by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt, and a link to purchase a copy where a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore.

The owner of Vintage, Y’All clothing boutique, Cassandra “Cookie” Chanel is thrilled that Moonlight and Magnolias is filming in her town of Sugar Creek, Georgia. What is less enjoyable but not entirely surprising (considering her last experience with the supernatural) is Cookie’s encounter with the ghost of Alice Neill. Alice is the previous owner of one of the 1940s dresses Cookie provided for the movie, but to Cookie’s surprise Alice has no interest in having her own death investigated. Instead, Alice demands that Cookie solve the murder of actress Nicole Silver, the star of the film, the current wearer of Alice’s dress … and the drowned body that Cookie and Alice have just discovered.

Cookie has some experience navigating through an investigation with input from a ghost whom only she can hear. Charlotte Meadows may have “helped” solve her own murder, but she isn’t gone. Now with two ghosts yammering in Cookie’s ear, it will be all she can do to keep up a façade of normalcy with the attractive and helpful detective Dylan Valentine, as well as with the rest of the suspects in the Hollywood cast.

Cookie’s friend Heather is the owner of the Magic Marketplace and a pseudo-psychic unable to see either ghost—but she believes in them nevertheless. But even with Heather’s support, Cookie has to pretend that she isn’t constantly receiving feedback from apparitions on her investigation technique, wardrobe choices, and romances. That last aspect of her life is definitely on the upswing, but can her suitors accept her more otherworldly side?

Wind Song, a mysterious cat with an astounding talent for tarot cards and Ouija boards (despite using them most often for messages concerning her appetite), provides helpful clues along the way. This is a light-hearted and fun tale of mystery, comedic misadventures, and romance.

To enter to win a copy of All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Haunt,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 4, 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 a portion goes to help support KRL and Mysterious Galaxy:

All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt

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).