A ghostly light

A Ghostly Light by Juliet Blackwell is the seventh book in A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series.  Mel Turner, general contractor and head of Turner Construction, is starting a new project.  Mel is working with Alicia Withers to turn the beautiful old Victorian Bay Light lighthouse and the keeper’s lodge into an inn (with restaurant) on Lighthouse Island.  Alicia deserves happiness after escaping from abusive ex-husband, Thorn Webster.  Mel and Alicia are touring the keeper’s house when Alicia goes still and pale.  Thorn Webster steps inside the cottage and wants to speak with Alicia.  Buzz, the security guard, escorts Thorn back to the dock, but Mel knows they have not seen the last of him.  A little while later, the pair are at the lighthouse with Alicia at the top (Mel is having issues with heights since her last recent brush with death).  Mel hears Alicia scream and then Thorn tumbles down the stairs.  Alicia arrives on the scene with blood on her hands.  Unfortunately, Alicia becomes the prime suspect in Thorn’s death (she had a good motive).  Mel knows she did not kill Thorn and sets out to find the real culprit.  Matters are further complicated by a couple of ghosts.  Thorn is now haunting the island (and being a literal thorn in Mel’s side) and a female ghost in the lighthouse who has issues with men.   Can Mel help find closure for the ghosts and capture Thorn’s killer?  It looks like rough seas ahead for Mel in A Ghostly Light.

A Ghostly Light is an entertaining paranormal cozy mystery.  The book contains good characters and the beautiful setting of San Francisco.  Mel is a nice, strong female character with foibles that make her feel real.  Mel is having issues with heights since her brush with death on a roof in the last novel.  She is trying to overcome this weakness, but it is slow going (especially since she refuses most suggestions).  I did feel that it was a little overplayed in the story.  It was mentioned a few too many times.  I enjoyed the humor provided by Mel’s family.  It lightens up the story.  Mel has such a great, diverse family (very lifelike).  I am rating A Ghostly Light 4 out of 5 stars.  The writing is good (as always), but the pace was a little slow.  There is quite a bit of information (historical facts, character backgrounds) injected into the story that slowed down the flow.  Included in A Ghostly Light is the murder, ghosts, treasure map, protestors, Mel’s issue with heights, Landon not being liked by all family members, various construction projects, and Mel needing a dress for the ballet.  There is some repetition of information (needed to be eliminated).  The identity of Thorn’s killer was a cinch to figure out.  I could discern it before Mel left Lighthouse Island after the murder.  The mystery of female ghost was appealing, and I was curious to see how it would unfold.  I especially liked the treasure (something I would cherish).  A Ghostly Light is the seventh book in the series, but you can read it alone.  Readers are given all the necessary details needed to enjoy A Ghostly Light (though I have enjoyed reading all the books in A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series).   I look forward to the next book in this engaging series.

Mel Turner specializes in renovating and restoring historic homes, particularly haunted ones. Her latest project is helping her friend Alicia turn an abandoned San Francisco Bay-area lighthouse into a B&B. It's going to take an enormous amount of money and logistical maneuvering, but things are right on schedule...until Alicia's abusive ex-husband appears on the island and is killed soon after. Since Alicia finds him at the top of the lighthouse with a knife in his chest and tries to help him just before he falls down the stairs and dies, she's Suspect #1. Mel knows Alicia is innocent and starts doing some investigating of her own to help the police uncover the real culprit. 

Meanwhile, the ghost of a former lighthouse keeper, Ida Vigilance, is desperate to know what happened to her son over a century ago, and her grief is causing difficulty with the renovations, so Mel recruits her friends Luz and Trish to help her search for clues among historical records. 

The latest installment in the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series has it all: plot twists; characters you wish you knew in real life; funny, snappy dialogue; and a setting you can practically see and feel. Although you could read book #7 by itself, it's best read in order to fully appreciate the character development, particularly Mel & Landon's relationship and her recent-onset vertigo.

For readers' advisors: all four doorways are strong, particularly story and character. No sex or onscreen violence. Only an occasional mild swear word. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review. This is probably my favorite book in the series so far. Looking forward to #8 now!