The Perfect Ghost

Written by Linda Barnes, this thriller is a departure from her previous Carlotta Carlyle mysteries. In this case, Em Moore is left with the task of completing interviews necessary to finish the biography of a famous actor/playwright when her co-writer, colleague and former lover Teddy suddenly dies in a car crash. The novel focuses on how Em, a recluse, rises to meet the challenge of finishing the interviews and writing the novel while falling in love with the subject of the bio, Garrett Malcolm, as she moves into his house on Cape Cod. But the twist at the end leaves the shocked reader to re-examine the events that led up to the conclusion reached in the final chapter. A classic case of  “things not being what they seem to be”, The Perfect Ghost is one of those mysteries that forces its reader to keep firmly in hand until the last page is turned. I highly recommend it.