How to Seduce a Ghost

by Hope McIntyre

Book Overview

This compelling page-turner is the first novel in a new series about a romantic buy highly neurotic ghostwriter whose new assignment is a ticket to mayhem and murder. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044661601X
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.1" x 4.9"

Customer Reviews

An Intriguing and Unusual Amateur Sleuth Novel

For those who want a dead body to appear early in a mystery novel, Hope McIntyre's How to Seduce a Ghost comes through just fine - in a terrific opening line, in fact. The victim, Astrid McKenzie, was killed by an arsonist who set fire to her home. But since protagonist, Lee Bartholomew, is a professional ghost writer who hadn't really known the victim living in her neighbourhood, she has no reason to investigate the crime, so she doesn't. And this is what makes this novel so different from other amateur sleuth novels. The opening chapters of this book are more about Lee's complicated emotional life than murder. We learn a lot about Lee's up-and-down relationship with her boyfriend, her feelings about her mother and her former best friend. So much detail is given that I began to wonder how the author would pull the reader back into the mystery. This happens subtly at first, when soap opera star, Selma Walker, hires Lee to write her autobiography, against Selma's husband's wishes. The couple live just around the corner from Lee, which adds a complication to the murder mystery and Lee's personal life. Also, the former boyfriend of Lee's new tenant dies in a fire inside the summer house in Lee's backyard. When the tenant disappears, Lee decides to ask a few questions. As the story unfolds, the reason for pages of detailed personal revelation about Lee become clear. To understand Lee's actions; actions that might seem selfish, egotistical, hurtful, or insensitive, you have to understand important things about Lee. To learn what these things are, read the book. Complex characters and a great plot make How to Seduce a Ghost an entertaining read.

Excellent mystery!

I just love finding a good "new" mystery writer (new to me, that is) and Hope McIntrye is one! When I read a mystery, it's not only for the "who-done-it", it's also for the writing itself. Ms. McIntrye's writing is extraordinary--clear, concise, elegant--every beautifully wrought sentence advancing the plot and character development. There's no padding here. The plot itself is gripping. While not a "thriller", it is nonetheless a page turner. The plot is believable, the twists intriguing. Character development is good. Although the main character (Lee Bartholomew) does have some OC traits, this is not allowed to become a focal point of the story. Just a touch here and there, but not heavy-handed. The behavior of the celebrity and her "manager" are consistent with real life. Ms. McIntrye has clearly done her homework and her presentation of how these two characters act and react is right on target. I look forward to her next novel and hope for many, many more.

Solving the Mystery of the Fires

Lee Bartholomew is pleased with her life. She lives alone in her parents' home while they are living in France. She has a boyfriend of eight years whom she sees occasionally. She is a ghostwriter for people who need help writing their autobiography. In addition, she just got a new client, a famous soap opera star. Little did she know that her life was going to change. It all starts when Astrid McKenzie's house goes up in flames with her in it. Lee becomes scared since she lives right down the street. Then Lee meets Selma Walker to write her story. Instead, she becomes involved with Selma's manager Buzz. Then she learns that Buzz is also Selma's husband. After Lee's summerhouse catches on fire, Tommy, her boyfriend, moves in. Lee's mother shows up and Lee learns about having a full house. Meanwhile, when Lee is supposed to be writing Selma's book, she tries to solve the mystery of the fires. How to Seduce a Ghost, though long, kept me interested. Readers will have trouble putting the book down. They will be puzzled as more and more facts and people get involved. Readers will guess repeatedly and be very surprised with the ending.

I can't wait for the next book!

The opening sentence, "When Astrid McKenzie went up in Flames at the end of my road I was fast asleep in my bed, dreaming about my mother," is stunning and compels the reader to continue turning the pages. Lee Bartholomew ghost writes for a living and is much in demand for her talent. But her personal life is conducted with far less skill than her chosen profession. She's often almost paralyzed with fear and continually ruminates about all the catastrophes that could occur in her own life. Yet for all her fears, she prizes living alone in her parent's large home in Notting Hill. Her demands of privacy shut out her long time boyfriend, Tommy, who wants nothing more than to settle down and marry her. Lee's neighbor, Astrid McKenzie, is a television hostess and the first victim in a series of fires; one of which takes place at Lee's home. While Lee (and the police) attempt to discover if the fires and subsequent deaths are arson and murder, Lee embarks on a new ghostwriting job. Soap star Selma Walker is living in a world of personal horror and wants Lee to write her explosive, tell-all autobiography. When Lee succumbs to Selma's dangerous manager Buzz, she finds herself in uncharted and dangerous territory. Lee's quiet and idyllic life is on a downward spiral and could be hazardous to her own health. In order to bring back order to her life, she must discover who is setting the fires and give Tommy an answer to his marriage proposal. Armchair Interviews says: How to Seduce a Ghost is a quirky, interesting and enjoyable read.

ultra lighthearted chick lit whodunit

In London ghostwriter Nathalie "Lee" Bartholomew is doing quite well professionally with her latest potential client being an American soap opera star Selma Walker who wants to hire her for sinful amount of cash to write her autobiography. However, on the personal front, her boyfriend of eight years Tommy wants to marry Lee; she has doubts about tying the knot so she tries to delay her response. Meanwhile Lee makes love with Selma's manager Buzz only to learn that he is also her client's husband and that he abuses his wife. Even worse, Buzz apparently made it with Lee's neighbor Astrid who recently died in arson set fire. Lee wonders if Buzz committed the act even while the detectives query everyone remotely connected to the victim. However, soon Lee's house is in flames and a corpse resides in her summerhouse; someone is systematically reducing the Notting Hill Gate neighborhood population and interfering with lee's love life. HOW TO SEDUCE A GHOST is a fun chick lit amateur sleuth tale starring an intriguing female who seems to enjoy being on the edge even when it places her long term relationship in jeopardy. Lee is fun to follow as she proves London swings though her numerous trysts (and that of Selma too) also take away from her arson-homicide investigation. Still fans of ultra lighthearted chick lit whodunit will enjoy Lee's antics enhanced by Selma's escapades. Harriet Klausner