The Ghost of Christmas Past by Rhys Bowen

 

This book will fall, as many of the following reviews, in the actual library book category. I did not read many library books as I tried to get my NetGalley account in control. I might stroll through it again and mess up my current status of 78% reviewed vs not reviewed status but it feels good to have gotten this far! Originally I was thinking of doing some light reading tomorrow but have changed my mind in the last couple of mins and will be dropping them off and starting afresh at the end of summer. I have re-enrolled in my language classes which means a lot of studying to get to a decent stage to actually process intermediate level Cantonese!!

I liked a few of the historical fictions written by this author previously:

• In Farleigh Field
• The Tuscan Child

I liked the author’s narrative style enough to give this book a shot. It is the latest and the seventeenth in the series but it was rated the highest and I did not really miss having any prior knowledge of the characters.

Molly Murphy Sullivan is the leading lady of the series. It features her as a private investigator of sorts in the previous installments. She has come a long way to a life in New York and the current situation she finds herself. She is emotionally drained and not really looking forward to the holidays. Surprisingly, she gets a chance to join a bigger party for Christmas. This house that Molly and her family find themselves in has a past and an unsolved mystery. Then on Christmas day, the solution seems to come knocking on the door. There are eerie scenarios, an old cold case, and interesting characters thrown in the mix. Now, I guessed a couple of things which were pivotal to the tale but despite that, I enjoyed the mystery. The characterizations, the build-up of the case and the familial tensions between some of the people introduced to us was very well done. It is a complete tale in itself and can be read (in my opinion) as a standalone.

I like reading different mysteries and the way they are put together. I had not read the blurb before starting on the book and was pleasantly surprised every time the tale took an interesting turn. I recommend that made of reading as most appropriate for this book since the introduction of key pieces into the narrative are a highlight.

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