The Ghost Tree

Inspired by the 1695 haunting of Scottish farmer Andrew Mackie, Bain’s second installment in the Libby Butler trilogy merges supernaturalism with amateur detection and romance à la Heather Graham. Three days after moving into the doomed Mackie’s home in southern Scotland, widower MacAoidh Armstrong experiences home invasion, his cow is hung, the shed burned, and his neighbor violently attacked, for which he is arrested. Feisty lawyer Libby Butler teams with private investigator Andrew Prendergast to prove Armstrong’s innocence. A boorish romance kindles between Libby and Armstrong amidst increasingly supernatural violence. Can Libby protect her heart while saving Armstrong from an ancient evil? Is the tragic past repeating itself? Bain’s atmosphere injects minimal menace into what’s little more than a contemporary bodice ripper. Lukewarm horror and obvious caricatures will provide safe chills for paranormal romance fans. (Mar.)