As the owner of a charming Louisiana bed and breakfast, Holly Davis believes in Southern hospitality—but she draws the line at welcoming the ghost of her cheating husband . . . Burl Davis checked out of this life a little earlier than expected—before Holly could serve him with divorce papers over his extramarital flings. Unfortunately, it was not before he nearly bankrupted her beloved B&B, … bankrupted her beloved B&B, Holly Grove, a converted plantation that has been in her family for generations. Holly would never wish anyone dead, but three months later she’s feeling a lot more relief than grief.
Until Burl’s ghost appears as an unwelcome guest. Before his spirit can move on, her not-so-dearly departed needs Holly’s human help to bust up the drug smuggling ring he was involved with. She has reservations, to say the least, but agrees to assist him if he’ll make a show of haunting the B&B to draw in visitors. But when Holly’s former love, Jack McCann, mysteriously resurfaces in town and checks in, she has to wonder if her B&B is big enough for the ghost of her husband and the very real physical presence of her old flame . . .
more
Perfect for mystery lovers who need a laugh!
I fell in love with this book! It is an excellent start to a new paranormal cozy mystery series. Meet Holly who runs a B&B in her historic plantation home. He husband died recently and just as she is adapting to that his ghost iPod up scaring her half to death. What follows is one of the most comical stories I have read in some time as she attempts to help him so he can move on. I have never seen a person more accident prone besides myself and the addition of the ghostly stuff was just the cherry on top. This is a must to for fans of the genre. I loved it so it gets 5/5 stars.
BETTER DEAD (A B&B Spirits Mystery #1) by Pamela Kopfler is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in a Louisiana B&B. The spirit in this book adds a touch of the paranormal and I can only assume that since this series is called a B&B Spirits Mystery there will be others in future books.
Holly Davis owns Holly Grove plantation turned B&B. It has been in her family for several generations and she especially needs to make it a success and profitable now that her cheating husband is dead. Killed in a plane wreck before Holly could divorce him, Burl nearly bankrupt the B&B and was involved with drug smuggling on the property.
As Holly drinks to celebrate her untimely freedom, Burl shows up as a spirit with unfinished business. Burl needs Holly’s help to move on. Holly needs Burl’s help to make Holly Grove a truly haunted plantation that will draw in guests to pay the bills.
Jake McCann, Holly’s former high school sweetheart, returns to town to help with the town’s paper while the owner is on vacation. He works out an agreement with Holly to stay at the B&B, but is that the only reason he has returned?
This was a fast read and had some laugh out loud scenes especially when you read about Gold Member and some of Holly’s disasters. The interaction between Holly, her ex’s spirit and Jake was also well written.
I was disappointed that Holly made so many bad decisions that placed her in jeopardy. One or two is fine, but I prefer a smarter heroine. I am not sure if it was done for screwball comedy sake, but it was just too many times. For me, Holly’s long-time housekeeper and cook was more of a caricature than I was comfortable with. I also would have preferred Jake to become more romantically involved further into future books. It felt rushed at the end of this book.
Overall, this is an entertaining cozy, but not sure if I will continue with the series.
When I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be similar to Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, down to the dog named Rhett. I was pleasantly surprised at how much better Better Dead was than Agnes. The characters were well-rounded. The dialogue punchy and apt with some zingy one-liners. This is an all-round fun read.
Holly Davis, loves the plantation home, Holly Grove, that has been in her family since antebellum times. When the ghost of her drug-dealing husband, Burl Davis, appears, she doesn’t exactly welcome him. She still resents him for dying in an airplane crash before she could divorce him. He robbed her, was unfaithful to her, and nearly cost her home, a near-failing bed and breakfast.
Burl needs her help to move on from the physical world into either heaven or hell. Holly needs his help in haunting Holly Grove for Halloween to spur interest in her bed and breakfast and save it from foreclosure.
Jake McCann, Holly’s old flame, reappears after leaving town—and Holly’s heart—in the lurch. He needs a place to stay and moves into Holly Grove.
The romantic triangle that develops between Holly, Burl, and Jake adds a different spark to this romantic suspense novel as does a drug-smuggling ring.
Better Dead by Pamela Kopfler is the first A B&B Spirits Mystery. Holly Davis owns Holly Grove Plantation in Delta Ridge, Louisiana which she turned into a bed and breakfast three years prior. Holly’s husband, Burl passed away three months ago just before he was served with divorce papers for his cheating ways (and so much more). Holly is celebrating the end of her mourning with champagne and raises a toast to Burl. The next thing she knows he is there before her (then chaos ensues). The next morning Holly wakes up on the floor with white powder all around her (long story) and the Deltas are peering at her through the window. Burl was not a drunken hallucination and he cannot move on until Holly helps with his unfinished business. He only has until midnight on Halloween to make things right or he will be stuck at Holly Grove forever (Holly’s worst nightmare). Holly is the only person who can see and hear Burl. Before his death, Burl was involved in smuggling drugs through Holly Grove and he believes busting up the ring is his unfinished business. Holly agrees to help Burl in exchange for him haunting the house during the Haunted Pilgrimage Tour of Homes. Holly needs to turn a profit, or she is in danger of losing Holly Grove (thanks to Burl). Then Holly’s old high school flame, Jake McCann returns to town and wishes to stay at Holly Grove. Unknown to Holly, Jake is an ICE agent trying to stop the drugs being smuggled through the plantation. He is as handsome as ever and Holly is still attracted to him. However, it is hard to flirt with your deceased husband in the room. Can Holly discover who is behind the drug smuggling and put a stop to it? Why has Jake returned to town? Watch Holly juggle her duties at the B&B along with Burl, Jake, the Deltas, and a housekeeper who wants the ghost out of the house.
Better Dead is a Southern cozy mystery with paranormal elements. The story is told from Holly and Jake’s POV. I prefer stories that are written from one viewpoint (preferably third person). It allows readers to stay immersed in the story and not be distracted by the changing voice. Better Dead is a humorous story with one zany antic after another throughout the whole book. While I do not enjoy reading these type of stories, many other readers find them delightful. I prefer intelligent, strong female characters. I was never drawn into Better Dead. I read it, but just found it unbelievable. Some examples are: The Deltas believing fire hydrant foam dust to be cocaine and that Holly has a drug issue (the gossip quickly spread throughout the whole town); the gold sex toy that Holly breaks and then needs fixed (because she is snooping through her guests luggage); the housekeeper who brings in a priest and a medium to get rid of the ghost; housekeeper and Holly wearing garlic to keep the ghost at bay; Holly runs a B&B, but she cannot cook (or reheat) without destroying food (which happens in the book). I was curious why the B&B served dinner? Especially since the housekeeper cooks the food in advance (she does not stay until dinner) and then Holly has to reheat it (would you pay for this service). Like I mentioned before, many people will find these things hilarious (I am just not one of them). There was too much of it along with the bickering between Holly and Burl (tiresome and repetitive) and Holly ogling Jake (and thinking about him). I believe the author was trying for screwball comedy type humor (but did not pull it off). The mystery is in there among all the zaniness. The culprit can be identified before the reveal (do not let the crazy distract you). Holly gets herself into one dangerous situation after another since she refuses to listen to anyone (which gets her into trouble and then she needs rescuing). The characters lacked development and Burl was annoying. Better Dead was too long (I did not think the book would ever end). Better Dead was not my cup of tea.
Better Dead by Pamela Koplfer was interesting cozy read because it wasn’t about murder but drug smuggling. I have mixed feelings about this book.
I liked Holly and how she was determined to keep Holly Grove. I also understood her angst and frustration when her almost ex-husband, Burl, showed up as a ghost and wouldn’t leave. However, I was confused by her running a B & B that serves dinners. I have read other cozies where the owner didn’t cook but never one that served the guests dinner. I also never felt that Nelda, the cook, was fully developed. She seemed to be more of a caricature of a southern African American domestic rather than a “real” person.
The plot moved quickly and Holly continued to get into many zany situations as she tried to help Jack uncover the drug smugglers on her beloved plantation. The resolution was quick and had quite a few twists. The ending wrapped up her and Burl’s relationship nicely and kept the door open for her and Jack to have more mysteries to solve. All in all it was a good beginning to a new cozy series. My rating is 3.5 stars.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.