Merry Merry Ghost - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
Susan shakily reached out for the mask and held it to her face. Slowly her breathing eased. The bluish tinge faded from her face. She put aside the mask, sank back against the chair. "I'm tired now." Her voice was faint. "Tomorrow I'll read everything." Her voice was flagging. Susan gathered up the papers, replaced them in the envelope. "Mitch's little boy... tomorrow... some toys... I'll talk to Wade... He'll take the proper steps, make everything official." Tears glistened in her eyes. "Mitch's little boy..." She twisted to look up at Peg. "Take good care of him."
Susan Pritchard Flynn is the last living Pritchard. At least that's what she thought until Keith showed up at her door shortly before Christmas. He arrives with a note stating that he is her grandson. His father was Sergeant First Class Mitchell Pritchard Flynn who had been killed in the line of duty. Keith also carried an envelope that contained his father's medals and a birth certificate from the military hospital in Germany. Susan and her deceased husband Tom had two children. Their daughter Ellen had been killed in a car accident and Mitch had left home shortly afterwards. They had not heard from him since. And when she was notified by the military that he had been killed, she was without true Pritchards to pass her estate on to. But Keith's arrival changed all of that.
It also threatened the inheritance that was expected by Tom's relatives who had lived with her and through her generosity. Susan's original will was to leave the main house to Jake who had spent years taking care of the house and Susan. Tucker, who was currently maintaining the ranch would have it signed over to him upon her death. The others, Gina, Harrison and Peg would receive equal shares of the balance, amounting to several million each. And then there was Peg's boyfriend Dave who hounded Susan to loan him enough money, interest free, to open his own clinic. So what steps will be taken to keep Susan from signing a new will leaving everything to Keith? And who will take those steps?
That is where Bailey Ruth Raeburn comes in. Bailey Ruth is a ghost who lived in Adelaide, OK before her death. She and her husband were on their boat when it capsized. Their bodies never found. Bailey Ruth is spunky and even though she tries, she doesn't always follow Heaven's rules of how an "Emissary" is supposed to act. She sometimes fudges just a bit but all in the line of accomplishing the task at hand. And that task is to keep Keith safe.
When I read Merry Merry Ghost, I had one author come to mind... Mary Higgins Clark. This book is so light hearted and loving...yet it's still a murder mystery. The characters are so believable and their thoughts and actions are so understandable under the circumstances. Even Bailey Ruth becomes so real that if you don't already believe in Angels, you just might start. This is the first book I've read by Carolyn Hart but I can promise you, I will be reading more.
