Review and Giveaway: Old Haunts

Old Haunts (Haunted Guest House - Book 3) by E.J. Copperman

Publication Date: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: cozy Mystery
Pages: Paperback, 290pp
ISBN-13: 978-0425246207

ISBN: 0425246205

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

E.J. Copperman on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter

Books in the series: Night of the Living Deed (2010), An Uninvited Ghost (2011), Old Haunts (2012)

CoverArt: Click on the picture for a larger, clearer image of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Old Haunts


Synopsis: 

Alison Kerby's guesthouse already has two resident ghosts. 

But now, the past is coming to visit. Make your reservation early.

There's nothing quite as mournful as a gloomy ghost - and Alison has a pair of sad spirits, Maxie and Paul, haunting her Jersey Shore guesthouse. Maxie wants to know who murdered her ex-husband, a biker named Big Bob, whose remains have just been discovered two years later. Paul, pining for his still-living almost-fiancee, wants Alison to track her down and make sure she's okay.

The only one who isn't missing her ex is Alison - because The Swine has waltzed back into her life, specifically into her guesthouse, and is trying to win back their ten-year-old daughter, Melissa. He says he wants to get back together, but Alison knows him too well. The only question is: What is he really up to?

Thoughts:

E.J. Copperman brings readers the third book in the "Haunted Guesthouse" mystery series. Old Haunts is a cozy mystery with a paranormal slant, that will appeal to both types of readers. This series follows the adventures of amateur sleuth Alison Kerby and her two sidekicks, a couple of ghosts named Maxie and Paul. Copperman's attention to detail and dry humor make this a fun, light read that just happens to be about murder.

This was my first experience with E.J. Copperman and I'll have to say, I was impressed with this book. As many of you know, I enjoy a book that has a touch of the supernatural in it. I didn't think I was that big a fan of "ghost whisperer" type books, but this one might make me change my mind. Copperman seems to have a good sense of what makes a paranormal book just real enough to make it entertaining. A writer has to have characters, ghost or otherwise that appeal to the reader and ones who they can somehow connect with. Copperman does a good job with that here.

I liked Alison a lot. She is one of those characters that readers can just understand. She's a divorced, single mom, with a real peach of an ex-husband. She's raising a daughter on her own and trying to fulfill her dream of owning and operating her own business, in this case, a guesthouse. She's determined. She's smart and she's very empathetic. Having two resident ghosts in the house doesn't seem to phase her. She's more worried about the nefarious plans her ex may have for re-entering her life. Copperman gives readers the kind of character that they can root for with Alison.

The ghosts themselves are a lot of fun and in this particular mystery, they are the center of the plot. One ghost, Maxie is trying to figure out who murdered her husband of 4 days. Alison's mom ends up being accused giving Alison two reasons to want to figure out who really did it. Maxie is kind of the whiney type. But not in the extreme. She is just kind of sad and forlorn, as you might expect from a ghost. Paul on the other hand is an former private eye and he is constantly giving Alison a different perspective on things, which is good. He had a fiancee he was supposed to marry when he died and now he wants Alison to find her make sure she's ok. Not too much to ask for a dead guy. I liked both ghosts and thought Copperman wrote them both very realistically.

The mystery aspect of the story was well written and the pacing was good. The revelations came at the right time and it was unpredictable enough to keep me guessing. Copperman's attention to detail was great. His descriptions were spot on and he seemed very connected to his story. I liked that.

Old Haunts is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

E.J. Copperman is a mysterious figure, or has a mysterious figure, or writes figuratively in mysteries. In any event, a New Jersey native, E.J. has written for such publications as The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, American Baby and USA Weekend. Night of the Living Deed is the first E.J. Copperman novel. It will be followed in 2011 by An Uninvited Ghost, the second in the Haunted Guesthouse mystery series.

E.J., having worked as a newspaper reporter, teacher, magazine editor, and screenwriter, writes stories that combine humor and mystery with just the right amount of spooky supernatural happenings and a large does of Jersey attitude.
Sound like we’re being evasive? Well, the fact is that E.J. Copperman is the pseudonym of a well-known mystery novelist, now embarking on a new type of story that includes some elements of the supernatural as well as a fair number of laughs. And the Copperman novels will have a different attitude, a different setting and completely different characters than anything that has come before, so E.J. really is a new author.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Old Haunts by E.J. Copperman.

~ You must be a GFC follower or an E-mail Subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only!
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST March 19th.

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