Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend

Ghost Hunter Mystery #2

by Victoria Laurie

Victoria Laurie's ghoulishly great follow-up to What's a Ghoul to Do? in her new Ghost Hunter Mystery series

Northelm Boarding School on Lake Placid has the worst bully of all-a demon by the name of Hatchet Jack. M.J. Holliday, along with her partners Gilley and the handsome Dr. Steven Sable, are ready to send him back to the portal from whence he came. The school's summer construction, an uncooperative dean, and the very tempting Dr. Delicious are all trying to distract M.J. from her ghost hunting. But with a demonic disturbance as great as Hatchet Jack, she must focus and show no mercy to send him to detention for an eternity-in hell.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction

282 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 4, 2008

About the author

Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 32 books and counting. Over the past 16 years Victoria has created several series and a few stand-alone novels. Her mystery series include: The Psychic Eye Mysteries, The Life Coach Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries. She's also the author of two YA books, When and Forever Again, as well as a middle-grade series called The Oracles of Delphi Keep.

Currently, Victoria is working on the 17th book in both the Psychic Eye Mysteries and the 3rd book in the Life Coach Mysteries, along with also working to produce a brand NEW series called Spellbound set for release winter/spring 2020.

Victoria loves to connect with her fans, and you can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Victo...

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in Victoria Laurie Ghostbusters series which I enjoyed. In this one MJ Holliday and her crew head north to Make Placid, New York to send a vicious ghost back to where he belongs. He is seen chasing several youngsters with a hatcher. The group has only a, week just after the close of the school year. Residents of the area are very closed with any information. There is plently, of ghostly sightings to keep you entrain. Will MJ succeeding the short time she has to send Hatchet Jack back to his portal?

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.J. and Gilley (with Steven tagging along) went to investigate a school where students have seen a very nasty ghost, named Hatchet Jack. I was more interested with this mystery compared to the first book. Maybe because it involved kids who went missing, and a sign of psychopathic serial killer.

Also the ghost seemed to be more powerful as well, which provided some thrilling moments

But I still wasn't too invested with Steven as one of the recurring characters or as M.J.'s potential lover. He didn't fit.

Although I discovered that later on, M.J. ended up with a different guy and Steven went out the stage, so to speak

That gave me hope *laugh*

[Elizabeth Nesbit-comer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this series. I love the premise of ghost hunters and the cases are interesting. Hatchet Jack and the children ghosts were definately intriguing. The covers are simply wonderful. Definately a book I enjoy having on my shelves. MJ is a great main character and you can tell the author really knows what she's talking about with the psychic stuff.

... ok what I can't stand with this series is Gilly and Steven. Gilly is whiny and tries way to hard to be stereotypical gay best bud. I have many gay friends and none of them swish their butts or would think of replacing asprin in an emergency kit for a hair brush. Come on Victoria >< He also is a ghost busting helper, yet he is such an annoying wuss that I just can't believe she needs his help on her investigations at all. All he seems to do is sit in the van and watch what she's doing... oh and screaming in her ear a lot. Not helpful at all.

Steven butchers english and tries to sleep with MJ, but other than that he is totally one dimensional. He dosn't add anything to the books other than the money for their gadgets. Which is my other silly gripe. The super rich friends that surround this character is just way too convienient.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the mystery (a ghost carrying a hatchet haunting a school) and of course there was much more to the story. What I didn't like as much were the characters. I found Gilley irritating in this one. Why did he have to be such an aggravating character in this one?! Steven's use and misunderstandings of slang, certain phrases, was no longer cute or funny. It was annoying. Karen (MJ's friend) is a stereotype too and I'm so over it. I've found I have no patience for things that annoy me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a haunting story - literally. No, ghosts didn't fly around my head, but the story stuck with me for days and I found myself thinking about various elements of the ending in the days that followed. I think I'm still working through some things...

[Tanja · Rating 2 out of 5]

>>Diese Rezension und viele mehr findet ihr auch hier: http://wort-welten.blogspot.de/

Zusammenfassung:

Die Nichte von M. J.'s bester Freundin Teko hatte in ihrem Internat ein schauriges Aufeinandertreffen mit einem Axt schwingenden Geist. Ein Zwischenfall, der sie dazu veranlasst, M. J. und ihr Team, zu dem neuerdings auch Dr. Steven Sable gehört, zu engagieren. Vor Ort in Lake Placid angekommen, muss M. J. allerdings allzu bald feststellen, dass fast keiner über den Geist sprechen möchte. Und auch niemand scheint zu wissen, wer er zu Lebzeiten gewesen sein könnte. Dass es sich um den bei weitem stärksten Geist handelt, mit dem es M. J. je zutun hatte, scheint da nur passend zu sein zu ihrer ohnehin schon reichlich dürftigen Ausgangssituation. Doch M. J. wäre nicht M. J., wenn sie so leicht aufgeben würde ...


Fazit:

Nachdem ich mich kürzlich erst durch den ersten Band der Reihe, Rendezvous um Mitternacht - zu meiner Rezension - gelesen habe, war nun also die Fortsetzung des Ganzen dran. Und wie beim Vorgängerband, war auch dieses Buch wieder eine Geduldsprobe der besonderen Art. Während Miss Laurie eine recht gute und auch überraschend spannende Handlung vollführte, trieben ihre Protagonisten mich immer wieder an den Rand des Wahnsinns. Und das meine ich wortwörtlich.

Ich kann mich auf Anhieb an kein Buch erinnern, dessen Hauptprotagonisten so wenig zueinander passen, deren Chemie so NICHT VORHANDEN ist. Und das ist mein soller Ernst. Jedwede Annäherungsversuche vonseiten Dr. Steven Sable waren für mich derart gestellt und unsexy, dass ich mich fast pausenlos im Fremdschäm-Modus befand. Mir ist nicht klar, was Miss Laurie damit bezweckt, um ehrlich zu sein. Und wenn ich noch einen einzigen sogenannten und ach so witzigen "Versprecher" von Steven lesen muss, garantiere ich für gar nichts mehr.

Dann noch Gilley. Wenn ich der Meinung war, dass es für sein Klischee-schwules Dasein in Band eins schlichtweg keine Steigerung mehr geben kann, so wurde ich hier geradezu hämisch eines Besseren belehrt. Nein, nein, nein, Gilley und ich werden in diesem Leben ganz sicher keine Freunde mehr. Und wenn da nicht die an sich überraschend gute und auch recht vernünftig aufgelöste Handlung wäre, dann hätte ich ziemlich sicher - wenn überhaupt - nur eine Welt an dieses Buch vergeben. Für das Cover. Und Doc, den Papagei, der mit mir einer Meinung zu sein scheint, dass M. J. und Steven einfach nicht zusammen passen. Aber alles mit eingerechnet, komme ich dann doch noch auf ...

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up after reading the first book in the series & was eager to learn more about my favorite characters. While I enjoyed this book thoroughly, there were a few parts to the book that had my eyes rolling at times.

This current book finds MJ being recruited by Teeko to hunt down a psychotic ghost by the name of "Hatchet Jack" that haunts the ultra priviledged school that her niece attends. Along for the ride are her teammates Gilley (old friend) & Steven (the love interest). The only bad thing is that while everyone knows about the ghost, no one wants to speak about it!

OK. I did enjoy this book, but there were some rough parts to it. I got a little creeped out at times by Steven, who at one point climbs into her bed & starts trying to paw her while she was sleeping. While I'm sure that's not how the author meant it to appear like, it made Steven seem like a creepy letch who likes to climb into unconcious women's beds. There are better ways to have romantic development... The other thing that bothered me was the constant need to have showy developments of power whenever anyone disbelieved MJ. While it's cool at first, it eventually seems a little farfetched that she's that psychic all the time or that every disbeliever has a family or friend who is trying to contact them from the world beyond. Gilley irritated me at times, but he's not completely unbelievable as I've known quite a few people who are like him.

Even so, I still enjoyed the book, flaws & all. It's not particularly deep writing, but then I doubt that any of her readers are really looking for Tolstoy in a book entitled "Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend".

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this series all out of order and fortunately, I still need to catch up. I'm sure this is coloring my review. While I enjoy them individually, the progression is not well explained from book to book, but may be that would be more apparent, if I read them in order.

In book one, the client, Dr. Sable, appears to become very interested in the heroine, M.J. Holliday (related to the Doc Holliday, of OK Corral fame, if you care or believe). At the end of this first book, he becomes an "investor" and benefactor of her business.

In the next book, this interest continues, but she pushes him away, as his is distracting to her work - passing soles on and containing evils souls from doing harm. This is where the story stands at the end of this book - she needs to decide if she want to proceed with a relationship, or not.

In the third, he is her boyfriend, but with no additional explanation of how this developed. I haven't read book four, yet, but this may explain why in book five, she has broken up with the doctor and moved on to a guy she meet in book three.

The ghost busting stories are great on their own. Scientific as they can be and not over the top or overly dramatic. They are very enjoyable.

I'm just having trouble with the personal relationship progression. I guess this is a recommendation to read the series in order if you can - not stumble into it as I did.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, light and entertaining read! M.J. Holliday and her ghost hunting partners have been asked by her good friend to investigate the terrifying haunting going on at her friend's niece's exclusive boarding school. The poor young girl was terrorized and chased by a hatchet wielding man in the school, but no one else saw him, although there are rumors that the apparition has been haunting the area for years. The school is due to undergo some construction; could that have disturbed the ghost? The dean of the school certainly doesn't want to cooperate with the investigations, preferring to insist that the girl who saw the specter needs counseling, fearing that parents may become leery of letting their children attend a school with reputation of being haunted by a fearsome ghost.

As it turns out, the school IS haunted be a very powerful and malevolent spirit, and M. J. and Gilley, her primary partner, have their hands full fending off the ghost and investigating the mystery of why he is there, along with the spirits of several young boys.

I really enjoyed this psychic mystery, and parts of it gave me goosebumps! It goes in my "relaxing, fun read" pile!

[DeAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good axe-wielding marauding ghost who roams the hall ways of exclusive boarding schools? Toss in a smart-alec psychic detective, a swishy business partner and a millionaire boyfriend...and I think you might explode if you tossed any more cliques.

High art? Not by far. Toss-away poolside reading? Absolutely. I'm unlikely to read any more of the series, despite the hilarious punny titles, just because the characters are beyond predictable, and I'm so tired of gay men being portrayed as limp-wristed effeminate girly-boys. I was annoyed enough at the characters that I read the first couple of chapters and the last couple of chapters, and didn't feel like I'd wasted the hour in reading time...but I don't think I could have gotten through all 282 pages without becoming an ax-killer myself.

[Sallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the Ghost Buster mysteries, this story takes place at a time when M.J. had a beau that is also an investor in her business. In the later stories,, one of her team mates woos her. This story takes place at a private boarding school near Lake Placid where a treacherous ghost by the name of Hatchet Jack chases young people with a hatchet. M.J. and her friend, Gilley must vanquish this horror before more people die. Fast paced with some surprising facts makes this a fun book.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I keep reading these.

[Bookcrazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, schon 3 Jahre her, dass ich Band 1 gelesen habe.

Der hat mir ja damals nur mäßig gefallen im Gegensatz zu Victoria Lauries Psychic Eye Mystery Reihe, aber ich hab auf eine Steigerung in den Folgebänden gehofft ...

Und was soll ich sagen, die Autorin hat sich tatsächlich gesteigert.
Ich hab das Buch gestern und bis in die Nacht in einem Rutsch durchgelesen.
Eigentlich würde ich ihm am liebsten 5 Sterne geben, der Fall um diesen Geist in der Schule der Nichte ihrer besten Freundin Teeko war schon ziemlich spannend und ließ mich nicht mehr los.

Der einzige Grund, wieso ich dem Buch nur 5 Sterne gebe, ist dass mich M.J. und Dr. Steven nicht so wirklich überzeugen. Vielleicht sind die Running Gags mit seinen falsch ausgesprochenen, verstandenen Redewendungen im Original nicht so plump, leider sind sie großteils einfach nicht so witzig und charmant wie vielleicht angestrebt. Mir fehlt auch ein wirklicher Funke Chemie zwischen den Beiden. Auch wenn ich den ersten Band vor ein paar Jahren schon gelesen habe, ist man nach ein paar Seiten wieder in der Story. M.J. Kollege ist auch einen Hauch zu klischeehaft homosexuell für mich.

Trotzdem war der Band ziemlich unterhaltsam und in Fokus stand natürlich der Fall um den unheimlichen Geist, der wirklich interessant und gruselig war.
Macht mir wirklich wieder Lust auf die Bücher der Autorin :)

4 superunterhaltsame Sterne ;)

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
These books are a fun and easy read that remind me a lot of series that I have previously read and enjoyed like Darynda Jones's Charlies Davidson series, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series, and Kim Harrison's The Hollows series. They all have easy fun characters, and a bit of humour, but also the paranormal serious element.
This book has M.J checking out the ghostly activity at a posh private boarding school after the niece of her friend is attacked. It has some fun moments and some scary moments, but the gang are always fun to read about, and I will be continuing the series.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was both a fun read and also it answered several questions that I kinda had in the back of my mind regarding a few plot developments that I hadn't remembered being explained! 😋😵 As usual she blended an assortment of humorous tidbits along with the snarky attitude that attracted me to the series in the first place (there are other authors I read for the same reason! Also why I liked the early Spider-Man comics! 😋😀) As usual Victoria remembered that a good mystery gives clues but tries hard to not reveal all of the villains until the very end. Well done, as expected!

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Laurie never disappoints. I'm catching up with some of her series and enjoying getting back to them.

[Samm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was even better than the first! I had to make myself take breaks or I would have finished it in one night. Seriously, I love this series!

[Lura (The Life of Serendipity) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every school has its bullies, but Northelm Boarding School near Lake Placid, New York, houses a real whopper: a lean, mean, and deadly demonic ghost named Hatchet Jack. M.J.'s good friend Karen has asked her- along with partners Gilley and handsome Dr. Steven Sable- to send Hatchet Jack back to the portal he came from.

With renovations at the school starting in a week, there isn't much time for ghost hunting. Plus M.J. has to deal with an uncooperative dean, Gilley being paranormally preyed upon, and the tempting, Dr. Delicious distracting her. But Hatchet Jack is M.J.'s biggest threat, and with a demonic disturbance of this magnitude she must show no mercy and see to it that Hatchet Jack gets detention for eternity- in hell.

M.J. and her crew are back and ready to do what needs to be done, but not without there beginning a few bumps here and there. M.J. is hired by her friend Karen to go to the Northelm Boarding School to bust the schools dangerous threat of a hatchet wielding ghost. Will this be an easy bust, or M.J.'s hardest yet...? I picked this book expecting a lot and boy did it deliver! I couldn't put it down I was so absorbed in the story and what was taking place in its pages. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the Ghost Hunter Mystery seres, Ghouls Just Haunt To Have Fun!

Plot - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I loved the plot and I couldn't had it turn out any other way. Now your probably wondering 'Why did she like the plot?' and 'What made her like it so much?' Well I can only tell you that it kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't know where it was going, but I was dying to find out the mystery behind it all!

Writing - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ The writing didn't really change from the first book, and I'm glad it didn't! It wouldn't have been a Ghost Hunter Mystery book if anything, and I mean anything, was changed.

Characters - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ I was happy to see M.J. and her crew back, and ready to crack another mystery. You get to know the characters more and more and see what transpires between them!

Mary-Jane 'M.J.' Holliday - M.J.'s back and ready to kicked some demonic ghost butt! She hates change and would love to see everything stay the same, but as time goes on things change and she has no choice but to flow with it. M.J. also sometimes forgets that she might have an iron heart, but others might not and they can't do all the darning things she does.

Gilley 'Gil' Gillespie - Gilley is back and ready to lend a helping hand to M.J. when she needs it, only if that involves him staying in the van and not in the danger of getting bullied by some ghosts! Though he seems a scary cat at times he's a good friend and M.J. wouldn't change that for the world.

Dr. Steven Sable - Steven is the newest member in the Ghost Busting team and M.J.'s love interest, even though she denies it to him and herself, it's still there sitting in the dark waiting to come out in full bloom. Steven knows nothing about the Ghost world, but he comes baring money and lots of it!

Karen 'Teeko' O'Neal - Karen has hired M.J. to go to Northelm Boarding School to solve there little ghost problem. That ghost problem having a name of Hatchet Jack!

Hatchet Jack - Is a mean son of a bitch who loves to chase people around with a hatchet. No one knows who he is, or how he's come to haunt Northelm, but M.J. means to put a stop to it once and for all!

Overall I give this book ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ - no more and no less!

[Sandie Herron · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the second book in this ghoulish series opens, we discover that Dr. Stephen Sable enjoyed the process of ghost busting in book one so much that he invests in the partnership of MJ Holliday and Gilley Gillespie. With his influx of cash, they are able to buy all sorts of new equipment: night vision cameras, handheld computer thermal imaging devices, electronic energy detectors, state-of-the-art walkie talkies, video monitors, digital cameras, a laptop, and a shiny new van to put it all in.

It will all come in handy, since one of MJ’s friends, Karen O’Neal, got a phone call from her niece Evie telling her she’d been chased through school by a man with an axe. She attended an exclusive boarding school near Lake Placid, New York. Security cameras were mounted in the school, and a review of those tapes show Evie running through the hallways but no one was visible chasing her. Karen’s brother, Evie’s dad, is convinced that Evie needs to see a psychiatrist. He doesn’t believe her story at all. So Karen hires the “ghoul getters” and Stephen to visit the school and find out what’s going on.

When the four arrived at Northelm Boarding School, they found it letting out for the summer. An older section of the school was to be converted into dorm rooms over the summer, so no one was allowed in that wing. The dean of the school was adamant that they not have access to any of the school because no one would be there except construction crews, and they had a very tight schedule if they were to be finished by fall. Karen, who once dated the CEO of the construction company, contacted him to get a week’s delay on the start of renovations so the ghost busters would have a chance to find the axe-wielding man.

Karen was successful, she informed them by phone, standing in Paris. The CEO wanted to romance her, this time throughout Europe. The dean finally allowed them into the school but only parts not to be renovated and not in the old dean’s quarters where his mentally disabled brother Nicky lived. They did find the axe-wielding ghost. He had great energy and was able to move furniture very quickly as he taunted them with pyramids of desks turned back to straight rows almost in an instant.

When Gilley saw and felt how strong this ghost was, he finally admitted something to MJ: he was afraid of ghosts! MJ made Gilley a special ghost-busting shirt to which she glued magnets. Ghosts don’t like magnets for they disturb their own magnetic fields. She also made “grenades:” foot-long magnets in steel pipes capped to hold in the magnets until needed to fight Hatchet Jack.

This book was definitely a paranormal story, and just as strongly a mystery with many twists and turns. Now that I’ve finished this excellent book, I can relax and take some deep breaths! I can finally sleep, at least until I begin the third book in this ghostly series – GHOULS JUST HAUNT TO HAVE FUN.

[Beth Haren · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... round 2 with this author. I may have jumped the gun. I'm a little disappointed. No, I'm a lot disappointed. Still the Scooby vibe, and I'm totally ok with that (I still dig some old school Scooby episodes). The premise for this particular story was actually really good. Cold case disappearances and murders, urban legends with an old fashioned ax murder vibe, teenagers scaring each other silly during the summer... oh yeah, it had all the good stuff. And then... there is the character development and interaction. Atrocious. So flat. However, the really horrific part of it was the main character's interaction with her "best friends." I've been underwhelmed with the portrayal of Gill, the gay male bestie, because it was all of the stereotypes with none of the fabulousness. He is a partner in a ghost hunting business but he is a big ol' coward about ghosts. He whines, he squeals. It makes him annoying, not loveable. Second beef is at the end of the book (I'm not really spoiling). The female best friend who is called TKO, because apparently she's gorgeous, plays a significant part in the story. She actually ends up being the mover and shaker and greaser of wheels. And her heroine at the end of the book implies that her female best friend's only benefit is "flirting" and then worse that her skill at flirting didn't help, it was just her looks. Um... the 1950's are calling and would like their attitude back. A female author had her female heroine insult any intelligence or people skills of her "best female friend" by focusing on superficial appearances. Nah, women couldn't possibly contribute with something other than their looks. Come ON!!! If TKO was a real person with any spine, she should have slapped the @#$% out of MJ (the main character) and walked away.

Sad part was that the story really was good. Too bad the characters aren't more enjoyable. I'm debating whether to give any more chances to this series.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky cover art soothes an off-putting title and “Demons Are A Ghoul’s Best Friend” happens to be about a dangerous spectre. I balk at demonic subjects due to Christian rearing but love a ghost story. This was a peculiar but engaging one. Victoria Laurie admits in a foreword that she scoured for material to fulfill a timetable (those dreaming of contracts sigh “must be nice”). Her assistant drummed up articles about a haunted school in New York state and I wondered if forced creative juices would be silted, over inspired mysteries. If one is in a position of opportunity preceding ideas, I think it’s great for anything at all get you started. The adventure Victoria wove with the backdrop of a boarding school is excellent. No analysis required, save eagerness to see every page.

Some people savour introductory novels or films. I prefer the better-developed character and cast, with the preliminaries out of the way and familiarity established. Succeeding volumes have the advantage of a direct route: opening with “here we are again” and plunging into whatever the story is this time. I like ‘MJ’ and the doctor she has brought on board the ghost-busting team. I find her parrot distracting and can’t seem to like her partner, finding it irritating that he fears paranormal investigation; he having persuaded MJ into the career. I loved acquainting her best friend more intimately, with an appealing strong will.

I collected used copies of this series and look forward to every novel. The sole critique is that while struggling to solve the mystery, someone accessible to the team knew everything. It would have behoved them to assist rather than delay its revelation. However ‘MJ’ helped a policeman and waiter on the way and her expertise was definitely required to locate the entity’s portal.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two in the Ghost Hunter Mystery series. I found this one much better then the first. It started off kind of slow at the beginning but it didn't stay that way for long. Pretty soon I found myself really into it and would read as much as I could get in every night or as long as my husband would let me before he wanted the lights out to go to bed. My thoughts on this book are this. The ghost in this one is nasty. I'm really glad this is fiction we have enough horrors in our world and bad things that happen I'm glad this isn't one of them. Or for the lack of a better term I'm glad this isn't based on some factual thing and if it is I'm unaware of it. I think Gilley is a freaking wimp. Sorry he is. And I think MJ is a force to be reckoned with. I am still curious about MJ and her relationship with the doctor and whats going to happen with that. You only see "Teeko" for a few mins so I don't have an opinion on her. Other then that I thought it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. Super glad I stumbled across this series. Makes me feel like my book "Blah zone" is finally lifting. I'm still going to read this series at least until I get tired of it.

I rated 5 stars. Definitely recommend.

Here is a Summary:

Northelm Boarding School on Lake Placid has the worst bully of all-a demon by the name of Hatchet Jack. M.J. Holliday, along with her partners Gilley and the handsome Dr. Steven Sable, are ready to send him back to the portal from whence he came. The school's summer construction, an uncooperative dean, and the very tempting Dr. Delicious are all trying to distract M.J. from her ghost hunting. But with a demonic disturbance as great as Hatchet Jack, she must focus and show no mercyto send him to detention for an eternity-in hell.

[Astrid]

M.J. Holliday has the gift of communicating with the dead, even though sometimes it doesn’t feel like such a great gift. Every school has its bullies, but Northelm Boarding School located near Lake Placid, New York, houses a real bad one: a deadly demon named Hatchet Jack. M.J.’s good friend Karen has asked her—along with her partners Gilley and Dr. Steven Sable (a.k.a. Dr. Delicious)—to send Hatchet Jack back through the portal he came from. With renovations at the school starting in a week, there isn’t much time for ghost hunting. Hatchet Jack is not only attacking students, but now that M.J. and her crew have shown up, he’s turned his attention to them. Poor Gilley is continuously harassed by Jack, and M.J. has a few encounters herself. There in three ghosts of little boys who were said to have been Jack’s victims. Dr. Delicious is also chasing her around, for other reasons than Hatchet Jack has, that is, if he can avoid M.J.’s parrot. M.J. also gets to deal with a very uncooperative dean who is persistent in them not having access to the school. With a demonic disturbance of this magnitude she must show no mercy and see to it that Hatchet Jack gets sent back through his portal for eternity.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teeko (as in T.K.O. or total knockout), ghost hunter M.J. Holliday's best friend, hires the Scooby Gang to investigate a supernatural attack on her beloved niece at the girl's boarding school. M.J. and crew depart Boston for Northelm Boarding School, just outside Lake Placid, NY, where they take on their most vicious poltergeist yet. As you can well imagine, the administrators of this $40k+/year boarding school are not keen to have word get out that an entity known as "Hatchet Jack" has been beleaguering their students since the 1970s. Initially, they dismiss the girl's case, chalking her claims up to her not wanting to sit for her final exams. After a very insistant Karen O'Neal, negotiates the group's access to the school upon close of term for summer, the investigation is underway. Unfortunately, M.J. has only a very tight window in which to accomplish her task. All told, a fun little read.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was dissatisfied with the first novel in this series, "What's a Ghoul to Do" because our heroine, MJ Holliday, medium and psychic, got into lots of should-be scary situations, yet never managed to be in any danger. It's pointless to read a "ghost hunter" mystery when it's got less "scare" than the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland! With "Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend", MJ is faced with a hatchet-wielding ghoul who has terrified children and adults alike for 30 years. I had high hopes that this ghoul would give MJ a run for her money, but in the end there was all the great potential for terror with no actual frights. The characters have hilarious dialogue, a Scooby Doo set of sleuthing skills and relationships that are just juicy enough for me to hang on for a few more rounds. I'm hopeful that this series develops its "scare tactics" in further installments which I will be faithfully reading at home. Alone. At night.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this one was much better in my opinion than What's a Ghoul to Do?. We joined Ghost Hunters M.J. Holliday and Gilley Gillespie and their new partner Dr. Steven Sable as they head up to Lake Placid to help rid a boarding school of a hatchet-wielding poltergiest. This one creeped me out a lot more than the other. I felt the mystery was a little more developed than the first book in the series. Laurie redeemed herself by not really repeating a lot of the situations that occurred in the first book. That's one thing I can't stand about series books -- when they tell you what's happened in the last book or in the first books of the series. She also chilled out a bit with the language barrier jokes.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since I read the first in this series (2012 to be exact) and I had the same reaction to this one that I had to that one. Exciting, suspenseful and funny.

M.J. Holliday is a psychic medium, Gilly Gillespie is her gay business partner and Dr. Steven Sable has joined the gang as the money man. In this adventure, MJ's best friend, Karen has requested their assistance in de-ghosting a boarding school that her niece attends. Apparently Hatchet Jack has chased her around the campus scaring her nearly to death. The pay is great so MJ, Gilly and Steven go to upstate New York to investigate.

This is much more violent than the first and more dangerous. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Paula Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things going bump in the night are at an all time high. A friend of MJ's desperately needs her assistance. Her niece Evie is being haunted at her private school by Hatchet Jack who haunts the local elementary wing of the campus.

MJ, Doc, Gilley and the hunky Doctor Steven Sable head to Lake Placid NY, to get to the bottom of things. They encounter many ghosts while there and one nasty spirit out to scare everyone. While there MJ and Steven find themselves having a hard time communicating without stepping all over each other or annoying one another. Steven learns what M J's job entails and learns to be more patient.

Hatchet Jack is in rare form, attacking adults and kids alike. What a great story always has me looking for more.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically, I LOVED this book. I thought the mystery was great and intriguing. It really kept me guessing and I read the book pretty face because of it. I'd start reading and next thing I know 60 or 70 pages had passed. I actually found some of it kind of scary. I didn't actually get scared reading it, but thinking of what the people being chased by Hatched Jack must have experienced that's scary! For a book about ghosts the only thing I found unrealistic was the vast amounts of money some of the characters seem to have. What does Teeko do for a living again? And Steven? Some of the characters just seem to conveniently come from wealth so that certain things (like the whole storyline of the book) can take place. But, the story is great in my opinion so I can forgive that.

[Caitlin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are slow in the ghost hunting biz when MJ's friend Tiko (short for total knock out) comes in and asks to hire MJ and Gilley to investigate. Her niece attends Northelm Boarding School in Lake Placid and claims to have been chased around the school by the dangerous Hatchet Jack, a demonic fellow who has been known to chase the kids around campus, wielding a hatchet. They are met with resistance though, and it seems like no one wants to tell them about Hatchet Jack or help them with their investigation. Things get even more dicey when Hatchet Jack attacks Gilley and MJ on the school grounds. MJ has promised Tiko and her niece that she will find and release Hatchet Jack and she isn't leaving until she does.
Love this series, will definitely keep listening.