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| image copied from Google Books |
This is the first book that I've read by Tiffany Jackson and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The fact that this novel is set in Savannah, GA, one of my favorite southern cities to visit, captured my interest right away. Then when I read the blurb and discovered that it also involves a mystery surrounding a haunted mansion, I was hooked.
Ghost in the Night follows twelve-year-old Harmony who is traveling on tour with her jazz musician father after the loss of the grandmother who raised her. Harmony's recent loss has led to her fascination with ghosts and proving their existence. When she and her dad settle in Savannah, GA for his latest tour stop, Harmony is excited to learn that it is
the most haunted city in America. While on a ghost tour, she even believes she might have captured an image of one in the window of an abandoned southern mansion. Intent on investigating further, Harmony soon learns that the ghost she thinks she saw might be linked to the recent death of a beloved member of the community. Delving into what happened and who the apparition might be leads Harmony into more than she could've ever bargained for.
One of the things I loved most about this story was Harmony as the main character. Her voice leapt off the page for me from the very start. She's lively, independent, smart and very brave. Though I did find it a little worrisome that she was given so much independence to wander about strange cities on her own. However, being raised by a single parent who is also a touring musician did lend some credence to this for me. It was enough to suspend my disbelief for the purposes of the story. The other elements I enjoyed about this book were the historical details that were woven into the plot. As someone who has visited Savannah many times, I truly appreciated the Black history woven into the story. Especially, about one of the historic squares and why that particular one is believed to be so haunted. Jackson included this information in a way that made it an integral element of the plot. For instance, we learn right along with Harmony the backstory of the formerly named Calhoun Square and why it's so haunted while she's on her first ghost tour in Savannah. In another part of the story, one of the places Harmony and her friends visit in their search for clues actually offers up interesting bits of history along with further leads for them to follow. It is a clever way to give the reader historical facts about the setting while also moving the plot forward.
Another important aspect about this book is its portrayal of the different ways people handle grief while also tying it to mysterious paranormal elements. It also reveals the different ways people view the supernatural, as well as questioning whether tragedies of the past should be commercialized for entertainment and profit. Should the spirits, if they're out there, be allowed to rest in peace? I recommend you read
Ghost in the Night to come to your own conclusion about that.
Stay tuned for my next review of debut cozy mystery
Murder at the Agency by Kylie Forsythe. The blurb and book cover are both copied from bookshop.org. I'll also be doing a book spotlight in a couple of days for YA suspense thriller,
The Hardest Ones to Fool by Christina Li. The book blurb and cover for it were also copied from bookshop.org.
Who knew the marketing world could be so dangerous?
Just when it seems like everything in twenty-eight year old Cassidy Blayne's life is falling apart, a thrilling coffee shop encounter leads to the opportunity of a lifetime. Landing her dream job as Creative Director with an elite advertising firm in a nearby lakeside town fills her with renewed purpose. She's no longer going to allow herself to settle, and resolves to rebuild her life on her own terms.
But from the moment she steps foot out of the elevator, she senses things may not be as they seem at Turner & Nash Advertising. Despite her wariness, Cassie puts all her energy into landing her first big account. Arriving early on the day of the presentation, she's shocked to find one of the owners dead and herself a suspect.
She embarks on a desperate search for answers, unknowingly putting her and the people she cares about in danger. As she pieces things together with some help from her spunky new roommate, twin childhood best friends, an uptight detective, and a gorgeous up-and-coming rock star, warnings and threats escalate. It's clear the killer will stop at nothing to keep her quiet.
Cassie must risk everything to unravel the murder before someone takes her off the market for good.
Amelia Wu is great at relationships. So great, in fact, that she’s in three of them. Why choose between the suave debate team captain, the charming indie filmmaker, and the tennis star when she can be with them all?
The catch? None of them know about each other. It works perfectly. They’re in love with her—or the versions of her that they get. Amy. Ellie. Mia. And she’s in love with the lavish dinners, fancy yacht trips, and expensive gifts. Times three.
But schemes always get complicated, don’t they? When Amelia's best friend ends up dead, her alleged murder shocks their placid beachside city. And soon, Amelia's carefully planned relationships start to dangerously unravel.
In a fit of desperation, Amelia teams up with her academic nemesis Jackie, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and a self-proclaimed true crime junkie, to get to the bottom of this.
After all, Amelia needs to keep her boyfriends close and her enemies closer if she wants to keep her scam—and herself—afloat.
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