reviews
Sep 16, 2007
A mix of Bridget Jones and Monk is how one of the cover quotes describes the character of Lee. That blends is what makes the book work and pulls you into the story, at least that is what made me relate to her. Not to mention the story has the perfect blend of romance, mystery, comedy and drama to keep the reader entertained throughout.
May 25, 2008
I had a difficult time getting into this book and considered putting it aside but I pushed past those feelings and I'm glad I did. I'm still not sure I actually care for the Nathalie (Lee), the protagonist, in fact, I convinced I don't like her. I am incredibly intrigued by her often ridiculous and neurotic thoughts and generally self-excusing behavior. There is a great cast of secondary character, eccentric and thoroughly British. The mystery is a bit scattered and surrounded by red herrin
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Sep 11, 2007
Lee is a ghostwriter for the stars--and it's the perfect job for her. She's a loner and a homebody unwilling to change her ways, even to marry her longtime boyfriend. She's too lazy to even call an electrician and worried they might disturb her routine. And then everything ruins her routine. A neighbor is killed, she thinks the celebrity she's writing for is being abused by her husband, and her mother moves it.
This mystery was engaging from the beginning. Lee is a well-drawn in More...
This mystery was engaging from the beginning. Lee is a well-drawn in More...
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Mar 13, 2008
Reading this book, I slip inexorably into the narrator's state of mind "oh, no, I couldn't POSSIBLY manage that." "Fancy a bit of a kip, do you?" She's passively aggravatingly twitteringly incapable.... and then she isn't. Fun read, a bit of a Mary Stewart vibe, some cloak and dagger, mixed in with a bit of afterschool special and some spunk. Home improvements. Housekeepers. The creeping, menacing DAMP. Fresh, hand delivered vegetables! (Although of course here they'r
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Dec 25, 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 23, 2008
A moderately reclusive ghostwriter becomes obsessively concerned, as she often does, when someone seems to have been murdered in her neighborhood.
The plot thickens when she starts her new ghostwriting job.
A page turner! I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. The ending was pretty good too. All in all a very good and entertaining read.
The plot thickens when she starts her new ghostwriting job.
A page turner! I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. The ending was pretty good too. All in all a very good and entertaining read.
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Sep 06, 2011
Sorry, but this book was plain stupid to me. I picked it up at the library just for the title, which is very clever and by far the best part of the book. There were about five zillion characters and subplots, most of which had nothing to do with advancing the actual storyline at all. The protagonist is just irritating. The writer fails miserably at trying to create a character with depth, and she just comes off as ridiculous. It's one of those books where this happens, then this happens, th
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Dec 09, 2010
Surprising and entertaining, even if slightly annoying at times. I developed a love/hate attitude to the main character, Lee, and actually enjoyed the supporting cast more. The plotting was a bit scattered and there were sections I could easily have left out, in fact I did skip bits but the mystery angel remained a mystery until it was revealed and it was full of surprises, humour and charm. It's got nothing to do with ghosts though if you're looking for supernatural action, look elsewhere. Lee
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Dec 28, 2011
I was pleasantly surprised by this book as I was so off put by varying reviews saying it was Bridget Jones-esque (as each to their own but that does nothing for me at all).
This book was engaging and gripping throughout and the characters were well developed and likeable, even the soap actresses manager and his no saint!
There are a fair few red herrings along the way before you reach the conclusion which was unexpected because there was no hint of the perpetrator at all. More...
This book was engaging and gripping throughout and the characters were well developed and likeable, even the soap actresses manager and his no saint!
There are a fair few red herrings along the way before you reach the conclusion which was unexpected because there was no hint of the perpetrator at all. More...
May 27, 2008
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 othe
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Jul 20, 2010
The best part about this book for me was the title. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but somehow it wasn't a book about women who love badly. Or rather who choose bad men to love. Or are unable to love, whether it's man, friend or parent. All in all it was rather depressing, especially since I somehow expected lighthearted romance. I did like the ending though, in terms of which man Lee ended up with. I'd say more, but it would be a spoiler.
Jun 07, 2009
This book, which I picked up by chance at the library, almost surpassed it's 100 page limit (my "get out now" magic page number) and never really redeemed itself. It was very difficult to get into, the story line was all over the place and, to make matters worse, the main character, Lee, annoyed me with her indecision, "the recluse who is afraid of being alone". I can't recommend this book to anyone.
Nov 13, 2011
So poor. It was a very choppy storyline and could not even grow to like the main character, she was a pain the ... you know what!
The way the character repeated everything that came into her head even though she had just spoken the words, drove me up the wall.
Anyway this is only my opinion there maybe people out there who liked it.
The way the character repeated everything that came into her head even though she had just spoken the words, drove me up the wall.
Anyway this is only my opinion there maybe people out there who liked it.
Feb 04, 2011
Not my style, so I had trouble reading and finishing this one. The character (first person) wasn't sympathetic and too troubled for me to stay with. Perhaps if she had been presented through a narrator's eyes I could have been more forgiving.
Aug 02, 2010
I liked it -- an interesting cast of characters who were intriguing and believable, a good plot and fun dialogue. I may not be keeping it for myself to read again, but it was a fun book, difficult to put down, and a good read.
Jul 21, 2009
Picked it up from the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble. I liked the first few chapters, but as the book went on, the plot was all over the place and I found myself not really caring about what happened to the protag.
Dec 19, 2008
The start of a mystery series. Very well written. You'll love the protagonist, even with all of her insecurities and flaws.
Jul 16, 2008
This is the first book of McIntyre's that I've read and it won't be the last. Her primary character, a ghost writer, is efficiently and remarkably well-thought out. I say "remarkably" because it is rare in today's literary world for a writer to go back to elementary fiction principles and plan out the depiction of a main character so they say and do believable things. As I read this book, the ghost writer comes alive as a person carried along by the plot: as it should be in fiction. Th
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May 14, 2009
I think the author tried to cover too many issues in too short a time and it bogged the book down. It hasn't stopped me from reading book 2!
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Jan 07, 2009
I liked the easy way this read. Interesting story line with a bit of a mystery to it. I would check out more books by this first time author.
Oct 30, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed this book. It has a mystery, a little romance, and an interesting main character, who at first I found a little tiresome but by the end of the novel I loved her. Can't wait to read the next in the series.
Aug 26, 2008
Definitely not a cozy mystery. It's a British mystery and I really enjoyed it once Lee learned to stop being so paranoid and recluse. I never did figure who was setting the fires. The main suspect made the most sense but he had no reason too.
Sep 08, 2008
Loved this book! It's a mystery, good writing, good character development. The British expressions sprinkled throughout add to this book's charm!
May 11, 2008
A new mystery writer to me. Enjoyed it immensely, particularly because I lived for 6 years just outside London, the location of this story.
Sep 24, 2008
It was a fun book to read by the pool. Some mystery, some silliness, some angst. Kind of all over the place. Not fantastic, but fun!
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May 21, 2009
I really enjoyed this one. Very entertaining, easy read. Nothing spectacular but very engaging.
Feb 04, 2008
It took me a long time to get into this book, but in the end it was worth it.
Jun 28, 2008
easy read, enjoyed the "Britishness" of it - the locations, language, ...
