Madame Chalamet is well known in Europe circa 1900’s for her ability to talk to the dead. Though many others claim to do this, she is the real deal. A body in the canal brings her to the morgue, she's happy to help until Tristan Fontaine, the Duke de Archambeau, takes over the case and places her under house arrest. She will solve the case even if it means putting the duke in his place. Actually, that part of the investigation may be a pleasure! She doesn’t appreciate being locked up. She needs to see her regular clients. Will she be allowed to?

There is a lot that happens with some surprises. I haven’t enjoyed a novel that has a medium , ghosts, a curse and more. The novel is a mystery that the medium will solve and another mystery that is not solved. Perhaps that mystery will be solved in the next book. The writing is light at times and serous . I enjoyed Madame Chalamet’s character. She is an intriguing woman. Overall, it’s an excellent book to read, I am planning to read the rest of the series.

I would give this book 3.5 to 3.75 stars. The reason why I would not rate it higher is because the story feels like it throws us into the middle of a story and we missed a lot to better understand what is going on. It is almost like there was another short novella or something that should have been read before going into this novel. It just makes it a bit confusing in the beginning, like joining a conversation midway through and never really being able to catch up.

Otherwise, this was an interesting novel where spirits and mediums are a more normal way of life. It seems this is set in an almost Georgian or Victorian time period, however, spirit talking is a normal way of life. There were some crazy twists and turns I did NOT expect with this novel and it certainly set up a longer storyline with some mysteries that were opened up. I will definitely pick up the next novel in this series and see where I go from there.

A really fun read! Set in a fictional 1900s London, the novella revolves around Madame Elinor Chalamet, a woman trained by the Morpheus Society to communicate with ghosts who assists the police in solving murders. When she is called to the morgue to speak with a murder victim, she gets involved with a skeptical duke and a royal crime.
The mystery was good, but the setting and characters are really interesting and I particularly enjoyed the addition of ghosts and different types of haunts. The story is billed as a slow burn romance, but there is no romance in this first volume. I really liked both Madame Chalamet and the Duke de Archambeau, though, and I’m looking forward to reading more of their story. Although the genre is different, the headstrong, self confident Elinor reminded me a little of Amelia Peabody in the series by Elizabeth Peters and the setting is reminiscent of Gail Carriger's stories. Ghost Talker is the first of a series of six Ghost Mystery books - 3 novellas and 3 longer books. Four of them have been released and the fifth is scheduled for release in June.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC. I am providing an honest and unbiased review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This was shorter than I realized but I enjoyed it. I'm continuing the rest of the series now to see how things continue.

Byrd Nash has become one of my new favourite authors and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to find her!

This novel is the perfect blend for fans of the supernatural, shadow hunters, and sherlock holmes just to name a few. It balances mystery, fantasy and historical fiction to keep you interested, especially if you love ghosts.

The main character is witty, smart and stands up for herself when needed. She is a well-rounded character who I fell in love with immediately. The other characters are very well written too even if they are just a fleeting background filler.

I would like to thank Byrd Nash and the publishers for letting me read this incredible book and discovering a new favourite author!

Byrd Nash wonderfully blends a supernatural story with a gothic feel and a fierce, yet proper, protagonist. I could feel the London-esque streets beneath my feet and feel the spirits in the room with me. Ghost Talker brings a unique take on a traditional mystery and ghost story.

Thank you to Byrd Nash and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elinor Chalamet is a Ghost Talker, a person who can communicate with the dead. Called to the morgue to speak to a drowned stranger she runs into the skeptic Duke de Archambeau who first exposes another Ghost Talker as a charlatan and then is shocked when Elinor proves to be the real thing. The dead man is involved with the King and an upcoming treaty so his death and the circumstances surrounding it must be kept secret leading the Duke to place Elinor under house arrest at his mansion. With only a short amount to find the missing tiara the dead man stole, Elinor and the Duke investigate while also dealing with ghosts and poltergeists in the Duke’s mansion, rumors of the Duke’s wife being murdered, and the Duke being possessed by a lovelorn ghost as well as the tiara being cursed when they do find it.
Set in a clearly fictional alternate reality that is similar to early 20th century Europe, albeit a world of ghosts and dragons and curses, the world building is both familiar and just enough fantasy to be intriguing. The characters are well defined and interesting. While the mystery was not to difficult to decipher the fun was the trip to the conclusion and the questions left unanswered that leads me to go look for book two right now. Recommended

This book is giving supernatural Bridgerton in some of the best ways. It has all the society and intrigue that you want when reading a historical novel. It also has the perk of having ghosts that just seem to be an accepted part of society, which I found captivating. My only drawback was the language in the book sometimes made it exhausting to read because it felt like I reading in the 1800s but that was also great for immersion. I have a lot of questions that I hope will be answered in the other novellas.

Love this book could not put it down it turned in to an all nighter, can't wait to read the next one.

Madame Chalamet is well known in Europe circa 1900’s for her ability to talk to the dead. Although there are many “Ghost Talkers” claiming to reach dead loved ones, and preying off grief to make their fortunes, Madame Chalamet was the real deal.

Trained as a Medium by the Morpheus Society, she is sometimes called upon by the gendarme, or in this story a Duke, when a crime has been committed, specifically murder.

Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash is a delightful mystery, led by a strong heroine. Madame Elinor Chalamet does not back down to anyone, living or dead.

She and her assistant, Anne-Marie help her clients by going to places that women of that time period normally would not go, such as the morgue. Because , if you are going to get the scoop on a murder, who better to talk to than the corpse.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. In the beginning I was not sure if I was going to warm up to Madame Chalamet.

She was a bit abrasive from word one, however that abrasiveness turned into tenacity. That quality hooked me so hard that I caught myself several times holding my breath, as I was reading. It felt as if I was running alongside her, and the gendarme.

I have always read stories with Mediums as central characters. I can identify with them. I will admit that I believe in the paranormal, and chatting with the dead is not unknown to me.

That said, The Morpheus Society rules seemed odd. However it didn’t take long to put that aside, and enjoy the ride.

If you are looking for an exciting and fast read, Ghost Talker is a perfect choice. Ghost Talker is the first book in a series by Byrd Nash. I can’t wait to read book two.

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for this amazing arc.

I want to start out by saying that I read this series in reverse. I am reading this after book 2 and 3. Definitely, read this first to meet Madame Chalamet and the Duke first. The Duke specifically is etched out really well in the first book compared to 2 and 3.

The story starts about with the murder if Giles Monet, a relative of the king. The inspector ropes in Madame Chalamet to help solve the murder due to her unique ability to talk to the dead.
What ensues is a stay in the Duke's home with the formidable duchess, a scrape around looking for old ghosts, possession, and a mystery to be solved.

I have loved the rest of the series. Madame Chalamat is as intelligent, interesting, and involved as I hoped. The Duke's staid and starchy personality is the perfect foil to her personality.
My only grievance would be that this would have made a lovely full-fledged novel with more of their histories revealed.

Eagerly waiting for book 4.

'Ghost Talker' follows Elinor Chalamet as she solves a mystery for the king using her abilities to sense and communicate with ghosts. The series as a whole has some potential and there were a few interesting threads of stories that might be pursued in future books.
The world-building is interesting with quite a few fantasy elements and the story though starting slowly at first with quite a few tropes, picks up some momentum later on. The characters however, including the two leads Elinor and Tristan seem one-dimensional and not very well sketched, sometimes even coming across as hypocritical. The humor in the whole book is overstated and the writing itself is stilted, perhaps due to translational errors - but these might be fixed in the final edited copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Rook and Castle Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; Half a star for the story arc; Half a star for the world-building; Half a star for the characters; Zero stars for the writing - Two stars in total.]

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the first novella in this series featuring the excellent Madame Chalamet, the Ghost Talker of the title. Brave clever fearless and feisty she is hired to investigate the loss of an historic artefact. Which will require her skills as a medium and expertise gained in helping in her late fathers jewellery business. Well written atmospheric descriptive gripping from first to last page, I look forward to more in this series.
Completely recommended.

Elinor Chalamet can speak with the dead. She uses her skills to help spirits resolve issues and pass on peacefully. But then Tristan Fontaine, the Duke de Archambeau, asks for her help and puts her on house arrest. She's stuck trying to solve the case of a stolen tiara, identify various poltergeists and deal with a possession.
Elinor is feisty and fun. I would like to meet her in real life.
Unfortunately, there are a few too many storylines for this book to earn four stars. But I would read the next book in the series.

This series has an interesting setting and take on ghost talking with Elinor's occupation and abilities. The set up is a little preposterous in how the Duke sets Elinor up in his home and has her mingle with family and guests though.

I receive my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ghost Talker is a novella that introduces us to Madame Elinor Chalamet, a ghost talker. The story is set in a fictional country around 1900 or so, given that we are reading about carriages, gaslight, etc. Most of the characters have French-sounding or English-sounding names, so I assumed the world was a fictionalized European country somewhere.

I enjoyed the main characters, both Madame Chalamet, and the Duke she winds up helping. It looks like the Duke may be a future love interest. The mystery was a good one - although I can’t describe too much without spoilers. Chalamet is called in to try to figure out who a dead man was and who killed him, and she does get some information from him that sends them on to further investigation. I liked Chalamet’s independent spirit and her intelligence. The Duke was rather stand-offish at first but grew on me as the story progressed.

I look forward to reading about their further adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rook and Castle Press for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The story of a ghost talker helping to track down a stolen artefact. It doesn't cover any new ground but will surely appeal to its target audience. Despite the spooky theme it's actually quite charming and whimsical.

This novella was atmospheric and felt like a Victorian Gothic, but there was very little setting information and I finally decided it was a Gaslamp genre that seemed a bit Alsatian (purely due to names), except it was on the water. Madame Elinor Chalamet is an interesting and feisty character who speaks with the dead and is honest to a fault. Tristan Fontaine, Duke de Archambeau, is attached to the local constabulary or police station and investigates high-level crimes. The first time they meet is at the Alenbonne morgue along with a detective, the coroner, and another medium. The Duke doesn't believe in mediums and thinks they are all con-artists, although he seems to think Elinor might be different after she gets relevant information from a murdered man. As she gets involved in a high-level secret case, the Duke puts under house arrest in his house. Elinor finds all kinds of ways around his house arrest and spends almost as much time outside the house as in and I don't blame her considering how his sister and mother treat her. Elinor continues seeing clients and gets roped into helping the owner of restaurant with a ghost, which has a funny outcome when the Duke bursts in and gets possessed by a lovelorn ghost which results in their first kiss. While working with the Duke solving the case, Elinor also receives clues into the unsolved murder of her father years ago, This is a relatively short book that leaves you wanting more. There was one problem for me however and the reason I took a star off. This may seem minor to most people but it kept pulling me out of the story, so it was a problem. I have one disclaimer first, I received this book from NetGalley and it's possible this was an unedited version of the book, but it did not say it was and all my other ARC's say they're unedited. My problem had to do with the names and I believe translations. It was mainly the use of MySir, What? Did the author split Monsieur into two and do a literal translation? Instead of using Mister or just Sir, which is the true translation. This may not sound like a big deal, but there were a lot of them and every single time it bugged me and therefore pulled me out of the story. The other thing was the reference to the Duke and his name and wrong usage there. MySir de Duke. Why English and French? Even still - use it correctly de is of, so she's saying Sir of Duke. It should be Sir le Duke (Sir the Duke.) This may seem picky, but it was used so much that I couldn't forget about it. This leaves me with a quandary - I love the story and want to read more, but do I want to pay for a book that may have issues that annoy me? Maybe I'll try the next one and hope this one was unedited.

I liked this one. It was a nice cozy mystery with some fantasy mixed in. I liked Elinor Chalamet as a ghost talker, and how she solves mysteries. I liked the setting, it reminded me of Enola Holmes, but it just was not Enola Holmes. The fantasy aspect was a bit out there for me, I am just not into fantasy right now. I am not sure if I am going to continue with this series.

So fun! This is like a combination of Amanda Quick and Phryne Fisher-in a world where supernatural beings exist, the heroine is an outspoken breath of fresh air in stuffy Victorian society. I found myself drawn in immediately and plowed through this book in a day and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Maybe (?) in future books we'll add some hot Duke romance to the urban fantasy mystery that I love so much!