A haunted hotel, an ambiguous murder, a lonely, sex-starved widower, a motherless daughter, all in an unsettling, Stephen King-like town -- think "The Mist."

What isn't to love about Heather Sharfeddin's soap opera of a novel?

Where is the wind? Where did it go? Will Tom make love to the local, Charlene, and will his daughter become a well-adjusted teen? Will the "ghost" tell of its injustices?

"Windless Summer" is no literary great, but it's a fun and harmless spine tickler for commuters and poolside moms. It delivers a dollop of intrigue, paranormal activity, and sex: a recipe as dependable as a Duncan Hines cake mix.

Sharfeddin's imagery is up to snuff; she has the formula well in hand: "Tom shot upright on the sofa, gasping for air. The heat felt more oppressive in the darkness. He missed his bed, and the apartment smelled like hot dust and Cheetos."

First and foremost, "Windless Summer" is a romance novel, accentuated with that genre's knack for well-paced tension grippers: "Would he ever be able to think back and laugh about some small moment without the biting sting of her absence?"

"Last night he hadn't even attempted to sleep. How could he?"

"Windless Summer" is no "Wuthering Heights," but it's a fun and mindless read without the redeeming message.

AMELIA ROBERSON is an English instructor at Natural Bridge Juvenile Correction Center.