Do you believe in ghosts? I wish I didn’t. After I retired, Sandy and I opened Bathhouse Row Soapery. Boy, that was a dumb idea. Opening day, I fell backward off a stepladder, cracked my noggin on the sidewalk and woke with the ability to communicate with Fanny Doyle, Al Capone’s shirt maker. Cracking my noggin was nothing compared to seeing a ghost.Things go from bad to worse fast. Etta, our … to worse fast. Etta, our first employee, finds a dead cabaret singer poisoned by our bath bombs. I’m suspect #1 because I mixed that batch. Our new sheriff, Dick, shuts down the Row, calls in crime scene investigators and hauls away our bath bomb ingredients.
Can I salvage our sudsy little soapery before it’s too late? Filled with whacky Southern characters, friendly ghostly fun, sweet friendships, and sparring rivals Bath Bombs & Beyond will make you wish you had a ghost girlfriend, too. Download your copy and read all about it.
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I got this story for an honest review. If you like a nice clean cozy mystery this will be right up your alley. The owners of a bath bomb shop are implicated in a murder and our heroine must solve the case. She has a ragtag group of helpers and one “special” new friend. This is an easy read and I look forward to reading another soon.
When Patti’s suffers from a slight concussion while getting ready for the opening of the Bathhouse Row Soapery, she never expects to wake up seeing a ghost. It seems that seamstress Fannie owned the shop in the 1920’s and ended up murdered. All she wants is to know if her son survived without her and then she can go off to the great beyond.
Patti keeps the ghost to herself, which puts her in a number of awkward situations. Her partner Sandy and Sandy’s brother Teddy think she is talking to herself and is a bit off, but they chalk it up to the concussion. If that wasn’t bad enough, Patti sells bath bomb to a woman who is later found dead. They suspect that the bath bomb included poison. Now Patti finds herself involved in solving a murder to save the soap shop.
This is the first book in the Bathhouse Row Mysteries and has all the makings of a good series. There are lots of humorous moments, funny characters, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing whodunit until the end.
I didn’t like this book much. I liked the premise of the main character hitting her head and then seeing a ghost (although that’s the same thing that happened in another author’s books) but I didn’t like that she called women “dames” in this modern day. I received this book free so I thought I would read it. I also have gotten for free 3 other books in the series but I don’t think I’m going to waste my time reading them. I’m glad I didn’t buy them.
Enjoyable. I surprisingly really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realize there was a paranormal element to the book, which I normally don’t like, but this was a good book. Patti and her friend, Sandy, have opened a bath goods shop. After an accident falling off of a ladder, Patti can suddenly see and talk to the ghost of Fanny Doyle, a seamstress who used to have a shop there. A woman is murdered by a poisoned bath bomb and Patti and Fanny set out to find the killer and save the shop’s reputation. Very interesting characters and the ghost of Fanny was charming. I might need to read more of this series to see who killed Fanny and what happened to her son.
Pattianna “Patti” Fuqua formerly worked in the sheriff’s office as a secretary. Sandy Sanderford was a former nurse. Now they were partners and co-owners in a new venture, the Bathhouse Row Soapery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They got a great deal on rent from the building’s owner, Myra Gardner. While cleaning the windows in preparation for the opening of their new store, Patti took a tumble off the ladder and wound up on the sidewalk, in a daze. Sandy told her that she probably had a concussion. What Sandy did not know was that Patti could now see and talk to a ghost named Fanny Doyle.
Shortly after opening for business, a young lady comes in. She is hesitant and very nervous. She says she is staying at the Arlington Hotel, a very exclusive establishment. She purchases some of the bath bombs and leaves the store. Outside she is met by an older man, who orders her into the car and manhandles her in the process. Later that afternoon, Etta, a young lady who also works at the Arlington, comes in looking for additional part-time work and Patti hires her on the spot. When Etta arrives the next day, she tells Patti and Sandy about finding a dead girl in a bathtub. The dead girl turns out to be Veronica Lake, the nervous young lady who had visited the shop the previous day. To make matters worse, it appeared that the cause of death was rat poison in a bath bomb.
How did Veronica really die? Was it an accident or murder? Were the bath bombs really poisoned? Who poisoned them and how? Will Patti and Sandy be able to save their shop? How will Patti explain talking to a ghost that others cannot see or hear?
This is the first book in Violet Patton’s Bathhouse Row Mystery series. It is common for the first book in a series to start a little slowly, as the author lays the groundwork for the characters and this book is no exception. However, once the death of the girl is discovered, the story picks up nicely and moves right along. I expect this to be a very popular series.
This is a cute and a fun read. Violet Patton has a way of writing descriptively and making you feel you are right in the Rowhouse shop. Sort of as if you can see and smell the bathhouse delectables and the old- timey shop. I have absolutely no idea why I felt this way. I think it was descriptive writing which was very picturesque and yet never heavily worded. It just had a really good flow.
This is a cozy and as I said it’s fun and it’s also quite humorous. So much so that a very black and white non-believing person like me had a really good time. Even with the ghostly appearance of a “sewing ghost”. Actually, wouldn’t it be fun to have your own sewing ghost who could sneakily make a few people think they got a sting by sticking a needle into their “behinds”. That would get rid of them pretty quick. (teehee).
I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Patti and Sandy and the pesky but helpful ghost Fanny. Poor Patti bumped her head and now sees a ghost. This results in some hilarious situations when Patti talks to Fanny and others around her think her injury is really acting up. Great murder mystery with a side of paranormal. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to more books in the series.
Received a free copy for a review. What a fun book! I enjoyed the characters and the ghost Fanny. I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.
I really enjoyed the concept of this story and the background story within. I have not read a cozy that takes place in a bath shop like Bathhouse Row Soapery. I was intrigued to say the least. Plus, the fact that they were making their own soap and bath products as well as “potions and lotions.” The cast of characters were entertaining, and I always enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out “whodunit.”
Right before her shops grand opening, Patti, falls off a ladder and receives a concussion. When she comes too, the bump on her head has somehow, affected her ability to now see and hear ghosts. Enter Miss Fanny Doyle, Al Capone’s seamstress from back in the day. Patti hesitates to say anything, let alone acknowledge that she is seeing a ghost until it finally makes sense to her. Still, she is unwilling to confide in her best friend Sandy. In the meantime, a beautiful cabaret singer has been found dead in her bathtub while soaking with one of Patti’s bath bombs! Now the real fun begins as Patti, along with Fanny’s help, tries to solve the mystery, as well as save their shop.
I gave this book 4 Stars for the story because I truly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, there were so many misspellings and editorial errors that I would give the 4 stars for the content of the story, but 3 stars because of the errors. The author has a great series in the making, and I hope she will be more careful in the future.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.