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A Glamorous Murder Mystery
A Ghost in the Glamour: A Linx & Bogie Story
Ghost Story
E. Hunter
June 21, 2017
Kindle E-book
100
Linx Maxwell’s life is on the verge of greatness. She’s finally graduated from street fairs and hopping chain link to making art that pays the bills. Her family life is… not dull. And it looks like her van might just be able to exist on hope and duct tape.
If only she could get rid of the ghost who’s plagued her since the eighth grade.
Frank Bogle is a detective who lost his life in the line of duty. Everyone on the other side knows that the Maxwell women are the best mediums in the business, but did he have to get attached to the one whose hair had been attacked by a weed wacker?
Frank doesn’t like his afterlife any more than Linx does. He just doesn’t know how to leave.
The Proof is in the Glamour
I have been told for ages now that I should check out something by Elizabeth Hunter…most of my bookish friends are shocked and appalled when I mention that I have never read anything by her. And now, after reading this novella I can see why! She very quickly and masterfully builds an entire storyline and backstory in the space of just 100 pages…no small feat! So now, I too, can claim to be a fan of Ms. Hunter’s, and plan to read her other offerings ASAP!
Linx, the heroine in this story, is a medium…but oddly the only ghost she has ever really taken to is Bogie, the spirit of a murdered LAPD officer. Together they sometimes solve crimes…and then one day, the last case that Bogie was working on comes crashing into the present, with the discovery of a murder victim’s body. The body is that of a glamourous model and girlfriend of a mobster, and beyond being the case that got Bogie killed, she was also personally important to him… and possibly the key to his attaining a real after life. I’ll end the plot synopsis there, in order to avoid any spoilers, but believe me when I say this is a very fast paced whodunnit!
Overall, despite the limited pages, the relationship between Linx and Bogie is richly developed, witty and fun, and also sweetly like that of a father and daughter (an influence that Linx had grown up without). The dichotomy between them is probably one of the most enjoyable elements of the story, as she is artsy and eccentric, and he is old fashioned and conservative, a gentleman and white knight type, with a penchant for smoking (much to Linx’s chagrin since in order to channel him she has to smoke his signature brand). Rounding out the cast of important characters, is Linx’s best friend Raul, who was the only person who bothered to be nice to her in high school, and who coincidentally works at the medical examiner’s office, helping her and Bogie to solve their crimes; and flashback scenes to Bogie’s interactions with the beautiful a tragically glamourous Nina. The story has enough twists and turns to be surprising and fulfilling, which is difficult to accomplish within 100 pages, making this a must-read for all Elizabeth Hunter fans! One caveat? There is no steamy romance involved in this tale, which I hear is a departure from the norm; but nonetheless, this is a fun and quick read! Finally, if you, like me, were wondering what all the fuss is about whenever Ms. Hunter releases a new novel, if you check this out, then you will wonder no more!
