Rating: 2.5⭐️

Ghostly Interests (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 1) by Lily Harper Hart has so many issues, and I think many (but not all) might have to do with the year that this book was published in.

Written in 2015 and it’s showing its age. I almost feel like I should list the issues and be done with it. 

Main characters in their late twenties whose dialogue is more characteristic of someone much younger than themselves. Even with the colloquialism of the times and references of that specific decade. 

The lack of any broader understanding between the other characters of the idea of a found family or strong female and male friendships/bonds that act like a sibling relationship without any blood relationship so it’s spelled out like one would in general terms in the book. 

While it’s a given understanding these days. 

How the main character and those characters around her see her body and their bodies in different aspects of attractiveness. And the terminology that’s used. The idea of body positivity is no where near here but 1950 is. 

The male/female dynamics are annoying and toxic, depending upon the relationship. The men tend to talk over the women, dismiss their complaints and comments. At one point, Zander actually told Harper to shut up while he spoke to the cop about whether he thought he could date her. 

Funny? Not particularly.  Although I’m sure the author meant it as a humorous comment. Same I’m sure when Harper’s mom called Zander a derogatory word for a gay man and it’s shrugged off as being ok because it’s her mother. No, again not ok.

This sort of casual bigotry and sexism is written throughout the book.

While the main woman character, Harper, has a gay best friend, Zander, who’s also a partner in their ghostbuster business, how every day sexism and sexual harassment is handled here is seriously outdated. 

One of the younger men who works for them is outright engaged in verbal sexist remarks towards Harper, making remarks about her body, as well as marking disparaging comments about their younger intern who’s crushing on him.  Zander himself makes crude remarks towards women that’s insulting. But it’s noted he’s a masculine gay. 

There’s the issue with the entire point that the men often defer to the roommate, Zander, for information that they will believe. Even though Harper has just told whoever the same story. Even though she’s the main character. More sexism. 

And it’s taken as a joke or commentary, in the father’s case, as situation normal. 

“I do want the divorce.” “Why are you calling Mom ‘your woman’ then?” Harper asked. “Because we’re not divorced yet and I don’t like anyone taking what’s mine before I’m ready to give it up,” Phil said. “That’s not the way things work.”

That’s the kind of relationship/dynamics written and dated tone that’s displayed here by all the characters, at every level. 

It’s old at page one. 

Then there’s just things that make you stop and think:

A young American woman who says “Bleeding tragic “ which no one would say at her age and situation, even as a ghost. 

And the fact that a victim who is SA has that element totally glossed over as well as a predatory college professor. 

In the words that Zander would understand and say. “Ewww.”

To everything.  Just no. 

A Harper Harlow Mystery (21 book series)

Ghostly Interests #1

Buy link

        Ghostly Interests (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 1)

Blurb 

Harper Harlow lives in a world of ghosts. She sees them. She talks to them. She investigates them. She sends them on their merry way. She’s not embarrassed by her abilities, and she’s not afraid to be who she is. She’s also not looking for a relationship. Enter Jared Monroe, a smooth-talking police detective who sees things in black and white and ignores any shades of gray. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, and while he’s intrigued by the feisty blonde ghost detective, he’s not interested in the paranormal. When twenty-one-year-old Annie Dresden’s body washes up on the beach of Whisper Cove, Harper and Jared collide. Sparks may be flying, but so is confusion and mistrust. Harper calls on her loyal band of ghost hunters to solve the crime, and Jared relies on his training to tackle the same problem. It doesn’t matter what approach they take because all paths are destined to intersect. Can Harper and Jared learn to work together? And, more importantly, can new ghosts let go of the past and give in to an obscure future? It’s anyone’s guess when big personalities go to war and find they might have more in common than they think.

HarperHart Publications

Publication date

September 15, 2015

Language

‎English

Print length

212 pages

Book 1 of 21

A Harper Harlow Mystery