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Title: Ghost at Work (Bailey Ruth Mysteries, No. 1)
ISBN: 0061745340
Author:
Carolyn Hart
Publicate Date: 2009-11-01
Publish: 2009-11-01
List Price: $7.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.85
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.32
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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1: I Want My Own Bailey Ruth
Ghost at Work - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
"He's dead!" Her voice was a whisper. "What am I going to do?" "Call the police." I clapped my fingers to my mouth. I hadn't intended to speak. "I can't." It was a moan. The moan turned into a strangled gasp. She looked wildly about. "Who's there? Where are you?" Skirting the body, she hurried to the back door, flung it open, clattered down the steps. In an instant she returned to the porch, dashed to the rectory back door, yanked it open, seeking the source of the voice.
Bailey Ruth Raeburn is dead and living the the glories of Heaven, but there are times when an "emissary" from Heaven needs to be sent back to earth to help out those in trouble. Bailey Ruth has never had the honor of being returned to earth as an emissary so Wiggins, who is in charge of this Heavenly task, must teach her the rules and prepare her before letting her depart. Unfortunately, there is no time for preparation. In Bailey Ruth's own home town of Adelaide, someone has murdered Daryl Murdoch right on the steps of the rectory. It becomes Bailey Ruth's job as an emissary to protect Kathleen, who just happens to be the pastor's wife, and hopefully find the real killer.
As Bailey Ruth approaches Kathleen, she knows that before she can help her she must first gain her trust without scaring her half to death. This isn't an easy task since Kathleen can hear Bailey Ruth but not see her. The solution to that is to appear but that is frowned upon in the Precepts, which are the rules an emissary must follow.
After Bailey Ruth and Kathleen finally get a grip on the real situation, it's decided that the best thing to do is to move the body away from the rectory. And where would be a better place to deposit a dead body in the cemetery. But doing that will take some imagination from Bailey Ruth. She can't just snap her fingers and have the body moved, so she must find a mode of transportation and the wheel barrow seems to be perfect vehicle. As she and Kathleen wheel Murdoch's body to it's destination, they discover that the cemetery is occupied by a couple of teens who are attempting to remove the greyhound statue that watches over the Pritchard mausoleum. She accomplishes this by grabbing the crowbar away from one of the boys and flinging it out into the darkness. But, Kathleen has already dumped the body on the steps of the mausoleum where it's discovered by the two frightened teens.
Ghost at Work is the first book written by Carolyn Hart in the Bailey Ruth series. In Ghost at Work, Bailey Ruth is an emissary in training and on probation. Following her antics as she tries to follow the rules of not appearing, speaking, nor scaring the living half to death unless completely necessary, I've found Ghost at Work to be humorous and creative. Hart's characters are not only believable but you find yourself completely wrapped up in them, not wanting the book to end. And fortunately, Bailey Ruth is carried forward in Hart's second book in the series titled Merry, Merry Ghost. I've had the enjoyment of reading both of these light hearted books and can't wait for the next.
I've read many series books which spotlight the same character and have found that after a while, the character becomes predictable and over years "aged." Bailey Ruth is one character that I feel that can never happen to. After all, she is a "ghost."
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2: Fun reading
Enjoyed the view of heaven presented in this book, and that spirit truely can come back to help. Explains why we sometimes see ghosts. The mystery was a bit convoluted, but wrapped up in all the explanations of why Bailey was around. I read the second book first, didn't spoil the first one.
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3: Ghost at Work
Have been reading Carolyn Hart's mysteries for many years and enjoy them! A member of our book club recommended this. The character is delightful and a very fresh approach to mystery writing!
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4: Bailey Ruth, an enchanting ghost detective
Here's an unlikely recipe for success: take one amateur sleuth who happens to be a ghost, add a heavenly supervisor who sends her on a mission back to earth, mix a healthy dose of humor and an engaging plot. Now stir well and enjoy this delicious concoction!
These are the ingredients of GHOST AT WORK, the first of the Bailey Ruth Mysteries by Carolyn Hart. (William Morrow, Harper-Collins, 2008). Carolyn Hart, the winner of multiple Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Awards, once again entertains her readers with a tale that is completely plausible and a heroine who manages to be both clever and yet down-to-earth.
I could imagine sitting down and having a cup of coffee and a chat with her heroine, Bailey Ruth Raeburn. Of course, Wiggins, her straight-arrow heavenly supervisor, might object. After all, Bailey Ruth's assignment is clear: "You will be on the earth, not of the earth." She's there to solve a crime, not to chit-chat with mortals.
And he makes it clear that her visit is temporary: once she's completed her mission, she'll head right back to heaven on The Rescue Express. So presumably the irrepressible Bailey Ruth doesn't have time to chat-she's supposed to solve the crime. She's a ghost but she's not invisible. Well, not all the time. As she says, "I can will myself present." And she can speak to mortals. (yes, occasionally they do jump out of their skin when she talks to them. Wouldn't you?).
Why do so many readers enjoy mysteries?
As Carolyn Hart says, "Mysteries can be therapeutic. They provide a sense of order in a disorderly world and reaffirm a commitment to justice."
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5: Ghost vs. angel? -- disappointing
I've read all of Carolyn Hart's previous books and enjoyed every one. But not this one. What do you call a creature that comes from heaven that returns to Earth to help people? I call that an angel. Carolyn Hart calls that a ghost. I can't imagine why. I objected to the religious assumptions -- part of the basic character premise. I only made it through the first 40 pages but found it more grisly than Hart's typical mystery novel. I will continue to read other series written by Carolyn Hart but would never purchase another in this new "Bailey Ruth" series.
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