ARC Review: Dead and Breakfast by Kate Kingsbury

Dead and Breakfast
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Series: A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 10, 2017)

Description: Melanie West is getting her life back on track after a messy divorce when her grandmother, Liza Harris, asks her to open a B&B with her. Together, Liza and Melanie purchase a purportedly haunted mansion on the Oregon coast and jump right into clearing out the cobwebs. But while attempting to remove wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom, the new B&B owners stumble upon a very real skeleton in their closet.

The police suspect the skeleton is that of the wife of the previous owner of the B&B, but no one in town seems to want to say much about her. As the inn owners try to juggle renovations with their own amateur investigations, their grand opening looms closer and closer--and a friendly ghost in their walls starts playing tricks. But it all comes crashing to a halt when a new body is found stabbed to death on the beach below the inn--the victim chillingly close in resemblance to Melanie herself.

It seems someone doesn't appreciate newcomers prying into the small town's past, and now it's up to Melanie and Liza to get to the bottom of these murders to save their business...and their lives.

My Thoughts: Melanie West and her grandmother Liza Harris have pooled their savings to open a B & B together. They don't expect to find a skeleton in a hidden room when they are stripping wallpaper, but they do. Now their plans are on hold until the police release the scene. Liza and Melanie have to solve the murder if they want to avoid financial ruin.

When they learn that the skeleton belonged to the wife of the former owner, they start investigating people from the town who knew her. They investigate between painting, stripping wallpaper, and going through the things that were left in the house. They also investigate the cause of the eerie laughter that they frequently hear in the house. Will a ghost be an asset or a detriment to their new business?

While following the clues, Melanie finds herself in a number of dangerous situations. And when a second murder occurs with the victim bearing a close resemblance to Melanie, the danger gets even closer to home.

This was a fun mystery with a unique pair of detectives.

Favorite Quote:

We never could figure out what he was laughing at.

Paul had said that with a perfectly straight face and a note of conviction. Did he really believe there was a ghost, or was he just perpetuating a myth? She'd have given anything to know for sure.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.