The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait

Cleo Coyle

May 2021 · Haunted Bookshop Mystery Book 7 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and her gumshoe ghost team up to solve the stunning mystery at the heart of a madwoman’s self-portrait in this all new installment from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
 
While gathering a collection of vintage book cover paintings for a special event in her quaint Rhode Island bookshop, Penelope discovers a spooky portrait of a beautiful woman, one who supposedly went mad, according to town gossip. Seymour, the local mailman, falls in love with the haunting image and buys the picture, refusing to part with it, even as fatal accidents befall those around it. Is the canvas cursed? Or is something more sinister at work?
 
For answers, Pen turns to an otherworldly source: Jack Shepard, PI. Back in the 1940s, Jack cracked a case of a killer cover artist, and (to Pen’s relief) his spirit is willing to help her solve this mystery, even if he and his license did expire decades ago.

Ratings and reviews

The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait by Cleo Coyle is the 7th A Haunted Bookshop Mystery. This enchanting cozy mystery can be read as a standalone for those new to the series or if you have missed a tome or two. This is an entertaining and unique cozy mystery series. I love visiting Penelope and Jack Shepard. Penelope and her two bickering friends are off to pick up some artwork that will displayed at Buy the Book as part of an exhibit. They end up finding the owner dead and it relates back to a case Jack investigated before his death. I like how the past and present tie-in together. It is neat how Penelope gets to “see” Jack’s memories. The interplay between Jack and Penelope is delightful. The mystery was complex which makes it fun to solve. There are good suspects, a red herring, and exciting twists. I appreciated that everything was neatly wrapped up at the end. The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait is well-written with friendly, developed characters. Buy the Book is a wonderful place to visit with its charming owners. The romance between Penelope and Jack is special. We can see how love can transcend time and space (reminds me of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir). I enjoy the 1940s lingo. The authors captured how a 1940s PI would talk and act. This cozy mystery has good friends, close family, mysterious acts, a dead art collector, books, and humor. The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait is a unique cozy mystery with precious paintings, a dashing detective, ambiguous acts, concealed clues, treasured tomes, and a suspicious specter.

outstanding book

About the author

CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of The Coffeehouse Mysteries, now celebrating over ten years in print. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together, including the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries.