This is a charming and entertaining story about a woman named Cleo Carpenter who discovers after a head injury that there is much more to life than her work as an Egyptologist. The arrival of the ghost of deceased rock star Alex Thorne forces Cleo not only to reevaluate her priorities in life, but also to question her sanity. Alex is determined to enlist Cleo’s help in helping his brother, Rafe, climb out of his pit of self-destruction since Alex’s death. Never mind that Alex believes Cleo and Rafe are destined for one another and hopes that bringing these two together will benefit more than just Rafe. Cleo, Alex and Rafe are wonderful characters that I quickly liked - I am sure they would be a lot of fun to hang out with. So many times I wished Alex wasn’t a ghost because it was so tragic that someone so vibrant with love, life and energy was dead. Cleo was great as a sceptic of the paranormal and I really enjoyed seeing the numerous ghosts reaching out to her trying to communicate. I found the background story of Cleo’s work and her research into the death of a boy Pharaoh very interesting and the work-place sabotage and rivalry was intriguing. The story moves at an excellent pace and I was on pins and needles with anticipation of what would happen next. Though this book has a Christmas setting, I highly recommend reading it anytime of the year. I am now a fan of Ruth Saberton’s work and look forward to reading more from her. (SH)
Ruth Saberton has written a ghostly rom-com ahead of the festive season called Dead Romantic. The summary says: "What do you do if you come face to face with a ghost? Put it down to a bump on the head and work stress if you're a respected academic like Cleo Carpenter. With Christmas approaching, professional rivalry afoot and a best friend determined to interfere in her love life, the strain is clearly starting to get to her. Guilt-stricken and deceased, Alex Thorne is desperate to make amends with his brother, Rafe, a tortured musician trapped in a spiral of destruction. When an encounter with Cleo forges a link between them she becomes his only hope. So what if the only person who can see him is a sceptic? As Cleo starts to doubt her sanity, the safe world she takes for granted crumbles around her. Setting out to regain control and prove once and for all ghosts don't exist, she embarks on a journey of self discovery and surprise, learning that love really does defy science, logic and maybe even death itself..." Dead Romantic is out in October 2014.