Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Ten years ago, ASHLEY HALE left the Inn at Loon Lake, her family’s business, frustrated by her father’s apprenticeship that treated her more like a personal assistant than heir apparent. Her childhood best friend turned husband, CHRISTOPHER LEWIS, stayed behind, breaking her heart. After her father’s sudden passing, Ashley discovers that he changed the terms of the will to include either her or her husband, whoever stays for thirty consecutive days following his death.
To claim her rightful legacy and her only chance at a happy future, Ashley sneaks into the lighthouse behind the Inn with the intention of scaring her estranged husband off the premises by pretending to be a ghost. Unfortunately for Ashley, Christopher knows she’s back. He’s spent the last decade running the business and hating himself for not following her. Her father forbade him from telling her the truth of the Inn’s financial circumstances. In an act of love, he saved the resort and has been supporting her with an allowance ever since.
When Ashley accidentally sets the lighthouse on fire, she runs into Christopher’s arms. He hopes her return means a relationship resolution and a chance to show how much work is involved in managing the property, hoping she will gladly hand over the reins. However, Ashley isn’t giving up, and Christopher doesn’t want her to leave. Convinced the Inn’s lighthouse is haunted, she starts an investigation. Together, they uncover one mystery after another. Will they discover the secret to a happy future and a second chance at love?
The Ghost of Loon Lake by Rachelle Paige Campbell is the first book in The Shores of Loon Lake series. A family-owned resort and small businesses owned by other long-time families living in the area are central to the plot in this cozy mystery, which may have a ghost or a mosasaur as part of the story. Multiple stories are told that are wound together but sometimes seem choppy. It was difficult for me to get invested in the characters due to Ashley’s actions and attitude.
Ashley, whose family owns the inn, left abruptly ten years ago, leaving her father and husband behind. She thought one or the other would have tried to reach out to her, but it didn’t happen, and they remained estranged the entire time. She returns due to a stipulation in her father’s will of who’s to inherit, and while some seem glad she’s back, her husband and some of the other long-term residents don’t know what to think. There’s still an attraction on her husband Christopher’s end, but he doesn’t want to see all his hard work running the inn with her father get tossed aside. But would they ever be able to work together—especially when there are so many secrets?
We get to scratch the characters’ surface; some are more likable than others. Many in town didn’t like how Christopher does business, and their interactions reflected that. He wants what’s best for the town and the inn but doesn’t always come across as Mr. Nice Guy. He does try to help others be the best they can be in their endeavors, but is that enough?
Ashley runs into trouble no matter what she’s involved with at the inn or the lighthouse on the property that has seen better days. Some things can’t be explained rationally where the lighthouse is concerned, but is it a ghost, Ashley’s carelessness, or some other actions to blame? There’s a mystery afoot, but who is responsible for the bad things that keep occurring? There are some loose ends tied up by the time the story ends, and we find out whodunnit, and why, but there’s more to tell for me to get the closure I look for.
The Ghost of Loon Lake is a cozy mystery, but is the ghost that may inhabit the lighthouse just a figment of Ashley’s imagination? You’ll have to sit back and see whodunnit as you turn the pages at this lakeside inn.
Rachelle Paige Campbell writes contemporary romance novels filled with heart and hope. She believes love and laughter can change lives, and every story needs a happily ever after.
