Book Review: If the Haunting Fits, Wear It

On this Mysterious Monday, we consider the latest installment in Rose Pressey’s Haunted Vintage series. It’s called If the Haunting Fits, Wear It, and as we’ve come to expect from this series, it is a thoroughly fun story to get lost in.

Vintage clothing expert, ghostly companions, and cat go to Kentucky Derby

Cookie Chanel owns a vintage clothing boutique called It’s Vintage, Ya’ll, in Sugar Creek, Georgia. Cookie knows vintage. She also knows ghosts, and she knows one ghost, Charlotte, really well, because Charlotte is pretty much always with her. As the book opens, we find Cookie in an attic searching for vintage clothing. What she finds, though, is something she did not expect: another ghost. This one is named Maureen. Maureen has been murdered, and she decides that Cookie would be the perfect person to help find her murderer. It’s not as though Cookie hasn’t done this before (solving murders for ghosts is sort of her side gig), but this case might just have to wait until she gets back from the Kentucky Derby, where she’ll be providing fantastic vintage items for Danielle, who is backing one of the horses. So she heads off to Kentucky in her classic car with two ghosts and her cat (more on the cat later).

Things become more complicated (you knew this would happen!) when Cookie finds a dead body at the Derby, and the deceased (murdered, naturally) turns out to be the jockey who was supposed to ride Danielle’s horse in the big race. His ghost joins the two ghosts already accompanying Cookie, so now she has an otherworldly trio trailing her while she tries to solve this new murder. Could Cookie be working for a murderer, or did one of the other likely suspects do the jockey in? And will Cookie get through this case without becoming a ghost herself? Along the way, there are quite a few laughs, some heart-in-your-throat moments, and yes, a somewhat troubled romance.

Wind Song the cat is a Ouija wiz

The cat in this series is Wind Song, a lovely white kitty who has certain … abilities. Wind Song can communicate by using the planchette of a Ouija board. She can also use tarot cards. Also, she is Cookie’s grandmother. I don’t mean Cookie has a cat in her family tree (but wouldn’t that be fun?); I mean Grandma Pearl’s spirit is in the cat. Also the cat is in the cat. It’s kind of complicated.  With her special abilities, Wind Song is instrumental in solving cases by providing information, even if it takes some effort to figure out what it means. Plus, sometimes she has to go take a nap before all the questions are answered. Because she’s a cat.

Our verdict

If the Haunting Fits, Wear It is thoroughly enjoyable. I will tell you that fashion is really not our thing, but it does not matter, because the Haunted Vintage series is not about fashion. It’s about characters we enjoy getting to know and mysteries we love trying to solve. The vintage fashion aspect adds a layer of detail to Cookie and her life that deepens the story. (But if you are into fashion, each chapter opens with a tip on finding, buying, and wearing vintage fashion.) Wind Song the cat (a.k.a. Grandma Pearl) also makes this series special and memorable. The cat actually appears in only a few scenes in If the Haunting Fits, but she does play an important role in the plot by providing information via her Ouija board skills. Brilliant!

We highly recommend If the Haunting Fits, Wear It as a fun read with memorable characters and a one-of-a-kind cat!

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

  

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!