I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Book of Beloved
by Carolyn Haines
Series: Pluto's Snitch #1
Series Rating:
Published by Thomas & Mercer on August 9, 2016
Genres: Historical Paranormal Southern Mystery
Pages: 332
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: The House of Memory, The Specter of Seduction, A Visitation of Angels
As a young woman widowed by World War I, Raissa James is no stranger to ghosts. But when an invitation arrives from Caoin House, her uncle’s estate in Mobile, Alabama, she’s finally ready to cast off the shadows of her past. And what better way to do so than with a grand party in her honor? An aspiring authoress, Raissa’s eager to soak up more of life—and immerse herself in the dark history that haunts the estate.
But the revelries come to an abrupt end when one of her uncle’s guests takes a deadly plunge. And when a ghost from the property’s past, a Confederate soldier, reveals himself to Raissa, she’s more determined than ever to get to the heart of the mysterious deaths that plague Caoin House. Enlisting the help of Reginald Proctor, a self-proclaimed medium, she holds a séance to shed light on old secrets. But she discovers that some secrets, even those long dead, still have a startling hold on the living…
The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is such a magnificent ghost story. I love the history, the slang, the mystery, the truths, the characters, and the setting.
Will Raissa find a way to say Caoin House before it’s too late?
Raissa James
Our supernatural private investigator is Raissa James. She has known significant loss in her young life as she lost her parents and her husband. Raissa starts as a school teacher in Savannah, Georgia, in the 1920s. Once she finishes her classes, she sets out to visit her Uncle Brett at Caoin House, just outside of Mobile, Alabama. Raissa wants to be a modern woman, but she hasn’t yet grasped the complete concept. From a young age, Raissa saw ghosts but taught herself not to see them for the sake of her place in society. Now that she has lost all of her family except her Uncle, she is seeing ghosts again.
The Mystery
At Caoin House, there are ghosts that haunt the house and woods, but many sinister things are happening that may or may not be supernatural. This is where Raissa and Reginald (a friend she meets at a seance) need to figure out what is happening, free the ghosts and unmask the living culprit.
I was so invested in this story. It has invaded my dreams and been at the back of my mind since I started reading the book. Ms. Haines combines this tale from the 1920s with ghosts, history, southern class, and retribution. It is such a fabulous book, filled with this fantastic setting, and the characters could walk right off the book’s pages. I love seeing the growth that Raissa gets with the love of her Uncle and her newfound friends.
Five Stars
I absolutely love Ms. Haines’s writing. She has a way of creating a story that seems to be living and breathing. The characters are so realistic that I feel I am right there with them, experiencing everything with them. The Book of Beloved embodies all of that. My rating for The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I highly recommend this book to all of you. It offers a bit for everyone.
The Pluto’s Snitch Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines.
Until the next time,
About Carolyn Haines
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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- Jenz 2022 Beachcomber Crime Scenes Bag
- Jenz 2022 Beachcomber Detectives Bag
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- Jenz 2022 Beachcomber Weapons Bag
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