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Ghost-in-Law #1-3

Ghost-in-Law Series 1-3 Boxset

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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the first three books in the Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series books in one boxset. The set in MudbugScientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into – especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty. Mischief in MudbugSabine LaVeche needs to locate a blood relative fast – her life depends on it. When Helena Henry shows up offering help, Sabine knows she’s really in for trouble when it’s the best idea she’s heard in a while. When private investigator Beau Villeneuve takes on her case, things heat up in more ways than one, but as they begin to uncover the secrets of Sabine’s past, the one thing that becomes clear is that someone doesn’t want Sabine to get the answers she seeks. Showdown in MudbugWho killed Helena Henry? The shorter list may be who didn’t want her dead. Psychic Raissa Bordeaux thought she’d left her former life behind, but when a child is kidnapped, she risks her secret identity by offering the police help with the case. New Orleans Detective Zach Blanchard doesn’t believe in psychic hooey and is certain Raissa didn’t get her facts about the case from a crystal ball. He suspects her of something besides being the most intriguing and attractive he’s every come across. But when Raissa’s secrets put her in danger, can Zach convince her to trust him with the truth before it’s too late?Praise for Jana “DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly BloggerTo learn more about Jana and her books visit her at these

772 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2010

220 people are currently reading
470 people want to read

About the author

Jana Deleon

102 books4,229 followers
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.

Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.

Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.

She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.

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5 stars
712 (58%)
4 stars
316 (26%)
3 stars
139 (11%)
2 stars
26 (2%)
1 star
19 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Denise Stout.
Author 6 books45 followers
June 14, 2013
I fell in love with author Jana DeLeon with the first cozy Mudbug book. Helena dies, but she's resurrected as a ghost at her funeral. Her almost ex daughter-in-law is the only one to see her at first. Mayhem ensues. Maryse is trying to get her life together, as it's falling apart, her life is endangered, and she meets a new hot guy. Her bumbling ghost of a mother-in-law, who thinks she's helping, only serves to cause more problems initially. They learn how to make the situation work for them as they solve the mystery. Helena seems to appear only to those whose lives are in danger--not always a good thing when you want her help, but you don't really want to see her.

The second book involves Sabine, Maryse's best friend. As she tries to figure out how to treat her cancer, she learns secrets from her past that unsettle her already uncertain future. More meddling/help from Helena, throw in a sexy guy, plus there's another mystery to be solved.

The third book continues with Raissa, psychic friend of Sabine, and another mystery. She thought she was incognito from her past, but it catches up with her tying the past with another mystery now. Her life in danger, she learns to trust her friends, a sexy cop, and Helena's version of help.

This trio of books in one great set is so fun to read. Set in Louisiana, these reads will keep you wanting more books in this series.
Profile Image for Marilyn Groves.
276 reviews10 followers
September 22, 2020
I had read 'Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery)' by the same author and truly enjoyed it. So, how would Jana Deleon equal that? With an obnoxious ex-mother-in-law's spirit getting up from the casket at the funeral and appearing to her former DIL, who is not at all happy to have this woman interfering with her life.

Plenty of fun characters, plenty of dangerous situations, and one truly interesting ghost made these first three in the series an absolute blast to read.

Oh, yah... i'll be reading more by Ms. Deleon. In the Miss Fortune and Ghost-In-Law series, as well as checking out others she has written. For pure fun, these are a great choice :)
190 reviews
October 4, 2016
Loved the stories of Maryse, Sabine, Raissa, and Maryse's recently departed mother-in-law Helene's ghost. It was great to read each one's story as they each survived murderous attempts on their lives and found their own true loves.

These are easy to read, suspenseful stories that you will want to continue reading each one without stopping.

Have an enjoyable, relaxing time as you read each one!
Profile Image for Lora Shouse.
Author 1 book32 followers
October 6, 2018
A pretty fun cozy mystery collection featuring the ghost of a mother-in-law, a bayou, and three Louisianna girls who, each for her own reasons, has been avoiding men for years. Each book of the set contains a serious mystery to go along with the ghost hijinks and the touch of romance.

Trouble in Mudbug – 5 stars

Maryse Robicheaux is stunned when her mother-in-law, Helena Henry, rises from her coffin during her funeral. But apparently Maryse is the only one who can see her.

As early as the next day, somebody starts trying to kill Maryse. Helena follows her home to her little house deep in the bayou. And a mysterious, very handsome man is trying to share her office and snoop on her computer.

She discovers that Helena has left her the Mudbug Game Preserve and Wildlife Center, a piece of property currently being leased to the state, and the money state is paying for the lease. The game preserve includes, or is adjacent to the bayou where Maryse lives. Helena’s husband objects, claiming the Preserve should have been left to his and Helena’s son, Hank who is also Maryse’s husband. Hank left Maryse shortly after they were married, and Maryse has been trying to find him to divorce him ever since. Hank also left a collection of large gambling debts, which Helena loaned her the money to pay, but then exacted repayment by the month at a high rate of interest. This is why Maryse considered Helena to be evil incarnate.

It turns out that Helena is not so bad after all, although she does have trouble learning how to function as a ghost. They eventually discover who is trying to kill Maryse and why, but don’t solve the mystery of who murdered Helena.


Mischief in Mudbug – 5 stars

Maryse’s best friend, Sabine, has been searching for any family members practically since her parents were killed in an accident when she was a small child. Without success. Now a cancer diagnosis has made finding any remaining family members even more urgent.

To make matters worse, Sabine can now hear, and later see, Helena Henry.

Sabine’s mentor and friend, New Orleans psychic Raissa, hires a detective on her behalf to see if he can locate the missing family. With some help from Raissa and Helena, the detective, Beau, turns up a family of reclusive millionaires with a crazy daughter who seem to be related to Sabine. But their behavior is very strange, and about the same time she first contacts them, somebody starts trying to kill Sabine.

Showdown in Mudbug – 5 stars

Maryse and Sabine’s friend, the New Orleans psychic, Raissa, sees on the news that another little girl has been kidnapped. It turns out that Raissa is actually a former FBI agent herself and that she has been using the psychic persona as a disguise to hide from mafia types she formerly had under surveillance. In her former life, she had found some evidence related to this string of kidnappings although that wasn’t her primary assignment, and she can’t resist offering the police the benefit of what she knows. Unfortunately, this brings her to the attention of the FBI again, so Raissa is happy to get away to Mudbug to cover Sabine’s shop while she is on her honeymoon.

It also brings her into contact with Helena Henry, and now Raissa too can suddenly see her.

A very twisted tale involving alien abductions, a strange threat to Hank Henry, car chases involving black cadillacs, and doctors behaving strangely. Also, a bit of romance with the cop Raissa first tells her story to.

Amid all the other twists and turns, we finally find out who killed Helena and why. And it’s not at all like it looked to begin with.
5 reviews
October 26, 2019
Mud bug

I love reading. When I was young growing up in a small town I hated reading because of school, some of you might be able to relate. Reading and use of the dictionary were used as punishment, so I got to a point of not reading, then I got sick and started reading a Rex Stout novel and once again I was hooked. Reading should be enjoyable and I find your series delightful. I also read serious thing and am still learning. At 69 I still want to expand my knowledge but still like good fun also. Thank you.
Profile Image for Rhonda Jones.
2,794 reviews17 followers
January 6, 2018
Awesome Series

I am settling in for a binge read. I think there are 10 books in this series and I plan to read them all. I love, love, love these books. Quirky funny characters, a great and sometimes complex mystery, and fast paced action. Everything I love plus a side of romance. Woot!
210 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2018
Ghost-In-Law Bookset

I love this series of books. The author amazes me with how she keep it so interesting. The characters are so intertwined and work so well together, to the books page turners. Enjoy!
131 reviews
September 4, 2019
Loved every minute of each of the first three books of this series

Each of the first three books of this series keeps you engaged and wondering "what next ". Very entertaining and you don't want to quit reading.
Profile Image for Bonnie Moore.
277 reviews4 followers
September 26, 2021
Mother n law mayhem!

I started reading the first three books in this series and didn't want to put them down. Usually I read another book or two between but not this time. I am looking forward to what next is happening in the next book in the series
29 reviews
January 29, 2018
Loved!

Laughed till I cried! Books had a positive attitude that was a break from the ordinary books I typically read.
1 review
July 21, 2018
👍

Little bit of everything mystery;love story and suspend and also very funny.Helen was a hoot in this book.loved it good read
Profile Image for Michelle.
34 reviews
July 12, 2024
This was a really fun summer read. Humor, mystery and a small bit of romance. Exactly what the lake ordered up this July.
Profile Image for Erika.
54 reviews
June 28, 2025
The first books I found from Jana! I hold a soft spot for them. Such a wildly clever and a bit evil of an idea hahaha! check it out you won't be disappointed!
Profile Image for Barbara .
7 reviews
June 10, 2019
Bad guys, good guys and a cranky ghost

Just pure fun. A few places off the mark, but just a fun read that keeps the pages turning. Enjoy
442 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2019
Charming light summer read, Each of the 3 books were very similar: young woman in danger due to something she saw or knew, handsome (always, sigh, why do the nerds never get the girl?) hero on hand to save her, ghost is the only one with depth.
Profile Image for moxieBK.
1,763 reviews4 followers
August 9, 2016
Ghost-in-Law Book Set 1-3 - Jana DeLeon

It amazes me how books that feel just slightly meh to me turn out to be quite delightful.

I have read another series by this author that ended up going south, so I’m sure some of that was playing into my initial feelings here.

As always, individual reviews of books, with final rating at end.

Book 1: Trouble in Mudbug

I reviewed this book as a standalone. For more in-depth review, check out that review dated Dec. 2013.

Three stars.

Book 2: Mischief in Mudbug.

I really liked this story a lot. We get more insight into Sabine’s background, she gets a little romance, and Henry makes an appearance. (I like Henry a lot, and feel that there is more to his story as well. I guess you could say that I root for him and Marsye getting back together, but that’s seems very doubtful.)

The author again does a fine job of balancing serious with humor and that humor comes at the right times in the story.

I have grown to really love Helena, she’s an awesome ghost and (paranormal authors take note!) the whole paranormal story is well written and wholly unique.

This story felt like a breath if fresh air. Very enjoyable read.

High three stars.

Book 3: Showdown in Mudbug.

I should have seen the pattern here early on. Yes, another gal needs coupling up. This time it’s Maryse and Sabine’s friend Raissa. That was probably the biggest knock of this book. It felt very formulaic in that regard.

Yes, this story is about Raissa and her secret life. It was well written but blah blah. I started having the need to skim read. A real yawner. Yeah…I know where this is going…. And then all of sudden: BAM! It got really good. And by really good: I got completely hooked on this story. I had to read passages a couple times, the plot was so dense. It probably was the best plot of the three, but of course it also felt like the climax of the three. It was very smart to market this as a set, because this definitely has a strong trilogy arc (plot-wise.)

By the end of the book: four stars.

Overall, I was impressed with this set. I am glad I read it. It started as a quick read until the third book threw me for a loop. The second and one-third of the third book read very fast. The last two-thirds of “Showdown…” was a humdinger.

Fun, delightful, well-balanced read.

Should note: sexy bits in all three books. I skipped over them because they were sexy and I didn’t come to read that.

Also, I’m the oddball in being disappointed that the author had to auto couple each female protagonist up. Really, that gets tiring after awhile. Though I do have to say that all three were strong protagonists and they never got wishy-washy when their "men" try to get all protective on them.

Was planning on stopping with this set, but I may pick up the next three books in the series. (I love Helena. Awesomely written ghost. She literally stole the scene every time she made an appearance.)

Overall, this set got stronger as the series went on. Definitely a high three/low four star set. But read them from the beginning. You’ll get lost otherwise.
Profile Image for Kristen.
230 reviews4 followers
June 27, 2014

This series is something that will make you laugh and want more of when you finish. A mean mother in law suddenly passes away, but discovers that she can't cross to the other side and is stuck with the living. Unfortunately her daughter in law who desists her is the only one who can see her. The arguments they get into, the things the ghost in law says and the things they get into, honestly you can't get a better series than this! It's just full of personality and that bit of something that makes it unique.

I guarantee you that you won't regret buying this series! The only reason it's not a 5 star review is because the romance between the daughter in law and the sexy guy who suddenly shows up seemed a bit too rushed and too easy imo.
Profile Image for P.A. Wilson.
Author 63 books39 followers
February 24, 2015
A nice package of linked romances. In Mudbug there’s something stinking and it’s not the swamp. Maryse wants to find the cure for cancer that was lost when the witch woman died. The problem is the plants don’t always stay in one place. And then there’s the little problem of her dead mother-in-law haunting her. Helena was an awful person in life, and death hasn’t improved her attitude. Someone is trying to kill Maryse, and the hot new scientist in the office is disrupting everything.

Sabine and Raissa’s stories round out the trilogy.

I recommend these books to people who like a some heat with their mysteries.
154 reviews
January 29, 2015
Ghosts.....things that bump in the day.

I read the first book as a single. Maryse and her dead mother-in-law getting in trouble. Helena is brash and hateful. But she does care about Maryse. They are trying to figure out who killed Helena in Trouble in Mudbug. I am starting the second on in the four book set. You will want the set. So far I am loving it. So I am sending my review now. Love it. Funny. Crazy. And a little romance to boot. Can't wait to see who is aggravated by Helena the Ghost-in-Law.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,310 reviews
September 5, 2015
I liked the stories overall, but there were a lot of things that didn't add up or weren't explained, especially in the second story. And there's was a plot thread in the first book that got dropped and ignored until the third book. It seemed kind of odd to me when it wasn't followed up on in the first book, but since the character's evilness was essential to the plot of the third, I guess that's why.

Helena is a crack-up and since no one knows anything about ghosts, whatever she could or couldn't do made 'sense' in its own weird way.
1,759 reviews21 followers
July 16, 2014
One of the main characters is named Maryse, which must be Southern, as it sounds rather weird to me. The first book of the three seemed best to me-then they seems to go downhill--not as perky or interesting--in fact the last one seemed dull and boring. The author, on page 314, managed to use what I think is ridiculous--"close proximity" which is redundant. For the most part, it is entertaining.
Profile Image for Marisol Gomez.
50 reviews
August 18, 2015
Perfect balance between humor, romance and mistery!

It's the first time that I have found a series with the perfect combination of Mistery, humor and romance. Ms. DeLeón it's a great story teller and it was so easy to imagine the character of Helena and her dress choices, without having a boring and lengthy description of them. I really laugh and had fun reading these books. Looking forward to reding more books from this author
Profile Image for Nina.
41 reviews3 followers
December 3, 2015
Great introduction of characters that I first read on a combined novella (Rose and Helena save Christmas) by 2 super talented authors (Jana de Leon and Denise Grover Swank). I thought the humor, mystery, and romance was well balanced, although the installments did seem to follow some kind of formula: "best looking guy" that the protagonist has "ever seen"; protagonist smart, sassy, and afraid of commitment... but overall a fun series to read.
42 reviews
October 7, 2013
A great set of a laugh out loud funny mystery series. Jana Deleon
A must read set, of humorous mysteries, set in the bayou town and swamps of Louisiana, in the fictitious town of Mudbug. You can't go wrong.
460 reviews6 followers
June 28, 2014
I was looking for something fun to read and this one looked like a good pick. I finished this one at lunch. All I could say was "wait a minute!". I was not ready for this one to be done. I kept waiting for the ghost to do something else. I can't decide if I want to read another one or not. Let me think about it.
17 reviews
October 6, 2014
These books make a nice, lighthearted vacation read. Not deep and insightful, not especially gripping, but quite enjoyable. The third one did get a bit repetitive with the mysterious event/heroine in danger/handsome guy to save the day/hero and heroine don't want to fall for each other but do--rinse and repeat.
32 reviews
August 18, 2015
LOVE, LOVE LOVE!!!

These 3 books were awesome! I already read book 1 but bought the bundle anyway. Not disappointed in any of these books! I can not wait for a bundle of 4-6! These woman are the true meaning of love and family. Helena is a laugh a minute riot whom you can not help but fall in love with
Profile Image for Sandra Olson.
Author 26 books29 followers
November 10, 2016
I love the story's basic premise and originality. The characters are well fleshed out. The author has a new fresh take on ghosts.
My only objection were the sex scenes. I always have to skip those. I know some authors think sex scenes are needed to sell books, but this book is good enough to leave out the graphic details.
Profile Image for Rebecca Hollingsworth.
868 reviews7 followers
February 21, 2014
These stories were all very wonderfully written! Each having their own murder, mystery and romance! I love the twist with the ghost in law thing and I love love love the ending! Amazing job! And completely worth your time as a reader to enjoy these fast read stories!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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