ALL SPOOKED UP

Copperman launches yet another series, drawing on his childhood experiences in his father’s paint and wallpaper store.

When Laura Meehan decided to honor her father’s memory by reopening Breezeway Paint and Wallpaper in Sea Breeze, New Jersey, she never expected him to be able to weigh in on her decision. But a shadowy apparition appearing in the back office claims to be the late Amos Meehan. Though Laura is skeptical of the idea that it really is her father’s ghost, come back to offer his support in her venture, Amos’ help becomes especially valuable when Laura discovers the body of housepainter Ernie Colasco with his head wedged in her paint shaker. Before founding Breezeway Paint, Amos had been a respected detective on the Atlantic City Police Department. Ernie, on the other hand, had been a universally detested pain in the ass who’d ignored his daughter, cheated on his wife, and owed money to everyone he did business with. While no one much mourns Ernie’s passing, Laura feels that leaving his killer on the loose would tarnish Breezeway Paint’s reputation. The relationship between fathers and daughters looms large in Copperman’s narrative, although it’s not clear what value is added by siting Laura’s relationship with Amos across not only generations but planes of existence. Even Laura isn’t quite sure whether the apparition of Amos is a ghost or a figment of her imagination. It may be hard for readers to invest much in the Laura/Amos dyad if even Laura isn’t convinced it’s a thing.

Not quite like watching paint dry. But Copperman’s latest could use more of the manic energy of his earlier franchises.