Reviews for The lady on Esplanade

Library Journal
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In the third entry of her Royal Street paranormal mystery series (following The House on Prytania), White documents Nola Trenholm's experiences living in New Orleans. She has moved there from Charleston, SC, where she lived with her father and stepmother, a woman who can see and communicate with ghosts. Though Nola is not able to communicate with ghosts, she is sensitive to their presence. She and her friend Beau Ryan begin a new business, restoring old New Orleans houses that are renowned for being the scenes of grisly murders. Beau has psychic abilities, though he tries to suppress them. He is haunted by the presence of his mother's spirit as she tries to reach out to him. Between the ominous presence in the house they are renovating and the haunting mystery of Beau's parents' disappearance in Hurricane Katrina, Nola and Beau must untangle the tragedy that occurred in the house they're working on and decipher the message Beau's mother is trying to convey. VERDICT White once again weaves the historic atmosphere and architecture of New Orleans with the paranormal. Anyone who appreciates a good mystery set in a sultry city will enjoy.—Sandra Knowles


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Restoring old houses is a dangerous game when the current house is haunted by angry spirits. Nola Trenholm is a recovering alcoholic supported by many friends, beginning with her housemate, Jolene McKenna, a true Southern belle. In addition to the Creole cottage she’s fixing up for herself now that she’s moved to New Orleans, Nola and contractor Beau Ryan plan to flip a house on Esplanade where a murder took place. Nola has a strange relationship with Beau. He can communicate with spirits but doesn’t like to. In battles with evil spirits, he saved Nola’s life, and she saved his and helped him find his long-lost sister. Sparks fly when they touch, but he’s involved with another woman. At a dinner Beau hosts as a thank you for Nola, she’s happy to see Cooper Ravenel, who broke her heart when she lived in Charleston and is seriously considering buying the murder house now that he’s in New Orleans. Beau’s mother, Adele, went missing during Hurricane Katrina, but her restless spirit is still around, seeking aid from Beau. Nola’s psychic younger half-sister, Sarah, who’s visiting Nola while her parents are away, wants to help. Sarah knows that Beau’s father, Buddy, isn’t dead even though he’s been missing since Katrina. But Beau remains aloof from Adele until her skeleton is found on the grounds of an old hospital, most likely murdered in the chaos of Katrina for the diamond in her ring. The ghosts that haunt the murder house are both benign and vicious, and Nola has to deal with them all while investigating Adele’s murder and juggling her two loves. Ghostly lore combines with multiple mysteries and complex love affairs to produce a tale that’s hard to put down. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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