Three cheers for the Ghost Hunter Next Door!
348086
This was fun!  Scarlet is a wonderful character with a really big problem on her hands.  Wrangling ghosts usually comes pretty easily for her, but this particular door-smashing spirit has the personality of a diva gone wild crossed with a pit viper.  Remaining cool and helping this violent spirit takes quite a bit of hard work and lots of compassion.  Did she trip and fall down the stairs or was she pushed?  Solving this mystery is the only way to keep humans out of harms way.  An exciting read.
2130468
I absolutely love Ghost Adventures! Three guys go into seriously haunted places around the world. With professional equipment, their knowledge of filming and their balls of steel, these guys get locked into the notorious, scary places over night. Zach, Nick, and Aaron are getting evidence of the paranormal, in my opinion, better than anyone else has before! I am so glad that they stay quiet enough for you to hear the EVP that they capture. I can't stand it when that woman on Most Haunted is like " DID YOU HEAR THAT?", and your like, hear what? I can't hear over your high mickey mouse voice, lady? With Ghost Adventures you get to actually hear and see more than most people will in their entire life! They made a believer out of me! I can't wait to hear them scream again, in Ghost Adventures season 2! Great Job Guys!
4144160
I really enjoyed this historical mystery with ghosts. Delia Martin is being haunted by one very persistent ghost. Delia returns to San Francisco and finds herself linked to a serial killer who has returned after a 30 year absence. The ghost is a link to the killing spree but Delia can't communicate with her until she visits Dora Bobet who is a medium.

Also pursuing the case of the serial killer is Police Lieutenant Gabe Ryan who is trying to solve the case his father couldn't solve 30 years earlier. Gabe and Delia meet because his Sargent Jack is engaged to her best friend and foster sister Sadie.

Delia has also returned home because Sadie's mother - the woman who became her guardian when her parents died in the San Francisco earthquake and fire - is dying and she wants to support her friend.

I loved the San Francisco setting. I thought the way the relationship grew between Delia and Gabe was nicely done. I thought the mystery was nicely intriguing. I found both the serial killer and the various ghosts nicely creepy.

This is the first book of a trilogy and I intend to read the rest.
3446186
Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is the first book in her new Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. It has so many things in a cozy that I like: a strong female main character/amateur detective, a southern setting, a touch of the paranormal, humor, and a dash of possible romance.

Verity Long is a graphic designer who is currently unemployed and about to lose her grandmother's house because of her jerk ex-fiance and his mother who have poisoned some of the townspeople against her.

After an estate sale, Verity has few items left and still owes $20,000. When she takes a vase out into the garden to clean it off, she discovers that it was an urn and she has accidentally trapped the ghost of the inhabitant on her property. Her newly found ability to see other spirits with his help leads to a job offer from her ex-fiance's brother.

Ellis wants her to do one thing, clear the ghosts out of the carriage house that he is converting to a restaurant so that they will stop tearing up the place. Verity soon finds out that there is more than the supernatural at work. And that the mystery from the past and the present mystery are linked.

"Verity isn't above questioning the living or the dead. But can she find the truth before the killer finds her?" (Goodreads.com)

This book is really a fun, cozy, paranormal mystery. I enjoyed reading about Verity who was definitely very courageous right from the beginning. The ghostly character of Frankie wasn't overdone and was interesting. He faded out at a good time in the plot. Ellis was a good character as well. Don't want to say more about him because that would be a spoiler. The supporting characters were kept to a minimum which kept any confusion down. There is room for expansion on them and their roles in Verity's life in the future. I seriously enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who like a little paranormal with their cozy mysteries.
I gave it 5 stars. I am so looking forward to the next installment. It looks like it will be available in the Fall of 2015.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
1651061
Not a moment to breathe. I love the flow of action it has not stopped since I started this book. I find the characters refreshing and lovable. Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud is a different murder mystery that centers on a ghost story.

Lucy is a runaway and is looking for a job as a Ghost Hunter. London is over run with ghosts or visitors and you are not allowed out after curfew. They salt the streets, hang lavender and have ghost lights to keep the streets safe at night but it is advised not to go out at night. They have agencies that employ young kids since they are the only ones that can see or hear ghosts. These ghosts aren't normal ghosts, they can kill you and are very dangerous. Lucy applies for a job at the Lockwood & Co agency that is run by two young men; Anthony Lockwood and George. Lockwood and George think she is a perfect fit but things go wrong at a job and now they are all in trouble and need to find a way to solve a cold case and gain back the respect that they lost.

I liked Lucy, she is a young girl who has the ability to Listen and Touch things to hear the past in them. She is a very strong character and has a tendency to make the wrong decisions and I think that is what I like best about her. She is an act now think about it later kind of girl
Lockwood is rather quiet about his past but has a strong passion for catching and finding ghosts. I wanted to know more about his background but maybe we will learn it in the second book. George was more of a secondary character but I loved his attitude and he was rather funny and always hungry.

The flow was so action pack, when it does hit a slow spot its really slow, but it helps build the story, it just feels like you want them to get to the point and back to the action. You are almost spoiled after the beginning. The end is great and I loved how creepy it got even in the last couple of paragraphs. Lockwood, George and Lucy are just such fantastic characters

Murder Mystery and Ghost Story with Sherlock Holmes and Watson energy. I gave The Screaming Staircase 4 out of 5 stars. Humor, Mystery and just the right amount of creepy. It's a series I really looking forward to continuing. A good read for middle graders and adults who are looking for something to keep them up late at night.

For more review visit [...]
3230281
As a member of the Moosetookalook Small Business Association, Liss MacCrimmon is in charge of putting together a haunted house for the town's Halloween festival. An old, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town seems perfect and Liss throws herself into the preparations which include creepy plastic skeletons and a dinner scene of poisoned guests. When she arrives one day to do some work, she finds a dead body in place of one of her props. What's further shocking is the dead body is her cousin Ned, recently released from prison. Liss immediately wants to know what happened and if the fact that the mansion was originally owned by a mafia boss from Boston has any connection with the murder now.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun Halloween themed mystery complete with tales of old mobsters, possible buried treasure, and spooky occurrences. I liked that Liss' personal life and family had a significant role in the plot, and I felt we got to see a new side of her in this novel. Recommended for any who have enjoyed the others in this series, but could also likely be picked up as a stand alone read.
323225
I enjoyed this story to the fullest. The author beautifully combined historical information about a small town in New Jersey, with a fun, believable ghost story. I loved how he described seeing the ghosts through a human's perspective and how he explained the limitations of their supernatural existence. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
4280555
I just absolutely adored Waiting for Patrick!  I think one of the things I love about ghost stories of any sub-genre is that you get a blend of contemporary and historical along with the paranormal.  Waiting is no different.  For the contemporary you have Elliot who buys run down properties, restores them, and resells them.  With his latest purchase he finds a home that speaks to him, in a way quite literally.  He begins to dream but are these only dreams? You'll have to discover that for yourself.

As for the historical side, you have Ben, the resident ghost who is waiting for his lost love and has been doing so for over 150 years.  Of course, Ben is stuck in the home so his travel is limited but then Elliot shows up and maybe his waiting is over.  Again, for that you'll have to read the story yourself.

Waiting for Patrick is not only a great blend of contemporary, historical, and paranormal but it also has a small but very eclectic cast of characters that on the surface probably shouldn't work but the author makes them not only work but makes them family.  I really hated to see the last page turn but as the saying goes "all good things must end" and whether it ends how you expected or not doesn't really matter because the feelings Waiting gave me will linger and gives one a bit of hope for "love everlasting". I've never read Brynn Stein before but I can unequivocally say that Waiting is not the only one I will read, definitely an author that I'll be keeping my eye on.
3512216
I'm on the fence when it comes to books with ghosts....not sure how I feel about them but after reading The Hostess with the Ghostess by E.J. Copperman I think I'm leaning over the fence now.  The Hostess with the Ghostess is the ninth book in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series and although it is the first one that I have had the pleasure of reading I was thoroughly entertained from the first page to the last.

It always amazes me the talent and imagination that authors have and Copperman is way off the charts with imagination !!!

In this series you meet Alison Kerby and hang out in her big house on the Jersey shore.  She has turned the house into a haunted guesthouse where a few of her resident ghosts put shows on throughout the visit.  Alison lives there with her husband who can't see the ghosts and her teenage daughter, Melissa, who can see them.  There are 3 ghosts living there and Alison's mother and father (who is a ghost) visit regularly.  Alison's mom can also see and communicate with the ghosts.  One of the resident ghosts, Paul, encouraged Alison to get her private investigators license so that she can investigate murders with Paul's assistance.

In The Hostess with the Ghostess Paul's brother is murdered while working on a case and shows up at the Haunted Guesthouse looking for Paul.  This leads you down a FUN road with the crew working the case.....  It is fun because you will not believe the things that the ghosts are capable of doing (may just be in this series but it's a hoot !!) and fun reading the interactions among the ghosts and the living individuals who can see them and those that cannot !!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am sorry it has taken this long to read a book in it.  I can assure you that I will be looking for more opportunities to go to the Haunted Guesthouse.....maybe stay for a spell (no, they don't do spells but you will be under a trance while reading them....)
1969916
Bailey Ruth Raeburn and her husband, Bobby Mac, were killed in a boating accident many years ago. Bailey Ruth wants to lend a helping hand and makes an appointment with Wiggins, the man in charge of the Department of Good Intentions, which is renowned for helping those on earth who are in dire need of aid. Before Wiggins can explain all the rules and regs of her position as emissary (what you and I would call a ghost), Bailey Ruth finds herself whisked off to a house in Adelaide, Oklahoma, where the pastor's wife has just found a dead body on her porch a few days before Halloween. Bailey Ruth has to discover the identity of the killer before the pastor's wife is hauled off to jail.

This is the first book by Carolyn Hart that I've read, and I thought she added an interesting twist to the cozy mystery genre by having a ghost as the sleuth. As befits someone who's written as many books as she, Hart is quite workmanlike at delineating her characters, setting the scene, moving the plot along, and planting red herrings.

But somewhere along the line, the entire book began to lose air like a leaky souffle. It was fun to see Bailey Ruth become acquainted with SUVs, cell phones, and computers, and for a woman known to speak and act without thinking, she naturally broke almost all of Wiggins' rules by the end of her first evening in Adelaide. But some things just didn't add up. Her lack of a corporeal body is emphasized, but why does she need to eat and sleep? Bailey Ruth keeps mentioning Bobby Mac, but we never hear a peep out of him, or see him for that matter. Are there divorces in Heaven? And why did I keep picturing Tom Bosley as Wiggins?

All in all, I'd have to say that Ghost at Work is average. Your mileage may definitely vary!
1600401
Welcome back to Mayville Heights! I hope you brought your umbrella, boots and a rain slicker. It's been "raining cats and dogs" for days. There is flooding all over town. The local artists' co-op has a basement full of water and our favorite librarian Kathleen is helping her friends move their work to higher ground in case the water continues to rise.

All the artwork is saved but one artist isn't as lucky. Mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the basement. The death doesn't look accidental to Kathleen. Detective Marcus Gordon is on the case and Kathleen along with her fantastic felines just can't help themselves from assisting him in any way they can. Owen and Hercules use their magic to help "unmask" the killer.

Dollycas's Thoughts

These magical felines continue to steal the show! Hercules and Owen are truly special characters. Kathleen handles their powers much better than I would.  All the characters are continuing to evolve. Heck the good detective may even get a library card in the next installment.  Kathleen has definitely made herself at home in Mayville Heights. She has taken falling for a guy to a new level and finds something startling from Roma's past.  And when Kathleen and Maggie get together there is never a dull moment. (Watch out for flying rodents!)

I especially enjoyed this story because of the history featured that creates a mystery inside of a mystery. The town is getting ready to celebrate the library's centennial with a very special showcase of the groups that have met at the library over the years. One group was doing more than most people knew and some journals from Rebecca's mother are discovered that hold several secrets.

Well written, carefully plotted, a little romance and a bunch of humor. A purrfect cozy mystery!
673490
Jinx, formerly known as a nobody, Jane Marie Wright, was now somebody.  Least ways a person of interest even if people were a bit freaked out by her.  Jinx loved the minor celebrity and notoriety she received "the minute she'd started the Paranormalists website."  Spooky and freaky she could stand, but ignored she couldn't.  Jackson was a jock, but somehow they'd become partners in their new venture to ferret out paranormal entities.  Granted, the resolution to their first case was less than satisfactory, but at least they'd had one.

Jackson was hoping that if they could make contact with a real ghost and maybe, just maybe, he could contact his dad who'd died a few years before.  Todd McElvoy was the starting quarterback on the team, but he had something on his mind other than football.  His family owned the Black Eagle Tavern and things were getting so bad that the business could go under.  "I'm not helping that Neanderthal," Jinx declared when she knew Todd was asking for help.  The tavern was home to a "nice ghost," but something evil had begun to visit.

Glasses began to fly off the shelves and Todd's cousin, Michael, up and quit when he got "six black eyes."  Nice was not the word for the evil that had visited the tavern.  In reality, Jinx really liked Todd, but being nice didn't quite fit her new image.  However, if they took the case things would really start hopping for the Paranomalists.  Todd began to plead, "If you don't get rid of this ghost, my life will be ruined."  Once Jinx and Jackson took the case and set up their EVP recorder and their EMF sensor they'd find it ... or so they thought. A hiss went "through the bar like a demonic snake."  Had they really gone a bit too far this time?

Jinx and Jackson's encounter with the unknown at the Black Eagle Tavern will thrill the young reader.  This short, but fast-paced and exciting paranormal mystery is perfect for the reluctant reader or someone who simply enjoys a quick read.  The duo have teamed up to solve seemingly unsolvable paranormal events happening in their town.  Although Jinx and Jackson appear to be polar opposites, they work quite well together.  The story moves right along and the freakish tension makes it a page turner.  With the second case in the works, they are becoming established and are certainly on everyone's radar as paranormal investigators.  If you have a youngster who likes mysteries that are tantalizingly haunted, this is one series you might want to look at!

THE PARANORMALISTS

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Case-1-The-Haunting-of-APARTMENT-101/dp/0761383328/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Case #1:  The Haunting of APARTMENT 101</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Case-2-The-Terror-of-BLACK-EAGLE-TAVERN/dp/0761383336/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Case #2:  The Terror of BLACK EAGLE TAVERN</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Case-3-The-Mayhem-on-MOHAWK-AVENUE/dp/0761383344/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Case #3:  The Mayhem on MOHAWK AVENUE</a>
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Case-4-The-Bridge-of-DEATH/dp/0761383352/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Case #4:  The Bridge of DEATH</a>

This book courtesy of the publisher.
1768509
This is Book 2 of Ronan's paranormal series, a series that is sure to be a hit with lovers of the supernatural.  In this installment, five years have passed since the disturbing outcome of the investigation into the haunting at Moriarty house. Our boy, Eddie McCloskey, has been content to drift aimlessly since then, until he arrives in a town that's slowly dying--in more ways than one.  Rumor has it a young woman named Tessa who drowned in a nearby lake haunts the town.  Thanks to a prominent local who controls the town cops, Eddie is forced to make a decision:  cut and run, or stay to uncover the reason behind the paranormal activity.  Ultimately, it is his friend, Ana, who persuades him to take on the investigation when she reveals the dead woman, Tessa, was her sister.  So begins Eddie's next journey into darkness.

This is a well-written thriller by an author who knows what he's about.  The tight writing and well-rounded characters kept me turning pages into the night.  I thoroughly enjoyed the more mature Eddie McCloskey we see in this book. He has quickly become one of my favorite protagonists, one who lends himself perfectly to a series.

With Halloween approaching, I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of The Lost.  You won't be disappointed.
1617203
This was a good story. Verity is a funny character and she makes a great ghost hunter.
Trying to recover from everyone finding out she can see ghosts, Verity helps a local resident who has a paranormal problem.

Her ghostly companion Frankie is still hanging around and is trying to get his old gang together.

If you enjoy a fun paranormal cozy this one will grab your attention.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
1432570
I've been a fan of ghost stories and ghost hunting for a long time. For a short period my husband and I even dabble in ghost hunting with a few friends. We never found anything... but when I saw this book I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed either. Ms Halle writes a horrifying tale of a haunted light house and Perry's adventure with Dex in it.
I loved Perry from the get go, her snarky humor and wit left me smiling and out loud laughing at times.  Thing was there was something about Perry you just didn't get. Same goes for Dex, he's a total mystery. I found it hard to think of Perry as a twenty something year old, I found myself thing she was in her teens. I think this came from her problem child attitude, the fact her parents treated her like one and the interaction with her sister. I felt the same way about Dex that he was younger because of the way he acted and talked. I found myself wondering several time if he was really crazy or just messing with Perry. At other times I wondered if it wasn't all in Perry's head.
But there were sections in the book that were normal, not paranormal and these helped make the book. They helped move the book along. While this wasn't a strict YA book it did have that feel yet then a cuss would pop out and I'd realize it was more for adults.
While this did stretch the paranormal factors, I still liked it and enjoyed the book. I feel Ms Halle did a great job with this and I'm excitedly looking forward to the rest of the series.
3834913
I love spooky ghost stories, but Sylvia's are my favorites because she can talk with the ghosts, so we get their side of the story as well! She delves into some great murder mysteries, and visits with some infamous dead people.

But even better...she gives us insight as to why ghosts are here and why we need not be afraid of them. They are often more confused than we are!

Even if you don't believe...it's still an entertaining read!
3473767
I really, really loved this book. In fact, this is the first book that I ever read in one day, it was that was that awesome. Although I don't like to watch the paranormal show because they are too fake for me, I really love a good ghost story though! This book definitely keeps up the creepy and foreboding feeling that something bad is about to happen. One of my favorite things about the book is the fact that it uses little quotes by famous people through out.  The quotes are all very spooky and sometimes shocking.
The book moves at a fast pace and really doesn't waste any time. It seems like such a quick read because once it pulls you in, it will not let go! I like how the author brought the personal lives of one of the Paranormal Posse  in the picture but I wish she would have given us more background on the other characters as well.

The book was left like it was a cliffhanger and I would be more than willing to read the  sequel to this.