Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash - Book Review

Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash

Series: Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries #1

Publication Date: 24th Oct 2022

Genre: Historical Paranormal Mystery, Novella, Gaslamp Fantasy  

4.2 Stars

One Liner: Entertaining 

*****

Madame Elinor Chalamet is a trained Ghost Talker, a medium belonging to the Morpheus Society. She helps the police using her skills and also takes up private clients. Elinor is also searching for her father’s killer and the missing details of his death. 

A dead body puts her in the path of Tristan Fontaine, Duke de Archambeau, who needs to solve the case and keep things in wraps. However, issues get complicated (in the case and in their personal lives). Can Elinor and Tristan find the killer on time? 

The story comes from Elinor’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

The blurb gave me Amanda Quick vibes, and I grabbed the book right away when I saw the author’s name. I read A Spell of Rowans by the author and enjoyed it.

The novella starts with a bang and progresses at a steady pace. The writing is easy and entertaining. I like the bits of humor sprinkled throughout. 

Elinor is smart, intelligent, capable, and determined. She deals with people in her style and knows how to get information. 

The ‘ghost’ scenes blend with the main narrative, which is an advantage and a disadvantage. The shift is seamless, but if readers want something heavily atmospheric, it can be a wee bit disappointing. 

The hints about her father are just enough to keep the readers interested for the next installment. Of course, the interactions between Elinor and Tristan are just as promising. 

Ann-Marie is an excellent side character. I hope she has a meatier role in the coming books. The series has loads of potential, and I hope to read them all. 

The climax is good and rightly sized, but it wasn’t mind-blowing or wow. The follow-through is smooth and ends well, but I wanted a little more from the climax. 

To summarize, Ghost Talker is an evenly-paced paranormal novella with a feisty heroine and a grumbling hero. It’s an entertaining read for those who enjoy the genre. 

Thank you, Net Galley, Rook and Castle Press, and IBPA Members’ Titles, for the eARC. 

#GhostTalker #NetGalley

**

P.S: I wish the cover was better. It caught my attention only because of the title and the author’s name. I can see it fits the story, but it doesn’t have the magic factor.