Title: The Madonna Ghost
Author: Linda Maria Frank
Genre:Teen Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Seventeen-year-old Annie Tillery and her Aunt Jill set off for Long Island’s Fire Island for a vacation of surf, sun, and sailing. Annie is happy to leave behind the stress of her relationship with her parents. Aunt Jill, who is an NYPD detective, is mixing her vacation with a case she must keep secret from Annie.
The Madonna Ghost reminded me of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars, which is of course always a good thing. Annie Tillery and her aunt Jill set off for a holiday on Fire Island, planning to spend their holiday surfing, sunbathing, sailing, and just relaxing. But Jill hasn’t told Annie that she’s working on a case, and when she gets in trouble, it’s up to Annie to save her aunt.
Annie is a flawed, but engaging character. It’s these flaws that make her stand out. When her aunt becomes endangered, she steps up to save the day. Her relationship with her parents is anything but good, but she does have a good relationship with her aunt. On the island, she makes friends, even a possible love interest. The book also has a dash of the paranormal, as the title suggests, with a few ghosts sightings. The mystery is the key element of the book though, and the author does an admirable job with it, not presenting all clues at once but rather making the reader figure it out along with the characters.
The secondary characters are great too, but Annie was my favorite character. The writing starts right in the middle of the action. Overall, this is a very enjoyable and engaging mystery novel, recommended to young adults and adults who don’t mind reading about younger characters.
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