Haunting Melody

Flo Fitzpatrick
Cerridwen Press (2007)
ISBN 9781419910029 
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Reader Views (8/07)


Costume designer Melody and her dog Lucy moved into a new apartment three weeks ago.  For three weeks, a ghost has haunted her, playing music and watering her plants.  The ghost’s favorite song seems to be “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody,” by Irving Berlin.  When Melody turns to her strange, downstairs neighbor for assistance, she gets more than she expected.   The neighbor is a short witch.  Melody is transported back in time to 1919 where she becomes a dancer for the Ziegfeld Follies.  Follies’ girls are disappearing; will Melody be one of them?  Can she survive being shot at?

The idea for the plot of “Haunting Melody” is good.  The author uses humor as she develops the plot.  Time travel is always interesting -- almost always – “Haunting Melody” is the exception.  The dialogue is poorly written.  There are long sections of dialogue that seem to go on forever; there is so much detail the plot bogs down.  Briley is an interesting hero and is the best character in the book.   I really tried to like this book, but found it contrived and tedious. 

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