The seventh book in The Haunted Bookshop series revolves around pulp fiction cover art and the perils of unscrupulous publishers. THE GHOST AND THE HAUNTED PORTRAIT has a lot going on as Pen comes across a cursed portrait, finds two dead bodies, and solves crimes in two different eras.  Pen is an easy character to get comfortable with and readers will be highly entertained by the actions of Penelope, her friends, and the handsome ghost PI, Jack Shepard.

Rhode Island bookstore owner, Penelope Thornton-McClure, is preparing to hold an event in her store focusing on book cover artists throughout time. Penelope and her friends, Seymour and Brainert, take a trip to pick up some vintage cover art to highlight at the event. Walter Waverly has quite the collection and when Penelope takes a few pieces to display, Seymour falls in love with one portrait in particular.  It is a portrait of the late recluse Harriet McClure who previously lived at the newly restored Finch Inn. Locals say Harriet was a madwoman whose ghost still wanders the property, but Seymour finds the painting intriguing, even if others say it is cursed. Walt agrees to sell Seymour the painting out from under another interested buyer. Later that night, Penelope calls Walt and hears a commotion. The next morning when they return to Walt’s home, they find him dead. Pen and her ghostly sidekick Jack see clues of foul play. Was the other buyer angry enough to kill for the painting? 

In a subplot, an unscrupulous publisher, Clifford Conway, takes advantage of the writers and artists he claims to help on their path to publishing. His nefarious business practices have earned him several enemies. After taking pictures of Seymour’s painting and paying for the digital rights, he is found dead at a local hotel. Pen wonders if the two crimes are connected to the portrait and looks for the link.   

Meanwhile, another painting of a young cover artist Ruby Tyler catches Pen’s attention. Behind the beautiful Ruby is a man with a murderous look in his eyes. Did Ruby meet her fate at the hands of an obsessive cover artist named Nathan Brock? PI Jack Shepard was approached by Nathan’s fiancé in 1947 to prove Nathan’s innocence. Now he and Pen traverse the 1940s to uncover the truth behind that mystery.

A lot occurs in THE GHOST AND THE HAUNTED PORTRAIT to keep readers interested. Although the plot is convoluted at times, the authors pull it off with skillful writing and plotting. Readers will stay engaged in the characters, plot twists, and parallel worlds. The paranormal element of dead PI Jack Shepard works well as we flashback to the 1940s to solve a crime that happened on Jack’s turf. Jack is charming and a lot of fun, making him a great sidekick for the more practical Pen. As a new reader to the series, I will look forward to the next in the series to see where it takes Jack and Pen.

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