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Chesterton Holte, Gentelman Haunt Mystery #2
Living Spectres
Philadelphia, 1924 It's been three months since crime reporter Poppy Thornton was left to die in an abandoned warehouse by her cousin Stacy, chief suspect in a high society murder. Rescued by the quick thinking of Chesterton Holte-her \"gentleman haunt\"-and Police Inspector J.B. Loring, Poppy is determined to get the real story and see justice done. But Stacy has fled Philadelphia with the widow of the man he is accused of murdering, and now an international manhunt is on for the suspected conspirators. As that search continues, Poppy, Holte, and Loring have a new the disappearance of GAD Pearce, 18 year-old heir to the Pearce fortune, who has vanished while travelling through Eastern Europe. The suspects range from the young man's jealous siblings to a mysterious cult of Armenian refugees. Once again Holte uses his ghostly powers to uncover answers and pass on what he learns to Poppy- who must then alert Loring without revealing her otherworldly source. Is GAD still alive? Can Poppy keep her job despite social convention, the disdain of her male colleagues, and the dangerous attraction she feels to Loring? Will the authorities succeed in tracking Stacy down? What's really going on behind the closed doors of the politicians and bankers who run the city and the state? And as the search for truth takes Poppy and Holte deeper into a forest of dark secrets and official corruption, who will die next?
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2016
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About the author
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
259 books477 followersA professional writer for more than forty years, Yarbro has sold over eighty books, more than seventy works of short fiction, and more than three dozen essays, introductions, and reviews. She also composes serious music. Her first professional writing - in 1961-1962 - was as a playwright for a now long-defunct children's theater company. By the mid-60s she had switched to writing stories and hasn't stopped yet.
After leaving college in 1963 and until she became a full-time writer in 1970, she worked as a demographic cartographer, and still often drafts maps for her books, and occasionally for the books of other writers.
She has a large reference library with books on a wide range of subjects, everything from food and fashion to weapons and trade routes to religion and law. She is constantly adding to it as part of her on-going fascination with history and culture; she reads incessantly, searching for interesting people and places that might provide fodder for stories.
In 1997 the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on Yarbro, and in 2003 the World Horror Association presented her with a Grand Master award. In 2006 the International Horror Guild enrolled her among their Living Legends, the first woman to be so honored; the Horror Writers Association gave her a Life Achievement Award in 2009. In 2014 she won a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention.
A skeptical occultist for forty years, she has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.
She has two domestic accomplishments: she is a good cook and an experienced seamstress. The rest is catch-as-catch-can.
Divorced, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area - with two cats: the irrepressible Butterscotch and Crumpet, the Gang of Two. When not busy writing, she enjoys the symphony or opera.
Her Saint-Germain series is now the longest vampire series ever. The books range widely over time and place, and were not published in historical order. They are numbered in published order.
Known pseudonyms include Vanessa Pryor, Quinn Fawcett, T.C.F. Hopkins, Trystam Kith, Camille Gabor.
After leaving college in 1963 and until she became a full-time writer in 1970, she worked as a demographic cartographer, and still often drafts maps for her books, and occasionally for the books of other writers.
She has a large reference library with books on a wide range of subjects, everything from food and fashion to weapons and trade routes to religion and law. She is constantly adding to it as part of her on-going fascination with history and culture; she reads incessantly, searching for interesting people and places that might provide fodder for stories.
In 1997 the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on Yarbro, and in 2003 the World Horror Association presented her with a Grand Master award. In 2006 the International Horror Guild enrolled her among their Living Legends, the first woman to be so honored; the Horror Writers Association gave her a Life Achievement Award in 2009. In 2014 she won a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention.
A skeptical occultist for forty years, she has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.
She has two domestic accomplishments: she is a good cook and an experienced seamstress. The rest is catch-as-catch-can.
Divorced, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area - with two cats: the irrepressible Butterscotch and Crumpet, the Gang of Two. When not busy writing, she enjoys the symphony or opera.
Her Saint-Germain series is now the longest vampire series ever. The books range widely over time and place, and were not published in historical order. They are numbered in published order.
Known pseudonyms include Vanessa Pryor, Quinn Fawcett, T.C.F. Hopkins, Trystam Kith, Camille Gabor.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 15, 2016
LIVING SPECTRES is clearly the middle book in a trilogy since it ends quite abruptly. In this episode, Poppy has moved to her Aunt Esther's house since her Aunt Jo refuses to believe that her son Stacy attempted to murder Poppy. Aunt Esther is a world traveler who undertakes trips under the sponsorship of the National Geographic Society.
Poppy is still busy at the newspaper working on the counterfeit antiques case that her cousin is involved in. She also becomes involved in a new problem when a family friend, eighteen-year-old GAD Pearse, has disappeared in Europe. Mr. Pearse doesn't want the incident publicized for fear of the number of ransom demands he will receive. He has asked the police in the person of Inspector Loring to investigate discreetly.
Chesterton Holte is also busy with both cases as he searches the world of ghosts for information about Stacy and about GAD. Some of the most interesting scenes in the book were those when Holte was in the world of ghosts looking for principals in his cases and seeing large number of other ghosts who died of various causes. Some of the newest died in a recent hurricane the swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast. Holte discovers a lot of information leaving Poppy to find a way to share it with Loring without admitting that her source is a ghost.
GAD's plot thread spent a lot of time discussing the plight of Armenian refugees who were victims of the Ottoman Empire and are now searching for a home in Europe. The title reflects what those refugees were called and what their lives were like as they wandered Europe looking for a new home.
One strong suit of this series is the plentiful historical detail that the author includes. Sometimes there was a bit too much detail. For example, every time Poppy or her Aunt Esther changed clothes we learned what they were wearing from head to toe. Some of the historical detail I enjoyed the most was information about the restrictions women, even wealthy women, faced. Aunt Esther's decision not to marry a long-time suitor was primarily because she would lose all financial autonomy.
Fans of mysteries set in the 1920s will enjoy this series.
Poppy is still busy at the newspaper working on the counterfeit antiques case that her cousin is involved in. She also becomes involved in a new problem when a family friend, eighteen-year-old GAD Pearse, has disappeared in Europe. Mr. Pearse doesn't want the incident publicized for fear of the number of ransom demands he will receive. He has asked the police in the person of Inspector Loring to investigate discreetly.
Chesterton Holte is also busy with both cases as he searches the world of ghosts for information about Stacy and about GAD. Some of the most interesting scenes in the book were those when Holte was in the world of ghosts looking for principals in his cases and seeing large number of other ghosts who died of various causes. Some of the newest died in a recent hurricane the swept through the Caribbean and up the East Coast. Holte discovers a lot of information leaving Poppy to find a way to share it with Loring without admitting that her source is a ghost.
GAD's plot thread spent a lot of time discussing the plight of Armenian refugees who were victims of the Ottoman Empire and are now searching for a home in Europe. The title reflects what those refugees were called and what their lives were like as they wandered Europe looking for a new home.
One strong suit of this series is the plentiful historical detail that the author includes. Sometimes there was a bit too much detail. For example, every time Poppy or her Aunt Esther changed clothes we learned what they were wearing from head to toe. Some of the historical detail I enjoyed the most was information about the restrictions women, even wealthy women, faced. Aunt Esther's decision not to marry a long-time suitor was primarily because she would lose all financial autonomy.
Fans of mysteries set in the 1920s will enjoy this series.
July 5, 2016
This book starts off slow and is quite hard to get into, and I really felt that the book was going on forever.
Although the characters are beautifully written, sometimes there was too much description, every item of clothing the main character wore was described right down to the buttons, as if the author was saying 'See I really researched the era!' And the descriptions are okay once or twice, but not every single time the character changes (which is a lot). Same goes for when Poppy loads her typewriter, telling us once how a typewriter would have been loaded in the 1920s would have been sufficient but the author needs to tell us multiple times. This is a shame because the story itself is really good and the character of poppy is well defined and likable.
There are several plot lines in this book, which is confusing, there is the plot regarding her cousin which is carried over from the first book and the plot regarding the Living Spectres and the disappearance of GAD Pearce, which is interesting on its own, however I felt that the plot regarding her cousin is still ongoing and nothing was really resolved with that story (meaning there will be another book in the series) and the GAD plot ended extremely abruptly with no real resolution, I would have liked that part of the novel to have been explored further.
As this is an ARC there were some formatting problems with the book, which I am sure will be resolved by the time it is released. So based upon the writing along I would give this book 3 out of 5*
Although the characters are beautifully written, sometimes there was too much description, every item of clothing the main character wore was described right down to the buttons, as if the author was saying 'See I really researched the era!' And the descriptions are okay once or twice, but not every single time the character changes (which is a lot). Same goes for when Poppy loads her typewriter, telling us once how a typewriter would have been loaded in the 1920s would have been sufficient but the author needs to tell us multiple times. This is a shame because the story itself is really good and the character of poppy is well defined and likable.
There are several plot lines in this book, which is confusing, there is the plot regarding her cousin which is carried over from the first book and the plot regarding the Living Spectres and the disappearance of GAD Pearce, which is interesting on its own, however I felt that the plot regarding her cousin is still ongoing and nothing was really resolved with that story (meaning there will be another book in the series) and the GAD plot ended extremely abruptly with no real resolution, I would have liked that part of the novel to have been explored further.
As this is an ARC there were some formatting problems with the book, which I am sure will be resolved by the time it is released. So based upon the writing along I would give this book 3 out of 5*
June 26, 2016
It's 1924 and crime reporter Poppy Thornton is trying to find her missing cousin, who had locked her in a room presumably leaving her there to die, only to be saved by her ghost friend Chesterton Holte.
But she is also investigating the disappearance in Eastern Europe of the heir to the Pearce fortune.
The book for me was too rambling, too much description, for example of food and clothes, and quite quickly lost my interest.
A NetGalley Book
But she is also investigating the disappearance in Eastern Europe of the heir to the Pearce fortune.
The book for me was too rambling, too much description, for example of food and clothes, and quite quickly lost my interest.
A NetGalley Book
November 15, 2016
I received a copy of this book for review purposes. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this anthology. I did not receive any form of compensation for my review.
Living Spectres is the second book in the Chesterton Holte, Gentleman Haunt series. It picks up a few months after the events in Haunting Investigation. I had a lot of fun reading the first book, unfortunately I didn't enjoy Living Spectres as much. Poppy was just as plucky and Chesterton was just as gallant but the detailed descriptions of every single outfit (head to toe), and the planning of meals made it hard to get into the story. Poppy's Aunt Esther is a fun character to get to know. The way she reacts to a wedding proposal helps to illustrate the societal restrictions for women in the 1920's. The intertwining mysteries of where GAD, Stacy, and Louise are and the plight of the Armenian refugee's never really come to a satisfying conclusion, maybe in book three,,, Overall this is still a charming book, just not my cup of tea. 3 stars.
Living Spectres is the second book in the Chesterton Holte, Gentleman Haunt series. It picks up a few months after the events in Haunting Investigation. I had a lot of fun reading the first book, unfortunately I didn't enjoy Living Spectres as much. Poppy was just as plucky and Chesterton was just as gallant but the detailed descriptions of every single outfit (head to toe), and the planning of meals made it hard to get into the story. Poppy's Aunt Esther is a fun character to get to know. The way she reacts to a wedding proposal helps to illustrate the societal restrictions for women in the 1920's. The intertwining mysteries of where GAD, Stacy, and Louise are and the plight of the Armenian refugee's never really come to a satisfying conclusion, maybe in book three,,, Overall this is still a charming book, just not my cup of tea. 3 stars.
July 27, 2017
I cannot understand how I had this book for ages on my Kindle and never got to it sooner.
This was an enchanting read.
The storyline was straightforward. Poppy is a journalist at a time when women did not do "such things". Teaching and nursing were the accepted occupations for women who had to work. For upper crust women like Poppy who came from a privileged background, there was no necessity to work and many people had no qualms about pointing this out to her. Investigative journalism is her forte, not just the social and women's pages and this created a rumpus amongst even her male colleagues. Not all of them but she certainly ruffled a lot of feathers.
That is the story of Poppy. What she investigates and how she does it is immaterial to the fascination of this story. What is unique is that she has a ghost of a spy master who is a friend, a colleague and one who befriends, protects and advices her on all aspects of her career - in a professional and personal way as well. The fact that he is dead, is all part of the story and the world he occupies is one of ghosts and spirits not frightening ones but a separate world of their own. The fact that just a handful of people can actually talk to Holte is the fascinating bit. It includes Maestro - Poppy's cat who snarls and sniffles when Holte is around.
The story here is a convoluted one but it does cover the fields of women in journalism at the time, the ethics and rules governing the behaviour of women in society (horrible!) and the social setting of the time which was very interesting.
The interest in this story lay in the spirits of this story.
This was an enchanting read.
The storyline was straightforward. Poppy is a journalist at a time when women did not do "such things". Teaching and nursing were the accepted occupations for women who had to work. For upper crust women like Poppy who came from a privileged background, there was no necessity to work and many people had no qualms about pointing this out to her. Investigative journalism is her forte, not just the social and women's pages and this created a rumpus amongst even her male colleagues. Not all of them but she certainly ruffled a lot of feathers.
That is the story of Poppy. What she investigates and how she does it is immaterial to the fascination of this story. What is unique is that she has a ghost of a spy master who is a friend, a colleague and one who befriends, protects and advices her on all aspects of her career - in a professional and personal way as well. The fact that he is dead, is all part of the story and the world he occupies is one of ghosts and spirits not frightening ones but a separate world of their own. The fact that just a handful of people can actually talk to Holte is the fascinating bit. It includes Maestro - Poppy's cat who snarls and sniffles when Holte is around.
The story here is a convoluted one but it does cover the fields of women in journalism at the time, the ethics and rules governing the behaviour of women in society (horrible!) and the social setting of the time which was very interesting.
The interest in this story lay in the spirits of this story.
April 23, 2018
I have to say at the very beginning the rating might have been higher I got to read the first book in the series, but our library doesn’t carry it. I have requested it via an inter library loan system.
Poppy is a somewhat independent female newspaper reporter in Philadelphia, 1924. Evidently a cousin kidnapped her, with plan for her to die, in the first book. She has a ghost “sidekick”, Holt, that feels obligated to assist her ( due to circumstances probably covered in the first book). Now, the murdering cousin has disappeared, and another cousin may have been kidnapped. Smuggling, hurricane, righteous uncles, and several other
murders complicate matters.
My rating will probably improve after I read the first novel.
Poppy is a somewhat independent female newspaper reporter in Philadelphia, 1924. Evidently a cousin kidnapped her, with plan for her to die, in the first book. She has a ghost “sidekick”, Holt, that feels obligated to assist her ( due to circumstances probably covered in the first book). Now, the murdering cousin has disappeared, and another cousin may have been kidnapped. Smuggling, hurricane, righteous uncles, and several other
murders complicate matters.
My rating will probably improve after I read the first novel.
December 18, 2023
Several things to complain about here. Firstly, there is no indication that this is part of a trilogy on the cover, back cover or flyleaf and I'm left with a part story that I will never see finished because the writing style is so unsatisfactory. Secondly, because I've already put a firstly, this 400 page densely worded tale could have been told in maybe 250 pages. I've been attacked by colons and semi-colons like in no other book I've read. There is no necessity to describe the clothing of every single person who appears at tea or even in the Clarion newsroom, nor a need to cover every menu in detail. For the benefit of future readers, I've added punctuation to the passages particularly near the end of the book where an editor fell asleep. I hope the library approves.
September 27, 2021
Continuing saga of 1920’s intrepid reporter, Poppy Thornton who is juggling multiple stories- her missing cousin who trapped her and left her to die and who may have actually killed others to hide his crimes and a missing family friend, GAD who may have been involved in the plight of the “living Specters” displaced Armenian refugees. Poppy is added in her research by another specter of the ghostly kind, one Chesterton Holte, who is haunting her to correct his involvement of her father’s death just prior to WWI. A bit long on story line and again no finish- abrupt end of book…to be continued. But still entertaining
May 28, 2019
Living Spectres, A Chesterton Holte, Gentleman Haunt Mystery by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is book 2 in a trilogy. As I hadn’t read book one, it was a bit difficult to fully understand the storyline, but once I did, I was hooked. In the three different subplots, I adored 2. I don’t think I’ll know about the third until I finish the trilogy. The details given were extremely accurate and painted the story beautifully. I recommend this for all paranormal mystery fans.
March 14, 2017
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.
I was excited to read this book. I have read a few of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's other books and thoroughly enjoyed them.
This book wasn't as good as her other books I have read, but I liked it. She is a stickler for detail and I always feel as though I there in the scenery seeing what her characters see. Poppy's character was well written and defined, it took a while to get used to the language of the times, but once I settled in, I quite enjoyed it. I was transported to the 20s and I loved the character of Holt. I wonder if I had read the first book in the series if I would have liked this one more.
All in all, I enjoyed the book, it just wasn't as exciting as I wanted it to be.
I was excited to read this book. I have read a few of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's other books and thoroughly enjoyed them.
This book wasn't as good as her other books I have read, but I liked it. She is a stickler for detail and I always feel as though I there in the scenery seeing what her characters see. Poppy's character was well written and defined, it took a while to get used to the language of the times, but once I settled in, I quite enjoyed it. I was transported to the 20s and I loved the character of Holt. I wonder if I had read the first book in the series if I would have liked this one more.
All in all, I enjoyed the book, it just wasn't as exciting as I wanted it to be.
June 24, 2016
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I had a little trouble getting into this book at first. One, the version I received was in need of editing. Secondly, I had to get used to the style of writing and language used. Once I did I found a delightful and witty read. It is set in the 1920s and I commend the author for making the reader feel time had turned back. Poppy is a strong and fun character. Holt, her ghost is hilarious and sarcastic. Just what I love. It is a very enjoyable book.
December 18, 2016
Loved meeting the new aunt
Yarbro is always exceptional with her research. That makes reading her work very nice for this history teacher. The characters are well developed and it is easy to get invested in their stories. Aunt Esther is a great contrast for Aunt Jo! I enjoy the relationships that Poppy has with her family and friends. Chesterton is a delight as a haunt. Hope he is around for more adventures before his dues are paid.
Yarbro is always exceptional with her research. That makes reading her work very nice for this history teacher. The characters are well developed and it is easy to get invested in their stories. Aunt Esther is a great contrast for Aunt Jo! I enjoy the relationships that Poppy has with her family and friends. Chesterton is a delight as a haunt. Hope he is around for more adventures before his dues are paid.
April 6, 2017
"Living Spectres" is the second book in a series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro that takes place during the Roaring Twenties.
Poppy Thornton is a newspaper reporter who is accompanied by her ghost companion, Chesterton Holte. Holte chose to repay a "debt" he owes by helping Poppy any way he can. The book takes place a few months after the events of the first book. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book but am not quite sure why. It seemed almost too descriptive which drew my attention away from the story itself. I love Poppy's character very much. She is definitely an unusual woman for this time period where women were expected to remain at home. Chesterton Holte is a hilarious sidekick to Poppy and I always enjoy the animosity between Holte and Poppy's cat. Even though I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one, I still hope there will be a third novel to continue the story of Poppy and Holte.
Poppy Thornton is a newspaper reporter who is accompanied by her ghost companion, Chesterton Holte. Holte chose to repay a "debt" he owes by helping Poppy any way he can. The book takes place a few months after the events of the first book. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book but am not quite sure why. It seemed almost too descriptive which drew my attention away from the story itself. I love Poppy's character very much. She is definitely an unusual woman for this time period where women were expected to remain at home. Chesterton Holte is a hilarious sidekick to Poppy and I always enjoy the animosity between Holte and Poppy's cat. Even though I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one, I still hope there will be a third novel to continue the story of Poppy and Holte.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews