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Typically, retired women in books spend their time drinking tea and enjoying handcrafts. But in Ghost Busting Mystery, the first Shady Hoosier Detective Agency adventure by author Daisy Pettles, two little old ladies from Southern Indiana take charge of the hunt for some disruptive dancing ghosts.
The story follows senior sleuth Ruby Jane “RJ” Waskom and her best friend, Veenie, as they fight to remain gainfully employed by their struggling detective agency. Though their boss prefers to work with the living, he’s also desperate for jobs, so he agrees to let RJ and Veenie accept a case investigating the appearance of what seems to be ghosts with big, light-up butts at the old, abandoned Wyatt mansion. But when their investigation leads them to the discovery of a long-dead skeleton, it turns into something much, much bigger.
With its quirky small-town characters and plenty of madcap misadventures, Ghost Busting Mystery has a whole lot more personality than its rather generic title might suggest.
RJ and Veenie make a wildly entertaining team—like an elderly Stephanie Plum and Lula…or maybe Dorothy and Rose, if The Golden Girls worked for a detective agency. RJ generally plays it straight. Though she still ends up in a whole lot of crazy situations, she’s the more responsible of the two—the voice of some kind of reason in the midst of the wackiness. She’s also the one who answers to the town’s sheriff, Boots Gibson (who’s not so secretly carrying a torch for her).
Veenie, on the other hand, is that crazy great-aunt that you can’t help but love. She’s every bit as wild and crazy as her thrift store fashion sense, and she’s the life of every party (even if the only party is the one in her mind). Though RJ may be a bit more cautious in her actions, Veenie is the one who dives right in without giving it a second thought.
On top of these two lovable old investigators, though, there are plenty of other entertaining characters—not to mention some other mishaps and wacky adventures. And, of course, there’s just a hint of romantic possibility, too. And it all comes together in an amusing whodunit.
If you’re in need of a good laugh on a rainy afternoon, you’re sure to get just that from these spirited sleuths from Knobby Waters, Indiana. It’s all completely silly and over-the-top—so don’t expect a serious mystery—but it’s certainly a fun-filled first installment in what promises to be a wild and crazy series.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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