Living Spectres

September 19, 2016
In Yarbro’s atmospheric sequel to 2015’s Haunting Investigation, set in Prohibition-era Philadelphia, crime reporter Poppy Thornton continues to help Insp. J.B. Loring investigate the murder of upper-class Madison Moncrief and the likely associated disappearance of her cousin Stacy Dritchner. Poppy is also involved with the unofficial search for altruistic 18-year-old heir GAD Pearce, missing in Eastern Europe amid the unrest after the Great War. Chesterton Holte, Poppy’s ethereal companion, assists by communicating with the recently dead in the ghostly realm and scouts ahead for Loring’s European police counterpart, while Poppy utilizes the society connections offered by her aunts’ dinner parties to sift the facts from socialite gossip. Yarbro handles a
complex web of intrigue deftly and
carefully balances the value of worldly and spirit information so that Holte is neither useless nor a deus ex machina. Even the minor characters, such as Poppy’s world-traveling Aunt Esther, have a depth of personality that enhances the old-school charm of her writing.

October 15, 2016
A young newspaper reporter of high social standing investigates low-stakes crimes with the help of a collegial ghost.Poppy Thornton is an unusual girl for her place, Philadelphia, and time, the Roaring '20s. Not only does she insist on having her own job, but just imagine: she even buys herself a motor vehicle to get there! Though she's only 25, Poppy's had life experiences that make her feel older, the latest of which is nearly being killed by her cousin Eustace, better known as Stacy, in connection with a fraudulent scheme (Haunting Investigation, 2015). Though Poppy's Aunt Jo, Stacy's mother, insists that the whole thing was a misunderstanding, Poppy's overjoyed when her other aunt, Esther, invites her to move into her house and out of Aunt Jo's. Aunt Esther is a progressive woman not afraid to travel even though she's unmarried, and Poppy seems to be following in her footsteps. Take Poppy's latest assignment as a reporter for the Clarion: she must find the whereabouts of the adult son of the Pearses, one of the town's wealthy families. Gameal Pearse, better known by his initials, GAD, has disappeared during his travels. Could he be dead, or, worse still, has he eloped with a woman not to his mother's liking? Poppy's meandering investigation pairs her with local inspector J.B. Loring, even though he's distinctly below her class. Her truest ally, Chesterton Holte, takes a less corporeal form and has the advantage of being able to consult the spirit world for backup. Lacking both suspense and direction, Yarbro's story will mostly interest readers enamored of her characters' period quirks, which have been done better elsewhere.

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