Title: Ghost Talker (Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries Book One)
Publisher: Rook and Castle Press
Author: Byrd Nash
Pages: 170pp
Price: $1.99 (ebook)

Elinor Chalamet is a ghost talker. A decade ago, her father — one of the finest jewelers in the kingdom of Alenbonné — was murdered. Grief-stricken, she turned to the mediums at the Morpheus Society, who taught her their secrets for communicating with the dead. Though she has never reached her father, and learned nothing that will allow her to bring his murderers to justice, she works to help others haunted by the loss of loved ones. Sometimes literally haunted. And so she finds herself the reluctant partner of the Duke de Archambeau, hunting both the murderer of a bastard royal and a stolen crown, the loss of which could lead to continental war ….

Ghost Talker popped up in an online discussion of cozy mysteries. The description sounded interesting, so I downloaded the sample. And then immediately purchased the book. And I had a blast reading it.

Elinor is a wonderful character. Though she has experienced tragedy in her life, she is still determined to live to the fullest (tasty desserts are high on her list of things that bring joy to her life). And, while many scoff at the Morpheus Society, she knows they do important work, and she finds it immensely fulfilling. She is also something of a radical: as the daughter of a tradesman, she technically belongs to the working class, but she grew up among the wealthy and elite. She understands both worlds, and, while she feels some pity for those trapped by the expectations of money and titles, she supports the efforts of those fighting for better education and economic opportunities.

All of which vexes the Duke to no end.

Their arguments are a hoot; like something out of an old Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell film. Elinor loves tweaking his nose, and he can’t understand why she won’t behave like a proper female — even though the last thing he needs is a proper female.

That last point bears some clarification. The fictional world created by Nash is clearly modeled after Victorian era Great Britain, with a healthy dollop of French aristocratic mores and Germanic revolutionary fervor thrown in. And while the nobility holds all of the power, women possess a surprising amount of personal freedom. No one bats at eye at Doctor LaRue, the female coroner. There are female police officers who work alongside the men. Women can wear trousers if they wish. At the same time, the lives of aristocratic women are carefully proscribed, and wealthy women such the Duke’s mother and sister are utter snobs who take care that their clothing and manners are nothing like those of the “common folk.”

I do have one complaint: Ghost Talker needed a second, more thorough edit. There are some strange formatting errors, with scenes running together rather than being broken up by asterisks or dashes. And, in at least chapter, a character’s name is misspelled.

I had a heck of a lot of fun reading Ghost Talker. There are currently four books in the series, with six planned in all, and I can’t wait to read them.

Highly recommended to fans of the Teacup Magic series by Tansy Rayner Roberts, the Lady Jewel Diviner series by Rosalie Oaks, The Malykant Mysteries by Charlotte E. English, and the Manners and Monsters series by Tilly Wallace.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]