Anyone looking for a template for a traditional mystery could take a lesson or two from a master. Carolyn Hart’s Ghost Blows a Kiss is reminiscent of the Agatha Christie novels in which the family of a dying man gather, hoping they are heirs to the fortune. In Ghost Blows a Kiss, the killer might have gotten away with murder if not for some divine intervention. Of course, that comes in the form of Heavenly emissary Bailey Ruth Raeburn.

Once again, Wiggins, the stationmaster for the Department of Good Intentions, sends Bailey Ruth back to her hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma. She arrives just in time to save Fran Mitchell from drowning. Without any guidance, Bailey Ruth wonders if that was her entire mission, to save the woman. But, when she overhears Fran say she’s scared, the emissary realizes there’s more to her mission.

Bailey Ruth is an astute observer, and she notices Fran’s glances at a lit mansion on the hill. When she checks it out, she’s on time to observe the discovery of Sylvia Chandler’s body. The woman was bludgeoned to death in the library of the house, leaving behind her dying husband, and a household full of suspects. Unfortunately, the Acting Police Chief sees only a gathering of influential people, not a gathering of vultures waiting for a man to die. It isn’t long before he focuses on Fran Mitchell, who was caught on the security camera coming to the house just before the victim was discovered.

But, Bailey Ruth has another focus. She knows Wiggins has her in Adelaide for two reasons. Yes, she’s to save Fran. She also knows Wiggins has a soft spot for romance, and she suspects he wants Fran saved because he supports a relationship for Detective Don Smith, the lead detective on the case. Who is Bailey Ruth to stand in the way of romance? Now, she just needs to discover who benefits from Sylvia Chandler’s death.

Carolyn Hart’s successful formula? Gather together a wealthy family. Kill a family member or two. Have the police latch onto an outsider as the suspect. Then, the investigator, in this case a Heavenly emissary, uncovers the motives in the death of the victims. Ghost Blows a Kiss, with its charming, likable sleuth, is a beautifully crafted traditional mystery.

Carolyn Hart’s website is http://www.carolynhart.com/

Ghost Blows a Kiss by Carolyn Hart. Severn House, 2021. ISBN 9780727890481 (hardcover), 192p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.