Review – Gray Lady (Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries, Book 4) by Byrd Nash (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy/Paranormal
Length: 218 pages
Publisher: Rook and Castle Press
Release Date: April 24, 2023
ASIN: B0BRDK4TLP
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries series
Source: Bought eBook for Kindle
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“The young Coralie Floquet desires to marry but the spectral appearance of a Gray Lady portends that her end might be soon. Called in to help by Tristan Fontain, the Duke de Archambeau, Elinor plans to chase spirits and rumors at a country estate in a seaside town.
But as soon as she arrives, ill-will seems to swirl around her, along with tittle-tattle about her relationship with Tristan that has gossips talking. Though Elinor doesn’t care much about stolen government documents, her heart might be lost when the duke finally reveals the truth about his past and why he took Elinor home when he first met her.
The fourth installment about Elinor Chalamet, a witty and clever Sherlock Holmes-like female character in Alenbonné, a coastal city where ghosts walk at all hours.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 4th book in the Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries series. There are six books planned for this series. I bought this as an ebook for Kindle.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this 4th installment in the Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries. This is a fun historical fantasy read with humor, ghosts, and some romance. The romance makes a bit more progress in this book than in the previous books in the series.
Elinor is struggling to recover from her battle in the between world of the last book and when Tristan (the Duke of Archambeau) sees how thin and ill she looks he thinks a jaunt to the countryside might be just the thing. Luckily, the young Coralie Floquet has a ghost problem out in a small seaside town that she needs Elinor’s help with. Tristan works with Coralie to get Elinor an invite to the country estate where a Gray Lady ghost is causing trouble.
This was a very entertaining installment in this series. There is the immediate issue of the Gray Lady haunting and I enjoyed the twisted threads that Elinor had to un-weave to get to the truth behind all the high society craziness going on here. Then there is the longer term issue of the after effects of Elinor’s visit to the between world and her constant tiredness, which was just as intriguing as the shorter story.
We also get to see more interactions between Tristan and Elinor, which was fun since I really enjoy them both as characters. They are both such strong, self-possessed, and witty characters that it is fun to watch them bend a bit in order to make concessions for a relationship.
I really love the format of this series. Each book has a self-contained mystery but there is a broader story that carries on from book to book as well. These are easy and fun reads. I do wish there was a bit more world-building. The world of Alenbonne’ seems much like Victorian London, but isn’t built out much beyond that. I also adored watching Elinor and Tristan start to communicate to each other better and grow their relationship a bit.
My Summary (4.5/5): Overall this is a entertaining and easy to read series with characters I enjoy a lot. I love the ghost mysteries, the broader story, and the twists and turns throughout. I do think the world building is a bit weak but that is a minor complaint. I would recommend if you enjoy Victorian ghost mysteries with some romance and humor.
