GHOST AT WORK
Carolyn Hart
William Morrow
Mystery
Hardcover: 9780060874360
Paperback: 9780061745348
Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a lovely, kind-hearted, impulsive redhead. She is also quite dead, having expired with her dear husband Bobby Mac when their cabin cruiser sunk in a storm. Bailey Ruth loves Heaven --- after all, what's not to love about looking 27 once again, wearing whatever one wants at will, a constant perfect temperature, visiting one's own departed loved ones, and so on? Well, as a matter of fact, Bailey Ruth has one lack. She longs to feel needed. She wants to be helpful, so she volunteers at the Department of Good Intentions to be an ambassador to Earth. After all, she's been enjoying Heaven's bounty for quite some time, and she would like to assist a living person while still remembering worldly ways.
When Bailey Ruth reaches the Department of Good Intentions, she's surprised to see it’s a country train station. She meets Wiggins, the man in charge, who appears to be a bit concerned about her long-standing habit of indulging in impetuous behavior. He also calls her "forthright," a rather mellow way to describe her habit of speaking her mind. Bailey Ruth maintains that she has become much more dignified of late.
Wiggins must respond to an immediate emergency, so he sends Bailey Ruth hastily to Earth. First, though, he explains how necessary it is for any emissary of the Department of Good Intentions to master the Precepts --- rules for behavior, most of which are destined to be broken by Wiggins's newest recruit.
Although she suggested she would be perfect for helping someone in Paris, Bailey Ruth lands in her old hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma, just in time to find Kathleen Abbott, the rector's wife, discovering the corpse of local businessman Daryl Murdoch. Due to circumstances, Kathleen stands a good chance of being accused of his murder, even though she is innocent. Bailey Ruth's job is cut out for her, starting with a hasty removal of the victim's body.
Of course, Kathleen is just a wee bit startled to have an often invisible companion, no matter how helpful. But desperation assists her in accepting Bailey Ruth's aid. Bailey Ruth can appear when she wants, although that infringes on one of Wiggins's pesky Precepts. She also can't resist other Precept transgressions, such as invisibly yanking a flashlight from a would-be cemetery prankster. But the clock is ticking, and she must use her otherworldly talents to discover who actually murdered Daryl Murdoch before an innocent person ends up in jail. As Bailey Ruth untangles a considerable web of secrets, lies and deceits, she is also bemused by modern contraptions, such as computers and cell phones. And she discovers a heartwarming connection with Kathleen's young daughter.
A combination of the good-natured, bumbling angel Clarence from the movie It's a Wonderful Life and homey Jessica Fletcher of TV's "Murder, She Wrote," Bailey Ruth has to be the most appealing and original character in recent cozy mystery memory. GHOST AT WORK is a madcap, hilarious comedy that moves along at a good pace. The plot twists in surprising ways (one major curveball late in the tale is particularly unexpected and finely executed). This is light, appealing escape fare that will not change your life or philosophy, but it is highly recommended for pure unalloyed pleasure reading.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
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