Publication Date: 11/05/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425252396
ISBN-13: 978-0425252390
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound
E.J. Copperman on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Books in the series:
Night of the Living Deed (2010), An Uninvited Ghost (2011), Old Haunts (2012), Chance of a Ghost (2013), The Thrill of the Haunt (2013)
Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from The Thrill of the Haunt, courtesy of the author's website.
Synopsis:
Alison Kerby’s guesthouse is already crowded with spirits. The last thing she needs is a whole new batch of haunts settling in.
As Alison’s reputation as “the ghost lady” grows, so does her business—and not always in a way she’d like. Tourists may be flocking to her guesthouse for a chance to glimpse her resident spirits, but her special abilities are also bringing unwanted private investigation cases to her door. And she has no choice but to take a case when the local homeless man is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, just hours after asking for help in exorcising a specter.
If that weren’t enough to deal with, Alison’s other PI case soon turns fatal, as the mistress she was spying on for a jealous wife turns up dead as well. The cases seem like they couldn’t possibly be linked, but with a mountain of clues, motives and suspects—both living and dead—Alison will have to think fast before someone else checks out for good…
Thoughts:
E.J. Copperman's Haunted Guest House series continues with The Thrill of the Haunt. This is the fifth book in the series and fans are loving resident ghosts Maxie and Paul. Alison Kerby has capitalized on her ghostly apparitions by turning her guest house into a haunted inn of sorts for guests who want a supernatural experience. Copperman has a knack for writing paranormal elements into his stories. He makes the unexplainable seem possible. Readers will enjoy his attention to detail and be fully entertained by his character development. Copperman has produced a very good addition to the series.
There are so many paranormal characters to choose from. Authors can develop vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts to make their stories have a supernatural appeal. I think E.J. Copperman does a wonderful job with the ghosts in this series. He makes them seem almost human in spite of the fact that they are dead. Maxie and Paul help Allison in a lot of her private investigation cases. They are definitely characters in their own right. They have personalities and flaws like everyone else, and Copperman does a fantastic job of showing the reader the pit falls and hazards of being incorporeal.
Allison is a very good main character for a lot of reasons. One of the things I like about her is the fact that she is normal other than the ghost thing. She isn't an elitist. She is down to earth and very easy to identify with. She likes the fact that the ghosts are a part of her livelihood but she still wishes she was like everyone else. That might come across to others like she is ashamed of Maxie and Paul. But I think it's more the fact that she wants to fit in and being 'the ghost lady' isn't what she had in mind. Copperman does a great job with her character and makes her so realistic that readers can understand her issues.
The mystery aspect of this one was divided into two cases. The death of a local homeless man and the investigation into a cheating husband. It doesn't appear in the beginning that the two are related, but readers will soon find that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. The suspects were aplenty and the motives were believable. Copperman ties every thing up nicely by the end and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion.
This was one of those stories that I felt had a good theme and it was diverse. There was more than one thing going on at a time and readers were splitting their focus between the two cases, so when they start to come together it gets really good. I was stumped for awhile, but I did manage to figure it out toward the end. Copperman did a great job of keeping readers off balance and threw in a few red herrings as well. This is a great series for those wanting to break into reading paranormal cozies, because it starts you out kind of close and then builds.
The Thrill of the Haunt is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of The Thrill of the Haunt by E.J. Copperman.
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~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, December 3rd.
1. Please leave a comment describing any ghostly experiences you've had or wish to have.
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11 comments:
I would like to have an encounter with my sister's ghost. She passed away in 1980 and I still miss her. I know my mom said she saw her ghost on occasion but I never did. I have had many conversations with her but never actually saw her.
In my house in Nebraska when I was sleeping sometimes it felt like someone tapped me on the shoulder but there was no one there but the door would also be moved slightly. Don't know what it was, but it was spooky. Thank you for the giveaway
I have had an encounter several times since my mother's death. Unexpected and frightening but necessary to overcome my grief. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
I would like to have an experience with the ghost of some of by beloved pets.
No ghostly experiences but I'd love to have a visit by the ghost of my mother!
I would like to have encounters with my daughter and mother's ghosts.
I've seen a few ghosts, including a friend's grandfather, and my great-grandmother, but it would be nice to see my paternal grandmother.
In 1978 my husband and I rented a house that was haunted. Every night in our bedroom you could hear a woman screaming, if we left the room or went outside we couldn't hear it. We lived there for six mouths and then we couldn't take it any more and moved. We think a woman was probably murdered in that room.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
I haven't had any experiences but my grandmother saw my grandfather not long after he died and my dad saw my uncle right after the funeral.
I haven't had any personal experiences, but do have a healthy respect for the possibility. Thanks!
I have experienced many paranormal events...one happened where I was sitting up on the bed and I heard a creak and felt the bed move. I looked and there was an indentation as if someone was laying next to me, but no one was there.
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