Granny's Ghost and the Haunted Homicide

Ghostly Gumshoe Cozy Mysteries #1

by Sloane Finley

A nose for trouble…

When Lena inherits her grandmother Ingrid's Victorian house in the quaint town of New Oslo, she expects a fresh start and a slower pace of life in her hometown. Instead, she finds herself thrust into a web of secrets, lies, and unexpected danger.

As Lena settles into her new home, strange occurrences and an overwhelming sense of unease plague her. Could it be mere imagination, or is there something more sinister at play? When a ghostly encounter reveals a shocking truth about her grandmother's passing, Lena's world is turned upside down.

Armed with nothing but her wits, a nose that twitches at the first sign of trouble, and the help of her childhood friend Charlie, Lena embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. But in a town where everyone seems to have something to hide, who can she really trust?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2024

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little story!

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so I liked the story just fine, but the writing at time made it to simplistic, plus switching Charlie from “she” to “he” back to “she”. Plus one of the things/troupes that bugs me with Cozies is suspecting or arresting the MC with ZERO evidence, please assume the reader has modicum of common sense!! Develop the plot so there’s a reason to suspect the MC or just make them a witness for goodness sake. The ghostly grandmother helping to solve crime I think is a good hook, it just needs more developing. Having said that, this a a quick and easy read to pass the time, and I wouldn’t mind reading the rest of the series.

[Kimberly A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this only one star because of the completely stupid plot, but I gave it two because the writing itself is competent and flows well. This review has spoilers from this point on, so stop reading now if that's a problem. Here are the really stupid things: young woman inherits her grandmother's house after she dies in what is labeled an accident, though we are never told what exactly happened. The night the granddaughter moves in, someone throws a rock through the window. At her friend Charlie's urging (more about Charlie later), she reports it to their small-town sheriff. He completely blows her off, saying it was probably just kids. Charlie pushes him to reluctantly say they'll look into it. Later we find out that Grandma's window was broken the night she died, though again we don't get any details. So the cop doesn't think this is important? Anyway, that's the first stupid thing. It gets stupider as we get to the climax. At one point she finds papers in her grandmother's things that include threatening anonymous letters, and a diary where her grandmother wrote of being frightened that she was being watched. She and Charlie show these to the cop, who grudgingly admits they might mean something and maybe they can look into her grandmother's death. Okay, so that should really get things rolling. But nothing happens and the next night she has Charlie come spend the night with her because she's got a premonition that something bad will happen. Sure enough, they hear a window break and someone has come into the house. They run out the front door to a neighbor's house, find it unlocked, and enter, to find the neighbor lying dead in a pool of blood. They call the cops, tell them about the break-in, and about finding the neighbor dead. There are two of them, remember--her friend is with her. Yet somehow the cops now say she's a suspect, and when her shady cousin arrives she riles up a crowd of onlookers to turn them against her. The cop tells her he may need to bring her in. But why doesn't she or her friend point out that they were together? And when the cops find the broken window in her house, doesn't that back up their story of fleeing to the neighbor? And what about all the threatening letters to her grandmother? It's completely ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous. Finally, this isn't stupid but just incredibly sloppy editing--her friend Charlie is a girlfriend from childhood. Charlie is "she" throughout the book until all of a sudden Charlie is "he" for several pages before turning back into a girl. Without the completely absurd plot, this might have been a fun book because of her grandmother's ghost appearing to her and talking with her. And her own psychic ability to sense when something bad will happen. But that wasn't enough to save it. The only good thing was this was a very, very short book. For which I was grateful.

[Kelsie Cates · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a bad episode of Scooby Doo. Somehow Charlie also changed genders multiple times.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book one in the ghostly granny series

I definitely enjoyed this look into New Oslo and the mystery surrounding the death of a beloved granny. Our sleuth and her best friend along with granny uncover the truth while hoping to transition granny to the afterlife. Its going to be an interesting series for sure

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read

I have to say this was like a Scooby Doo mystery, even down to the "meddling" " I would have got away with it". So if you enjoy simple mysteries you will probably enjoy it. The characters were okay but not a lot to them. If you're looking for something to pass the time without expectations this is it.

[Emily Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok this was actually really cool. Grandma passes but helps her granddaughter figure out what happened to her. Definitely a quick read

[Mady Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Scooby-Doo mystery!

[Linda Rawlins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghostly Inheritence

When a woman receives an inheritence, she doesn’t realize it comes with an unsolved mystery and a ghost. Nice, lighthearted, paranormal mystery debut.

[Tambi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review:
I recently read "Granny's Ghost and the Haunted Homicide" by Sloane Finely, and I must say, it was quite an enjoyable adventure. The story follows Lena, who inherits her grandmother Ingrid's Victorian house in the charming town of New Oslo. Expecting a peaceful new chapter, Lena instead finds herself tangled in secrets and danger.
The characters are incredibly relatable, with Lena as a very engaging amateur sleuth. Her friend Charlie adds depth to the story, and all the characters are well-developed and fun to follow. The plot is perfectly paced, with just the right number of suspects to keep me guessing. The unexpected twists and the suspense of secrets and lies kept me eagerly turning the pages.
The storyline is both fun and quirky, with touches of subtle humor that made me smile. And the ending? Totally unexpected and unpredictable, leaving me pleasantly surprised.
While there were a few minor hiccups in the narrative, I found this to be a great short read. It left me eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, "Granny’s Ghost and the Poisoned Punch." If you're looking for a delightful mystery with a touch of the paranormal, this book is definitely worth your time! Will you dare to uncover the secrets of New Oslo with Lena?

Opinionated Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 4.75/5.0
Pacing: 5.0/5.0
Dialogue and Narrative: 4.25/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 5.0/5.0
Overall Rating: 4.8/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a very good book, but so much was missing, and at only 76 pages, so much was missing. First of all, we have zero description of Lena. How old is she? What does she look like? What is her family background? Where did she move from? What work does she do? Where is this book set? What is the season? I need to know all of these things to get into the essence of the protagonist.

Next question is, why is Lena's family so split up? In the beginning of the story I got the impression that Lena had not seen her grandmother for a long time. Then the reader is told that Lena's cousin had not seen Lena for a long time nor the grandmother for 15 years. Problem was?

How did grandma die? When Lena presented Sheriff Mark with evidence that maybe she had been murdered, he said that his deputies would re-examine the evidence. What evidence? It had been awhile since her death, and since it wasn't presumed to be a crime, nothing would have been saved. More like, they would have planned to exhume grandma's body.

But before any of that happened, the elderly neighbor was murdered, with no clues that he knew anything. And the perpetrator, who hadn't seen anyone in years, was identified by the fabric in her top, which she "talked many times about being made especially for her". No, she didn't. She hadn't even seen anyone in years. I was surprised at who the perpetrator turned out to be.

I hope that the books improved after this first one, because I see that there are a lot of them.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

An old house and a ghost grandma was such a good idea. Unfortunately, the plot was so ridiculous it ruined the setting and the characters. The author and the sheriff seemed to have no idea about proper procedures for gathering and securing evidence. I can't believe a law enforcement officer would tell a suspect it was up to her to find evidence to clear herself when there was absolutely no reason for her to be a suspect. How did he know her fingerprints were all over the place when nobody had dusted for prints yet? There had yet to be an autopsy, so there was no cause or manner of death established. And when she took the bagged evidence out of the house and brought it out to the sidewalk, it broke the chain of evidence and would have not been admissible in court. As much as I liked Ghost Granny, I won't be continuing this series.

[Princessdi13 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing to it

The Blues sounded interesting; it had a nice hook. But at less than 80 pages, it is more a short story than novel. Strike one.

It is written the first person present, not a style I enjoy, but I decided to stick with it. Big mistake. Strike two.

Some of the precipitating events were never explained, the police procedures were laughable, and the mystery was wrapped like an episode of Scooby-Doo. Strike three.

In its favor, it is a clean and breezy read, but it needs serious work. There is not enough information about the MC to make a reader care about her - her backstory needs to fattened up a lot! All the characters, including the antagonist, were pure vanilla. I will not be continuing the series.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this from kindle unlimited and it just wasn’t very good. It was a quick and cozy read, but very simplistic and a bit ridiculous. I hate the trope in cozy mysteries or the police suspecting the main character with no evidence and that’s what happened here. The incompetence of the police was almost comical and the fact that they encouraged the main character to do her own detective work to clear her name instead of you know… doing their jobs was ridiculous. Honestly it kindof reminded me of a Scooby Doo mystery… just as childish and simplistic. I don’t plan to read the rest of the series, but it was entertaining enough I guess

[S-J · Rating 3 out of 5]

where’s the rest?

It feels like huge chunks have been cut from this story, characters that get no introduction or mention and we’re suddenly off to their house…? What for? Character motivations and decisions are completely unexplained. A Sheriff that thinks large rocks can fly on their own. I really wanted to like this book but it’s a mess, it needs editing. I feel like I need a red pen to scribble in the margins all the things that don’t make sense. I will try the next story because the characters have potential but I really hope for better.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a cute little starter cozy for a new (to me) series. Lena inherits her Grandmother's house but had no idea that her grandmother would still be there and expect her to help solve a murder. This is a quick read and it was actually good enough to make me want to check out the next one in the series to see how it goes. Seems like grandma is going to stick around to help solve more mysteries in her home town.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

A short and quick to read novella, wherein Lena arrives at the house she inherited from her grandmother, only to find her grandmother’s ghost hanging around.
Lena has to solve her grandmother’s death, and the circumstances surrounding it.

This is a sweet cosy, and series starter novella, with an interesting heroine, her best friend and ghostly grandmother.
If you’re looking for a quick read in the paranormal cosy mystery genre, then this is a good choice.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another "new to me" author and from what I read in this story, I am eager to read more. The characters are interesting, the plot is easily followed, and the premise is finding out what happened to the main character's grandmother and why. The answers weren't easy to find, but the main character is quite observant and the killer was found, sadly so. I do recommend this story

[Ms. Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the mystery level of A Scoobie Doo episode

I enjoyed the premise, the characters and the scene. But the plot and character development was skimpy. Why would a police officer blow off a rock thru the window? Why did the cousin give her the bums rush after not seeing her for years? Its a cute little YA mystery, but less challenging than Nancy Drew or Scoobie Doo.

[Susan Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inconsistency. Author hasn’t decided whether Charlie is a he or a she. Granny’s eyes match Lena’s blue ones, and then they mirror Annika’s green ones. The body is called Victor, but we KNOW that body has another name. I am well aware that there is a newer version of this book, but I was not able to purchase it. Don’t know why Amazon refused

[DollyRockerBooksNmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

Great little read. read in an hour would have got more stars but there was a mistake in the book at the end harolds death but victors name instead of harold and also i let out the breath i diddnt know i was holding twice in a very short book was not necessary but other than that it was a cozy little mystery and i will definitely read the rest of the series

[Lydia Schaefer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might be a cute book to read but audible/publishers choice to use AI to narrate the story for the audiobook was a moronic one. Absolutely terrible and unlistenable. Made it a few minutes in and that’s it. Literally letting it play long enough to leave a review on audible and adding it to my Did Not Finish list

[Elaine C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series more (I mean, I am a Granny, too), and the mystery was a good one, but the writing was just too fast! Not enough time was used to set up plot and characters. Also, there were several editing mistakes - some of which I could overlook, but one of them named the murder victim incorrectly!!! I don't think I'll be reading any more of these!

[Amber Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a nice fast read. For anyone looking for a good little mystery - this is it! 4⭐️ The story started off a little slow, but once it picked up I couldn't out it down. Lena the FMC, and the help from her Grandma, and her friend Charlie do some amazing work in their town of Oslo. There's a lot to uncover here. Secrets going in plain sight.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

Returning home after many years away Lena finds herself in the middle of the mystery of her grandmother’s death. With help from her best friend and her grandmother’s ghost life has become an adventure she never thought she would have

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read!

This is such a good story! Who knew inheriting a house could lead to a ghost and murder!
Great characters, nice suspense, and old friendship collide into a well worth reading adventure!

[Madeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a cozy mystery….its….horror.

Horror to my ears.

The audiobook is AI voice generated.

Unfortunately this is the worst story I have read all year. The end of the story plagiarizes Scooby doo…

[Gina H · Rating 3 out of 5]

fine, but definitely missing something.

The story is fine, but what the heck? Random things happen where people think she’s guilty when nothing’s happened to lead you to that at all… There’s about half a book missing.

[Emily Perlaky]

I really try to not leave negative reviews because I truly feel like authors are typically giving it their best shot, but this one missed so terribly.

The writing was bad. The concept was okay, but so poorly executed that I found myself slack jawed reading most of it.

[Annette Cross LaCook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short read

I liked everything except what appears to be a careless mistake, maybe next book will clarify. First time "Grandma" appears she says Mr. Whiskers went to live with Harold but is never mentioned again.