Eccentric tobacco tycoon Rodger Hawthorne III can have anything his heart desires except his dead wife, Sarah. Feeling responsible for the car crash that killed her thirty years ago, he offers one million dollars to anyone who can find her spirit and bring it to him within one week or the money is forfeited. Six spiritually-challenged-but highly intuitive-women find his ad over the Internet and accept his challenge only to embark on a journey they didn’t quite expect that covers astral traveling, past life regressions and spiritual encounters of the unworldly kind. While this book is lightly based on a true story of a real man who is offering one million dollars to anyone who can prove that spirits exist, this story is purely fictional.

This story begins with the appearance of Roger Hawthorne III on a talk show, promising $1M to anyone who can prove to him that ghosts exist. What he doesn’t share with the public is that he is looking for his young wife, Sarah, who died thirty years ago in a car accident. He gets plenty of emails from crazies. However, six women with varying psychic abilities stand out as good candidates.

Shiloh Swallowtail: a psychic who lost her husband and feels lost on her new spiritual path.
Ezra Anne Thornberry: a clairaudient who has visitations from a helpful ghost named Henri.
Brianna Campbell: a curious dabbler, who misses her dead husband Rick.
Fanella: a psychic who feels as if life is moving around her too quickly.
Peggy Maguire: a metaphysical Sunday school teacher.
Brooke Murphy: an herbal practitioner and Wiccan.

Each of these women have their own motivations for finding this ghost and winning the money. As soon as Hawthorne accepts their applications, the story centers on them finding his beloved Sarah while dealing with their own spiritual hurdles. I loved the tight pace in the beginning, when Hawthorne struggled over whether or not he should air his challenge and his opinion of the afterlife and the psychics. Then there was the town’s negative reaction to the women’s presence. Both these elements gave this story a good balance between believers and skeptics.

As for the psychics, I had mixed feelings. A lot of this had to do with the writing, which needed a good editor’s pen. At times, the wording in the dialogue was almost preachy, where spiritual matters were concerned. Then there was a scene in the climax that I felt was too fantastical.

That said, I thought that the ending was great. Despite my issue with the editing, I enjoyed this book because of its original premise. It’s definitely worth the read. To learn more about the book and the authors, visit The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost blog.