When something goes bump in the night . . . it’s most likely a plumbing problem, or something equally mundane. But fake medium Eleanor Wilde is happy to investigate and cleanse your home of spectral presences—for a fee. Hey, it’s a living . . . Ellie has an ailing sister to care for, and working as a ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts helps cover the bills for both of them. When she’s … both of them. When she’s lucky, it also pays for the occasional tropical vacation. Her brother doesn’t exactly approve, but Ellie figures she’s providing a service. On her latest job, though, she may be in for some genuine scares.
The skeptical, reserved, and very rich Nicholas Hartford III has flown her all the way to his family’s ancestral estate in England—supposedly haunted by a phantom named Xavier. Nicholas thinks it’s all just as much a crock as Ellie’s business is, but the fact remains that something is causing the flashes of light, mysterious accidents, and other apparent pranks in the chilly, eerie castle. His mother is sure that Xavier is real, and he’s willing to employ Ellie if she can get to the bottom of it and put a stop to the nonsense.
While the food and accommodations are somewhat disappointing (dorm-room furniture? Really?), Ellie is finding it an adventure to get to know this eccentric family and their houseguests, and to poke around in the nearby village for clues. But when an actual dead body appears—and subsequently disappears—at Castle Hartford, she’ll have to apply her talent for trickery and psychological insight to solve a
flesh-and-blood murder.
more
I had to keep going back to make sure this was the first book in the series because it was written so well and the characters were so established. Ellie is fabulous and the way her sister finds her voice is definitely unexpected. Her brother is a great foil for Ellie. To be honest, I don’t feel like I know enough about her sister to have a firm grasp of her personality. I can’t wait for more adventures with Ellie but I do have to admit that it was written so that it could have been the end of the series or even a stand alone. Knowing that it is the first in the series, I had to remind myself that as the series evolves, so will Ellie and I really can’t wait to see what will happen next for her.
Thank you to Kensington Books, Tamara Berry, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
This book was one of the best cozy mysteries I have ever read. The writing was fantastic. The mystery was well plotted and had me guessing until the end. It had a great cast of secondary characters. I wasn’t sure at the start I was going to like Ellie. She is, after all, a con-artist that prays on people’s fears for her own financial gain. And I am still not 100% onboard with that, but perhaps the author will take her in a different direction (hopefully) after the events of this book. With that being said, I still found myself liking her character.
The other element that I surprisingly liked was the budding romance between Ellie and Nick. I am usually not a fan of romance in my cozy mysteries, but the author made it work quite well here. I am interested to see where she plans to go with that in future books.
So yea, this turned out to be a delightful read. Bring on book two!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
In this 1st book of this series, we meet Eleanor Wilde, a self-proclaimed fake medium. She is a ghost hunter that doesn’t believe in ghosts. Eleanor is turning peoples fears into profits to help pay the bills for her sister in a long-term care facility. Her current job takes her to a musty old castle in England. Nicholas Hartford III doesn’t believe in ghosts either but he is hoping Ellie can convince his mother that her ghost, Xavier has left the building. Ellie is up for the job but the rest of the Hartford, staff, family and their guest takes crazy to a whole new level. She is surprised by her accommodations and the food served is horrible, but she needs the money and she is not a quitter. Even after she stumbles upon a real dead body she doesn’t give up. In fact, solving a real murder could be quite interesting . . . if she lives to tell about it.
I really enjoyed the twist of a ghost hunter that knows she is a fake even though her customers may not. I also enjoyed the way this character evolved throughout the story. We learn why she has this job. People will pay exorbitant amounts of money to have “ghosts” removed from their lives and she has a very good reason for needing the money. A strong woman with fantastic observation skills that has not had an easy life, but still has a great sense of humor. She also has a connection, a secret, something I truly appreciated.
Enter Nicholas Hartford III who has his own motives for employing Ellis’s services. This character made me feel a gambit of emotions as the story continued. His mother was a very interesting character and at times made me laugh out loud. The rest of the supporting characters are all cleverly created and help to take this mystery through many twists and turns.
The castle is a fun setting for the book. The staircases, hidden spaces, long hallways, rooms, and gardens all have a truly creepy feel.
The story unfolds at a perfect pace and like our protagonist has many layers. The story was much more than I expected and was full of surprises. Especially the very end. So much happens within the pages and I found myself slowing down to savor the story to be sure I did not miss a single thing. At points the word that popped into my head was mayhem. I learned quickly to really expect the unexpected. This time a cat plays a crucial role. A cat we didn’t even meet until we were well into this story.
I was surprised by how much I came to care about Ellie and her sister Winnie. Her brother played a part too, but I was very attuned to the sisters.
If you love mysteries cozy or traditional this is a fun read you really need to pick up today. It is really different from the usual cozies I read.
I am very excited about this series and where the author will take Ellie next after the way the book concluded. Potions Are for Pushovers will be released next December. I hate having to wait that long but if this story was any indication it will be well worth the wait.
Seances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry is the first installment in A Eleanor Wilde Mystery series. Eleanor “Ellie” Wilde makes a living with her business Eleanor’s Cleansing Service. She cleanses houses of ghostly spirits or at least that is what she tells her clients. Ellie has learned that many things can cause the noises (from rats to noisy pipes), but to satisfy the client, she must put on a show. While Ellie’s brother, Liam does not approve of how she makes a living, it does pay for Happy Acres Sanctuary where their catatonic sister resides. After finishing her latest job, Ellie is ready to head off to two weeks in Mexico when she is approached by Nicholas Hartford III. Nicholas does not believe in ghosts, spirits or goblins, but his mother is convinced their ancestral estate is haunted by a mischievous spirit named Xavier. Nicholas wants Ellie to find out what or who is behind the various incidents, take care of the problem and then convince his mother that Xavier has moved on. Ellie arrives in England ready to tackle her new job, but she is unprepared for eccentric Hartford family, the worn dorm room furniture in her bedroom and the lackluster food served in small quantities. She begins her assignment by getting to know the Hartford clan, poking around the house and investigating the local museum. Xavier is proving to be a challenge which Ellie thrives on. Things get tricky when she stumbles upon a body in the kitchen which vanishes by the time Ellie returns with help. Ellie will need to pull out all the stops if she is to unveil the entity behind the illusive poltergeist.
Seances are for Suckers is a comedic tale. You will find yourself laughing your way through this spirited cozy mystery. Ellie was not one for academics. After an auto accident when she was eighteen which resulted in her mother’s death and putting her sister in catatonic state, Ellie needed to find a way to earn good money. Her flair for the dramatic plus her practical nature along with an eye for detail combined into Eleanor’s Cleansing Service. People seem to believe in a supernatural cause for their problems over a practical one. Ellie takes care of the problem (rats, bats, noisy pipes, and problematic house cats) and then puts on a show for the client to eliminate the vexing apparition. Ellie is a smart, plucky woman who loves her family and her job. Nicholas is handsome, intelligent, level headed and wise to Ellie’s ways of eliminating problems, but he admits that she comes highly recommended and always leaves a satisfied client. I especially enjoyed Nicholas’ droll wit. He has some great lines in the book. The author took the time to develop the characters. Rachel, Nicholas’ niece, is entertaining and provides a different perspective. She also gives Ellie with some needed intel and a sidekick along as food is provided (the mother’s cooking is abysmal). The story is told from Ellie’s point-of-view and her train of thought (practical insights) provide many laugh out loud moments. The mystery is complex and multi-faceted with red herrings, multiple suspects and unexpected twists. However, avid cozy mystery readers will have no problem solving this ghostly whodunit. This book has romance, quirky characters, a charming village, an ancestral estate, humor, spooky elements, and a puzzling mystery which have been combined into one entertaining cozy mystery. I am giving Seances are for Suckers 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to Ellie’s next phantasmal adventure.
Before I write my review I want to beg Tamara Berry – PLEASE write the next book in this series quickly. I want to read it ASAP!!!
I was immediately drawn into this book and only tore myself away when the dog could not wait any longer to get outside. This book will make you smile. It will make you laugh. It will make you GASP and wonder what is going on! And then the major twist… made me do a double-take, or at least pause and flip back to see if I really understood how that could happen.
Madame Eleanor Wilde is not a real psychic medium. She is a creative problem solver. Then again, don’t we ALL have a bit of psychic ability? You could argue that she is just more observant than most. I fell in love with her from the very beginning, felt sympathy for her brother Liam. I was surprised how deeply I came to care for Winnie. (Not to do a spoiler but I was relieved in the very end.) Which is why I want the next book NOW!
Nicholas is another matter. He knows from the start that Ellie’s powers are not “real” which is precisely why he seeks her out. At first I was amused by him, then confused, then annoyed, etc. He did take my emotions on a bit of a ride. There are other secondary characters who will also muddy the waters for a bit. Talk about a dysfunctional family!
Do not peek ahead. Enjoy this story just as it unfolds. Have fun with it.
I have discovered a new favorite series.
Eleanor Wilde is a fake medium. She sells her fake ghost exorcising services at high prices in order to keep her sister in the best care facilities. She gets invited by Nicholas Hartford III to come to his family’s estate in England to find out who is pretending to be a ghost for his mother. When a real dead body is found, and subsequently goes missing, can Ellie find out what is happening in this creepy old house before she becomes the ghost’s next victim?
This book was super interesting. I enjoyed getting to know Ellie and the rest of the quaint English town. I kept going back and forth with whether or not the ghost was real, too. I never saw the ending coming. It was almost like a locked-room mystery which made it interesting. There were so many twists and turns sometimes it was hard to keep up. The ending was also a bit confusing. I’m excited to read more of this series to get to know Ellie a bit more.
SEANCES ARE FOR SUCKERS by Tamara Berry
The First Eleanor Wilde Mystery
After realizing that being a regular ghost hunter can’t pay the bills Eleanor Wilde changes tactics. Now she’s Madame Eleanor of Eleanor’s Cleansing Service. While her brother considers her a con artist, Ellie believes being a fake medium is the only way to earn enough money to pay for their sister’s care. Intrigued by the cynical Nicholas Hartford III, and knowing she’ll be paid a tidy sum, Eleanor agrees to go to England to “get rid” of Xavier, a ghost his mother believes is haunting their ancestral home. What she finds is more challenging than a dysfunctional family with rats in the attic. She finds real human remains and hears a voice that isn’t there. Will she find a human culprit behind the haunting, or is there something truly paranormal going on? Perhaps Madame Eleanor is not as fake a medium as she thinks!
Interesting characters inhabit the first book in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series. Eleanor herself is certainly a flawed protagonist, but one who is smart with good intentions. The Hartford family and its hangers on are also a unique bunch. From a precocious teenager sequestered away, a spry matriarch who does her best to make staying at the ancestral home uncomfortable, to the enigmatic Nicholas, all bring family secrets and suspicion to the table, not to mention the casual butler and real estate tycoon boyfriend. While the characters were flushed out, the same can not be said of the setting. I would have liked more description. We don’t even know where in England the story takes place.
I enjoyed the story, but I found the author’s use of the present tense to be disconcerting. Using this tense made the words seem stilted at times and preempted the flow of the narrative. The mystery itself was intriguing and I found myself suspicious of everybody, questioning all of their motives, and still being surprised by the ending.
SEANCES ARE FOR SUCKERS is a unique mystery with a paranormal twist.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
Eleanor, “Ellie” Wilde is a medium who doesn’t believe in ghosts but her job pays to keep her sister in the care facility where she’s in a near comatose state. Eleanor helps people lay their ghosts to rest and gets paid well to do it. Nicholas Hartford is a skeptical but rich man and has brought Ellie to his ancestral home in England to get to the bottom of a ghost named Xavier who has been causing problems. The job seems easy enough but things quickly get complicated when Ellie finds a dead body that disappears and she’s nearly killed during a séance. She does have to open up to her psychic ability.
I absolutely loved this book. I was drawn in from the beginning and kept hooked until the end. The characters are wonderful and are very likable. The culprit is a bit of a surprise. I highly recommend this book and am really looking forward to the second book. I’m sure this series will be a success if this book is any indication.
Series: An Eleanor Wilde Mystery – Book 1
Author: Tamara Berry
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Paranormal/ Exotic Locations
Publisher: Kensington Mystery
Page Count: 320
Publishing Date: September 24, 2019
From Kensington Books comes a new cozy series “An Eleanor Wilde Mystery” Séances Are for Suckers written by Tamara Berry.
In this new cozy series, we meet Ellie Wilds aka Madam Eleanor, a fake psychic ghost hunter who only wants to make enough money to keep her comatose sister alive and well cared for. If she has to pretend to be something and believe in something that isn’t real, so be it. As long as her sister is taken care of, that is all that matters.
The main character in this new cozy series is very likable, smart, funny, braver than she thinks she is and fully determined to help those who hire her, even if it is all fake as far as she is concerned. But when she starts hearing a voice in her head that is not her own, she begins to second guess her beliefs. This makes her very human and lends itself to some humorous moments throughout the book. Other characters are not as well established yet, but readers can already tell that several will be back and continue to grow with the series.
The mystery is intriguing; the victim(s) more so. The ghost is almost a letdown but not enough to distract from the book’s enjoyment. The killer is not who readers will think it is, which makes for a fascinating story and ending to this unusual cozy book. In this cozy series as with most, there are twists and turns that keep readers guessing and turning the page.
The setting of this first book is very nice, who doesn’t want to roam through an old mansion/castle in England? I hope the setting remains as it makes for an exciting location to expand and explore. A cozy series needs a setting that readers feel at home in and gives them a sense of adventure, Séances Are for Suckers delivers on both counts.
It was a pleasure to read this book, and I look forward to the second installment, Potions Are for Pushovers due out November 26, 2019
This book was really different from the cozy mysteries I usually read, but I liked it. It was interesting.
fun read
Enjoyed
Different and entertaining storyline. Very descriptive on the surroundings and makes you feel like you are there watching the story like a play.
Very enjoyable and entertaining and easy read.
I’m looking forward to more of her books.
Lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Can’t wait for the next one.
Very different story. The characters were fun.
Waiting for the next one in the series.
You ever read a book not expecting anything, and you read it, and think “that wasn’t what I expected?” Well, this book was that for me. Don’t get me wrong, this book was well-written, fun, level-headed (you have to read it know what I mean), and was captivating. I love how even though Ellie is “tricking” people, she still tries to give people their money’s worth because she’s only doing this to take care of her sister, and people want to believe more in ghosts than real-life issues. I really, really enjoyed this book except for a little bit of confusion on my part at the end. I thought someone was the villain, and it turns out he wasn’t, but not in the way you’d expect which really threw me off at the end. This book was an unexpected surprise, and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series even though I’m not sure where we’ll go from the end of the book. Highly recommend this 4 1/2 star read! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.
I didn’t really like any of the characters and I thought Eleanor could have handled things better than she did. She’s supposed to be relatively savvy. There was also a few elements that we’re introduced but not developed, though the ending leads one to think that they’ll be addressed in the next book.
I’m curious enough to give the next book a shot, but I’m not eager.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.