A Ghost Among Us: Perfect for Poolside or Fireside

JAQKAR PUBLISHING
ISBN: 1-58550-017-8

Review by: Sandra Brandenburg

A playful read, just perfect for poolside or fireside, 'A Ghost Among Us' starts with a short energetic letter that introduces the three main female characters. Deirdre, Natalie, and Charlotte are Americans negotiating their way through London while struggling a bit (but only a bit, who wants too much reality in our entertainment these days?) with careers and men. Their avocations are TV talk show host, painter and photographer.

They move into a large condo that is renting at a minuscule price and meet the resident ghost, Jerome, who is only frightening when he appears unannounced in their bedrooms. He has a mystery to solve, namely, who murdered him? But it isn't a mystery for long, and after that the piece is driven by the need to know who killed his killer, and how he gets his afterlife back on track.

Meanwhile, the three girls meet a rock musician, a biologist, and a reporter. The entire group mixes it up with some nasty folks who don't believe in animal rights. The story is made interesting by it's perspective which is pro-people, anti- patriarchal religion, and a bit on the anarchistic side in no serious way.

Okay, this isn't Tolstoy. It's more like lighthearted Dickens with a modern twist. Gossipy, frothy, and all the loose ends get tied up in the end. It leaves you with nothing to worry about, and that alone is cheering after the bad year we've all been living through.