Ghost Blows a Kiss

In MWA Grand Master Hart’s enjoyable 10th Bailey Ruth ghost novel (after 2019’s Ghost Ups Her Game), spectral sleuth Bailey Ruth Raeburn saves Adelaide, Okla., antiques dealer Frances Loring from drowning, only to find Frances accused of murder. Frances has been captured on security camera footage taken shortly before the discovery of the body of wealthy Sylvia Chandler. However, Frances was on the scene to head off her volatile artist half-brother, Travis, who had a beef with Sylvia, and Sylvia’s stepchildren and their spouses stand to gain from her death as prospective heirs to the sizable estate of Sylvia’s dying husband. Determined to find the culprit, Bailey Ruth squares off against the acting chief of police, who’s more concerned with ingratiating himself with the mayor and the well-heeled Chandlers than running a thorough investigation. Another death complicates the case, and a subplot with Frances and the widowed detective Don Smith adds poignancy. With the warmhearted and stubborn Bailey Ruth, Hart pleases longtime fans and should win new readers. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary/ICM Partners. (July)