THE SPIRIT MOVES

The line between the supernatural and the suspicious is blurred when a haunted innkeeper gets embroiled in the murder of a visiting author.

Maureen Doherty never expected to run a haunted inn. But after inheriting the Floridian Haven House Inn from a stranger, she’s made peace with its ghostly residents and the occasional murder investigation. Struggling to keep the business afloat, she’s focused on ways to boost its profits, like a promotion of Haven as a dog-friendly town, inspired by the welcome everyone’s extended to Finn, her own pup. Maybe she just has how-to on her mind after running into her friend Aster Patterson, who owns the local bookstore, and discussing Terry Holiday, a how-to writer Aster is bringing to town for a visit. Distracted by the progression of her romance with her head chef, Ted Carr, and the wedding bells that may be in their future, Maureen doesn’t think too much about the event. And when Terry arrives, the mystery writers’ group that meets at Aster’s bookstore doesn’t exactly roll out the red carpet. They make it clear they aren’t fans of his work, or perhaps even of Terry himself. Maureen begins to suspect that his latest book wasn’t even written by him, but before she can dig deeper, Aster stumbles on Terry’s body in her flower garden. Aster claims her late husband’s ghost led her to the corpse, but top cop Frank Hubbard is dubious. As the ghostly sightings raise more questions than answers, Maureen must determine whether the truth lies with the living or the dead.

A seasoned author plays it safe in this cozy but forgettable ghostly whodunit.