Ghost Gone Wild

August 19, 2013
At the start of Agatha-winner Hart’s whimsical fourth novel featuring departed spirit Bailey Ruth Raeburn (after 2010’s Ghost at Work), Bailey Ruth of heaven’s Department of Good Intentions arrives at the Adelaide, Okla., home of video-game millionaire Nick Magruder just in time to prevent a gunman from shooting him. Since the shade of Nick’s doting Aunt Dee engineered this mission on the sly, Bailey Ruth must operate on earth without her otherworldly powers. When Nick is accused of a murder, she must rely on her wits alone to clear him. Though not fully developed, the secondary characters have some amusing quirks, and even the villain, who’s not readily identifiable, has a certain charm. The well-constructed plot offers an ample supply of red herrings. Fans of benign ghosts such as those in Blithe Spirit and Topper will find a lot to like. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider.

September 15, 2013
A heavenly sleuth gets hijacked on her way to apply for a new case. Bailey Ruth Raeburn is one of the most unorthodox sleuths in Heaven's Department of Good Intentions. So she's far from sanguine about her chances of getting sent back to Earth by department head Wiggins, who often chastises her for ignoring the rules. All that changes when a stunning woman riding a magnificent black horse sweeps up Bailey Ruth, thrusts a ticket into her hand and throws her on the Rescue Express, which spirits her back to her old hometown of Adelaide, Okla., just in time to prevent a young man from being shot. Nick Magruder, the nephew of equestrian Dee Delahunt Duvall, has recently returned to Adelaide a very wealthy young man after selling the spider-based video game he developed. Nick has a chip on his shoulder and intends to get even with all the high school jocks who tormented him. He's madly in love with Jan, whose mother, Arlene, is having an affair with Cole Clanton, one of the worst of Nick's high school tormentors. When Jan arrives on the scene, Bailey Ruth pretends to be a private detective hired to protect Nick. She and Nick are forced to spend the night at Arlene's B&B when Bailey Ruth realizes that her usual power to change her wardrobe or vanish has forsaken her. Clanton is deeply involved with an upcoming historical recreation, but Bailey Ruth suspects that his sudden interest in the town's history is financially motivated. When Clanton is shot dead, Nick is arrested, since half the town heard him threatening Clanton. So Bailey Ruth and Dee persuade Wiggins to let them get to work identifying the real killer. Hart's ghost mysteries (Ghost in Trouble, 2010, etc.) are often amusing and never easy to solve. Bailey Ruth's latest is one of her toughest cases.

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October 15, 2013
This is award-winning mystery author Hart's fourth novel featuring Bailey Ruth. She is an emissary from heaven who returns to her small hometown to help people, but the usual protocol has been bypassed by a ghost who wants Bailey to aid the ghost's troubled nephew, Nick. She sends the unwitting Bailey, who, because of the breach in protocol, is stripped of her usual powers once she arrives. Bailey pushes Nick out of the way when someone shoots at him, but she has no money, identification, or even clothes, which hampers her investigation into discovering who wants him dead. Nick resents Bailey's help even after realizing his Aunt Dee sent her. The greedy Cole tries to blackmail Nick so he can have the land that Nick wanted to buy, but Cole is killed by a rifle when the two get into an argument. Nick is the main suspect, and Aunt Dee comes to Earth to help Bailey clear him, resulting in a fun partnership. History and hidden treasure add interesting elements to the plot. Fans of Sue Ann Jaffarian's Ghost of Granny Apples series will also enjoy this entry in an amusing, clever series..(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)