Ghosts of Tupelo Landing (Mo and Dale Mysteries #2)
Sheila Turnage
Kathy Dawson Books
Published on February 4, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
About Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
Small towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are – no matter how many murders you solve.
When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn’t realize there’s a ghost in the fine print. Naturally, Desperado Detective Agency (aka Mo and Dale) opens a paranormal division to solve the mystery of the ghost’s identity. They’ve got to figure out who the ghost is so they can interview it for their history assignment (extra credit). But Mo and Dale start to realize that the Inn isn’t the only haunted place in Tupelo Landing. People can also be haunted by their own past. As Mo and Dale handily track down the truth about the ghost (with some help from the new kid in town), they discover the truth about a great many other people, too.
My Review
Three Times Lucky was one of my favorite books from my reading list last year, so as soon as I started listening to audiobooks (after my daughter was born at the end of the year), I knew I needed to get the sequel. While it’s packed with the same great characters as Three Times Lucky, I felt like the story didn’t have the same oomph. Maybe because I was already familiar with the town and people, so it didn’t have that same freshness as the first book. The ghost mystery didn’t have quite the same weight as a murder mystery, either, and it had some definite willing-suspension-of-disbelief requirements. Which is okay. It still had the same killer descriptions and hilarious antics and dialogue as well as a fantastic cast of characters.
I still enjoyed The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing a lot. I’m glad I read it—nothing wrong with more Mo and Dale in my reading. I would be interested in reading the third book. Fans of books like Because of Winn Dixie and Elsie Mae Has Something to Say will want to check out this series and won’t be able to help falling head over heels for Mo and Dale.
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Cultural Elements
Takes place in a small southern town. I think all the characters were white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Mo talks about her wish to marry Dale’s older brother someday.
Spiritual Content
Mo and Dale meet a ghost living in the old inn. They decide to interview her for a school project and hope they can figure out what happened to her so she can be at peace. They have some other ghostly encounters, like seeing ghost cars in the middle of the night.
Violent Content
None.
Drug Content
One of the men in Mo’s town is rumored to have a still where he brews alcohol.
I totally agree with your assessment of this book. And yes, what’s not to love about Mo and Dale?! Thank you for your review.