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One Sentence Synopsis

Tuesday Mooney, a loner with an interest in the macabre, becomes embroiled in a treasure hunt across Boston when a wealthy eccentric dies.

Favorite Quote

“The point of a game is the experience of playing. The obstacles and the choices you make to get to the objective. The possibility of winning, the danger of loss, shapes the game. Risk and reward give the game suspense, a plot. But winning or losing is not the whole point.”

Have you ever read a book synopsis and thought, “I must read this book immediately.”

That’s what happened when I found Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts on Goodreads.

There were three things in the synopsis that sold me: the book is set in Boston, there is a treasure hunt, and The Westing Game was mentioned. I don’t know what it is about moving to a new city, but I’ve been loving reading books set in Boston now that we live here. And we all know I love a book centered around a puzzle or a game! Then they sprinkled in a mention of one of my favorite books of all time?! I hadn’t even known this book existed until I stumbled upon it in a Goodreads group, but I knew I had to read it!

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts centers around our titular heroine, who works as a sort of charity stalker. She looks into rich peoples’ lives to see what strings charities can try and pull to get them to donate. Tuesday is extremely good at her job because she loves figuring things out. Then, Vincent Pryce, an eccentric billionaire who has a fondness for Edgar Allan Poe and all things weird, dies at one of the charity functions thrown by Tuesday’s employer. She finds herself, and the entire city of Boston, pulled into a bizarre treasure hunt written into the deceased’s obituary. But, as much of a loner as Tuesday is, she needs help, which comes in the form of “a wisecracking friend, an adoring teen neighbor, and a handsome, cagey young heir.”

The first note I wrote down while reading was, “I am falling in love with this book”, so that should tell you how quickly I was all in. This book hit so many sweet spots for me! It was one of those books that I just wanted to savor as I read it, which is probably why it took me so long to read. I distinctly remember being about 60 pages from the end and catching myself purposely setting the book down because I didn’t want it to be over!

So what did I love so much about it? First and foremost, it was the writing and the atmosphere it created. I loved the matter-of-fact tone that mixed beautifully with the Gothic vibes. I loved the dark and twisted parts of the story. I loved the varied cultural references, from plays, to music, to books. I loved the descriptions that brought me right to downtown Boston alongside Tuesday as she hunted for Pryce’s clues. It was all masterfully done and drew me in deep.

And the game! Oh, I adored the game! Probably because I understood a lot of the references, lol. I’m a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, myself. I enjoyed the set up the game, the execution, but especially the underlying turmoil that was just beneath the surface. If there is anything I love more than a game in a book, it’s a game within a game in a book! I like trying to find what everyone else is missing just underneath the obvious. In that way, I’m a lot like our main character.

Speaking of Tuesday, Kate Racculia did a beautiful job writing a character that was both at times unlikable and completely relatable. She made some choices in her life that had me yelling at the book, but I also saw myself in her so much. And the characters that float in her orbit were similarly well-crafted. None of the side characters felt flat or one-dimensional. They had their own lives separate from Tuesday’s narrative and I loved it. We all know I love a well-rounded character and to have so many in one book was a treat!

But beyond the game and the antics and the weird, damaged character, this book takes a look at the process/stages of grief. I think the author did an amazing job of describing how different people may deal with the loss of someone important to them. And it was interesting to see people dealing with grief both old and new. It was heartbreaking and touching and added another layer to this excellent book.

Final thoughts: I basically loved everything about this book. It was quite the adventure! It was tragic and heartbreaking and beautiful. And I can’t wait to explore more of Kate Racculia’s writing ❤