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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is the first Pluto’s Snitch novel. Raissa James is twenty-four years old and a widow. Her husband died during World War I. Raissa is a teacher of high school literature in Savannah, Georgia. She is living a very quiet and dull life which does not go with Raissa’s personality. Raissa’s secret ambition is to be a writer. Then Raissa gets an invitation from her Uncle Brett Airlie to come to Mobile, Alabama and visit his home, Caoin House. It is a chance for her to get away and maybe move out of her mourning period. Caoin House is set to be haunted and Raissa is excited by the possibility (research for her writing). Her uncle is going to throw a party in her honor. On the train to Mobile, Raissa meets Robert Aultman. The two of them hit it off and want to continue their acquaintance. Unfortunately, their relationship is meant to be short when Robert falls to death from the roof of Caoin House during the treasure hunt at the party. Did Robert commit suicide or was he pushed? Then Raissa sees a spirit in a Confederate uniform. She is drawn to this spirit. What does he want with Raissa? It turns out that he is not the only spirit or ghost in Caoin House. There is a secret that someone does not want to come to light. Raissa sets out to get answers and free the spirits from the house. Join Raissa on her investigation in The Book of Beloved.
The Book of Beloved was just okay. I definitely felt it was too long. It needed some (okay, quite a bit) editing which would have enhanced the story. The pace was too slow which made it hard to read and enjoy. The pace does pick up in the last 15% of the book (thank goodness). I found the mystery to be extremely easy to solve. The culprit was obvious (there might as well have been a spotlight shining on this person), and I solved it very early in the book. There is one unique twist thrown in (fits with the title). There are graphic descriptions (no pictures though) of men’s genitalia in the book (fair warning). Some of the historical references and word usage in the book are inaccurate for the time period and locale. An example is “gay” was an expression that meant someone was having a good time (she was having a gay old time at the party or the mood at the party was quite gay”). It did not refer to a person’s sexual persuasion as it does today. The year was 1920 and the flapper lifestyle (and style of dress) did not become popular until later (starting in 1923). I give The Book of Beloved 3 out of 5 stars. The idea has potential, but I just did not enjoy the final product.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also won a copy from Goodreads. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
The Book of Beloved was just okay. I definitely felt it was too long. It needed some (okay, quite a bit) editing which would have enhanced the story. The pace was too slow which made it hard to read and enjoy. The pace does pick up in the last 15% of the book (thank goodness). I found the mystery to be extremely easy to solve. The culprit was obvious (there might as well have been a spotlight shining on this person), and I solved it very early in the book. There is one unique twist thrown in (fits with the title). There are graphic descriptions (no pictures though) of men’s genitalia in the book (fair warning). Some of the historical references and word usage in the book are inaccurate for the time period and locale. An example is “gay” was an expression that meant someone was having a good time (she was having a gay old time at the party or the mood at the party was quite gay”). It did not refer to a person’s sexual persuasion as it does today. The year was 1920 and the flapper lifestyle (and style of dress) did not become popular until later (starting in 1923). I give The Book of Beloved 3 out of 5 stars. The idea has potential, but I just did not enjoy the final product.
I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also won a copy from Goodreads. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.
katreader's review against another edition
5.0
THE BOOK OF BELOVED by Carolyn Haines
The First Pluto's Snitch Mystery
It's 1920 and Raissa James is about to take a journey which will change her life forever. The young widow has taken her Uncle Brett's offer to visit him at Caoin House. It's no secret that Caoin House is haunted, in fact it makes the perfect setting for Raissa who aspires to be a writer, a writer of ghostly tales in particular. But are the spirits a danger to the living? When Raissa's new gentleman friend falls to his death from the roof during a party it's declared an accident. But could he have been pushed? If so, by who? A person or a ghost? What is the truth behind the dark legends of the estate? Will more people die as the spirits of Caoin House try to keep their secrets hidden?
THE BOOK OF BELOVED starts slowly, enveloping you in the summer heat of the south, lulling you into a sense of complacency. I began to wonder if the book was really a mystery and as I continued I felt it becoming more of a Gothic novel than a mystery. But then I found the mystery and indeed THE BOOK OF BELOVED is a multilayered set of mysteries rooted in a Gothic background.
Set in the American South in 1920, the book shows both the grandeur and graciousness of the time as well as the hatred and bigotry. It holds a mirror up to today's society showing the harsh realities and vicious atrocities faced by everyone who isn't a wealthy white man.
I really loved this first Pluto's Snitch mystery. The combination of mystery, Gothic novel, and historical detail create a fascinating story. While I don't read horror, I do enjoy a good Gothic and Carolyn Haines provides plenty of chills and scares without going overboard. Richly developed characters, both living and dead, inhabit the pages while the slow revelation of the truth behind the legends of Caoin House provides added intrigue and suspense.
THE BOOK OF BELOVED is as deliciously creepy as the stories Raissa hopes to write. Imbued with a decadently Gothic atmosphere this novel also takes an unflinching glance at the social and political issues of the time, civil rights in particular, while delivering an intriguing mystery.
The First Pluto's Snitch Mystery
It's 1920 and Raissa James is about to take a journey which will change her life forever. The young widow has taken her Uncle Brett's offer to visit him at Caoin House. It's no secret that Caoin House is haunted, in fact it makes the perfect setting for Raissa who aspires to be a writer, a writer of ghostly tales in particular. But are the spirits a danger to the living? When Raissa's new gentleman friend falls to his death from the roof during a party it's declared an accident. But could he have been pushed? If so, by who? A person or a ghost? What is the truth behind the dark legends of the estate? Will more people die as the spirits of Caoin House try to keep their secrets hidden?
THE BOOK OF BELOVED starts slowly, enveloping you in the summer heat of the south, lulling you into a sense of complacency. I began to wonder if the book was really a mystery and as I continued I felt it becoming more of a Gothic novel than a mystery. But then I found the mystery and indeed THE BOOK OF BELOVED is a multilayered set of mysteries rooted in a Gothic background.
Set in the American South in 1920, the book shows both the grandeur and graciousness of the time as well as the hatred and bigotry. It holds a mirror up to today's society showing the harsh realities and vicious atrocities faced by everyone who isn't a wealthy white man.
I really loved this first Pluto's Snitch mystery. The combination of mystery, Gothic novel, and historical detail create a fascinating story. While I don't read horror, I do enjoy a good Gothic and Carolyn Haines provides plenty of chills and scares without going overboard. Richly developed characters, both living and dead, inhabit the pages while the slow revelation of the truth behind the legends of Caoin House provides added intrigue and suspense.
THE BOOK OF BELOVED is as deliciously creepy as the stories Raissa hopes to write. Imbued with a decadently Gothic atmosphere this novel also takes an unflinching glance at the social and political issues of the time, civil rights in particular, while delivering an intriguing mystery.
elbg's review against another edition
3.0
It was just ok. I finished it, but knew who the murderer was about the second someone died. I also figured out the motive (and therefore the twist) very early on due to being bonked on the head with clues repeatedly. It has a good start to a murder series though, so I plan to read the second. Just beware that if you frequently read murder mysteries, or even just books, this one might disappoint.
jen_baroness_mom's review against another edition
5.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is such a magnificent ghost story. I love the history, the slang, the mystery, the truths, the characters, and the setting.
Our supernatural private investigator is Raissa James. She has known significant loss in her young life as she lost her parents and her husband. Raissa starts as a school teacher in Savannah, Georgia, in the 1920s. Once she finishes her classes, she sets out to visit her Uncle Brett at Caoin House, just outside of Mobile, Alabama. Raissa wants to be a modern woman, but she hasn't yet grasped the complete concept. From a young age, Raissa saw ghosts but taught herself not to see them for the sake of her place in society. Now that she has lost all of her family except her Uncle, she is seeing ghosts again.
At Caoin House, there are ghosts that haunt the house and woods, but many sinister things are happening that may or may not be supernatural. This is where Raissa and Reginald (a friend she meets at a seance) need to figure out what is happening, free the ghosts and unmask the living culprit.
I was so invested in this story. It has invaded my dreams and been at the back of my mind since I started reading the book. Ms. Haines combines this tale from the 1920s with ghosts, history, southern class, and retribution. It is such a fabulous book, filled with this fantastic setting, and the characters could walk right off the book's pages. I love seeing the growth that Raissa gets with the love of her Uncle and her newfound friends.
I absolutely love Ms. Haines's writing. She has a way of creating a story that seems to be living and breathing. The characters are so realistic that I feel I am right there with them, experiencing everything with them. The Book of Beloved embodies all of that. My rating for The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I highly recommend this book to all of you. It offers a bit for everyone.
Will Raissa find a way to say Caoin House before it's too late?
Raissa James
Our supernatural private investigator is Raissa James. She has known significant loss in her young life as she lost her parents and her husband. Raissa starts as a school teacher in Savannah, Georgia, in the 1920s. Once she finishes her classes, she sets out to visit her Uncle Brett at Caoin House, just outside of Mobile, Alabama. Raissa wants to be a modern woman, but she hasn't yet grasped the complete concept. From a young age, Raissa saw ghosts but taught herself not to see them for the sake of her place in society. Now that she has lost all of her family except her Uncle, she is seeing ghosts again.
The Mystery
At Caoin House, there are ghosts that haunt the house and woods, but many sinister things are happening that may or may not be supernatural. This is where Raissa and Reginald (a friend she meets at a seance) need to figure out what is happening, free the ghosts and unmask the living culprit.I was so invested in this story. It has invaded my dreams and been at the back of my mind since I started reading the book. Ms. Haines combines this tale from the 1920s with ghosts, history, southern class, and retribution. It is such a fabulous book, filled with this fantastic setting, and the characters could walk right off the book's pages. I love seeing the growth that Raissa gets with the love of her Uncle and her newfound friends.
Five Stars
I absolutely love Ms. Haines's writing. She has a way of creating a story that seems to be living and breathing. The characters are so realistic that I feel I am right there with them, experiencing everything with them. The Book of Beloved embodies all of that. My rating for The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I highly recommend this book to all of you. It offers a bit for everyone.
The Pluto's Snitch Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines.
Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
bettychuck's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It was such a joy to read. I appreciated both the pace of the story. The mystery and the contact with the afterlife kept me on the edge of your seat. It reminded me a bit of the classics mystery movies.
segl's review against another edition
5.0
This book had everything I love..it was a mystery, had a few ghosts in it, took place during one of my favorite era's in history, and it took place in both NOLA and Mobile, 2 of my favorite towns :) Plus, I love this author...I've read just about everything she's written. Such a fun and easy read and if you like ghost story southern mysteries...this is a must read.
mercyblue's review against another edition
4.0
Star Rating: 3.5 - 4 Stars
Raissa a young war widow, hopes to make her dreams come true as a novelist when she receives an invitation from her uncle to a party he's throwing at his Alabama antebellum. Since the plantation is known to be haunted Raissa jumps at the chance to find inspiration of a very real ghostly kind. But when a young man dies during the shindig, Raissa isn't so sure that the nosedive he took off the antebellum's roof was an accident. Contending with malevolent spirits and a possible new beau, Raissa has a lot to overcome if she's to become a successful writer and catch the murderer responsible for Roberts death.
Overall this novel was a solid edition in this brand new historical paranormal mystery series by Carolyn Haines. While I enjoyed Raissa, her Uncle Brett, Isabelle and a host of other characters in the novel, I felt like the story was drawn out just a little too much. There wasn't enough forward momentum in the story line until about 70% of the way through when many of the puzzle pieces fell into place. In total I feel like Carolyn Haines could have chopped a good 100 pages off this novel and I would have given it 5 stars instead of just 4. I still want to see what ruckus Raissa manages to make in the next novel, but I just hope it will be even better then the this first edition.
Raissa a young war widow, hopes to make her dreams come true as a novelist when she receives an invitation from her uncle to a party he's throwing at his Alabama antebellum. Since the plantation is known to be haunted Raissa jumps at the chance to find inspiration of a very real ghostly kind. But when a young man dies during the shindig, Raissa isn't so sure that the nosedive he took off the antebellum's roof was an accident. Contending with malevolent spirits and a possible new beau, Raissa has a lot to overcome if she's to become a successful writer and catch the murderer responsible for Roberts death.
Overall this novel was a solid edition in this brand new historical paranormal mystery series by Carolyn Haines. While I enjoyed Raissa, her Uncle Brett, Isabelle and a host of other characters in the novel, I felt like the story was drawn out just a little too much. There wasn't enough forward momentum in the story line until about 70% of the way through when many of the puzzle pieces fell into place. In total I feel like Carolyn Haines could have chopped a good 100 pages off this novel and I would have given it 5 stars instead of just 4. I still want to see what ruckus Raissa manages to make in the next novel, but I just hope it will be even better then the this first edition.
kuzminichna's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty cool book set in the deep South in the early XX century. While I kept wondering as to the historical accuracy of it as the heroine keeps professing various modern ideas on equality - I mean, maybe? plausible? can't truly say it was anachronistic as I just don't know, it is still styled and the author obviously knows the South very well. It is a lot of fun to read, and the twists and turns make for a very exciting engaging reading, all the preaching notwithstanding. The main plot device, the titular Book of the Beloved, is rather out there and the loops don't tie things together all that well but it's still lots of fun. It's a different book. I recommend it. It doesn't at the moment inspire me to read the rest of the series, but I do not regret the time I spent reading it.
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
It has been a while since I have had an honest to goodness book induced hangover. The Book of Beloved is responsible for my latest. I started reading it after finishing another book and thought I will just read a couple of chapters and it was almost 3 a.m. when I put the book down after reading the whole thing.
Main character Raissa James travels to Caoin House, her uncle’s estate, which has been said to be haunted. There have been a few mysterious deaths there over the years. She is not there long when she sees her first ghost, a Confederate soldier. Her sighting happens shortly after a man falls to his death at a party at the estate. It is ruled accidental, maybe a suicide, but Raissa thinks it was murder. Raissa uses her desire to become an author to dig deeper into the recent death and those from the past. She thinks the ghosts are key to finding out the truth.
The suicide element of this story should have been a trigger for me after my son’s death and there was a lynching in part of the book as well, but after a couple of short pauses and skimming past a few lines I just kept going. Something just a few months ago that would have made me drop the book and stop reading in an instant, but I am starting to heal more every day and the story had me so enthralled that I just couldn’t stop, I had to know how this story played out. (This may not always be the case but was with this story.) Seances also play into the mystery, trying to get answers, learning more about the people that haunt Caoin House, a way to communicate with those who have passed on. This is something that has really piqued my interest since my son’s death. I truly wish I could communicate with him, maybe someday that wish will come true. So until now I have not been able to read a story with these topics, this one brought them all together in a way my mind and soul could handle.
The reason I was able to read this story is because Carolyn Haines has written it with the hand of a master. She draws the reader in almost timidly. A niece visiting her uncle at an old estate after losing her husband in World War I, then a man falls to his death and the suspense builds, then ghosts begin to appear and secrets starts to be revealed, the suspense builds a little more and things start to get scary. I should have stopped reading then but knew there was no way I was going to sleep then so I kept on reading. Then Raissa makes a startling discovery and I was reading at lightning speed. I can’t say more because I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep even after I finished the book. I would advise you not to read before bedtime.
I will say I really like Raissa. She is an intelligent and independent woman that I can see being very involved in the causes of the time period, the 1920’s, like woman getting the right to vote. I also see her becoming a very successful author. I am interested to see where the author takes this character in the future.
I rarely give a Paradise Rating to the first book in a series because usually the plot takes a lesser role as the author needs introduce us to all the characters and the setting and time period. In this case Carolyn Haines does all that and gives us a fantastic mystery too.
It has been a while since I have had an honest to goodness book induced hangover. The Book of Beloved is responsible for my latest. I started reading it after finishing another book and thought I will just read a couple of chapters and it was almost 3 a.m. when I put the book down after reading the whole thing.
Main character Raissa James travels to Caoin House, her uncle’s estate, which has been said to be haunted. There have been a few mysterious deaths there over the years. She is not there long when she sees her first ghost, a Confederate soldier. Her sighting happens shortly after a man falls to his death at a party at the estate. It is ruled accidental, maybe a suicide, but Raissa thinks it was murder. Raissa uses her desire to become an author to dig deeper into the recent death and those from the past. She thinks the ghosts are key to finding out the truth.
The suicide element of this story should have been a trigger for me after my son’s death and there was a lynching in part of the book as well, but after a couple of short pauses and skimming past a few lines I just kept going. Something just a few months ago that would have made me drop the book and stop reading in an instant, but I am starting to heal more every day and the story had me so enthralled that I just couldn’t stop, I had to know how this story played out. (This may not always be the case but was with this story.) Seances also play into the mystery, trying to get answers, learning more about the people that haunt Caoin House, a way to communicate with those who have passed on. This is something that has really piqued my interest since my son’s death. I truly wish I could communicate with him, maybe someday that wish will come true. So until now I have not been able to read a story with these topics, this one brought them all together in a way my mind and soul could handle.
The reason I was able to read this story is because Carolyn Haines has written it with the hand of a master. She draws the reader in almost timidly. A niece visiting her uncle at an old estate after losing her husband in World War I, then a man falls to his death and the suspense builds, then ghosts begin to appear and secrets starts to be revealed, the suspense builds a little more and things start to get scary. I should have stopped reading then but knew there was no way I was going to sleep then so I kept on reading. Then Raissa makes a startling discovery and I was reading at lightning speed. I can’t say more because I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep even after I finished the book. I would advise you not to read before bedtime.
I will say I really like Raissa. She is an intelligent and independent woman that I can see being very involved in the causes of the time period, the 1920’s, like woman getting the right to vote. I also see her becoming a very successful author. I am interested to see where the author takes this character in the future.
I rarely give a Paradise Rating to the first book in a series because usually the plot takes a lesser role as the author needs introduce us to all the characters and the setting and time period. In this case Carolyn Haines does all that and gives us a fantastic mystery too.
maleficentbookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Solid 🌟 🌟 🌟 1/2.
I figured out the big bad early on but that did not take away from my enjoyment. The one twist I did not see coming, which was great. I really liked all the literary references. There were a few really creepy ghost scenes. Raissa annoyed me a lot of the time. I will continue with the series
I figured out the big bad early on but that did not take away from my enjoyment. The one twist I did not see coming, which was great. I really liked all the literary references. There were a few really creepy ghost scenes. Raissa annoyed me a lot of the time. I will continue with the series