ASIN: B00C1N92U8
ISBN-13: 978-1101625798
Publisher: Penguin Group
Line: Berkley
Release Date: Oct 1, 2013
Pages: 321
Digital Retail: 12.99
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Genre: Mystery
Rating:
Carolyn Hart’s “irresistible cozy sleuth”* is back—good-hearted ghost Bailey Ruth Raeburn just can’t say no to an earthly rescue, even when maybe she should…
Bailey Ruth loves to return to earth as an emissary from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions. Problem is, she’s a bit of a loose cannon as far as ghosts go—forgetting to remain invisible, alarming earthly creatures—so she’s far from the top of department head Wiggins’s go-to list for assignments.
That’s why she’s surprised when the Heaven-sent Rescue Express drops her off at a frame house on the outskirts of her old hometown, Adelaide, Oklahoma, where a young man is playing the drums. What kind of rescuing does he need—drum lessons? But when a window cracks and a rifle barrel is thrust inside, only Bailey Ruth’s hasty intervention saves Nick Magruder from taking a bullet. When she materializes to reassure him, she finds she can’t go back to vanishing. What gives?
It turns out she’s been tricked by Nick’s late aunt—Delilah Delahunt Duvall—to come to the young man’s rescue, which means she isn’t back on earth in service of the department. Wiggins has no idea where she is—and now she may be trapped in Adelaide forever. Unless she can help Aunt Dee snare the person who wants her nephew dead…
Review
For fans of: Paige Shelton
As much as Bailey Ruth Raeburn loves gallivanting around Heaven with her husband, Bobby Mac, she also enjoys the occasional trip back to Earth as a “special emissary” of the Department of Good Intentions. Problem is, emissaries of Heaven are expected to adhere to a certain code of conduct, and Bailey Ruth is what one might charitably call a free spirit. Despite the fact that she’s only been on three missions, she’s already managed to break every single one of the Department’s rules, and as a result, Bailey Ruth’s pretty sure she’s been benched – which is why it’s so surprising when she receives a telegram advising her of a new assignment…
Ghost Gone Wild is the fourth of Carolyn Hart’s Bailey Ruth Ghost Novels. It’s the first I’ve read in the series, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I cracked the cover, and I’ll be honest: I kinda hated the first, oh, fifty pages or so. The setup is ridiculous, the concept is overly precious, and left to her own devices, Bailey Ruth is about as annoying as they come. But I’ve long been a fan of Carolyn Hart, so I kept reading. And you know what? I’m glad that I did.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I didn’t love the rest of Ghost Gone Wild; most of Hart’s cast feels flat and lifeless, her dialogue doesn’t ring true, and I rather despise the young man Bailey Ruth is tasked with saving. That said, though, there's a lot here to like. The book’s central mystery is strong, the plot is relatively complex, and Hart’s storytelling skills are top-notch. The scenes where the mortals can hear but not see Heaven's emissaries (whom they don’t know exist) are laugh-out-loud hilarious. And then there’s the chemistry between Bailey Ruth and her ghostly partner in crime, Delilah Delahunt Duvall (aka Dee). As I mentioned earlier, Bailey Ruth is insufferable when experienced as a solo act (who wants to root for a vain, impetuous, attention-seeking clotheshorse?), but when you pair her with the prickly but passionate Dee, magic happens. Dee and Bailey Ruth may bicker like an old married couple, but they also bring out the best in one another; their antagonism is apparent, but so is their grudging affection, and ultimately, it's their relationship that makes Ghost Gone Wild worth reading. I don’t know what Hart's plans are for the next book in this series, but I can only hope she has the good sense to reprise this particular partnership, because Dee and Bailey Ruth truly are a match made in Heaven.
Reviewed by Kat