Jack Shepard is back! Well, the rest of Cleo Coyle’s cast is, too, but the ghost of Jack Shepard, the private detective killed on the site of a Rhode Island bookstore, is the biggest draw for me in Coyle’s Haunted Bookshop mystery series. And, to be honest, Jack’s case in 1947 in New York City is a little more interesting than the current investigation for bookstore owner Penelope Thorton-McClure in The Ghost and the Stolen Tears.

Pen wants to hire Norma Stanton to work part-time at Buy the Book, so she heads off to the Finch Inn where Norma cleans. Norma is a nomad who lives in her van and travels around the country working part-time at various jobs. But, when Pen arrives at the inn, Norma isn’t there, and one of the guests is claiming that her jewels are missing. She accuses Norma, and even says Fiona Finch, the inn’s owner, might have been in on the theft. It’s Jack who recognizes the jewels as “The Tears of Valentino”.

While Pen is concerned about locating Norma, and finding the truth, Jack is able to take her back to 1947 in her dreams. He was hired by a Broadway actress, Syble Zane, to find her missing jewels, “The Tears of Valentino”, teardrop-shaped diamonds that once belonged to Rudolph Valentino. In the course of a few nights, Pen is able to follow Jack’s steps through his investigation of that case.

But, Jack warns Pen that the jewels are bad luck, and, her current case causes all kinds of havoc. Several times she and her cronies are the ones who discover a body as they try to track down Norma. They’re convinced she’s innocent of the theft, but how do they convince the police and the insurance company?

While Jack’s investigation is straightforward, Pen’s seems to be all over the place. And, someone seems one step ahead of her motley crew the entire time. I was a little disappointed in this mystery. There were characters and a storyline for Norma that were introduced late in the book. It seemed abrupt, and as if it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the book.

Despite the part of the mystery that didn’t quite work for me, I’ll watch for the next Haunted Bookshop mystery. After all, I’m in love with the ghost of Jack Shepard.

Cleo Coyle’s websites are https://www.coffeehousemystery.com/ and https://www.cleocoylerecipes.com/

The Ghost and the Stolen Tears by Cleo Coyle. Berkley Prime Crime, 2022. ISBN 9780425255483 (paperback), 288p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a .PDF for a journal.