I was looking for a cosy mystery, wanting the comfort of something fixable and tidy as the world continues to spin into havoc – and happened upon this intriguing offering. I don’t often read ghostly investigators, although I know it’s a popular sub-genre of fantasy crime. So would I enjoy this one?
BLURB: After a busy morning dispatching emissaries from Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions to those in need, Bailey Ruth Raeburn is feeling flush with success. So when an urgent call for help comes through from her old hometown, she can’t resist taking on the mission herself. After all, what could go wrong? With the shouted warning of her boss, Wiggins – “Irregular! Problematic!” – ringing in her ears, she arrives to face a shocking scene: Professor Iris Gallagher leaning over the corpse of her colleague Matt Lambert, the murder weapon clutched in her hand. Bailey Ruth is only sent to help the innocent, but things are looking very black for Iris. With Wiggins breathing down her neck, and her old friend Police Chief Sam Cobb casting doubt on her every theory, Bailey Ruth must uncover the truth – or this could be the last trip to earth she’s ever allowed to make.
REVIEW: First, let’s get the fact that this is the nineth book in the series out of the way – it isn’t an issue. While initially I was a bit adrift and do feel that there could have been just a little bit more context as to exactly how Bailey got this particular job, once the investigation got under way, it was fairly easy to work out what was going on. And the fact that this is Bailey’s home patch, where she lived when she was alive made it sufficiently plausible for me to suspend my disbelief.
Besides, I like Bailey. She is generally a very chirpy, upbeat character who seems to thrive on a bit of excitement and chaos going on around her. Although there was a point when everything was going wrong that she became overwhelmed and had a crisis of confidence – I liked that, too. While it was a pleasant change to have a confident protagonist, who wasn’t particularly angst-ridden, I felt Hart successfully avoided her also coming across as unduly smug, which wouldn’t have worked during this particular investigation.
What you won’t get with this one is a foot-to-the-floor action-filled adventure. It’s a steady accumulation of clues, as the suspects are each lined up and eliminated. I very much enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of this story – it was well handled with a reasonable number of suspects. And unlike some cosy mysteries, there was a real sense of loss and outrage at the death of a couple of the victims – at the cutting short of their lives and the waste of what they had to offer. Overall, this is an entertaining, enjoyable murder mystery written by an experienced author who knows what she is doing – recommended for fans of cosy mysteries with a paranormal twist. While I obtained an arc of Ghost Ups Her Game from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
Brainfluff 
I would like to branch out into cozy mysteries at some point, although most of the books labeled “cozy mystery” that I’ve seen have cartoonish covers with cats or dogs on them, lol.
I tend to avoid those ones, too:)). But I’ve found a number of series that still treat the crime with due respect – but aren’t imbued with a bleak backdrop, or dripping with gore. Simon Brett is a really good Brit author who writes cosy murder mysteries set in my part of the world and there are also a bunch of authors who write paranormal mysteries – Marilyn Messik’s outstanding series about a girl growing up with telepathic powers is one of my finds of the year…
I read this author’s other books but for some reason I didn’t care for this series. But I tend not to like some of the quirky or silly cozy mysteries and want more serious investigation. They are good books just not what I prefer to read.
I love a cosy mystery every now and again. Speaking of which I do keep meaning to go back and read some Agatha. Too little time.
Lynn 😀
Oh, I know! I was lucky enough to share them with my children when they were in their early teens:)).