THE HOSTESS WITH THE GHOSTESS is the ninth book in E.J.
Copperman's Haunted
Guesthouse cozy mystery series. Like with the
previous Haunted
Guesthouse mystery, "family" is a major theme in THE
HOSTESS WITH THE GHOSTESS. Innkeeper Alison Kerby has two
ghostly Harrison brothers to deal with when her friend Paul
returns from his recent travels and his brother Richard
shows up to beg a favor. Having his brother around lets
readers see another side to Paul, and I like the new dynamic
of having Paul able to accompany Alison on her sleuthing.
One of the things that makes THE HOSTESS WITH THE GHOSTESS
such a treat for mystery fans is that there are several
different mysteries in this book for readers to puzzle out.
For Alison, figuring out who killed Richard is high on her
priority list. Ironically, his is not the murder that
Richard wants Alison to concentrate on solving. While he was
alive, Richard was a little sweet on his client Cassidy Van
Doren. Richard wants Alison and her crew to prove Cassidy's
innocence. The problem with that is that Richard is the only
one who is absolutely certain that Cassidy is not a
murderess. With all the morally ambiguous characters,
blatant lies, evasions, and half-truths, Alison has a hard
time trying to decipher the truth and pinpoint the culprit.
Disguises and false alibis leave the reader and the main
characters with the difficult task of trying to connect any
possible financial crimes to motives for murders.
THE HOSTESS WITH THE GHOSTESS is like a Perry Mason tale of
legal intrigues and murder but with a paranormal twist. The
humor in THE HOSTESS WITH THE GHOSTESS acts as a nice
counterpoint to some of the grisly murders. The small story
involving a possible romance between two of Alison's guests
is cute and provides an amusing respite from murder. I'm
excited to see what is next in store for Alison & her ghost
crew in the next Haunted
Guesthouse mystery.
Things are never quiet for long at the Haunted
Guesthouse. Right as Alison Kerby finally gets some
peace, long-time deceased Paul Harrison’s recently
murdered brother, Richard, shows up looking for the
ghostly detective. But Paul has left for parts unknown
months ago. The only thing is, she doesn’t know how to
find him. And she’s going to need to because Richard’s
isn’t the only murder still left unsolved.
As she searches for Paul, Alison discovers that Richard,
who was a lawyer, was working a case about a woman
accused of murdering her stepfather. It quickly becomes
clear that Richard was getting too close to the truth,
and was forcibly kept quiet. Now as Alison continues her
investigation, she gets a creeping sensation that the
murderer doesn’t appreciate her snooping around. And if
she doesn’t stop, she’ll be next in The Hostess with the
Ghostess, the witty and delightful follow-up to national
bestselling author E. J. Copperman’s Spouse on Haunted
Hill.
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