In this 7th book in the 'Bailey Ruth' series, the ghostly amateur sleuth investigates the murder of a lawyer. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Bailey Ruth Raeburn is deceased but still very active. She works for 'Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions', which sends emissaries to Earth to help people in trouble. Emissaries are supposed to be discrete and unnoticed, but - though she tries - Bailey Ruth can never remain inconspicuous.
On this occasion Bailey Ruth is sent to her home town of Adelaide, Oklahoma to help a departed soul named Jimmy climb the stairs to heaven.
At the time of his accidental death some time ago, Jimmy was a twentysomething journalist in love with a young lawyer named Megan. Jimmy can't bear to leave his soulmate, and refuses to ascend to paradise. Instead Jimmy hangs around Adelaide, watches Megan, leaves her gifts, and even speaks in her presence.
All this leaves Megan confused and distressed, and she wishes it would stop.
Jimmy is especially agitated right now because Megan's current boyfriend Blaine, also a lawyer, asked her to become a partner in his law firm. Moreover, Blaine seems about to propose marriage. Jimmy thinks Blaine is the wrong man for Megan and is determined to break up the couple.
Thus Bailey Ruth's heavenly boss, Wiggins, sends her down to have a word with Jimmy and send him on his way to paradise.
Meanwhile events on Earth take an alarming turn. When Megan tells her boss Doug that she's leaving for another job, he threatens to fire her assistant Anita.
Anita desperately needs the firm's medical insurance for a sick daughter, so Megan reluctantly agrees to stay.
Doug is a turd who divorced his wife to pursue a rich widow, for whom he's purchased a $100,000 diamond engagement ring. Doug keeps the ring in his desk drawer (how stupid is that?), and when a client loudly insists on seeing it, everyone in the firm - lawyers, secretaries, paralegals, etc. - learns where it is.
Long story short, Doug is shot dead in his home that night, and - due to a frame up - Megan becomes the prime suspect. The next day, the diamond ring is missing.
Jimmy is REALLY not leaving now that Megan's in trouble, so he and Bailey Ruth - who's solved murders before - investigate the crime themselves. Ghosts can become visible; teleport themselves from one location to another; manifest any outfit they'd like; conjure up ID badges; and so on. Thus Bailey Ruth pretends to be a police detective and Jimmy takes on the persona of a U.S envoy, so they can interview people who knew or worked with Doug.
When the ghosts uncover clues or evidence, Bailey Ruth conveys them to Police Chief Sam Cobb, who's aware she's a 'supernatural assistant' that helps him with cases.
It's fun to see the ghosts go about their business, flash in and out of visibility, eat at Bailey Ruth's favorite café (who knew ghosts could eat?), and uncover the solution to wrong-doing in Adelaide.
An annoying feature of the book is the detailed descriptions of everyone's clothing, and Bailey Ruth's regular wardrobe changes. Bailey Ruth switches her outfits constantly, and each getup is depicted in excruciating detail. This is too much (for me).
Overall this is an enjoyable cozy mystery, recommended to fans of the genre
Rating: 3 stars
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