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.