Review: Ghost a la Mode

Life, death, and apple pie

Ghost a la Mode opens with a cozy promise—a hard-hitting journalist who inadvertantly summons the spirit of her great-great-great-grandmother. The ghost is a kindly little old lady, yes. But she’s also a killer—if you believe the history books.

Now she won’t rest until justice is served.

Granny Apples was a legend in Julian, California—famous for award-winning apple pies, and infamous for allegedly murdering her husband back in the final days of the Gold Rush.

Enter Emma Whitecastle, Granny’s great-great-great-granddaughter: a modern-day divorced mom who shows up to a séance and winds up with an unexpected plus-one.

During the seance, Granny pops in—opinionated, persistent, and not remotely ready to rest—then nudges Emma into sleuthing through old grudges, buried clues, and the kind of family history that refuses to stay in the past.

Jaffarian builds a setting that feels like a postcard—warm, quirky, and comfortingly small-town, with enough history to make the past feel close.

There’s also delicious contrast at the center of it all: Emma’s money-and-fame orbit versus her connection to her “hillbilly” grandmother. The push-pull between polished present and rough-edged family roots gives the book its snap.

The haunting is gentle, the humor is steady, and the mystery unfolds in a world where relationships and community matter as much as clues.

Best of all, Emma and Granny make a surprisingly endearing sleuthing duo—one living, one dead, both stubborn—and their partnership is reason enough to keep reading.

If you’re hungry for a cozy with humor, heart, and a dash of history (plus a ghost who refuses to be ignored), Ghost a la Mode is a sweet start to a series.

About the Author

Sue Ann Jaffarian is a nomadic writer. Since 2019, she has lived full-time in a 2016 Winnebago Travato, making the road her home. She has traveled throughout the United States and Canada, chronicling her journey daily at The Novel RV Journal on Patreon. You can find her online at sueannjaffarian.com.