Rating: 5 Stars
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, by Kate Racculia, is, in many ways, an ode to Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, the entire book abounds with Poeness. It is chalked full of literary references to all things ghoulish, spooky and other cultural references to the supernatural. All of which I found delightfully entertaining.
When eccentric billionaire Vincent Pryce dies, he sets in motion a treasure hunt, as part of his legacy, that anyone can play. He was obsessed with the strange and bizarre so it is no surprise that his clues are Poe inspired. This suits Tuesday Mooney just fine. All her life she too has been interested in witches and the supernatural and she just happens to be very good as solving puzzles.
She and her friend Poindexter, aka Dex, play Mr. Pryce’s game and are quickly joined by her neighbor’s daughter Dorry, whom she tutors, and Nathanial Arches a rich playboy. They all are playing for their own reasons and nothing is as it seems even the game… especially the game. With so much hidden under the surface anything could happen and it does. When the many layers are pulled back and the truth is revealed it is shocking and brilliant.
The story is steeped in the supernatural, yet at the heart it is about relationships, love and loss. Like the treasure hunt, the author uses the many layers of the story to explore the connections of family and friendship and how love and loss affect them. It was exceptionally well done and the action of the plot made what could have been mundane and boring, exciting and thrilling.
As good at the plot was, it is the quirky characters I loved the most. Tuesday who always dresses in black and speaks, in her head, to her dead friend’s ghost. Dex, the drag queen, who just wants to be accepted for the “real” Dex. Then there is Dorry who is still dealing with the death of her Mother and Nathanial who has so many secrets and guilt you wonder how he can carry that weight. The hunt brings them all together physically, but it is the unseen, the emotional connection that is what truly shines here. It is subtle, sublime and so well done!
It is a given that readers who are interested in the supernatural will definitely want to read this book. Because of the relationships and themes explored, I think this book will appeal to a much wider audience. So, if the supernatural is not your thing, don’t let the word ghosts in the title deter you from reading this little gem. You will miss out on a truly amazing story.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.