Gone With the Ghost

by Erin McCarthy

Series: Murder by Design (#1)

Published by: SilverHart Publishing

May 22nd, 2017

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Format: eBook

Source: Free (Amazon)

Rating: 5 Stars

     Bailey Burke has had a rough six months—it’s not easy thinking your romantic overtures toward your best friend caused him to kill himself. Except that’s exactly what happened. Ryan is very much dead, having shot himself with his own police-issued gun. Guilt and grief shouldn’t cause hallucinations though, but six months after Ryan went into the ground, Bailey is freaking out and swearing his ghost is standing in her kitchen. Which he is…

     Ryan claims he didn’t commit suicide, but was murdered, and he needs Bailey to help him find his killer so he can earn his ticket out of purgatory. Ryan’s counting on a stairway to heaven, as opposed to wings, since that might be a little unmanly for a cop, even a dead one.

     An expert in home design, with her own staging business, Bailey can tell you where to place a couch to improve flow and comfort, but solving a crime? Not her area of expertise. But with help from Ryan’s former partner, Marner, she is unraveling the mystery of what happened to Ryan that day… and unwittingly putting herself in grave danger.

     I chose this book as part of my 2018 Romance Roundabout Reading Challenge.

     This kind of book (cozy mystery) is something I've never dabbled into and I have to say I loved every moment of it.

     Bailey Burke is a home stager that has been grieving for her best friend for the past six months thinking that her confession of love was what sent him to the path of killing himself. It isn't until one morning she walks into her kitchen and learns the truth about Ryan been killed because his ghost told her so.

     Ryan has chosen Bai to help him solve the mystery of his death because the last thing he remembers is walking that morning into her house. From there is a roller coaster of possible suspects, evidence, and second guessings.

     I loved the mystery of Ryans death. Ms. McCarthy has you turning the pages faster than the speed of light with every new development trying to find the killer (or is there a killer?) and second-guessing yourself with every sentence written.

     At the end, I was very surprised at how things happened for Ryan and I can't wait to read the rest of the books. To see what other trouble Bailey gets to.