PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, AUGUST 3, 2020
​
Here’s Publisher’s Weekly enthusiastic review of Ghost Cat in the August 3, 2020 issue, calling it “a big hit for audiences craving a new mystery series to binge-read.” PW also calls Ghost Cat “great for fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. See below:
In Foster’s fast-paced sixth Alice MacDonald Greer mystery (after Ghost Next Door), the small-town Texas lawyer contends with feuding clients and dead bodies. Alice is still reeling from discovering a body at the edge of her land, but it’s otherwise business as usual. Her current clients include a former pro football player turned vintner who wants to buy out his partner, a new client wanting to set up a trust for her sister in a care facility, and a couple complaining about mysterious vehicles entering and exiting their neighbor’s property. When one client is found shot and another almost suffocated, Greer is desperate to find out why they’re being targeted, and by whom. Among her suspects are a solitary new resident whom neighbors call the Hermit, a cowgirl with a missing finger, and a client’s bull-headed, disgruntled partner.
Foster quickly sets up elements of mystery from the very first page, with the mention of a ranch hand’s missing sister and the potentially problematic gunshots heard nearby. The intrigue keeps building through the novel as Alice builds formidable list of possible suspects and uncovers new clues in this deftly paced and formulated plot. Poised and self-assured, Alice is a refreshing protagonist. Her quick comebacks, fearless sleuthing skills, and sensitivity in her quietly budding midlife romance make her a likable and well rounded heroine.
The engaging dialogue flows naturally and effectively brings out the personalities of secondary characters such as Alice’s indomitable secretary, Silla, whose liveliness adds lightness to the story. The uncluttered prose boasts several evocative turns of phrases, and the atmospheric descriptions are succinct and vivid, highlighting the rugged and bountiful landscape of Texas Hill Country. Foster’s skillful plotting, easy pace, and captivating characters will be a big hit for audiences craving a new mystery series to binge-read.
Takeaway: This sleuthing Texas attorney will hit the mark with readers who love mysteries featuring guns, cowboys, and a spunky female lead. Great for fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series.
​
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/GHOST-Alice-MacDonald-Greer-Mystery/dp/1732722900
​
​
​
BOOK LIFE REVIEWS, JULY 27,2020
​
In Foster’s fast-paced sixth Alice MacDonald Greer mystery (after Ghost Next Door), the small-town Texas lawyer contends with feuding clients and dead bodies. Alice is still reeling from discovering a body at the edge of her land, but it’s otherwise business as usual. Her current clients include a former pro football player turned vintner who wants to buy out his partner, a new client wanting to set up a trust for her sister in a care facility, and a couple complaining about mysterious vehicles entering and exiting their neighbor’s property. When one client is found shot and another almost suffocated, Greer is desperate to find out why they’re being targeted, and by whom. Among her suspects are a solitary new resident whom neighbors call the Hermit, a cowgirl with a missing finger, and a client’s bull-headed, disgruntled partner.
Foster quickly sets up elements of mystery from the very first page, with the mention of a ranch hand’s missing sister and the potentially problematic gunshots heard nearby. The intrigue keeps building through the novel as Alice builds formidable list of possible suspects and uncovers new clues in this deftly paced and formulated plot. Poised and self-assured, Alice is a refreshing protagonist. Her quick comebacks, fearless sleuthing skills, and sensitivity in her quietly budding midlife romance make her a likable and well rounded heroine.
The engaging dialogue flows naturally and effectively brings out the personalities of secondary characters such as Alice’s indomitable secretary, Silla, whose liveliness adds lightness to the story. The uncluttered prose boasts several evocative turns of phrases, and the atmospheric descriptions are succinct and vivid, highlighting the rugged and bountiful landscape of Texas Hill Country. Foster’s skillful plotting, easy pace, and captivating characters will be a big hit for audiences craving a new mystery series to binge-read.
​
Takeaway: This sleuthing Texas attorney will hit the mark with readers who love mysteries featuring guns, cowboys, and a spunky female lead.
​
​
​
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, SMALL PRESS BOOKWATCH: JUNE 2020
​
Synopsis: Real estate's hot in once peaceful Coffee Creek, Texas -- hotter than lawyer Alice MacDonald Greer has ever seen. The Hill Country's beauty attracts both the good and the evil -- as an unscrupulous developer muscles in, abusing undocumented workers and menacing his neighbors.
​
Ignoring threats, Alice challenges him in court. When one of her clients is shot dead, and another nearly suffocated in a wine vat, Alice has a target on her back. A devious mastermind is intent on stopping her — permanently. Is she snakebit? She'll need more than legal skills to foil a scheme that threatens her town, her clients, her life!
Critique: With her extraordinary and narrative driven storytelling style, author and novelist Helen Currie Foster once again exhibits her mastery of the mystery genre with the publication of "Ghost Cat", the newest addition to her consistently entertaining 'Alice MacDonald Greer' series of deftly crafted suspense/thriller novels. An inherently fascinating read filled with many an unexpected twist and turn, "Ghost Cat" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Ghost Cat" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
​
​
​
​
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, MARCH 7, 2018
​
Well, dear readers, “suspenseful reading” and “Foster’s entertaining sequel to Ghost Cave” is what Publisher’s Weekly calls Ghost Dog!
http://www.publishersweekly.com/9781505378269
​
​
​
​
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, “GHOST DAGGER”, MAY 12, 2017
​
Synopsis: Alice MacDonald Greer is in Scotland to visit Gran, the mother of her late husband, Jordie. After his death, the two women found solace in each other, and Alice unequivocally considers herself part of Gran's family. But that family is now threatened when the death of a local man is pinned on Robbie who is Gran's daughter and Alice's sister-in-law.
​
Robbie had been romantically involved with the murder victim, Angus McBride, the stubborn land manager for a prominent local family. Alice is sure that Robbie had nothing to do with the crime. Now she just has to prove it to the skeptical local police force. But she's a long way from Texas, and the town inspector doesn't like her interference.
​
The hunt for the true killer leads Alice to a group of nighthawkers, treasure hunters who use metal detectors to find ancient loot and sell it on the black market. There are rumors of a Viking hoard hidden in the cliffs, and someone is desperate to find it!
​
Critique: The fourth novel in author Helen Currie Foster's simply outstanding 'Alice MacDonald Greer' mystery series, Ghost Dagger continues to document Foster's originality and complete mastery of the mystery/suspense genre. A deftly crafted and compelling read from cover to cover, Ghost Dagger is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all mystery buffs in general, and Helen Currie Foster fans in particular, that Ghost Dagger is also available in a Kindle format ($7.99).
​
Helen Dumont
Reviewer
​
​
​
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, FEBRUARY 14, 2016
​
Midwest Book Review says this about Ghost Letter: “A deftly crafted mystery suspense novel that reveals author Helen Currie Foster to be a true master of the genre, Ghost Letter is the third in a series of Alice MacDonald Greer stories. Impressively well written from beginning to end, Ghost Letter is an exceptionally compelling and thoroughly absorbing read that is especially recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and would prove to be an enduringly popular addition to any community library Mystery/Suspense collections. . . Also very highly recommended are the first two novels of this outstanding mystery series: Ghost Cave…; Ghost Dog.
Midwest Book Review, February 14, 2016. http://www.midwestbookreview.com
​
​
​
DECEMBER 14, 2015
Kirkus Review says about Ghost Dog, and Alice,
“A lively and laudable protagonist will have readers hoping that she’ll soon stumble upon another murder.”
​
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“A genuine ‘page-turner’ of a read for all mystery buffs”—that’s what Midwest Book Review calls Ghost Dog in the December 2015 issue of Small Press Bookwatch, Mystery/Suspense Shelf.
“Simply stated, Helen Currie Foster is a master of the mystery/suspense genre and Ghost Dog is a riveting novel replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns that will prove to be a genuine 'page-turner' of a read for all mystery buffs. Of special note is the inclusion of two original poems at the end of the book. Very strongly recommended as an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that Ghost Dog is also available in a Kindle edition . . . . Also very highly recommended is Ghost Cave. . . , the first of the Alice MacDonald Greer mystery novels.”