Ariadne’s Thread by Marie Treanor is a story of greed, love, and paranormal interference. Addie McSween is a single mother from Glasgow struggling to make ends meet. When her financial situation turns desperate, she finds herself agreeing to help her brother and his unsavory criminal friends burglarize the home of famous concert pianist John Maxwell on New Year’s Eve. When the heist goes wrong and Addie’s criminal associates take the occupants of the house hostage, she find herself much more involved with the occupants of the home than she had anticipated, and she finds that the household is made up of more than just the living. The house is haunted, and the ghosts are not all benign. As the hostage situation continues, Addie finds herself wanting what she knows she can never have—the attractive but unattainable John Maxwell – and she also begins to believe that the motive behind her associates’ break-in may be more nefarious than just simple burglary.

Ariadne’s Thread is a fast-paced story with a very strong element of farce in it. The characters embody quite a few stereotypes – the bumbling criminals, the spunky heroine, the misunderstood hero, the clueless inspector, the dotty old lady, and the hidden and malevolent antagonist – but Ms. Treanor has developed them in a way that makes them fresh and fun. Addie is a gal from “the wrong side of the tracks” in working-class Glasgow. Readers will love her tough attitude and her smart mouth and will be charmed by her strong Glaswegian accent. John Maxwell is a man in a kilt, and who doesn’t love a man in a kilt? He has a wonderful, eccentric family that the reader will want to adopt as their own, ghosts included. This story will have one rooting for the hero and the heroine and wondering how they can possibly end up together since Addie is involved in the crime against the household. This reader’s only complaint is a wish that the ghosts had been given more time in the story, because they are so entertaining. For those who love humor, ghosts, and a bit of a whodunit, Ariadne’s Thread is a Recommended Read.

Reviewed by: Whitney