Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd ~ a Review

by MK French

Nora Breen is back and determined to investigate what happened when famous Dolores Chimes dies after a reading goes horribly wrong. One by one, the six people with her die as well. Can Nora find the ghostly serial killer before Detective Inspector Rideout dies as well?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2026;  Atria Books; 978-1668034200
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); mystery

This is the second Nora Breen Investigates novel. The medium Delores Chimes is a source of entertainment in town until her mysterious death, and the police begin to investigate. The clues in the Spirit Lounge soon reveal how she was murdered, but not why. Nora helps Rideout figure things out, getting a job as a reporter along the way. She discovers a tie between the people sitting in the seance, and is more than willing to travel and interview people who won't speak to the police; this helps discover more details about that tie. It's the motivation for murder, and it's a race to discover who is pulling the strings to direct Nora and the police in the investigation. 

I enjoyed seeing how the investigation progressed, with the way the clues were uncovered at Nora's insistence. She is coming into her own, rather than being unsure of herself like in the first book. Rideout and another man in town clearly have romantic feelings about her, though she's utterly clueless about that. She is very pragmatic and straightforward otherwise, and her experience as a nun and nurse keeps coming in handy. Now she can add local reporter to her repertoire of professions, which will help her investigate in future novels. 

Buy Murder at the Spirit Lounge at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

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