Ghost With the Most

GhostWriter Mystery #2

by Mallory Pierce

Gwen has a new lease on her afterlife, but Nolan's past threatens to ruin everything.

Several months after catching a murderer together, spirited ghost Gwen and moody horror writer Nolan have settled into their unusual living arrangement, and all seems to be going well until...

Karissa Jones, the woman who broke Nolan’s heart, shows up on his and Gwen’s doorstep, and the duo’s friendship is put to the test. Gwen questions the self-absorbed influencer’s motives for wanting to reconnect with Nolan, but he trusts his ex-girlfriend implicitly and won’t hear a word said against her.

When Karissa is discovered with the bloodied corpse of bad boy rocker Scorch, whom she recently dumped and wished dead on social media, she is suspect number one. Nolan wants to clear her name by tracking down the real culprit, but Gwen isn’t convinced of Karissa’s innocence.

Genres: Paranormal, Mystery

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2024

About the author

Mallory Pierce is a third-generation graveyard enthusiast (tombstones tell such interesting stories!), reader of Nancy Drew, player of Clue, devout dissectologist (look it up!), and the owner of several fetching trench coats. So, it makes perfect sense that she spends her days writing stories about a plucky, crime-solving ghost.

Despite having visited haunted houses from San Jose to Savannah, Mallory has yet to have a close encounter with anyone from the Great Beyond and that’s probably for the best because she’s sort of a wimp. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

That’s the Spirit! is the first of what will hopefully be many Paranormal Cozy Mysteries penned by Mallory Pierce, which is a pseudonym of award-winning Romantic Comedy author Tracie Banister.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story!

What a hoot! I absolutely loved this combo of a squeamish horror writer and a prim ghost from around the Victorian era as a crime fighting duo! The book is clever, witty, has a compelling plot and a fantastic cast of characters. And that info drop at the end wow!! I absolutely cannot wait to read more in this world! Fabulous book don’t miss it!
I received an advance review copy via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps You Guessing ! . . .

These wonderful main characters make the perfect sleuthing combination. Gwendolyn Frink is a ghost who still resides in her family’s Victorian mansion. Nolan Drake is a writer of horror stories who purchases the mansion and learns what it’s like to live with his clever new ghostly housemate, Gwen. But when Nolan’s ex-girlfriend arrives at his door, a new adventure will begin.

The flighty, selfish (and unlikable) Karissa Jones had dumped Nolan to take up with Scorch (Harold Akunowicz), a rockstar she has now walked out on as she decides to reconnect with Nolan. Unfortunately, Scorch’s dead body, with the murder weapon (icepick) covered in Karissa’s fingerprints as she tried to remove it (in case he was still alive?), might delay her plans. Now Nolan and a reluctant Gwen will need to find the real murderer and clear Karissa’s name. And what had Scorch been searching for as he had been tearing up Karissa’s hotel room shortly before his death?

Clever writing, humor, and unique characters blend together to pull the reader into the story. You won’t want to miss this one!

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun mystery to read! The characters were delightful and the story was engrossing. I found Gwen to be tenacious and strong-willed. She was also skilled at solving mysteries. This must have been a hard case to investigate for her since it involved Nolan’s ex. I never saw the solution! I do have suspicions as to what happened to Gwen. I loved this book and look forward to reading the next one!

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nolan, Stuck in a triangle of women! A mans dream, yes? NO! First, there is Gwen, A murder victim from victorian times attached to the house Nolan bought. The house belonged to his great grandfather, who was Gwen's fiance' till her death. Second female in his life is a police officer Bailey, who he has a growing interest in. Now, toss in the frustration, the third female, his ex-girlfriend Karissa. She just broke with a lead singer of a band and ' popped ' into Nolan's small town. As you can imagine, the whirlwind this causes is huge for Nolan. Until..an ice festival brings a case of murder. Who was the victim? Karissa's Ex boyfriend. Who is the first to discover him...you guessed it..Karissa. I read on cheering and jeering and clapping with joy. Ms. Pierce has woven an exciting page turner and I will not let you know who I wished came out ahead, because the ending is totally unpredictable!

[Teri Radogna-linquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book. Gwen, Nolan, Bailey, Jennifer and the new and interesting ghost Enzo made for a very enjoyable read. The main characters were well developed and likable and the mystery had me guessing till near the end. Throughout the book I was rooting for Nolan to connect with Bailey and hope springs eternal that in future books he will. And the introduction of Enzo makes me hope that Gwen will find some ghostly romance along the way as she continues to seek the answer to her own mystery of how she died. Loved this book and can't wait for the next one. If you like mysteries with a bit of paranormal, a bit of romance and a good case to solve this one is for you.

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. Adding an additional author to my reading list.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully charming paranormal cozy murder mystery, sooo well written with a wonderful array of characters that will draw you into their dramatic story, some vibrant and colorful familiar as well as new vibrant and colorful characters but of course this wouldn't be a murder mystery without a deadly schemer hidden in plain sight or not. Though it's the characters that draw you in it's the enticement of intrigue, secrets, betrayals and murder intertwined in the plot that will have you captivated turning page after page until you've suddenly reached the unexpected and climatic conclusion, because if you enjoy a fabulous Spirited cozey murder mystery as much as I do you won't be able to put it down once you've begun reading it. Acquire " Ghost With the

Most " for hours of intriguing and enjoyable entertainment. Kat

characters as well as

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

When real life people live with real spirits crazy things can happen!! The supernatural elements in this story take it to another level of hilarity. I was so frustrated with Nolan and the blinders he wore where Karissa (Nolan and everybody else's ex) was concerned!!!! Karissa was a self absorbed loosey goosey that attached herself to anyone that could pull her up the ladder to fame. She was so superficial you could see through her like a ghost, except for clueless Nolan. Gwen has some good instincts on who murdered Scorch, and she seems to be on the right track eventually, but will the killer continue to be elusive, or will they be brought to justice??? I had no idea whodunit. Funny interactions, witty banter, and an intriguing storyline. I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion.

[Lizzie J Barron Cantu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this is precisely one sitting. I wanted to see what would happen next. I want another book with Gwen and Nolan soon.

——— 🔜
Nolan makes a promise to Gwen to help solve what happened to her and makes plans with Bailey to help solve it ( go on a date) ends up canceling.

Nolan ex girlfriend Karissa comes to town. Nolan’s logic and reason seems to go out the window. When Karissa is found standing over Scorch body and covered in blood she becomes the prime suspect. Nolan makes every effort and excuse to prove her innocence. It isn’t looking 👀 good.
Karissa bedroom is destroyed whoever did it was looking for something.

I was flustered how easily she was able to convince Nolan’s to do things he wouldn’t normally do. She had him around her finger and I wanted to slap her badly.

So I want another book soon.

I would like to thank the author Malory and Book Sirens for letting me review this book ❤️

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful cozy mystery with a horror writer and a ghost as our amateur detectives. There's plenty of action and wonderful characters to keep the reader entertained. I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Gwendolyn (our resident ghost) who has quite a temper at times but always manages to be the lady she was raised to be. (She grew up in the 1910s). If you are looking for a light, very enjoyable cozy mystery, I highly recommend this series.

I received a review copy from the author via BookSirens and this is my honest opinion.

[Linda K Goodwin]

So much fun.

I really enjoyed the fun of the ghost talking to Nolan. She is so precious, smart and I would have enjoyed knowing Gwendolen. Don't call her Gwen…. lol. So much spunk.

This is a fun series. Three's company and a murder… who done it….

Great characters. Love the psychotic stalker. Love the addition of another ghost.

This is a must read! if you enjoy murder mysteries, fun and lots of humor…

I received an advance review copy for free, misplaced it and borrowed from unlimited and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Too much fun to miss.

[Rhonda Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a charming, funny, witty paranormal cozy murder mystery with twists and turns that will keep you captive and guessing..such colorful characters, Gwen is very funny and I loved her humor, Nolan… typical guy view on ideas.. these two aren't the typical crime solvers… and that just adds to the charm of this delightful story…

I received an a free copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntary.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so much fun to read. I love the main characters Gwen and Nolan. The others characters are well written. Karissa is a horrible person! When her ex Scorch is murdered, she finds the body and is the main suspect. I'm hoping that Nolan and Bailey become a couple! If you like a well written cozy with a fun and helpful ghost, you will love this book! I can't wait for the next in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Patricia Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, most enjoyable read, clever plot , I had a smile on my face most of the time, due to ghostly comments. I haven’t read the first book in this series so was a little lost for the first chapter, but I am about to put that right now, even if I am reading in the wrong order!

Highly recommend paranormal cozy.

[Skater · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderfully written fun mystery

This is only the second book in the series and I regret that there aren’t more of them. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long for book three. The who dun it mystery unfolds quickly, almost as quickly at the smart banter. The characters are great, and used perfectly without become painful or boring. Highly recommend.

[Sue Rae Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost with the Most is the 2nd book in the Paramormal Coxy Mystery Series by Mallory Pierce in with Nolan ex, Karissa show up up at his house to cause trouble. Nolan is still smitten with her! When will he learn. Gwen is keeping a close eye on Karissa. Karissa ex, Scorch ends up dead after they fight. Office Bailey's prime suppect! Will Nolan and Gwen figure out if Kariassa is a killer or innocent? What a great book!

[Deborah Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun story Nolan is surprised when his ex-girlfriend shows up at his door she is an influencer and just broke up with her new boyfriend. Her boyfriend shows up looking for her and destroys her hotel room clearly looking for something. Karissa finds his body and is arrested so Nolan and his ghostly resident Gwendolyn solve the case. I enjoyed this really fun story and I recommend it.

[Cindy Dorminy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mallory does it again! I loved getting to be with Gwyn and Nolan (No-No) again. The mystery is interesting with so many twists and turns. It was fun trying to figure out who did it (I didn't, by the way) and I am so eager to see what's up with this dynamic duo. Mallory, I need another book soon!

[Conny CONE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2

I didn't think book 2 would be better than book 1 but I laugh more in this book than I did in book 1I love the characters I love the way the author writes And I didn't know who done it till the end

[JOAN SALLEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best ghostly stories I have read. An influencer, a writer, a ghost makes for an interesting story. Throw murder, mystery and humor in to the mix and you won't be able to put this book down!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lauren Heiy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost With the Most: A Paranormal cozy ghostwriter book 2

Oh my his ex sweeps in and he really thinks she is still in love with him. His ghost can see the truth of this influencer and then at an event he fines her screaming over a dead body. Good murder mystery and detecting skills.

[fred jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. There is nothing like a lovable, opinionated, interfering ghost to really make a story. When Nolan's ex arrives in town closely followed by her latest fling corpse, she becomes the obvious suspect. Nolan and a reluctant Gwen begin an investigation. A lovely, witty and entertaining, well written cozy mystery with great characters, loved it and am looking forward to reading more.

[Linley Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book was interesting take on ghosts and would love to read others by this author. It was humorous in places with romance.

[Sherry Priddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, ghost, cozy, murder mystery book. I am looking forward to more with Gwen and Nolan.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, lighthearted story of a ghost, Gwen and a horror story writer, Nolan. What will happen when someone from his past arrives. Intriguing and danger as well.

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Gwen the ghost, Nolan is on track to a peaceful and productive writing life when his ex-girlfriend, Karissa Jones, suddenly appears on his doorstep bringing with her the usual chaos that her influencer lifestyle entails. Almost before Nolan can blink, he finds himself embroiled in a murder with Karissa as the prime suspect! Though Karissa left him a husk of his former self, Nolan is determined to save her. It's up to Gwen to inject some common sense into the situation while she fights off the overtures of a new spectre.

What a fantastic story! The characters' interactions (and the complications of ghostly interactions) were excellent. I loved the spirited relationships between the characters which were handled with eloquence. The main characters had me rooting for them from the get-go.

The plot held me entranced. I was greedy and raced through the pages like a whirlwind. The mystery took a fair amount of unravelling and I was at a loss as to the villain's true identity before it was revealed. While reading, I found myself split - I really wanted to know who had committed the murder, but I didn't want the story to end.

This mystery was an absolute win for me. I was thoroughly entertained and felt bereft at the end that the story was over. I highly recommend Ghost With the Most to cosy lovers who enjoy a touch of ghostly paranormal inclusions.


Thank you to Mallory Pierce and BookSirens for the opportunity to read this eARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mr George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading

Excellently written with sufficient twists to build tension and keep you guessing. Well worth a feet up laid back read.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully original story with an excellent plot, delightful characters, and plenty of humour.

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Susan (The Book Bag) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I love this series so much! I love Gwen and Nolan and their quirky, entertaining relationship. Honestly I enjoy their repartee so much that I can't help but smile and chuckle through the whole story. The two of them crack me up!

Gwen and Nolan always find themselves in the middle of a murder and involve themselves to figure out who the murderer is. And that is when the fun begins. Nolan provides the straight-man, sometimes bumbling, element to this detective duo. Gwen is the smarter, more level headed character, but she sometimes has to rely on Nolan since she is of the spirit world. I love when she feeds ideas and clues to him in order to get him out of sticky situations.

As the series goes deeper, there will be other characters added, I'm sure, and I so enjoyed the character introduced in this book. I look forward to more interactions between him and Gwen. And let's not forget that Gwen is searching for answers about her own death. I can't wait to see how that plays out.

Book #1, That's the Spirit, was fabulous and so much fun to read. I loved getting to know these two and this was a story unlike any I'd read before—the real world and the spirit world working together to solve a crime. And then the author out does herself with book #2. It was even more fun!

I highly recommend this series! It was a very enjoyable story that I devoured and I look forward to more antics and crime-solving from Gwen and Nolan. Check it out!

[Fraxinus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nolan writes horror novels and lives in a haunted house. Haunted by Gwen, a woman who was ahead of her time, until she was murdered almost a hundred years ago. When the woman who broke Nolan's heart waltzes back into No-No's life and leaves a trail of unpaid bills and a dead body, Gwen and Nolan team up again to find a killer.

I adored this story, Gwen is a funny, take-no-prisoner, force of nature. I loved her witty repartee with Nolan and how she constantly saw through Karissa's shenanigans. Unfortunately, being corporeally challenged meant that even when she was right in the action, she was always slightly removed from it. Enter, Nolan, who was charming and, err, alive. Of course, he was always being out-maneuvered by the women in his life.

This was a fun book to read and I can't wait for the next installment.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and eagerly dove into book 2 shortly after I received it. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as book 1 and struggled a bit with it at times. I really like the premise of this series with how the main character is a ghost and she assist human writer Nolan in solving mysteries.

This book has a new mystery for the pair to solve, Nolan's ex Karissa who broke his heart is back in town and is found next to the body of her latest ex Scorch. Nolan takes Karissa's side and believes in her innocence. Main character Gwen and the cop Bailey aren't so sure and are at times quite vocal in their dislike of Karissa.

And so begins the solving of the mystery and plenty of back and forth with Bailey and Gwen not liking Karissa and Nolan standing up for her. It just didn't work for me, I didn't like the dynamic. And Gwen feels more like a nagging guardian angel on Nolan's shoulder always telling him not to trust Karissa and what to say and do. And to be honest she usually has a good point, but I didn't like the way it was presented, with her nagging Nolan and Nolan being so enraptured with Karissa that he can't seem to think straight or stand up for himself. It was just annoying and bothered me.

I also didn't like how vehemently Gwen and Bailey are at times in their dislike of Karissa, I kinda felt bad for her times with how people treated her or made fun of her when she was struggling. Then again it's hard to really feel bad for her as she's not a likable or interesting character, so me feeling bad for her usually didn't last long or only as long till she opened her mouth again and said something annoying. I didn't like her character and she didn't feel interesting either. Bailey, the cop, could be a bit unprofessional at times in how she acted toward Karissa, but I did appreciate how even with her clear opinion of Karissa she did her job well and investigated all the angles. I like it when cozies have a competent cop. I also felt sad we didn't see more of Bailey and Nolan and their potential romance, with Karissa in town that seemed to drive a wedge between them.

The mystery is one with plenty of suspects. While this mystery didn't grip me as much and I wasn't fully invested, I did enjoy seeing it all play out. There are some interesting surprises along the way, although who the murderer was actually didn't come as a surprise. I hadn't quite figured out the motive, but the thought had crossed my mind that this person could be the murderer. The motive made sense and I liked how things fell on it's place toward the end. The ending was well done and I liked seeing the mystery wrapped up and a few hints for future books.

I also enjoyed reading more about Gwen and seeing her learn a few new things about ghostly stuff, which was interesting. I do hope she learns more in the next book as I would like to see her be able to take a more active role.

To summarize: This series has such a fun premise with the main character Gwen being a ghost and teaming up with writer Nolan to solve mysteries as he can see her. I didn't really the dynamic in this book with Nolan's ex being back in town and becoming the main suspect. Nolan seemed infatuated with her and couldn't think straight or stand up for himself, while main character Gwen and Bailey the cop were quite vocal in their dislike of Karissa. Gwen could feel a bit nagging in this book constantly trying to steer Nolan away from Karissa, not that I blame her as Karissa could be quite annoying at times, but it wasn't a fun dynamic to read. The mystery had plenty of suspects, but I wasn't as invested. I wasn't surprised when the murderer came to light as I had guessed it, but hadn't figured out yet the motive. I liked learning a few new things about ghostly stuff and hope there's more of that in the next book. And hopefully Gwen and Nolan's banter will turn more entertaining again in book 3. The ending was well done and wrapped up this book with a few hints for the next book.