by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a signed copy not only of Ghost in the Guacamole but also Ghost of a Gamble. There is also a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore.

For a ghost, Ish Reynolds—better known to the living and dead as Granny Apples—is unusually disturbed by the decorative skeletons used for El Día de Los Muertos. Unlike Granny, great-great-great granddaughter Emma Whitecastle enjoys Los Angeles’s Olvera Street celebration.

Emma is the host of a paranormal television show. She’s meeting yoga classmate Rikki for a ghost consultation. Rikki and sister Lucy are the battling co-owners of Restaurante Roble and Roble Foods supplies. Rikki wants to hire Emma to speak to the ghost of their father, Felix Ricardo, so he can tell Lucy to not sell the family business. Felix does appear but it’s to tell Emma the girls must sell or risk death. His own death may not have been natural, which is a surprise to Emma and definitely not suspected by his family or the authorities.

Felix even brings in his own ghostly father, Paco Ricardo, in an attempt to convince Rikki to sell. Now distrustful, Rikki places herself at risk as violence ensues. Emma and Granny Apples must not only determine how Felix died but also how to protect Rikki from a threat much too close to home.

Emma and Granny continue to delight in this light-hearted and funny mystery series that explores family relationships and loyalties. By now Emma and Granny Apples are a skilled team of investigators who have developed a cunning way to communicate. Most satisfying is how Emma, her parents, and her boyfriend Phil work together.

This is another charming entry in a series that remains fun while seamlessly incorporating an incorporeal spirit who feels real and whose love of pop culture is always welcome. Jaffarian’s vivid descriptions of Mexican culture and the delicious cuisine only enhance a mystery that expertly blends a novel of mature romances, spirits, and exciting action.

To enter to win a signed copy of Ghost in the Guacamole & Ghost of a Gamble, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Ghosts,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 17, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Click on this link to purchase this book and you will be supporting an indie bookstore & a portion goes to help support KRL.

Ghost in the Guacamole

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).