The Trouble with Charlie by Merry Jones! review and Giveaway!! Good Luck

The Trouble with Charlie
by Merry Jones

Synopsis:

The biggest trouble with Charlie is that he's dead. His soon-to-be-ex-wife, Elle Harrison, comes home from a night out with friends to find his body in her den, her kitchen knife in his back. And, oddly, Elle has no memory of her activities during the time he was killed. Another trouble with Charlie is that, even though he's dead, he doesn't seem to be gone. Elle senses Charlie's presence--a gentle kiss on the neck, the scent of his aftershave wafting through the house, a rose that seems to move from room to room on its own. And a shadow that appears to accuse her of murder--and with whom she argues. In the process of trying to prove her innocence, Elle investigates Charlie's death--and his life. A psychiatrist diagnoses her with a dissociative disorder that causes her to "space out" especially when she's under stress. This might explain the gap in her memory, but it doesn't clear her. As Elle continues to look into Charlie's life, she uncovers more and more trouble--an obsessed woman who might have been his lover. Siblings with unresolved bitter issues. A slimy untrustworthy business partner. And wealthy clients with twisted, horrific appetites. Before she knows it, Elle is involved in more murders, a struggle for her life, and a revived relationship with Charlie, whom--for all his troubles--she has come to appreciate and love only after his death.

Excerpt:

PROLOGUE Sometime before Charlie moved out, I began reading the obituaries. It became a daily routine, like morning coffee. I didn’t just scan the listings; I read them closely, noting dates of death, ages of the deceased, names of survivors. If there were photos, I studied faces for clues about mortality even though they were often grinning and much younger than at death. Sometimes there were flags at the top of notices, signifying military service. Salvadore Petrini had a flag. Aged 64. Owner of Petrini’s Market. Beloved husband and father and stepfather and brother and uncle. Viewing and Life Celebration at St. Patrick’s Church, Malvern. Some notices were skeletal, giving no details of the lost life: Sonia Woods went to be with the Lord on August 17. Viewing Friday, from 9 to 11, First Baptist Church. Service to follow. These left me disturbed, sad for the deceased. Was there, in the end, really nothing to be said about them? Were their lives just a finite number of breaths now stopped? For weeks, I followed the flow of local deaths and funerals. I tried to surmise causes of death from requests for memorial contributions in lieu of flowers. The American Cancer Society. The Vascular Disease Foundation. The American Heart or Alzheimers Association. When there were epigraphs, I read about careers accomplished, volunteer work conducted, music played, tournaments won. Lives condensed to an eighth of a page. Less, usually. Though the notices were brief, the words and patterns of language had a gentle rolling rhythm, comforting, like prayers, like nursery rhymes. And between listings, stark and straight lines divided one death from another, putting lives neatly into boxes, separating body from body. Soul from soul. Making death quantifiable and normal, a daily occurrence neatly announced on paper in black and white, on pages dense with ink, speckled with gray smiling photos. Smiles announcing that death wasn’t really so bad. I don’t know why I was compelled to read those listings every day. At the time, I’d have said it had to be about the death of my marriage. After all, my own life, in a way, was ending. My life as Charlie’s wife was dying, but there would be no public acknowledgment of that demise. No memorial service. No community gathering to mourn. Maybe I read the listings to remember that I wasn’t the only one grieving, that others had lost even more. Still, I would have felt better if the obituary page included dead marriages and lost identities: Mrs. Charles Henry Harrison (nee Elle Brooks) ceased to exist on (date pending), when the couple’s divorce became final. Maybe it would help to have some formal recognition of the demise of my former self. Maybe not. It’s possible that my own losses brought me to the daily obits. But I doubt it. Looking back, I believe what drew me was far more ominous. A premonition. An instinct. For whatever reason, though, every morning as I chewed my English muffin, I buried myself in the death notices, studying what I could about people who were no more, trying to learn from them or their photos or their neatly structured notices anything I could about death. Of course, as it turned out, the notices were useless. None of them, not one prepared me for what was to happen. According to the obituary columns, the circumstances of one’s life made no difference in the end. Dead was simply dead. Final. Permanent. Without room for doubt. The pages I studied gave no indication of a gray area. And the boxes around the obituaries contained no dotted lines.
 

Author Bio:

Merry Jones is the author of THE suspense novel THE TROUBLE WITH CHARLIE, as well as the Harper Jennings thrillers (WINTER BREAK, BEHIND THE WALLS, SUMMER SESSION),and the Zoe Hayes mysteries (THE BORROWED AND BLUE MURDERS, THE DEADLY NEIGHBORS, THE RIVER KILLINGS, THE NANNY MURDERS). Jones has also written humor (including I LOVE HIM, BUT...) and non-fiction (including BIRTHMOTHERS: Women who relinquished babies for adoption tell their stories.) Jones has a regular contributor to GLAMOUR, and her work has been printed in seven languages and numerous magazines. Her short story, BLISS, appears in the anthology LIAR LIAR, a project of the Philadelphia Liars Club. In addition to the Liars, Jones is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Authors Guild and International Thriller Writers. For the last fifteen years, she has taught writing courses at a variety of institutions, including Temple University and Delaware County Community College. She has appeared on radio and television (local and national), and participates in panel discussions and workshops regularly.

Websites & Links:

Author Interview:

1. was Charlie happily married?Charlie was happily married, sure. He loved Elle. Things were fine for him, even though he was incapable of being faithful. He was charming and a player. But he cared for Elle as much as he was capable of caring for a woman. Had he lived, I think he'd have been hurt by the divorce and stayed on the periphery of Elle's life. If she hadn't filed for divorce, he'd have stayed in the marriage--while dabbling out of it--forever.
2. What do we need to know about his marriage?Well, all we really need to know is that it was over. Elle had had enough. We find out during the book what her "last straw" was and why she knew she couldn't trust him. Still, I think it's important to know that Charlie loved Elle and meant her no harm. He just couldn't be a good husband--He was a rascal. 3. Is this book about a ghost getting revenge, or about a ghost trying to protect his wife?Yes. But first of all, are we sure that there IS a ghost? Charlie might be the embodiment of Elle's imagination. He might not really be there, except in her mind. But whether he is or isn't there, he has a mixture of motivations. In the beginning, when he thinks Elle has killed him, he doesn't try to hurt her as much as to understand why. Later, he becomes both vengeful and protective. That is, if he's really there. Otherwise, Elle sees him as vengeful and protective. Either way, he's both.
4. Who would play the characters in a movie? Oh, if only I had to choose. Could Sandra Bullock be Elle? Could Matt Damon be Charlie? I think so. 
5. What would you like my readers to know?I hope they have fun reading this book; I had a great time writing it. I loved digging into the shadowy spot between perception and reality. I hope readers who like CHARLIE will look at my other books, follow me on Twitter and friend me on FACEBOOK and/or contact me at MerryJones.com. There are very few things more rewarding than hearing from readers. Thanks for the chance to have this interview!

My Review:
This book was awesome. I loved the paranormal aspect of whether or not Charlie was a ghost. The author wrote his character in such a way that I hated him, but by the end of the book he redeemed himself. Elle was such a strong character. Even when the world is against her, she stays strong and proves that she is telling the truth. I was shocked by who the killer was. As the bodies piled up I was still asking myself who the killer was. The book kept me on the edge of my seat. I believe in loved ones leaving us messages after they pass on, and I believe in feeling their presence. I definitely had strong feelings about this book. I am going to keep an eye out for this author! I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review. however all opinions are my own!

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Thank you to Merry Jones and Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for generously offering this book to me for review. If you'd like to join in on an upcoming tour just stop by their sites just sign up today!