Publishers Weekly
07/15/2024
In Bell’s winning second supernatural whodunit featuring Claire Hendricks (after Grave Expectations), the British medium and her ghost companion investigate shady happenings off the coast of Ireland. Claire’s paranormal gifts—triggered after her best friend, Sophie, died and returned to Claire as a specter—come in handy when she and her friends head to Spike Island for a vacation. Legend has it that a pirate ship loaded with treasure sank in the vicinity centuries ago, and the island has attracted gold-seekers ever since. After Claire arrives, the ghost of pirate Cole Tovey appears to her and shares his suspicions that one of the island’s living residents is conspiring with another ghost to steal Tovey’s fortune. Not long after Claire and Sophie start looking into Tovey’s claims, a vacationer is murdered. Then a storm hits, cutting off communication with the mainland. With the stakes suitably raised, and Sophie distracted by her pursuit of a handsome and potentially sinister pirate ghost, Bell puts a clever spin on a time-tested conceit. It’s a fast and funny romp. Agent: Stevie Finegan, Zeno Literary. (Sept.)
Kirkus Reviews
2024-06-15
Following their launch in Bell’s debut,Grave Expectations (2023), dynamic duo Claire (human) and Sophie (ghost) have returned to solve crimes in their own bumbling, endearing way.
When true-crime-loving Claire Hendricks is invited/coerced by her friend Basher to join him and Alex, his 19-year-old nonbinary nibling, on a getaway at a wellness resort on Spike Island off the coast of Ireland, she expects a relaxing break for her and her supernatural bestie, whom only she can see and talk to. Claire’s life is usually far from relaxing. Not only is she tethered for life to Sophie, who died as a teenager, but she also has the power to communicate with other ghosts—a power that’s often frustrating since ghosts can be pretty needy. Unfortunately for Claire, this vacation is not the relaxing sojourn she’d hoped for. First, the resort is accidentally overbooked, and the other guests are a group of annoying university friends of the owner, Minnie. Then, Claire stumbles upon a ghost pirate, Cole Tovey, who wants her help figuring out who stole his treasure. And finally, to add even more drama, one of the guests turns up dead. Claire must deal with the somewhat unwanted advances of resort guest George Lyons, Sophie’s newfound independence, and suspicions that she may actually be the murderer (that’s just what happens when you have the habit of, to the untrained eye, walking around talking to yourself all the time), all the while trying to catch the murderer. Bell does little to add depth to any of the characters, and Basher and Alex in particular are given an unfortunate back seat. If you’re looking for chilling twists and layered plotlines, look elsewhere. But if you’re up for a joyful romp (despite the abundance of murder) and goofy characters, this is the mystery for you.
A charming read for fans of the occult.
