Review: Interesting little mystery set in Provence
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2014
The title is a red herring; it's a clever play on the concept of ghostwriter, not on the paranormal. Paris-based freelance journalist, Georgia Lee Maxwelll, hired as a ghostwriter for an alleged Mommy Dearest murderess' tell-all tale, gets caught in the crossfire when things get stirred up. Threatening letters and death threats. A real death. Whodunit? Several red herrings. Everybody is a suspect.I enjoyed reading the story. It's a quick, suspenseful tale. Michaela Thompson (the author) is a decent, solid writer, with seven mysteries under her belt. I can tell that she draws from her own life experiences. Good writing, great plot. That said, the characters, though true to form (their actions supported their personae), were a tad flat. Story could have been fleshed out a bit more. It feels a little skeletal. Author was spare with the details of Provence as well. For good writing the adage is to: show, don't tell.Apparently this is the second novel in the Georgia Lee Maxwell series. I did not read the first novel, Magic Mirror: A Parisian Mystery (Georgia Lee Maxwell #1), so I've nothing to compare it to.The story stands alone. Another reviewer noted that the French used in the story was missing its punctuation. Hopefully Thompson will amend those grammatical errors in the ebook.I found it hilarious that the author, writing about a ghostwriter, once wrote under a pseudonym, Mickey Friedman. Perhaps there's a tale to tell there as well.