When a visiting author is murdered, bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and her ghostly companion must spook out the devious killer in this Haunted Bookshop mystery from Cleo Coyle, writing as Alice Kimberly. The only rule bookshop owner and widow Penelope Thornton-McClure has given ghostly hard boiled P.I. Jack Shepard is to not haunt the customers. But when hot, young author Angel Stark arrives at the store to promote her latest, a true crime novel, Jack can hardly contain himself. After all, this is his specialty!   Angel’s book is an unsolved mystery about a debutante found strangled to death. And it’s filled with juicy details that point a finger at a number of people in the deb’s high society circle. But when the author winds up dead too—in precisely the same way—Pen is fast on the case...which means Jack is too. After all, a ghost detective never rests in peace. Praise for The Ghost and the Dead Deb “A beguiling and bewitching mystery that will enchant readers...A talented story teller.”—The Best Reviews   “Combining elements of cozy mysteries with detective noir, throwing in a bit of the paranormal, this is a series that will please any mystery fan.”—The Romance Reader's Connection More Praise for the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries “Deliciously charming.”— New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs   “I love this series. Pen and Jack are such likeable characters.”— Spinetingler magazine “Ms. Kimberly has penned a unique premise and cast of characters to hook us.”—Rendezvous   “[Jack] is hard boiled in the tradition of Phillip Marlowe and [Pen] is a genteel Miss Marple; yet the two opposites make an explosive combination.”—Midwest Book Review   “What a delightful new mystery series! I was hooked from the start.”—Roundtable Reviews Cleo Coyle is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the Coffeehouse Mysteries--now celebrating fifteen years in print and three starred reviews. They also write the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries (originally published under their pen name Alice Kimberly): The Ghost and Mrs. McClure , The Ghost and the Dead Deb , The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library , The Ghost and the Femme Fatale , The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion and now, after a hiatus of nearly ten years, The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller . Alice has worked as a journalist in Washington, DC, and New York, and has written popular fiction for adults and children. A former magazine editor, Marc has authored espionage thrillers and nonfiction for adults and children. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Marvel, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together. To learn more about Cleo Coyle's Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, visit HauntedBookshopMystery.com To learn more about Cleo's Coffeehouse Mysteries visit CoffeehouseMystery.com where you can keep in touch by signing up for a free E-Newsletter. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Acknowledgements Epigraph   CHAPTER 1 - The Princess Ball CHAPTER 2 - Dying for Applause CHAPTER 3 - Accuse Me? CHAPTER 4 - Guilty Pleasure CHAPTER 5 - Hit and Run CHAPTER 6 - In Jack’s Case CHAPTER 7 - Morning News CHAPTER 8 - Miss Placed CHAPTER 9 - And Then There Were Three CHAPTER 10 - No Clue CHAPTER 11 - Grisly Discovery CHAPTER 12 - Fall Guy or Felon? CHAPTER 13 - Lady in the Lake CHAPTER 14 - The Little Sister CHAPTER 15 - Guesswork CHAPTER 16 - Mystery Man CHAPTER 17 - Kangaroo Court CHAPTER 18 - And the Verdict Is . . . CHAPTER 19 - Dark Discovery CHAPTER 20 - The Getaway CHAPTER 21 - P.I. School CHAPTER 22 - Casing the Joint CHAPTER 23 - Angels and Demons CHAPTER 24 - Judgment Day   EPILOGUE Don’t Miss the Next Haunted Bookshop Mystery Praise for Alice Kimberly’s first Haunted Bookshop Mystery The Ghost and Mrs. McClure “Part cozy and part hard-boiled detective novel with traces of the supernatural, The Ghost and Mrs. McClure is just a lot of fun.”— The Mystery Reader   “[The] enigmatic townspeople come alive in this quirky mystery, and readers will eagerly anticipate future installments—and the continuing easy banter and romantic tension between Jack and Penelope.”— Romantic Times   “A charming, funny and quirky mystery starring a suppressed widow and a stimulating ghost who is attracted to her even though they can only meet in her dreams. He is hard-boiled in the tradition of Phillip Marlowe, and she is a genteel Miss Marple; yet the two opposites make an explosive combination. Alice Kimberly definitely has a hit series if the first book is anything to go by.” — Midwest Book Review   “A deliciously charming mystery with a haunting twist!” —Laura Childs, author of The English Breakfast Murder   “This is such a well-written cozy . . . a fabulous first mystery. I highly recommend thi