Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Ghostly #4

Ghostly Claus

Rate this book
When Santa Claus appears on Lance's autopsy table, he can't believe his eyes or ears as the not-so-jolly ghost accompanying the body tells Lance he's been murdered. Solving this murder will take time as the list of suspects is growing. For some, Christmas isn't the most wonderful time of the year, but it is the most profitable.

To top it off, Lance's brother is in town visiting and he's not alone. He's got a ghost attached to him. Telling his brother that he sees ghosts just became even more important as this ghost insists Lance help him make things right before he moves on.

While the rest of the world prepares for Christmas, Lance and Angus try to salvage what they can of the holiday as they work to solve Santa's murder and keep someone from stealing everyone's holiday spirit away.

1 pages, Audio CD

First published September 1, 2023

68 people are currently reading
52 people want to read

About the author

E.M. Leya

100 books309 followers
E.M. Leya lives surrounded by the beautiful mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah with her amazing daughter and loving pets. She is passionate about the world we live in and current events, deeming herself a "news junkie". She believes that we are all here to create something beautiful, whether it's through our talents or our actions. She enjoys writing stories that take us deep into real world problems while showing that love can happen for anyone, regardless of how dark their past might be.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
302 (47%)
4 stars
223 (35%)
3 stars
98 (15%)
2 stars
10 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Aricka Decker.
672 reviews28 followers
July 23, 2025
"He might not have a huge family of his own anymore, but he had his brother, and the men and women around him were like family. His life was good. If he could just get his brother's acceptance, everything would be perfect."

4.25 ⭐

If you know anything about me, it is that I am one of those people who does not like Christmas or the holidays in general. I am not a festive person. I mean, I get the appeal of looking at lights and stuff, but the whole holiday spirit thing? It is just not in me.

Also, I have a very real phobia of Santa Claus. I do not know if there is an official name for it, but it is real to me and I hate it. So I do not usually read Christmas-themed things, but here we are with Ghostly Claus and Santa has been murdered and is now a ghost. An asshole ghost, at that.

The mystery? Never solved. I mean, I personally did not solve it. Would not have guessed it in a million years. So yippee for me.

That said, this was a good one, Santa not included. We got to see Lance's brother and spend some time with family, and I liked that. I love seeing Angus, Lance, all the ghosts, and the rest of the found family just hang out and exist together. Like I have said in my other reviews, it is not really about the mystery for me. It is about the characters, and I really do adore them.

I am never bored with this series, and I am always ready to see what everyone gets up to next.
2,821 reviews3 followers
September 6, 2023
love this series, the characters and the universe

Rating: 4.5🌈

I really enjoy the Ghostly series by E.M. Leya, it’s got a number of interesting established ghostly characters, a slow burn romance, and at least one mystery per story that has a paranormal aspect to it that brings all the main cast together to find a solution, add to the series otherworldly information, and push the romance a bit further along.

In Ghostly Claus our victim is Santa. It’s the holiday season and someone is about to kill the fat jolly elf himself. But is it due to a lack of Christmas spirit or does the killer just not like the man under the costume? That’s what our coroner, Lance, who can see and converse with ghosts, and his detective boyfriend, Angus, are about to investigate, along with his partner, Frank.

Now on the fourth book, Leya has been accumulating a foundation of characters, alive and ghostly, to act as a found family to our core couple and important side adjacent people like Frank, Angus’ partner. Ghostly Claus continues that path as two more characters arrive in town that look to add to the knowledge of the other realm and expand on the found family for Lance, Angus, and the ghosts who live with Lance.

That’s the soldier brother of Lance returns home after a prolonged absence in missions overseas, and he’s got an unannounced surprise with him.

Once again, Leya gives the reader so much to sink into here. There’s the fact of the dead Santa’s family dynamics which are awkward and difficult for all, especially since his ghost is there, angry at everything he’s hearing and seeing. The mystery of who wanted to murder Santa, and catching him. Plus there the entire brother aspect of this storyline where Lance has decided to inform his brother of his new gift and hope it doesn’t change their relationship. Their brotherly friendship and dynamic feels real, especially as it deepens over the course of the book, each letting memories guide them back to each other. Finally, Angus and Lance continue to grow stronger with each other, not rushing things, communicating, confidently speaking about their lives and the things important to each other. Quietly adult and emotionally mature. So lovely, even with ghosts all around.

I adore the characters, the relationship dynamics, the mysterious nature of the cases, and the slow growth of the love story. Fabulous.

I’m highly recommending this but it needs to be read as part of the series, so really read them in the order they are written in order to understand the events and relationship growth.

Ghostly series:

- [x] Ghostly Awakening #1
- [x] Ghostly Findings #2
- [x] Ghostly Envy #3
- [x] Ghostly Claus #4
- [ ] Ghostly Target #5 - tbd
Profile Image for BeckieLouLou.
627 reviews18 followers
October 2, 2025
4 stars. Audiobook. Paranormal cozy mystery with a touch of romance, zero spice, contemporary setting, series of 9 books following the same couple. Police homicide detective and medical examiner that can see ghosts. I would not say this is a buying-level series, but if you can get it from the library or part of a subscription service, then go for it. Maybe a good pallet cleanser after something super emotional since there is very little drama, angst or action.

The stories were well written and I eventually warmed to the characters, but the series overall was somewhat bland. It was too light in too many areas and needed a bump-up somewhere. No spice, little to no romance and sweetness, lack luster bad-guys, average investigating, no extra quirky parents, no nosy but endearing neighbors, no sassy friends or snarky ghosts, no obnoxious but lovable siblings/boss, no crass BFF or fun-loving crazy aunt. We don’t even get any decent hurt/comfort. At book 5, the MCs are a couple but still going home alone and spending so much time separate, even when they are dealing with some sad stuff and only a short drive away. There was some cuddle scenes and sweetness, but it’s really far into the series and sparse. I feel a bit unfair in my assessment because these books are fine, I’ve just read so many that are similar but way more than fine.
Profile Image for Donna.
3,341 reviews42 followers
October 7, 2024
UGH!!! It would appear that I have read this sometime in the past and didn't mark it read, much less leave a review... grrr

Santa Claus... everyone expects him to be jolly and kind... don't believe everything everyone says!!! That being said... he didn't deserve to die.

Family... you gotta love 'em or hate 'em...

Moving on... Lance and Angus are definitely making progress in the relationship area... so, I guess I will have to quit whining about that! 🤣

Going to jump right into Ghostly Target to see if I have read it also... 🤦‍♀️
Profile Image for Jude.
1,173 reviews4 followers
September 11, 2023
Another Interesting murder mystery from this author. Unlike many m-m authors the focus of the story is the mystery, not the sex life of the 2 MCs. Having said that - it was a good story - not fantastic but good and worth the read.
MCs are developed but supporting characters are not. Surprisingly, the 'murder victim' is fairly well developed.
Since it is a contemporary story, the world-building is minimal but this author does not add in anything that does not fit. The plot is solid and not straightforward. It has a few twists and turns and the end is not something that is obvious part way through.
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,480 reviews140 followers
September 6, 2023
I'm loving this series. I feel so sorry for Lance when he is just trying to do his job and he has to put up with angry ghosts, in this case Santa , who knows who killed him and wants Lance to go and make sure he gets justice.
I couldn't put this down and read in one sitting.
We get to see Lance's brother on leave from the Navy and get to interact with the ghost he bringsn with him.
Can't wait for the next book.
Profile Image for antonia&#x1fae7;.
427 reviews2 followers
April 15, 2024
this one was kind of boring and slow but i loved seeing jackson!

and it was great meeting kel, the way he died was sad and jackson blaming himself was even worse.

hope jackson won't change his mind about returning home soon.

gene was a pain on the other hand.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Susan65.
1,649 reviews53 followers
September 6, 2023
Love this series and hope it’s not over, but it felt like this was the end to me.
Profile Image for Danis  ❤️ MM.
781 reviews6 followers
October 4, 2024
Maybe a 2.75. Fun story where the gang tries to find out who killed "Santa." Not super imaginative. I think anyone could figure out who killed him nearly right away. But not a bad read.
Profile Image for Karen Rich.
730 reviews11 followers
December 9, 2023
Book 4 and Lance and Angus are solving crimes again and Lance has his brother Jackson visiting and his best mate Kel (Ghost) arrives and now he finally gets a chance to talk to Jackson but Lance has yet to tell Jackson that he can see ghosts.
I love this series and a must read from Book 1.
I highly recommend this author.
Profile Image for Beth.
2,894 reviews25 followers
February 24, 2024
Another enjoyable book in this series

This book gives us a different look at the ghost situation. Lance finally gets a ghost he doesn’t like and really couldn’t care less about helping. Sadly, this is a man who lives to play Santa Claus so he kind of puts a damper on Santa Claus for our guys.

When a man who dedicated most of his time and effort to playing Santa for one month a year is shot and killed in a crosswalk (in front of children!) Angus and Franks have a tough time figuring out who would kill the guy. His obnoxious ghost is rude to Lance and completely self centered.

The other plot line in this book is Lance’s brother coming home for a visit for Christmas and Lance needing to tell him about his newfound gift. That task is made a bit easier when Lance sees that a ghost has followed Jackson home.

It’s a compelling story and I read it all in one sitting. I enjoy how the author has you thinking about the afterlife and the idea of ghosts. Angus’ mom Lizzie and her ghost friend Betty play an important role in the story and I liked the way that played out, though I wish we’d have heard how Angus and Franks explained it in their reports.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Kate.
2,549 reviews6 followers
August 29, 2025
**********Contains Spoilers**********

I’m new to EM Leya’s work and I’m looking forward to reading more. I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was another good addition to the Ghostly Series. This was probably my least favourite of the series so far as it was a lot slower paced than the previous books and not as much Angus, Lance, Franks & their ghost friends teaming up to solve the case. It also didn’t help that I really didn’t like the ghost’s attitude so I’m actually glad he wasn’t around much but when he was around he was a bit on an a*se.

Yes, he has a right to be angry what he found out after his death but it’s not Lance’s fault. I enjoyed meeting Lance’s brother Jackson & his best friend Kel, even if he was a ghost you could still get a felling of what he was like when he was alive and what Jackson means to him. I’m glad that Lance told Jackson about his new found powers and I believe that Kel made it easier for him to believe, even if it took him awhile. I’m looking forward to reading Ghostly Target next, as well as more books by EM Leya in the future. I’d definitely recommend this book, series and author to others.
Profile Image for Kelly (Maybedog).
3,453 reviews239 followers
October 31, 2024
I really enjoy this series. It feels a little different than others that are very similar in set up bug I couldn’t tell you why. I like that there are others who see the ghosts too. The ghosts that stay are family. I actually imagined it would be less lonely even if I couldn’t see them.

There isn’t a lot of romance here but the couple is really cute. The love plot moves incredible slowly. This is book four and they’ve been together almost a year. Other series tend to have couples married and having children by now. These two rarely even spend nights together. But it’s real that they love each other and that they are committed for the long run. They know that’s how the other feels too.

The mystery was ordinary and really took a back seat to Lance’s brother visiting. I really like that it was a murder mystery with Santa Claus. Usually Christmas stories are boring feel good stories. This was way more interesting.

I accidentally read these out of order so I’m going to read book three right now.

I like the reader a lot. It must be the name Greg, last initial B. :)
Profile Image for Fernanda Fatio.
424 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2024
Not as dark as the previous stories but interesting instalment with the introduction of Lance’s brother and a new ghost friend. What I didn’t like is how their relationship seems stagnant. They keep saying about taking things slow, which I understand but they rarely sleep over at each other’s house, don’t seem to miss the intimacy and there’s no heat. While I respect the author’s not wanting to show open-sex scenes, the total lack of conversation about that bothers me when both characters have been together for almost a year and are in their middle 30’s. The way they talk is more like friends than lovers.
Profile Image for Fay MMBookworm.
3,052 reviews66 followers
October 24, 2023
Another beaut book for the Ghostly series by the author.
Detective Angus and Lance are on another case to solve a murder.
Someone one was out to get Santa, aka Gene who wasn’t too happy about becoming a ghost whom he made clear to poor Lance.
Lance gets two surprise visitors from his brother and his tag along ghost.
A mystery of who shot Gene takes form. This book is more of a mystery novel which fits this series from the author. If you’re looking for books without sex scenes this would be perfect. The couple are in a super slow romance.
1,269 reviews2 followers
October 17, 2024
Lance & Angus

Someone killed Santa. A new case drops in Angus and Frank’s’ lap as the holidays get underway. Gene is not happy, not happy he’s dead, not happy that the living can’t figure it out right away, not happy that he won’t win the contest and not happy his wife was having an affair and worse, selling all his Santa stuff. That’s one grumpy ghost Lance has to deal with. Lances brother, Jackson, is home and he’s brought a guest. Lance comes clean with him about seeing ghosts and the two work on their relationship. Good story, looking forward to more.
Profile Image for Kerry.
1,690 reviews60 followers
January 28, 2025
3.25 stars

Another enjoyable mystery. Lance and Angus and their group of friends and family are fun to spend time with. The group keeps expanding too. Hopefully Lance's brother Jackson will come back home for good. There is still absolutely no sex or romance. Lance and Angus are a couple and that's that.

Unfortunately, at this time, there are no more audiobooks available on Hoopla for me to listen to. I don't think I'm invested enough in the series to read the physical book. The stories are slow and very repetitive, but it is easy listening when I'm doing other things.
30 reviews
July 28, 2024
A Christmas story in July who would have taught

This book was a great addition to series. I liked this book way better then the last book in the series.We got more of Lance POV in this book n loved it. Luna and Angus relationship progress is slow as ever but it works for this series. The cases/mystery are predictable as always but it’s a nice break form my all dark stories I read the past week. Can’t wait to see how the series ends.
Profile Image for Diane Dannenfeldt.
4,009 reviews78 followers
December 23, 2024
I am enjoying this series. Santa was just an angry ghost, but he didn't deserve to be killed. I didn't have the killer figured out prior to the reveal. I love seeing our MC's relationship grow, though I had an issue how slow it was going in prior books. Now it seems natural. Loved see Lance's brother coming to visit for Christmas and Lance discussing his abilities with him. Though he doesn't believe him immediately, he does eventually. I can't wait for more to come out in audio.
Profile Image for DeeNeez.
1,994 reviews13 followers
November 27, 2023
I’m loving this series, but this one didn’t hold the suspense like the others. I did like meeting Lance’s brother and Kel. But resolving the murder for the angry Santa just didn’t do it for me. It was too obvious they should have been looking for a sharpshooter to begin with. Who else could have taken out Santa with such precision on a crowded walkway from a hotel roof.
1 review
September 21, 2025
Amazing

One thing I like about this series, it intertwines the paranormal with true crime. The characters are a blessing to each other. I love the fact that everyone is always constantly helping each other. They get along. There's no messiness. There's no discord. I just feel the love, friendship.
617 reviews6 followers
September 16, 2023
Loving this series

I love everything about this series. The characters are All relatable. Yes, even the ghostly ones. Though there's no cliffhanger, there are clues as to what may happen in the next book or later in the series.
Profile Image for ANNBOOKSHELF.
1,110 reviews13 followers
September 29, 2023
Murder mystery and ghost & romance, strange combination but you will enjoy ever page!

Detective Austin and Autopsy Lance careers definite cross but the sports that didn't cross over bring them together. Old fashion detective but a "little insight " makes life sweeter! MM romance
824 reviews
Read
October 25, 2023
A sweet not so

A sweet not so Christmas story. I really enjoyed this book love how this series progresses with each book. The ghosts are dynamite and the series wouldn't be what is is without them I highly recommend.
26 reviews
April 19, 2024
Great books

Omg.these books are incredible.
The characters are fun and unique.
The stories are great.
I live your writing style
I hope you continue with these two.
I want to read about them until they are old and retired
Profile Image for Sarah Baines.
1,463 reviews11 followers
August 10, 2025
Gene😡😡😡😡

Ghostly Claus was a great book but Gene was a piece of work! I admit I had the killer all figured out early on....... only to be completely wrong. Oh well, can't win them all. On to the next one.
1,537 reviews5 followers
October 22, 2023
😍😍😍😍

This was so good! The ending was so unexpected!!! Did not see that coming !!! I'm really Hoping for more in this series! I don't want it to end!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.