SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is book eight in E.J. Copperman's
Haunted Guesthouse series. The main characters in
SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL -- both ghostly and the living --
are experiencing major changes. Haunted guesthouse owner
Alison Kerby is dealing with her daughter becoming a
teenager, as well as the good and bad that comes with
taking her romantic relationship to the next level with
her current boyfriend. Longtime ghostly PI, and friend to
Alison, Paul Harrison is consumed with trying to
successfully transform his existence for the better. All
of these changes experienced by the characters wouldn't
be such a bad thing if it wasn't for the sudden, and
largely unwelcomed and chaotic, appearance of Alison's
ex-husband Steven.
Despite Paul's insistence that Alison look into the mess
that Steven has gotten himself into, it's largely left to
Alison and his fellow ghosts Maxie and Everett to pick up
the slack as detectives. The familiar favorite characters
add a little levity and cozy mystery goodness to this
story, but E.J. Copperman mixes it up a bit by including
a few elements typical of a hard-boiled detective yarn.
Gangsters and wannabe gangsters litter the landscape in
SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. For me, these miscellaneous bad
guys and their shenanigans are entertaining rather than
alarming, and I laughed a lot reading about Steven and
his schemes. SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL has some of the same
elements from some of my favorite films like THE MALTESE
FALCON and THE THIRD MAN, but with humor and bits of the
divinely absurd.
While characters like the shady Lou Maroni, the elusive
Maurice DuBois, and the slightly pathetic Steven and
their exploits drive the story in SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL,
Alison and her family center it. Alison is very easy for
me to relate to -- neither obnoxiously perfect and always
ready with the perfect thing to say, but also not
annoying or self-defeating. Alison is a very believable
and likable amateur sleuth who tries to balance detecting
with family obligations, earning a living, and carving
out a romantic life. I like Alison's ability to think on
her feet, and how she uses her ghost family and friends
to tail or detain suspects.
SPOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is a great mix of hard-boiled
detective story, the ghostly fantastic, and a little bit
of slapstick. The relationship between Alison and her
thirteen-year-old daughter Melissa feels very real, and
their interactions add more depth to this mystery.
Despite all Steven's oafishness, E.J. Copperman gets the
complicated dynamic between mother and daughter just
right. I look forward to the next mystery by E.J.
Copperman.
Alison’s shady ex needs to use her haunted guesthouse as
a hideout in the latest from the national bestselling
author of Ghost in the Wind.
Where Alison Kerby’s ex-husband goes, trouble follows.
This time, unfortunately, he’s brought that trouble right
to her doorstep. On the run from a business deal gone
bad, Steven, aka “the Swine,” owes some scary people a
staggering sum of money. No need to panic, though. He has
a plan: Sell Alison’s Jersey Shore guesthouse to pay them
off.
Before Alison has a chance to read Steven the riot act,
he disappears—after a mysterious man trailing him ends up
full of bullet holes. Now the police are next to darken
her doorway. For all his faults, Steven is still the
father of Alison’s daughter, so with the help of ghosts
Maxie and Paul, Alison sets out to find her ex and clear
him of the murder. But if the bad guys get to him first,
he may not have a ghost of a chance...
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