Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd – Book review – Books on the 7:47

Murder at the Spirit Lounge: Nora Breen Investigates is the second of Jess Kidd’s books to feature her highly-engaging lead character, ex-nun and current amateur detective, Nora Breen. I loved the first book, Murder at Gulls Nest and this one picks up where that left off, while layering on a new standalone story.

Opening sentence: Nora Breen walks the shoreline, along the length of the deserted December beach.

Something spooky is happening

Nora is still living at the Gulls Nest guesthouse in Gore-on-Sea and has landed herself a job as a reporter on the local newspaper. The action kicks off after local medium, Doreen Chimes dies during one of her séances, with all the guests still around the table…

One of those guests happens to be local policeman (and Nora’s friend / potential love interest), Detective Inspector Rideout. He springs to action to immediately try and work out what’s happened as foul play seems to be in the mix, or was it something a little more otherworldly…

You see, before Doreen died, she was indeed communicating with the spirit world and the name ‘Eve’ had been spelled out on her Ouija board. So just who is Eve and what does it mean?

‘Supernatural revenge,’ says Nora, remembering the glimpse of the figure on the fire escape. ‘An interesting theory but if there is a killer I fear they are very much alive.’

Nora is far too practically-minded to jump to ghostly conclusions, but when more people die and they just so happen to have been the others around the séance table, Nora is worried they have a serial killer on their hands who won’t stop until everyone is dead.

Nora and Rideout find themselves in a race against time to figure out what’s happening and stop everyone who was at the séance being murdered. Rideout being one of those people.

I really enjoyed the gentle but fast pace of Murder at the Spirit Lounge and alongside the main plot, there is lovely relationship development between Nora and Detective Inspector Rideout, as well as Nora and her friends in the guesthouse.

Sometimes, I’m just in the mood for a cosy murder mystery to effortlessly read and keep me entertained, and Murder at the Spirit Lounge is exactly that. The scene is set for book three in the Nora Breen Investigates series, and I will definitely be adding to my TBR list.