In this spin-off from Karen White’s popular Tradd Street series, Nola Trenholm takes the lead as she tackles life and some lingering ghosts in her new cottage in New Orleans. There are secrets to be uncovered and THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET may hold some answers to a murder that occurred in Nola’s house in 1964.  Can Nola unravel the mystery, renovate her home, and reconstruct her life without making a mess of it all?

Twenty-eight-year-old Nola Trenholm has her work cut out for her after struggling with alcohol in her young adult life.  Leaving her family in Charleston, SC, Nola is determined to start again in New Orleans.  Equipped with a graduate degree in historic preservation, Nola lands a job and locates a cottage to purchase in the Marigny neighborhood.  Only, a man from her past, Beau Ryan, stands in her way.  Beau and his grandmother own the cottage and Beau knows there is a dark history connected to the house.  A young woman named Jeanne Broussard was murdered in the cottage in 1964.  Beau is reluctant to sell the cottage to Nola, but concedes after Nola meets his grandmother.  The house needs a lot of work, and Nola strikes a deal with Beau for his help in exchange for publicity for his company.  As the restoration gets underway, Nola starts experiencing strange occurrences; an unplugged phone that keeps ringing, a nailed shut door, a lingering smell of cigar smoke in the house, moved objects, a man on her porch, and a vision of a woman. 

Beau has his own dark past.  His parents and sister went missing during Hurricane Katrina.  He is sure his sister Sunny Ryan is still alive, but he has never been able to locate her.  Oddly, wet footprints follow Beau wherever he goes.  Who do they belong to?  Nola knows Beau has a natural inclination for communicating with ghosts just like her step-mother Melanie Trenholm.  Can Nola enlist Beau to help her rid the cottage of ghosts and uncover what happened to Jeanne Broussard?  Or will doing so uncover certain secrets that Beau’s grandmother wants to be left alone?

THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET delivers an entertaining mystery with its New Orleans setting rich in historical details and ghosts.  Nola is an interesting and complex character.  She struggles with alcohol addiction and establishing her independence, yet she is open and relatable.  The novel is filled with several colorful secondary characters including Nola’s old college roommate, Jolene.  Jolene is a breath of fresh air with her big heart and southern hospitality.  The relationship between Beau and Nola is also intriguing and will sustain the suspense and tension throughout several future novels.  The story is well-written and plotted and ends with a nice cliffhanger.  Overall, THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET gives readers a satisfying ghost story set in a colorful city with characters we’d all like to call friends.  A very enjoyable read.

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