The Ghost and the Stolen Tears

I have loved Cleo Coyle's books since the first Coffeehouse Mystery came out, and The Ghost and the Stolen Tears is no exception!

Penelope and her aunt Sadie run a bookstore in Quindicott, Rhode Island. Norma Stanton, who lives the nomadic life out of her van and trailer, has become quite the helper working at the bookstore, and Pen is glad of her help. Norma has a wise, gentle way about her, and she's always able to help people in the store. So when a young social media influencer staying at the Finch Inn claims that her vintage jewels, inherited from a family member, have been stolen, and Norma ends up in the crosshairs of the investigation, Pen finds it hard to believe. The problem, though, is that Norma is suddenly nowhere to be found, so it's tough to refute the evidence mounting against her. Pen turns to Jack Shepard, PI (who may be dead, but who's still very much present!) for help in clearing Norma's name.

Coyle weaves the Valentino Teardrops through the story, past and present. I liked the way Jack took Pen back to his past experience with the Teardrops while he was alive and how she saw his case unfold through her dreams. She gets a sense of what Jack's life and career was like through her dream travel with him. I thoroughly enjoyed the vintage gumshoe vibe of those portions of the story. The use of things she learned in dreams to unravel the mystery facing her in the present also worked well.

I also enjoyed seeing Pen's son, Spencer, play a little bit bigger role. He's working on a class project and he's taken an interest in forensic evidence, specifically fingerprinting. His investigative skills nearly get him into trouble at school, but they come in very handy in solving the real-life mystery.

I look forward to the next adventure for Pen and Jack!

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.