When I was a kid, I fell in love with an old television movie (and the subsequent television series) entitled “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” about a woman who purchases an old house that is haunted by the ghost of a Sea Captain. So I was delighted when I recently stumbled across the book entitled “The Ghost and Mr. Moore” by Ryan Field — a modern tongue-in-cheek gay retelling of the original movie. Mr. Field has written several other books in a similar vein (parodies of popular films), and I’ve enjoyed several of them so I thought I’d check this one out.
Famous child actor Dexter Moore moves into an old house in Provincetown along with his daughter and housekeeper. The house was once owned by a handsome sea captain (Captain Lang, who according to Dexter, resembles Hugh Jackman) and according to local rumor, the house is haunted. Sure enough, strange things begin happening shortly after they move in: cupboard doors open by themselves, strange breezes pop up out of nowhere in the house and the sound of laughter echoes through the rooms when there’s nobody around.
The ghost eventually makes an appearance and in no time at all, the ghostly Captain Lang and Mr. Moore have sex – lots of sex. Some might say, too much sex. But still, there is an interesting storyline, especially once a camera crew begins following Mr. Moore and his family around the house for a reality show. To make things even more interesting, Mr. Moore’s ex shows up and tries to win him back — which doesn’t sit too well with the jealous captain.
Like the original movie, Mr. Moore and Captain Lang sit down and write several books together about Captain Lang’s wild adventures at sea. But at the end of the day, the two need to think about the reality of their relationship and the feasibility of a human with a ghost lover.
I definitely enjoyed this light-hearted, low-angst story with fun characters and a storyline (with several subplots) that held my interest. The Ghost and Mr. Moore is a story with lots of heart and may even bring a tear to your eye from time to time. If you’re a fan of the original Ghost and Mrs. Muir (or ghost stories in general) and don’t mind more than a generous sprinkling of sex in your stories, then you may want to check out The Ghost and Mr. Moore. Mr. Field did an excellent job of this retelling of an old favorite and as usual, did not disappoint.
You can check out the Ghost and Mr. Moore HERE
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