Melanie (MELNELYNN) reviewed on 8/31/2010 + 669 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

So the basic story: Katie O'Hara, owner of Katie-okie, a karaoke business that seems to only play at her uncle's bar and restaurant, attempts to purchase a tourist attraction that has been vacant on the island ever since a woman was found murdered in one of the exhibits. The evening before the purchase goes through, she walks past the building and sees the lights on. Katie, of course, goes to investigate the mysterious lights only to find the co-owner of the building, and the man who many believed murdered the woman years before, David Beckett. After David blocks Katie's purchase of the museum, the two wind up teaming up in order to find out who killed the woman, David's ex-fiance, so many years before.

And, oh yeah, did I mention that Katie can see and talk to ghosts?

Katie's constant companion is Bartholomew - a wise-cracking pirate (oops, PRIVATEER) who is determined to keep Katie safe.

THE GOOD:

Katie's interactions with Bartholomew are hilarious. The ghost learns, though out the book, how to use his ghostly powers in order to do things like turn on the coffee maker, and every interaction with him left me with a smile. Learning a bit about the history of Key West was enjoyable as well, and I found myself researching some of the various historical figures that Graham mentions in the book and learning far more than I've ever learned before about some of the very scary things in Key West.

THE BAD:

The relationship between Katie and David just happens. There's no real buildup to it. One minute they meet (or re-meet), they reminisce a bit, and then they're in bed together, even though they've never been in bed together before. There doesn't really seem to be any chemistry between the two of them, aside from chemistry between the sheets. While I loved the interactions between Katie and Bartholomew, the interactions between her and other ghosts is minimal, as while she may see a ghost here or there, or follow one, she doesn't really interact with them very much throughout the book. And the fact that Katie's ability to talk to ghosts is a secret denied readers the opportunity to explore what could have been a very enjoyable part of the story.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I've always enjoyed Graham's work before. This book, however, just fell flat for me. I found myself skipping through the investigative portions of the book due to them feeling very dull to me, and was hoping for so much more of the ghost-talking than I got. I've read Graham's earlier works over and over again, to the point where the binding gets all creased and cracked and you can tell that the book was well loved. This book, however, will likely remain in pristine condition, unfortunately.

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