Haunted

Lexie Starr Mystery #3

by Jeanne Glidewell

Lexie Starr, a widowed library assistant, converts her boyfriend's B&B into a haunted house for Halloween.

But when a young college student is found truly dead in the makeshift coffin in the parlor, the Alexandria Inn has a second murder on the books.

Fearing for her boyfriend's business, Lexie sets out to solve the murder on her own.

It seems every suspect has an ax to grind with the victim, until Lexie's determination and impulsiveness turns up the real killer. Now she has to prove it before becoming the coffin's next occupant.


"I love Lexie Starr. She can get into more trouble... Jeanne Glidewell's books always make me laugh!"
Alice Duncan, author of the Angels, Spirits, and Pecos Valley series

THE LEXIE STARR MYSTERIES, in series order
Leave No Stone Unturned
The Extinguished Guest
Haunted
With This Ring
The Spirit of the Season (a novella)

ABOUT JEANNE
A pancreas/kidney transplant recipient, Jeanne lives in Kansas, with her husband and chubby cat. When Jeanne isn't writing, she's promoting organ donation and stalking wildlife with her camera.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Halloween

260 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2012

About the author

Jeanne Glidewell, a 2006 pancreas and kidney transplant recipient, and her husband, Bob, reside in the quaint little coastal town of Rockport, Texas. They previously owned a large RV Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming for 12 years, which gave Jeanne the idea for the Ripple Effect series. Her main characters, Rip and Rapella Ripple, are full-time RVers, with Rapella solving murder mysteries along the way in their travels. Her other (and first) cozy mystery series, the Lexie Starr mysteries, involves a 50-year old library assistant who meets and marries an east coast jeweler named Stone Van Patten. Together they renovate a historic Victorian mansion and turn it into the Alexandria Inn in the fictional town of Rockdale, Missouri. Lexie can’t help getting involved in murder cases taking place in and around the B&B.

All of Jeanne's novels - a romance suspense novel titled Soul Survivor; 7 books and 1 holiday novella in her Lexie Starr series; and 7 books in her Ripple Effect series - are available at nearly every eRetailer site in both eBook and paperback formats. "The Spirit of the Season" is a holiday novella (short novel) she wrote to benefit her local chapter of the Toys for Tots program, with all her proceeds going to help children in her (Leavenworth) county have a merrier Christmas. Jeanne appreciates your support in this endeavor.
Jeanne’s next release, book 8 in the Ripple Effect series, titled The Grim Ripper, is expected to hit bookstores in May 2023.

Reviews

[Catherine O'Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

What author has the heroine care more about her perm than the dead body lying in her parlour? The same author who lies to the deceased's mother while the said mother is on a psych ward. The same author who then has her heroine refer to the "heavy-set" woman with her triple chins a quiver looking for gossip at the beauty parlour. Any author who portrays her heroine as unethical and fat-phobic is not worth reading.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just can´t like this protagonist. She goes against her own commonsense again and again and just passes it off as something she can´t help. She´s mean about the guests in the B&B who have special dietary requirements. There are some exciting developments towards the end which got me to finish it, but I won´t go out of my way to read others in this series.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the first couple of books in this series. However this book just didn’t have the same sense of fun. I saw another reviewer title theirs as too nosy and that might be it. It might also be the constant lies that Lexie the main character cannot seem to keep straight. Not only is she lying to the suspects/ persons of interest in the investigation she’s also lying about her actions to Stone her boyfriend. It makes it very difficult to get into the story. In addition a person dying at the inn they run that was the premise of a previous book. Is that going to be happening in every book now? Seems ridiculously unlikely and both repetitive and redundant. I will also say that Wendy and her antics were a bit off putting as well. Wendy being Lexie’s daughter. I will give one more book in the series a shot but if it’s not a big improvement I won’t be reading further. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunted by Jeanne Glidewell
2.5★'s
Lexie Starr Series Book #3

From The Book:
Lexie Starr, a widowed library assistant, converts her boyfriend's B&B into a haunted house for Halloween. But when a young college student is found truly dead in the makeshift coffin in the parlor, the Alexandria Inn has a second murder on the books.

My Thoughts:
I had a really hard time rating this book. It was a well written cozy mystery but that was my entire problem...it was TOO cozy for me...but I couldn't bring myself to NOT finish it. There was not nearly enough of a "mystery" and way too much rattling on about everyday life. How these people with no training ever manage to become involved with these cases that are not only dangerous but obviously best left to the police is the biggest "mystery" to me. That being said...it was more than likely an interesting book to those that are fans of the sub-genre.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed book one in this series, and book two was okay. This one has far too much slapstick in it for my taste. The heroine has too many stupid accidents and clumsy incidents, like falling and breaking a large aquarium in a pet shop, falling and spilling potato salad everywhere, breaking both the plumbing and the electrical wiring in a nail salon.... and that’s not even half of it. I loved the characters in book one, by book three they started to annoy me. Not to mention that the great relationship between the heroine and her “boyfriend” (as the almost fifty year old character calls him) descends into nagging and lying by this book. I will borrow book four on my library app, but if that one is like this one, I won’t finish the series.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began this series because the sleuth was described as a volunteer library assistant, but libraries never came into the plots of any of the first three books. By the end of the third one, Lexie is moving into her boyfriend Stone's B& B full time. She no longer even volunteers at the library in her previous community. Her whole relationship wth Stone has seemed unlikely from the first book. Lexie's impulsively reckless behavior and klutziness began to annnoy rather than amuse by the end of the third book. Glidewell does a good job of keeping the reader guessing who the killer is, but despite that and the teaser for book 4, I don't think I will continue reading this series.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character hoards pain pills, gripes about people with dietary restriction, and is overall unlikeable. I wanted to finish it but really disliked this book. Add in some editing errors (bread and breakfast) and 2 stars might be generous.

Pain pills and food allergies are both things that shouldn't be taken lightly.

[Linda Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book

I didn't enjoyed reading this story. I really didn't like the characters especially lexie Starr. she was too aggressive and stone was just there. I really didn't get who did what or why till it was summarized at the end.

[Kay (Brigidsmomma) Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. Again, the killer was not someone on the radar as a suspect, although his behavior should have made him one. A great little mystery, and I am enjoying this series...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think this as good as the preceding novels, though it was still enjoyable enough. For some reason, I found Lexi annoying in this book, as opposed to the others.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. This is the third book by Glidewell I've read. I enjoy her sense of humor but I find her plots could be better constructed and written. The murderer was not introduced until at least midpoint of the story and his motives were only revealed at the very end. A sharp editor could have eliminated a lot of text and dialogue that served no purpose without compromising Ms. Glidewell's style.
I do enjoy her writing although probably more for her humor than her plot. I will read the fourth book.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inn has been turned into a free haunted house for Halloween. A young college student volunteered to lie in a coffin, but, instead, is found dead in one. Lexie Starr wonders how a young man in his prime just dropped dead. Was this another murder?

The narrative was simple, but it tended to go off track sometimes talking about the town’s rich history and the housing market. Get to the murder already!

The reading was okay, but it tended to lag and practically repeated some of the same info.

[Kerry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Halloween is coming up Lexie and Stone set up the bed and breakfast as a haunted house. Unfortunately one of the students hired to scare folks ends up dead. Surely Lexie will let the police handle things this time....or maybe not. Can you work out the murderer before Lexie and the police?
Another great story with a host of new characters as well as a number of regulars. So looking forward to book 4.
I received a free copy of this ebook from ebook discovery. This is my honest and freely given review.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another murder has taken place in the Alexandria Inn owned by Lexie Starr’s boyfriend’s inn in Kansas. Again, Lexie puts herself in the middle of trying to solve who the murderer is. Stone and Lexie work together to run the inn. This has funny scenes as well as suspenseful ones. A great cozy mystery by Jeanne.

[Chris Blackton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring! I figured out the killer very early! Weak motive for murder. Wimpy plot! Enough said!

[Hazel Friday · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not like this series. Do not care for the main character at all, will not be reading any more of this series. I did like her other series tho

[Jenny J · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Ione DeOllos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read written with a sense of humor. Very good.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Halloween with a twist. My favorite holiday is the setting for Jeanne Glidewell's third mystery in the Lexie Starr series. Haunted starts with a good scare for Lexie, Stone and others helping to decorate their B&B for Halloween tour. The vampire in the coffin is dead. Her family and friends do not want Lexie becoming more involved in the incident, but the confident Lexie starts her amateur sleuthing by talking with a number of people. This behavior often as not leads to sticky, if not dire and dangerous, situations for Lexie. Again, Ms. Glidewell's writing is humorous even though the investigation concerns finding a murderer. The team of Lexie and Stone are making the series even better with their love antics along the way. Again, as in her two previous mysteries, Ms. Glidewell has eccentric and engaging secondary characters. This is most highly recommended to cozy readers. And, even better if read after the first two, Leave No Stone Unturned and The Extinguished Guest. I sincerely hope that the sleuthing Lexie continues in another mystery added to the series.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted, the third book in the series, follows Lexie's investigation after a REAL body is discovered in the parlor's makeshift casket, which is being used as a prop for the Inn's Haunted House tour. A delightful and fun read, no matter what the season.

Who, but Lexie Starr, could gracefully attend to guests staying at the Alexamdria Inn, owned by her boyfriend Stone, while also conducting her own investigation into the death of the young man murdered? In order to protect the reputation of the Inn and bring the killer to justice, Lexie's humorous tactics often put her life in danger. Luckily she has Stone and Detective Johnston looking out for her.

[Marla Mutch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh that Lexie, now we get to make fun of vegetarians, and try to feed them pork, will they figure it out? And we can bemoan how people with food allergies are oh, so annoying. And did you know that Lexie used to be a cheer leader, well she was, a cheerleader, yes, a cheerleader, I just don't get tired of hearing about that. Lexie gets a girl kicked out of a college class, manipulates a mentally ill woman, is very clear about not caring that a young man has died and finds it only an opportunity to nose around. Lexie becomes more hateful with each book. She isn't mad cap, she is selfish and self absorbed.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost fifty widow Lexie Starr is helping her boyfriend Stone run his new bed-and-breakfast when a young man she's hired to help with a Halloween promotion dies suddenly. Lexie's daughter Wendy--a deputy coroner--is on the scene, and sure that man's been murdered. Despite pleas by Stone, Wendy and the local police, Lexie decides to talk to people and see what she can find out. But talking to people can lead her into awkward, and even dangerous situations, as she investigates both a very dysfunctional family and the strange world of college students.

[Darlene Ferland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had everything I like in a good mystery but it stops there. I don't know why but it took me too long to finish it. . . It is set at Halloween and there is a body in the coffin at the haunted house. . . Sounds like a number of books I've read. In fact, the previous book that I've read began the same way and yet I loved that one. . .

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ms. Glidewell's Lexie Starr series. This was a very fast paced, page turning whodunit! I hope there are more to come.

[Mahree Henry]

Did not finish. Just not into it at this point.

[Susan]

After a couple chapters, had no interest in reading further. Stilted writing and non-interesting characters.

[Christy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lexie Starr books. This one was very good.

[Annie Niece Mike Clevenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexie is amusing, she can really get herself in jams! Love her spunk.

[Diane Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just an ok book... Nothing thrilling...

[Frieda Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series is poorly researched. The lead character is an idiot. The outcomes are predictable.