying. And that’s just my opinion. I do like getting to know Jack’s history by seeing it through Penelope’s dreams. That definitely seems like it could happen in a realistic fantasy world! ( )

Penelope is the co-owner, with her aunt Sadie, of a small university town bookshop that specializes in rare books. She's widowed and raising a ten year old son, and she spends her days accompanied telepathically by the ghost of a 1940's hardboiled detective named Jack who died in her shop and can read her mind.
When Sadie and Penelope are called urgently to elderly Peter Chelsey's run-down mansion in the middle of a storm, they are puzzled about why the man needs them to remove stacks of old valuable books so immediately. They take the books, including a famously rare collection of Edgar Allen Poe, but returning to the mansion after just a few minutes, they find Peter dead at the bottom of the stairs he had just claimed he never used. Both the women believe someone else was in the house and Penelope and Jack sets out to prove that Peter was murdered and that the rare books are involved.
My cover claims Alice Kimberly as the author but LT has it as Cleo Coyle. ( )

Penelope and Sadie are given a complete set of Phelp's Poe books. As their employee is unpacking the box he finds something which point to a puzzle in the books. But is it true? Why all the deaths related to these books? Penelope is arrested and has to set out to clear her name and solve the mystery with the help of Jack and her friends.

I enjoyed this book. I like that Jack had a case similar to this one and shows Penelope how to solve the mystery. I felt the mystery was well done. It kept me enthralled. I wanted to know if the puzzle existed and what was the solution. I also wanted to know who the murderer was. I am loving this series and cannot wait to read the next one. ( )

Moments after being given a rare set of Edgar Allan Poe books, Pen finds the owner dead in his rickety old house. Who did it? Aided by the ghost of hard-boiled 1940's private eye Jack Shepard, Penelope Thornton-McClure must find the killer who may be targeting others, including herself, especially since the cops don't think the death was anything but accidental, or any of those that follow. Great little mystery, nice teaming of the Pen, the bookstore owner, and the voice-only ghost, trapped in the old bookstore because that's where he was killed many decades ago. Works much more smoothly than you'd think and goes down easily. Recommended. ( )

Another good entry to this series. Jack (the ghost) and Penelope get involved with a very old mystery, one that revolves around Edgar Allan Poe. There are deaths that result and many of the people close to her are either in danger or injured but all are determined to help her.

While I really like the series there was a bit to much obscure Poe lore for me. It has been a long time since I read much of Poe's works and it was hard to keep track of some of the details.

Still, I like the series and will continue to keep it in my reading rotation. ( )