Charlene Morris buys a house in Salem, Massachusetts. She plans to turn it into a B&B. Then she meets Jack, the former homeowner, who is a ghost. He is haunting the house and doesn’t know why he didn’t move on after death, but he thinks he was murdered.
Charlene is determined to solve the mystery, so Jack can move on and she can open a ghost free B&B.
Charlene immediately begins asking questions around town. Since she is new, doesn’t know anyone and is asking questions about someone she supposedly never knew, much of the book feels awkward. And still all these people come to her party before opening.
I’d give this 3.5 stars. I liked it and wanted to know what was going to happen. The solution to the murder was pretty interesting. But there were those awkward bits that felt a little forced because of Charlene’s thrusting herself into an unfamiliar social setting and town history like she had the right to answers.

Did not really enjoy this book. Need a hero and heroine who are both alive or both ghosts to get a happily ever after. Not for me, hard to recommend.

The first in a new series Salem B&B mystery series. Charlene Morris has arrived in Salem to open a new B&B. She has left Chicago following the death of her husband Jared and purchased the property without even seeing it. Charlene meets the realtor at the house but finds it odd he does not even want to enter the place. Charlene awakes in the middle of the night to find a man in her bedroom. She is going to call the police but he is a ghost. Dr. Jack Strathmore is the previous owner of the house and has been haunting it since his death 3 years ago. Charlene is the first person who has been able to see him. They strike a deal in that she will help figure out who killed him and he will not interfere with the B&B. Everyone believes Jack died of a stroke and fell down the stairs so bringing this up now and being new in town raises a lot of questions. When trying to find the owner of a cat that has decided to take up residence in her house she meets Detective Sam Holden. Sam and Jack are both interested in Charlene but of course Jack is a ghost. Don't like Jack's temper sometimes. The paranormal aspect was interesting and the mystery was solid but with all first books it takes a bit to get it established. Will be looking forward to the next installment.

A colorful sixties inspired cover draws the reader into Wilton's Book 1 of the Salem B & B mystery series. Crafted by the skilled best selling author team of Traci Hall and Patrice Wilton, the series is a sure winner.

Our amateur sleuth is Charlene Morris, recently widowed. A risk taker, and a visionary she realizes the change of scenery from Chicago, the change of profession from a marketing expert, and releasing her mother from the need to over parent could be solved by relocating to Salem MA and opening a bed & breakfast. She did not count on acquiring a cat (who stowed away in the moving van) or the ghost (who is stuck in her new house). The ghost, Jack, says it is his house, Charlene's job is to solve his murder. Completing the third leg of a romantic triangle is the very male Sam Holden. Sam is a detective with the Salem Police force, he is the first man to make her pulse race since her beloved Jared's death.

There ae many mysteries set in Bed & Breakfast locations. Very few describe the start up for such a venture. This was a nice parallel to the authors establishing a new series. None of the characters included in the mystery are flat. Each of them, from Charlene down to secondary characters such as Archie, the antique dealer, are aptly described and fit smoothly into the narration. When the ghost murder mystery is compounded by the murder of Jack's ex, there are no stock villains to stand in as red herrings.. Instead there are many likely culprits for Charlene to ponder.

Paranormal mysteries may tip into the horror arena. Not the case here. The complexity of romantic feelings for both the living and the dead, combined with Charlene's sense of joyfulness plus the cat's antics all come together in a Salem style 'witches brew sure to enchant the reader.

Full disclosure: I received this e copy from Kensington and netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for the opportunity.

Recommended for cozy mystery and paranormal mystery readers.

What a creative twist on a mystery! What the author did was mix cozy and paranormal in a way that is engaging without being over the top. A page turner from beginning to end.

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost
A Salem B&B Mystery, Book #1
Traci Wilson
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Charlene Morris knew Salem, Massachusetts had a spooky reputation. But when she decided to open her B&B there, she expected guests--not ghosts...

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start--so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom. Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore--and explains that he used to live here--when he was alive. He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who. If Charlene wants to get her business up and running in time for the Halloween tourist rush, and get this haunting houseguest out of the way, she'll have to investigate. Though truth be told, this ghost is starting to grow on her . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

I thought that Charlene was a smart caring lady who is mourning the loss of her husband. She has moved to New England to get a fresh start, and she decides to open a B&B. There is one small problem, the house is occupied by a ghost named Jack. After getting over the initial shock of Jack being a ghost, Charlene agrees to help find out if Jack was murdered, in hopes of him being able to move one.

The characters are well developed and well rounded. I enjoyed getting to know Charlene and Jack and I liked how their relationship grew as the book went on. Detective Sam Holden is a great guy and he has shown some interest in getting to know Charlene better.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions kept me engaged from the very first page. The mystery was well plotted and had enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I was not sure of the culprit until it was revealed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Paranormal cozy ghost stories are some of my favorites to read and this book fit in that category very nicely.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

A big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

Gosh, this was a lot of fun! I'm used to the usual cozy formula, and when something really shakes that up it goes one of two ways, awful or brilliant. This was brilliant! For starters, we have a very active sleuth in Charlene. Why would she be investigating the death of the former owner of her new home though? Because he asked her to, of course! Having a ghost around made for a very different mystery, even if Jack can't remember the last week of his life. It WAS a good mystery too, with the trail cold and the clues few. Made the ending oh so satisfying!

The setting and the pacing were great too, being in Salem adds an appropriate creepy vibe and the story gives just enough to keep you intrigued. There is a good network of characters forming around Charlene too, and an interesting set up for book two!

The publishing date for this one isn't too far away, keep it on your radar because it's well worth a read! Five stars.

A new cozy mystery series set in Salem, Massachusetts. Charlene Morris needs a fresh start after the death of her husband and buys an estate in Salem in order to open a Bed-and-Breakfast. What she doesn’t know is that her first guest is already there.

Thoughts:

I’ll be honest cozy mysteries are always hit-or-miss with me. So when in the first paragraph we learn the main character had bought an 8,000 sq ft house sight unseen my internal response was already a little disbelieving and was doubting how the book review would go. But, it won me over. I still find buying that kind of house like that a bit odd, but there is a charm within the story that kept me engaged and entertained. Somewhere between Charlene meeting Jack (the ghost) and all the house setup she needs to do in order to open the B&B is a lovely story about a woman trying to move forward in life. She’s not ready to begin dating yet, but you can tell she’s getting there.

This first book leads up to right before she opens the B&B and handles all the preparations she has to make in order to get it ready – purchasing furniture and other decorative items, hiring staff, marketing, and learning more about the town so that she can recommend restaurants and sight-seeing places. However, she does all this while also trying to solve Jack’s murder because after all, who wants a ghost in the house to scare guests away? Under the premise of trying to find more information about the property she lives in so that she can do a write-up for the guests, Charlene begins to ask questions…a lot of questions. This causes her to make friends and then to really annoy them. Now that I’ve finished the book, I’ll be curious to see what some of the relationships are like in the next book. Have some of these folks forgiven her or gotten over her questions? Or, maybe we don’t see them again and so it’s all good. I got the impression, though, that a few of them are reoccurring characters so I suspect we’ll find out.

The ghost is a likeable character who floats in and out of the story. His emotions sometimes seem to Charlene to be a little uneven – she suspects it is due to him being a ghost or the topic of his murder. It will be nice to see how the relationship changes now that everything is out in the open and there are no more secrets out there.

I also hope we get more of the minor character Minnie in the upcoming books- when she is around there is more of a homey atmosphere about the place and story. I also see her as someone Charlene can potentially confide in and discuss certain issues or questions with in future mysteries.

At the end is a sneak peak of the next book in the series: Mrs. Morris and the Witch. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, I definitely recommend giving this one a try. It has a nice premise and good cast of characters and with it being a B&B there is a lot of opportunity for side stories that can keep us entertained.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to provide and honest opinion.

I had conflicting feelings about this book, but I still decided to give it four stars because I am planning on reading the next installment. I liked the Salem setting and will give any book that has one a chance. The story and characters were interesting. I thought Charlene ( new widow trying to open a b&b in Salem a town she only visited once) had some problematic traits. I get she is grieving, so it makes sense but she always feels too unsure. It gets a little better as the book goes on at least. Ghost Jack has an interesting tale- the conclusion left me the most conflicted. Still I want to see where this goes so I will look for the next one.

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost Is the first in the new Salem B&B Mystery series by Traci Wilton, the pen name for the collaboration of seasoned authors Traci Hall and Patrice Wilton. Charlene Morris needs to begin again. She is still grieving her husband’s death in an auto accident and can no longer live where everything is a constant reminder of her loss. Her new beginning and leap of faith takes her from Chicago to Salem, Massachusetts, where she has used her life savings to purchase an historic mansion sight unseen. The description and pictures met her criteria, and the house has no big issues except that it is already inhabited by its deceased former owner, Dr. Jack Strathmore of the old Salem founding family. Being a member of the founding families appears to be a big deal to those she meets.

Jack is convinced he was murdered and feels he will not be able to leave the property until his death, which was already ruled to be of natural causes, is solved. With thoughts of opening her B&B Halloween weekend with a resident ghost frightening her guests, Charlene decides to help Jack solve his mystery. In doing so, she ruffles many, discovers a body, and nearly misses becoming a ghost herself. In unraveling the mystery she finds that the biggest enemy could be your closest family member.

This story has a host of interesting characters. There are those from old Salem families, relative newcomers, as well as one that exists merely on the edge. This is a twisting tale, taking many different directions before the exciting climax. I did enjoy this book and not only do I recommend it but I look forward to the next in this new series.

Charlene is trying to get over the death of her husband. She has decided to buy a mansion in Salem and start a Bed and breakfast. She thought this would give her a new start. Once she arrived at the mansion, a cat started showing up which was a mystery she had to solve. And she did.

But what she didn't count on was having a ghost show up. The former owner of the mansion who can't leave for some reason or other. He thinks that he was murdered but he can't remember is last few days before he supposedly had a heart attack.

He wants Charlene to help find out what happened to him. As usual Ms. Hall has a way with spinning a tale that keeps you intrigued all the way to the end of the book. I really think that you will enjoy this book.

A charming start to a new series! Charlene's husband died- too young- and she's moved from Chicago to Salem, Massachusetts, where she's bought a B&B. Talk about luck; the place is gorgeous and it's almost ready to take guests. But wait! There's a ghost, and not just any ghost but a dishy one. Jack Strathmore was found dead at the bottom of the stairs three years ago and he wants Charlene's help. She sets out to prove that it was murder and in classic cozy style, discovers there was more to the situation than meets the eye. This is fun paranormal cozy stuff and it never gets too twee (whew!). Thanks to Netgallley for the ARC. Nicely written and plotted, it was a good quick read on a hot summer day. I'm curious where Wilton will take this next!

Charlene Morris needs a change— something different after the death of her husband. Moving from her home in Chicago to a historic house in Salem, Massachusetts that she’s never seen sounds about as different as it gets. But then she didn’t expect to wake up on her first night in the gorgeous house to the ghost of the former owner, Jack Strathmore, standing at the foot of her bed. Now if she ever wants to get her house ghost-free in time to open it as a B&B for the tourist season, she’s going to have to solve Jack’s murder.

Author Traci Wilton has brewed a wicked concept. Charlene wanted a new life, but she never intended to dive into someone else’s, and that’s what makes her such a compelling sleuth. Where others are nosy for the sake of being nosy, she has a legitimate reason for investigating the murder: there’s a ghost in her house and he needs to move on. However, she’s still dealing with the loss of her husband, which often makes her hesitate in trying new things. This mystery allows her to grow, coming out of her grief as she attempts to aid Jack, and Wilton expertly blends the overall mystery against Charlene’s time of personal change.

And this hesitancy works because sometimes Charlene bumbles through the investigation. She’s clunky with her questioning, pointed with accusations, and earnest in her theories— no matter what the evidence suggests. And yet it all clicks. Charlene comes across as sincere, though timid, and as though she’s trying her best.

However, the mystery itself is a bit of a slower burn than an average cozy. There’s a lot of world building, with Charlene slowly integrating into her new Salem community. The majority of the action takes place in the house, sometimes limiting her interactions with other characters. And this makes sense because part of Jack’s background as a ghost means that he’s not allowed to leave his home’s grounds. Wilton combats this with a lot of renovations and running errands, and it’s obvious that future installments will be served by actual B&B guests and more comfortable interactions with locals.

Even so, the paranormal aspects run away with the show. Charlene and Jack’s interactions are fascinating as the two navigate the rules of ghost-dom, and their relationship from reluctant acquaintances to genuine friends binds the story together. It’s a spooky, somewhat heartwarming start to a series.

I really enjoyed reading Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton. I actually read it in one day! This is the first book in the Salem B&B Cozy mystery series. It's a paranormal mystery as well. In the last few years I haven't found any paranormal cozies that I could really get into but with this one I did. So I am super excited for the next one (there is a sneak peek at the end of this book).

In this one, readers will meet Charlene Morris who is a new transplant to Salem Massachusetts. After her husband died she decided she needed a chance of scenery and is now opening a B&B in the historic town of Salem. If you know anything about Salem MA then you will know that this is the place where the witch trials took place. So it comes as no surprise that the author includes the paranormal here. Charlene of course doesn't believe in ghosts and haunting even though the place she chose to reside is known for the paranormal. That is, until the previous owner of the home shows himself in spirit form. Needing to find out who killed him leads Charlene to pursue answers. Who could have killed the handsome doctor who had everything going for him? And why doesn't anyone want to tell her about him and his life before he passed? All these answers and more will be revealed in Mrs. Morris and the Ghost and you won't want to miss it!

This is the perfect start to a new cozy mystery series and I am truly excited for the next one! I think the title is going to be Mrs. Morris and the Witch (as shown though the first chapter preview at the end of this one). I hope the author will publish it sooner rather than later as I am already ready for my next fix! There is just something about this series that really speaks to me.

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost by Traci Wilton is the first book in A Salem B&B Mystery.

Mrs. Morris recently widowed and still grieving for her husband, has decided to make a new start. She has purchased a lovely old home in Salem and hopes to open B&B.
Almost immediately upon arrival she meets the old owner of the house, who is a ghost. He is stuck between the worlds and can't move on. He believes that he was pushed down the stairs and needs Mrs. Morris's help in discovering who did in in hopes to finally move on.

I particularly liked how realistic description of seeing ghost for the first time is and found it hilarious. Story is interesting although I found at times that it could have moved bit faster.
I liked the characters, Mrs. Morris as well as the ghost and found them endearing.
I hope that the romance angle will progress further.
All in all a solid start of a new series.

Starting a new business is challenging, but when you're opening a B&B, on Halloween, and the former owner is a ghost and is bound to your new B&B, things get interesting!

Charlene Morris, recently widowed, has moved to Boston to open a B&B and try to rebuild her life. Little does she know her first guest is Dr. Jack Strathmore - handsome, witty and dead. Charlene is convinced his death was no accident and decides to investigate to save her business and help Jack.

I liked the character of Charlene and the descriptions of the house, decor and Boston were charming. The mystery was well written and I didn't expect the ending though it made perfect sense. The romantic feelings Charlene had for Jack were a little hard to process - not because he was a ghost but because I didn't like how he was involved in the ending and he's a little too bossy. However, I would read the second book to give him another chance!

A perfect Halloween read!

I received an ebook, from NetGalley, for a fair and honest review of this book.

2.5 stars
This cozy mystery was recommended to my by a friend who knows that I adore all things related to Salem, MA. Well, make that almost all things. A main character who moves to a new town to open a bed and breakfast as a new start is fairly cookie cutter as a premise. The place being haunted isn’t much more original. Mrs. Morris and the Ghost is unique in that it includes the perspective of the ghost as well as that of the MC. Unfortunately, the ghost isn’t all that likable, and the romance elements in the book are off-putting at best. This one was a miss for me. I won’t be reading book #2.

Charlene Morris is starting over in Salem after losing her husband Jared, the love of her life. While leaving the past behind she is focusing on the future as she embarks on starting a B&B. Having bought the old mansion sight unseen, she got more than she had bargained for, in the form of Jack, the ghost of a man who was murdered in the house.

With all of her eggs in the B&B basket, Charlene cannot afford to fail and strikes a deal with Jack. She will help prove that Jack was murdered and Jack will not haunt the guests who stay at Charlene’s. But with everyone from the police to the coroner saying Jack died of natural causes, it’s going to be hard to find proof when Charlene can’t share that Jack is the one who told her he was murdered.

While Charlene is focused on building a new life for herself in Salem, she doesn’t have plans for falling in love again. So the dashing Jack and the sexy detective Sam truly pose a challenge to the plans that Charlene has for he new life. Is it even possible to fall in love with a ghost? Definitely some new experiences for her in her new life.

I love Salem, so this book captured my attention when I saw it and I was not disappointed. From the old historic home to the history of Salem, I knew I had to read this one. Looking forward to the second entry, Mrs. Morris and the Witch.

I took a break and was off cozy books as I found them to be too formulaic, but the cover of this book and the Ghost in the title drew me in. Spooky/ghostly cozy are my new favorite. And this book hit the right spot in me.

Charlene moved to Salem with its rich history to open a Bed and Breakfast. Wanting to make it a success, she worked hard to get it ready for a Halloween opening and soon banged into the its lone ghostly occupant, Jack. Oh, he was a yummy one. She soon learned that for him to move to the great beyond, she needed to find his murderer. And the story rolled on.

My first book by author Traci Wilton, and I was sooo enamored by her writing. She drew me in not only with the story but with its depth and maturity. There was a richness in the prose, an attention to detail which quickly made a place in my heart. The story may seem familiar, but believe me, it is Traci's storytelling talent which made me feel as if I was with Charlene. I even had a small crush on Jack. Both these characters grew on to me, though I didn't like Jack's temper much... Ah well, I couldn't very well argue with a ghost or tell him to calm down.

It was a murder mystery filled with knickknacks of furnishing of the B&B and the snippets of the people of the town. All of them were potential murderers in my list of suspects. The pace was slower than I was used to. But I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Overall, a fun, cozy read in a rainy afternoon.

Charlene Morris loses her husband in a car accident and decides to leave Chicago and move to Salem. She buys an old house and turns it into a Bed and Breakfast. One little problem: the former owner of the house is a ghost who claims he was murdered. Thus begins a search for his killer so he can moved on. Charlene finally believes the ghost, and she decides to investigate his murder. As Charlene starts questioning people, she also learns about Salem and its rich history.
This is a cute, cozy mystery. It keeps you guessing until the end as to whom the murderer is. Unlike some mysteries, the murderer does make sense, and there is one hint as to whom it might be. I recommend this book for a nice summer read.