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Haunting Danielle #1
The Ghost of Marlow House
When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she's never visited the property, Danielle's not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn't expect to find one of the house's previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years--shouldn't he have moved on by now? Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living--those who have their sights on Marlow House's other secrets.
260 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,244 reviews
October 28, 2023
Perfect cozy for the spooky month. 👻🕸️🕯️
Danielle Boatman inherits the Marlow House on the Oregon Coast from her great-aunt Brianna. She plans to turn it into a Bed & Breakfast, but no one has lived there for almost 90 years. People in Frederickport think that the house is haunted!
Brianna's mother was a housekeeper at the house in the '20s so how did she end up owning it? What happened to the Marlows?
A friendly ghost, Walt Marlow hasn't moved on and thinks it's his mysterious death that is keeping him there. Because Danielle can communicate with the dead, he asks for her help.
This is a really entertaining paranormal cozy mystery with charming characters. I plan to listen to more.
Book 1 is FREE on Kindle as of the day of this review.
Danielle Boatman inherits the Marlow House on the Oregon Coast from her great-aunt Brianna. She plans to turn it into a Bed & Breakfast, but no one has lived there for almost 90 years. People in Frederickport think that the house is haunted!
Brianna's mother was a housekeeper at the house in the '20s so how did she end up owning it? What happened to the Marlows?
A friendly ghost, Walt Marlow hasn't moved on and thinks it's his mysterious death that is keeping him there. Because Danielle can communicate with the dead, he asks for her help.
This is a really entertaining paranormal cozy mystery with charming characters. I plan to listen to more.
Book 1 is FREE on Kindle as of the day of this review.
May 14, 2020
I'm sorry, I really gave this book a chance and read the whole thing despite wanting to DNF after 40 pages, but this really wasn't great. Unfortunately as well, I don't think a lot of the flaws were even a case of personal preference, but rather just bad writing and structure in general. I rarely give a book 1*, as I do try to consider the fact that some of my criticisms may be due to personal preference, and therefore it's unfair to issue a 1*, but this book really was something else.
I'm a big fan of both spooky haunted house books, and ones like this that are more cosy mysteries, and are not written with the intent of scaring anyone. The premise seemed cliche enough, nothing particularly unique, but I was happy to roll with it, as I was in the mood for just a typical, cosy mystery to read across a few evenings.
The plot to this however was both painfully basic, and painfully illogical at the same time. None of the following are particularly spoilers, as you find them out quite early on, but the premise of the book is that Danielle inherits a big house that no one has lived in for years blah blah blah history of someone dying it in yadda yadda yadda so her and her thirsty BFF Lily move into it, with the intention of turning it into a B n B. Seems bearable at first sight. Cue Walt; the dude renowned for dying in the house by hanging himself in the attic, in ghost form. Very spooky. However, here comes the first illogical part of the book. Only Danielle can see him, Lily cannot, however upon seeing a fully grown man in her house, who does not look ghost-y (i.e. isn't silvery and whispy and doesn't say "boo"), Danielle automatically knows that he is a ghost, and isn't phased in the slightest by his appearance. Umm, what? Firstly, how does she automatically know he is a ghost? And secondly, for someone who claims she is kinda freaked out by her previous experience with ghosts, why is she so nochalant about this one? I'll tell you why. Cause Walt died as a young man, and young man Walt was a fit young man. Yep, Danielle kinda has the hots for ghost man Walt, which brings us nicely on to my next point.
Walt is a dick. He is clearly a product of his time (he died back in the 1920s or something) when it was considered cool and okay to be misogynistic and racist. Danielle rightfully puts him in his place about his politically incorrect terms that he uses, however she just kind of blushes and thinks about how he wants to kiss him (yeah, really) every time he makes inappropriate comments about her appearance and lounge wear and whatnot. And why is that? BECAUSE HE IS A FITTY. So it's okay. I'm guessing somewhere in the next book in this series, Danielle discovers the Red Room in this house? Because we all know its totally okay for men to be misogynistic if they are fit...right? Fml.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, the plot's mystery basically gets solved about 20% of the way in. Basically, when we meet dear old Walt, he doesn't realise he is dead, he thinks he's still living his best life. When Danielle, breaks it to him, he is positive he didn't kill himself, and reckons the reason he can't move on is because he was actually murdered. So, Danielle decides to help him work out who killed him, and staged it to look like a suicide, so that Walt can stop haunting her B n B and stop crawling into bed with her and refusing to get out (classic Walt). Every reader can pretty much work it out straight away, but just in case you had any doubts, Danielle makes it obvious asf who killed Walt around 20% in, and thus the mystery is gone. The following 200 pages just involve Danielle's angsty conversations with Walt, and her trying to locate a stolen necklace, whilst her thirsty friend Lily is trying to get into the pants of the dude across the road by making jokes about boobs, despite the fact that this dude lied to her about his profession, whilst also drooling over Walt who visited her dream (idek by this point what I'm doing with my life). And if that wasn't all cool enough, guess how she found out that he was lying about his profession? His dog told Walt who told Danielle who told Lily. Can't even trust the dog in this book, cause it's a snitch.
The grand finale of all this, ladies and gentlemen, was just the writing style itself. All of this could have been a 2*, and I could have put it down to it just not being my kind of story (cause it seemed so illogically put together). However, the writing was really quite bad. It just read like a middle-grade book in regards to the maturity and complexity of the writing. Now, I'm not saying every "adult" book needs to be written to a certain standard, however given some of the themes in this book, you'd expect a bit more maturity. A lot of the syntax read like something a 10 year old would write; it made sense, but it just seemed so underdeveloped. For example, there was the classic "they sat and spoke for about another 15 minutes"...seems harmless enough at first, but "about another 15 minutes" doesn't feel like something professionally written. It's the "about" that just makes it seem like the writing has purposefully been watered down, and even kind of seems a bit "i don't really care" on the author's behalf. You're the one writing it! Tell us how long it was for. Don't just give a random guess, it seems so offhand, and as if you either don't really know what's going on with your book, or worse, you don't really care. This seems like such a small thing, but as someone who has studied English before, and is very passionate about the semantics and psychology behind word choice, this book is just full of stuff like this, that makes it seem more like someone recalling a story aloud as opposed to writing and crafting one.
I'm not often this harsh on books, but I really do think this was a poor book. The author clearly has an ability to develop a narrative in their head, and flesh it out with some characters, but when it came to actually writing it down and producing the story, it just seemed like they completely threw it all away. I also have no clue what the editors role was in all of this, but I'm guessing non-existent. This book could have easily been a 3* with some tweaks to the writing style, the handling of Walt's misogyny, and a bit more logic and coherence between events, but instead this unfortunately felt like the first draft was just written up then published with no real consideration or editing.
I'm a big fan of both spooky haunted house books, and ones like this that are more cosy mysteries, and are not written with the intent of scaring anyone. The premise seemed cliche enough, nothing particularly unique, but I was happy to roll with it, as I was in the mood for just a typical, cosy mystery to read across a few evenings.
The plot to this however was both painfully basic, and painfully illogical at the same time. None of the following are particularly spoilers, as you find them out quite early on, but the premise of the book is that Danielle inherits a big house that no one has lived in for years blah blah blah history of someone dying it in yadda yadda yadda so her and her thirsty BFF Lily move into it, with the intention of turning it into a B n B. Seems bearable at first sight. Cue Walt; the dude renowned for dying in the house by hanging himself in the attic, in ghost form. Very spooky. However, here comes the first illogical part of the book. Only Danielle can see him, Lily cannot, however upon seeing a fully grown man in her house, who does not look ghost-y (i.e. isn't silvery and whispy and doesn't say "boo"), Danielle automatically knows that he is a ghost, and isn't phased in the slightest by his appearance. Umm, what? Firstly, how does she automatically know he is a ghost? And secondly, for someone who claims she is kinda freaked out by her previous experience with ghosts, why is she so nochalant about this one? I'll tell you why. Cause Walt died as a young man, and young man Walt was a fit young man. Yep, Danielle kinda has the hots for ghost man Walt, which brings us nicely on to my next point.
Walt is a dick. He is clearly a product of his time (he died back in the 1920s or something) when it was considered cool and okay to be misogynistic and racist. Danielle rightfully puts him in his place about his politically incorrect terms that he uses, however she just kind of blushes and thinks about how he wants to kiss him (yeah, really) every time he makes inappropriate comments about her appearance and lounge wear and whatnot. And why is that? BECAUSE HE IS A FITTY. So it's okay. I'm guessing somewhere in the next book in this series, Danielle discovers the Red Room in this house? Because we all know its totally okay for men to be misogynistic if they are fit...right? Fml.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, the plot's mystery basically gets solved about 20% of the way in. Basically, when we meet dear old Walt, he doesn't realise he is dead, he thinks he's still living his best life. When Danielle, breaks it to him, he is positive he didn't kill himself, and reckons the reason he can't move on is because he was actually murdered. So, Danielle decides to help him work out who killed him, and staged it to look like a suicide, so that Walt can stop haunting her B n B and stop crawling into bed with her and refusing to get out (classic Walt). Every reader can pretty much work it out straight away, but just in case you had any doubts, Danielle makes it obvious asf who killed Walt around 20% in, and thus the mystery is gone. The following 200 pages just involve Danielle's angsty conversations with Walt, and her trying to locate a stolen necklace, whilst her thirsty friend Lily is trying to get into the pants of the dude across the road by making jokes about boobs, despite the fact that this dude lied to her about his profession, whilst also drooling over Walt who visited her dream (idek by this point what I'm doing with my life). And if that wasn't all cool enough, guess how she found out that he was lying about his profession? His dog told Walt who told Danielle who told Lily. Can't even trust the dog in this book, cause it's a snitch.
The grand finale of all this, ladies and gentlemen, was just the writing style itself. All of this could have been a 2*, and I could have put it down to it just not being my kind of story (cause it seemed so illogically put together). However, the writing was really quite bad. It just read like a middle-grade book in regards to the maturity and complexity of the writing. Now, I'm not saying every "adult" book needs to be written to a certain standard, however given some of the themes in this book, you'd expect a bit more maturity. A lot of the syntax read like something a 10 year old would write; it made sense, but it just seemed so underdeveloped. For example, there was the classic "they sat and spoke for about another 15 minutes"...seems harmless enough at first, but "about another 15 minutes" doesn't feel like something professionally written. It's the "about" that just makes it seem like the writing has purposefully been watered down, and even kind of seems a bit "i don't really care" on the author's behalf. You're the one writing it! Tell us how long it was for. Don't just give a random guess, it seems so offhand, and as if you either don't really know what's going on with your book, or worse, you don't really care. This seems like such a small thing, but as someone who has studied English before, and is very passionate about the semantics and psychology behind word choice, this book is just full of stuff like this, that makes it seem more like someone recalling a story aloud as opposed to writing and crafting one.
I'm not often this harsh on books, but I really do think this was a poor book. The author clearly has an ability to develop a narrative in their head, and flesh it out with some characters, but when it came to actually writing it down and producing the story, it just seemed like they completely threw it all away. I also have no clue what the editors role was in all of this, but I'm guessing non-existent. This book could have easily been a 3* with some tweaks to the writing style, the handling of Walt's misogyny, and a bit more logic and coherence between events, but instead this unfortunately felt like the first draft was just written up then published with no real consideration or editing.
February 3, 2018
A fun paranormal mystery!! I will definitely read more in this series!
May 23, 2015
Danielle Boatman has inherited Marlow House from her aunt. With the help of her friend Lily, she plans to turn the old mansion into a bed and breakfast destination. When the two show up at the house, they find it is in disrepair but still looks pretty good for a house that has been unoccupied for ninety years. On their first visit to the house, Danielle finds a surprise waiting for her. The previous owner, Walt Marlow, is still in residence, even though he is dead.
Danielle has been seeing and dealing with ghosts for much of her life, ever since her grandmother visited her after she passed. So although she is not afraid of seeing Walt, she is worried how he will take the news that he is no longer alive. And she does not know how his being there will affect the opening of her bed and breakfast. When she tries to help him pass to the other side, he asks her to look into his death, which was ruled a suicide. She sure has a lot to deal with: fixing up the house and preparing for the opening of the bed and breakfast and trying to solve a ninety year old mystery. She is not sure how she is going to accomplish any of that.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author has created characters that are realistic (even though one is a ghost), well rounded and three dimensional. They are a cast of characters that are very likable and I wanted to spend more time getting to know them. I really enjoyed the interaction between Danielle and Walt and I could have kept reading about them all day long. The mystery is well plotted and maintained throughout much of the book. There are twists and turns that kept me guessing all along the way.
Sometimes, when I am looking through book sites looking for something to read, I come across a book that I really enjoy. That is exactly what happened when I purchased The Ghost Of Marlow House. And after further checking, I found out that this is the first book in the series. So I hit the jackpot when I found this one, especially since cozy ghost books are one of my favorite genres to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy and if you like paranormal, then you really want to pick this book up.
Danielle has been seeing and dealing with ghosts for much of her life, ever since her grandmother visited her after she passed. So although she is not afraid of seeing Walt, she is worried how he will take the news that he is no longer alive. And she does not know how his being there will affect the opening of her bed and breakfast. When she tries to help him pass to the other side, he asks her to look into his death, which was ruled a suicide. She sure has a lot to deal with: fixing up the house and preparing for the opening of the bed and breakfast and trying to solve a ninety year old mystery. She is not sure how she is going to accomplish any of that.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author has created characters that are realistic (even though one is a ghost), well rounded and three dimensional. They are a cast of characters that are very likable and I wanted to spend more time getting to know them. I really enjoyed the interaction between Danielle and Walt and I could have kept reading about them all day long. The mystery is well plotted and maintained throughout much of the book. There are twists and turns that kept me guessing all along the way.
Sometimes, when I am looking through book sites looking for something to read, I come across a book that I really enjoy. That is exactly what happened when I purchased The Ghost Of Marlow House. And after further checking, I found out that this is the first book in the series. So I hit the jackpot when I found this one, especially since cozy ghost books are one of my favorite genres to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy and if you like paranormal, then you really want to pick this book up.
May 19, 2019
When Danielle Boatman inherits her aunt's house she has no idea that she is also inheriting the resident ghost. Walt Marlow has been dead for a very long time, but has never moved on. He tells Danielle that he might be able to move on if she can discover who murdered him. Danielle starts sleuthing so that she can fulfill her dream to turn Marlow House into a bed and breakfast.....sans ghost.
The Ghost of Marlow House is the first book in the Haunting Danielle series. The series has 20 books. I enjoyed this first book enough to keep reading. Cute, nicely paced, cozy mystery. I'm always up for a ghost story, even a humorous one. Walt wonders why other people are in his house....and Danielle wonders why she has to be burdened with a cranky ghost. Slowly she realizes that he has a reason to be a bit cranky -- someone murdered him and it's remained unsolved for nearly 100 years. That would make anybody a bit touchy.
Fun, entertaining story! On to book 2....The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds!
The Ghost of Marlow House is the first book in the Haunting Danielle series. The series has 20 books. I enjoyed this first book enough to keep reading. Cute, nicely paced, cozy mystery. I'm always up for a ghost story, even a humorous one. Walt wonders why other people are in his house....and Danielle wonders why she has to be burdened with a cranky ghost. Slowly she realizes that he has a reason to be a bit cranky -- someone murdered him and it's remained unsolved for nearly 100 years. That would make anybody a bit touchy.
Fun, entertaining story! On to book 2....The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds!
February 7, 2019
I'm sorry, but I just can't finish this book. I tried to like it, but I didn't.
There were several things that bugged me about this book. First off, the friend/sidekick Lily was annoying as all get-out. Aside from the fact that SHE NEVER STOPS TALKING, she also makes some pretty huge assumptions about what she can do/allow in relation to Danielle's new house. Seriously, I would never just assume I could let a stranger into my friend's newly inherited house in a strange town where neither of us know anyone. I also would not be flapping my lips about every detail of my friend's inheritance, house, history, etc. to that same STRANGER over multiple discussions without even asking my friend how she felt about her business being shared with someone she doesn't know. Especially after Lily and Danielle discuss it and it is obvious - to me at least - that Danielle is uncomfortable with Lily talking about her and the house with this guy.
Then there was how incredibly obvious the plot was. I never try to figure things out before the reveal, enjoying letting the story play out in its own time. But I knew exactly what was going on very early in the book. Honestly some of the conversations Danielle has, and conversations other characters have does everything but use a neon sign to telegraph what the situation is and what is going to happen in the end. If it's so obvious even I know what's going on at the 40% mark then it's really obvious.
Finally, there was the ghost. Now, let me just say that I enjoy books with ghosts normally. It's a fun thing to have in the right book. But this ghost was weird and a little creepy, and I found the stuff he did oogey. I mean lying on top of Danielle in her bed when she is in her pajamas? That's nasty, even if he sunk through her because of his ghostly nature. And refusing to give her any privacy except when she goes to the bathroom? Yeah, if I were Danielle, I would threaten to sell the house and leave him there if he refused to behave. And don't even get me started on all the judgey and obnoxious opinions he had on "modern women". Dude, you've been dead for 80 years, nobody cares about your antiquated opinions on the world, and you NEED Danielle to investigate for you, so stop acting like a tool!
There was just too much about this book that irritated me. I couldn't finish it. Just a bad fit for my likes and interests in a book. Moving on to the next.
There were several things that bugged me about this book. First off, the friend/sidekick Lily was annoying as all get-out. Aside from the fact that SHE NEVER STOPS TALKING, she also makes some pretty huge assumptions about what she can do/allow in relation to Danielle's new house. Seriously, I would never just assume I could let a stranger into my friend's newly inherited house in a strange town where neither of us know anyone. I also would not be flapping my lips about every detail of my friend's inheritance, house, history, etc. to that same STRANGER over multiple discussions without even asking my friend how she felt about her business being shared with someone she doesn't know. Especially after Lily and Danielle discuss it and it is obvious - to me at least - that Danielle is uncomfortable with Lily talking about her and the house with this guy.
Then there was how incredibly obvious the plot was. I never try to figure things out before the reveal, enjoying letting the story play out in its own time. But I knew exactly what was going on very early in the book. Honestly some of the conversations Danielle has, and conversations other characters have does everything but use a neon sign to telegraph what the situation is and what is going to happen in the end. If it's so obvious even I know what's going on at the 40% mark then it's really obvious.
Finally, there was the ghost. Now, let me just say that I enjoy books with ghosts normally. It's a fun thing to have in the right book. But this ghost was weird and a little creepy, and I found the stuff he did oogey. I mean lying on top of Danielle in her bed when she is in her pajamas? That's nasty, even if he sunk through her because of his ghostly nature. And refusing to give her any privacy except when she goes to the bathroom? Yeah, if I were Danielle, I would threaten to sell the house and leave him there if he refused to behave. And don't even get me started on all the judgey and obnoxious opinions he had on "modern women". Dude, you've been dead for 80 years, nobody cares about your antiquated opinions on the world, and you NEED Danielle to investigate for you, so stop acting like a tool!
There was just too much about this book that irritated me. I couldn't finish it. Just a bad fit for my likes and interests in a book. Moving on to the next.
October 11, 2017
The Ghost of Marlow House
Haunting Danielle Series, Book 1
By: Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre
Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
This was a fun cozy mystery about a woman that inherits a house and of course there is a ghost there that doesn't know he is dead. Sure, same old story, right? Wrong, this one is fun! She can see ghosts and then the mystery is one as why he is there. Why is someone breaking into the house after almost 90 years of people leaving it alone? Why is there a new guy asking questions and lying that he is a teacher? It is a fun and enjoyable listen and has great characters, good plot, and fun situations.
The narrator does a fantastic job of the voices and making the story stay fun.
Haunting Danielle Series, Book 1
By: Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre
Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
This was a fun cozy mystery about a woman that inherits a house and of course there is a ghost there that doesn't know he is dead. Sure, same old story, right? Wrong, this one is fun! She can see ghosts and then the mystery is one as why he is there. Why is someone breaking into the house after almost 90 years of people leaving it alone? Why is there a new guy asking questions and lying that he is a teacher? It is a fun and enjoyable listen and has great characters, good plot, and fun situations.
The narrator does a fantastic job of the voices and making the story stay fun.
December 13, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
January 17, 2019
This was a really cute story and was much more than I expected it to be. Very charming and refreshing.
February 15, 2021
I don't really like to read about ghost and hauntings ( one of my fears irl) but somehow I was drawn into the book and I'm so glad I listened to this. This was such a fun and exciting mystery trying to solve what happened to a ghost 90 years ago. Because any form of evidence and clues is long gone by 90 years the mystery was solved by interviews and checking old news papers and so on which I absolutely loved. it did really helped that I fell for all the characters and especially the ghost.
July 1, 2022
Not a glowing start to the new month of reading:) I wanted to like this book...after all, I am “The Ghost Story Junkie”. I love ghost stories but this one just didn’t do it for me. I believe that the author was going for an entirely different story than what she got in the end. The idea had promise but the theme that the author started with became lost somewhere in the mixed-up storyline that contained so many grammar and punctuation errors I lost count. I gave the book a reluctant 2.5 stars because I felt that most of the errors were probably not entirely, if at all, the author’s fault. Some copywrite editor should be ashamed of themselves to allow this to go to press like this. The story needed some “first aid” ...like some red herrings thrown into the plot and less of the early reveals that should have been left until later in the story before being shown to us. Some of the coincidences were simply unnecessary. It appeared to almost be an attempt to rack up word count. We also didn’t need a full run-down in every new chapter of everything that had previously happened. Another attempt for word count. The only thing that all of this did was make the book become very much less of a real ghost story and more of an off the wall romance...which really didn’t work well either.
January 8, 2024
This book feels like it was written by AI. The dialogue was just weird. Who says, "I offered to take a picture with my iPhone." ?
September 14, 2016
I did not care for this book at all. And didn't even finish it. I felt it was starting to have a creepy feeling about it. I mean this ghost, who was supposed to be looking for his wife, is having feelings for Danielle? And she tells him to stop coming in the bedroom and he tells her the only room he will leave her alone in is the bathroom?! And then he is telling her that she would look fine in his wife's nightgown? What a pervert ghost!! No thanks, moving on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2019
4 Stars… This was such a light, fun, easy read but with an intriguing mystery and interesting characters... Danielle and Walt engaged in some entertaining banter with some sweet flirtatious moments that leaves me wondering where the author will eventually take this unique relationship... I am a huge lover of cozy mysteries and this one was no exception; I will definitely be continuing on with this series:)
November 11, 2018
This is a 4.5 star read.
January 29, 2023
This was terrible, but I might read all 32 in the series.
January 27, 2021
It was a great story that actually had 2 mysteries combined. One was the question what happened to Walt Marlow, now the ghost of Marlow house and the other one was the hunt for the necklace.
My favourite character was definitely Walt Marlow who doesn't realize that he isn't alive anymore....
My favourite character was definitely Walt Marlow who doesn't realize that he isn't alive anymore....
November 7, 2023
Danielle Boatman and her best friend Lily Miller depart California for Oregon so that Dani can start a bed-and-breakfast in the ancient mansion she’s inherited from her great-aunt. It’s no spoiler to note that Marlow House comes with a ghost: It’s in the title, after all. Wealthy, prim Walt Marlow’s been dead since 1925, and no one’s lived in the house since. Indeed, it’s Dani that alerts Walt to the fact that he’s been dead for decades.
Unknown to Dani and Lily, all sorts of folks have designs on them and Marlow House. In addition, kindly Dani wants to help poor Walt move on to the afterlife by investigating his untimely demise. Author Bobbi Holmes has written a breezy, amusing cozy. Does Walt move on and out of Marlow House? Well, The Ghost of Marlow House is the first in a series, so decide for yourself. As for me, I liked Dani, Lily and Walt enough to come back for more.
Unknown to Dani and Lily, all sorts of folks have designs on them and Marlow House. In addition, kindly Dani wants to help poor Walt move on to the afterlife by investigating his untimely demise. Author Bobbi Holmes has written a breezy, amusing cozy. Does Walt move on and out of Marlow House? Well, The Ghost of Marlow House is the first in a series, so decide for yourself. As for me, I liked Dani, Lily and Walt enough to come back for more.
November 13, 2015
The Ghost Of Marlow House The actual title of the book is The Ghost Of Marlow House, which is Book 1 of the Haunting Danielle series. I don't know why the name of the series gets the biggest font on the cover, unless the author wants to discourage people from reviewing it, since it was a little difficult to find at first.
Just an okay book. I liked the plot (actually 2 plots, solving the death of The Ghost Of Marlow House and solving the lost necklace mystery.) Both were great, lots of twists and turns and although somewhat predictable, it was at least entertaining.
My issue is with the characters and the dialogue. The MC's friend, Lily, is annoying to a fault. Babbles on endlessly, until I finally started skipping pages whenever she was in a scene. Ditto the dialogue, which bordered on inanity. Pared down, it might be more enjoyable.
Overall, worth a read but nothing spectacular. Probably won't bother with future books, though.
Just an okay book. I liked the plot (actually 2 plots, solving the death of The Ghost Of Marlow House and solving the lost necklace mystery.) Both were great, lots of twists and turns and although somewhat predictable, it was at least entertaining.
My issue is with the characters and the dialogue. The MC's friend, Lily, is annoying to a fault. Babbles on endlessly, until I finally started skipping pages whenever she was in a scene. Ditto the dialogue, which bordered on inanity. Pared down, it might be more enjoyable.
Overall, worth a read but nothing spectacular. Probably won't bother with future books, though.
January 8, 2019
Over all I mostly enjoyed this book however it got a wee bit slow towards the middle and I had to push a little to get through it. Once I did however, it did get better towards the end and I finish pretty keen to pick up book number 2. I liked main character Danielle and I have always liked the whole MC can see ghosts kind of thing and that part was done a little differently than most. My biggest problem with it through was that as I read it it reminded me of a number of other books and stories I had read so I pretty much picked most of the mystery from the get go and didn't really have too many surprises, which was a little disappointing. That being said it was still an intriguing and relative fun and fast read so I will definitely be moving further in the series.
I give this book 3 1/2
I give this book 3 1/2
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October 23, 2024I am leaving it without rating as I am not a fan of the cosy mystery genre and when I decide to read a book, I always approach it with caution and low expectations and I guess a biased attitude.
I'm only human, after all.
Anyways, considering all the above, I think it was an OK read and I liked the paranormal aspect as well as the fact that the crime was committed in the 1920s, which added an almost enjoyable atmosphere to the whole. Although I was a bit disgusted by the fact Currently the audiobook is included in the Audible Plus catalogue and the kindle edition is free on amazoncom.
However, I am not in the least tempted to go on with the series.
I'm only human, after all.
Anyways, considering all the above, I think it was an OK read and I liked the paranormal aspect as well as the fact that the crime was committed in the 1920s, which added an almost enjoyable atmosphere to the whole. Although I was a bit disgusted by the fact Currently the audiobook is included in the Audible Plus catalogue and the kindle edition is free on amazoncom.
However, I am not in the least tempted to go on with the series.
April 10, 2025
English version below
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Eine junge Frau erbt ein großes, altes Haus von ihrer Tante. Sie beschließt, es in eine Frühstückspension umzubauen. Als sie anreist, um das Haus zu besichtigen, trifft sie im Haus auf den Geist eines Mannes, der seit fast 100 Jahren tot ist und sich dessen nicht bewusst ist. Wie gut, dass unsere Protagonistin Danielle schon seit ihrer Kindheit Geister sehen und mit ihnen kommunizieren kann. Danielle erkennt schnell, dass sie den undurchsichtigen Tod des Geists aufklären muss, damit er weiterziehen kann ins Totenreich, ins Nirwana, in die ewigen Jagdgründe, was auch immer.
Zufälligerweise verschwand zum Todeszeitpunkt des Geists auch ein wertvolles Diamantencollier und nun versucht nicht nur ein schleimiger Typ sich über Danielles Freundin, die sie zur Unterstützung begleitet hat, Zutritt zum Haus zu verschaffen sondern es gibt noch weitere sinistre Typen, die sicherlich Übles im Sinn haben.
Ich habe noch nie eine Geisterhausgeschichte gelesen, die dermaßen seicht und vorhersehbar und so ungemein langweilig war. Nach 71 Seiten habe ich beschlossen, keine weitere Lesezeit mehr damit zu vergeuden und abgebrochen.
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A young woman inherits a large, old house from her aunt. She decides to convert it into a bed and breakfast. When she arrives to visit the house, she encounters the ghost of a man who has been dead for almost 100 years and is unaware of it. How fortunate that our protagonist Danielle has been able to see ghosts and communicate with them since childhood. Danielle quickly realises that she has to clear up the ghost's obscure death so that he can move on to the realm of the dead, nirvana, the eternal hunting grounds, whatever.
Coincidentally, a valuable diamond necklace also disappeared at the time of the ghost's death and now not only is a slimy guy trying to gain access to the house via Danielle's friend, who has accompanied her for support, but there are other sinister fellows who certainly have evil intentions.
I've never read a haunted house story that was so shallow and predictable and so incredibly boring. After 71 pages I decided not to waste any more reading time on it and quit.
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Eine junge Frau erbt ein großes, altes Haus von ihrer Tante. Sie beschließt, es in eine Frühstückspension umzubauen. Als sie anreist, um das Haus zu besichtigen, trifft sie im Haus auf den Geist eines Mannes, der seit fast 100 Jahren tot ist und sich dessen nicht bewusst ist. Wie gut, dass unsere Protagonistin Danielle schon seit ihrer Kindheit Geister sehen und mit ihnen kommunizieren kann. Danielle erkennt schnell, dass sie den undurchsichtigen Tod des Geists aufklären muss, damit er weiterziehen kann ins Totenreich, ins Nirwana, in die ewigen Jagdgründe, was auch immer.
Zufälligerweise verschwand zum Todeszeitpunkt des Geists auch ein wertvolles Diamantencollier und nun versucht nicht nur ein schleimiger Typ sich über Danielles Freundin, die sie zur Unterstützung begleitet hat, Zutritt zum Haus zu verschaffen sondern es gibt noch weitere sinistre Typen, die sicherlich Übles im Sinn haben.
Ich habe noch nie eine Geisterhausgeschichte gelesen, die dermaßen seicht und vorhersehbar und so ungemein langweilig war. Nach 71 Seiten habe ich beschlossen, keine weitere Lesezeit mehr damit zu vergeuden und abgebrochen.
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A young woman inherits a large, old house from her aunt. She decides to convert it into a bed and breakfast. When she arrives to visit the house, she encounters the ghost of a man who has been dead for almost 100 years and is unaware of it. How fortunate that our protagonist Danielle has been able to see ghosts and communicate with them since childhood. Danielle quickly realises that she has to clear up the ghost's obscure death so that he can move on to the realm of the dead, nirvana, the eternal hunting grounds, whatever.
Coincidentally, a valuable diamond necklace also disappeared at the time of the ghost's death and now not only is a slimy guy trying to gain access to the house via Danielle's friend, who has accompanied her for support, but there are other sinister fellows who certainly have evil intentions.
I've never read a haunted house story that was so shallow and predictable and so incredibly boring. After 71 pages I decided not to waste any more reading time on it and quit.
November 4, 2024
I absolutely loved this book! I had it on my tbr for a while and didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. A woman inherits a house from her aunt and plans on turning it into a bed and breakfast. She begins to start learning about the house and the spirit in the house. She runs into a few issues and questions the intentions of some of the people in the town. I love the writing in this book and I was genuinely interested from start to end. This book is a series and I’m so excited to read the next book.
December 30, 2019
“The Ghost of Marlow House (Haunting Danielle #1)” is yet another road trip selection that failed.
MC Danielle is completely clueless, and her friend Lily is amazingly stupid as she tells everything to the evil villain Ian. We stopped after 2 chapters. 2* DNF
MC Danielle is completely clueless, and her friend Lily is amazingly stupid as she tells everything to the evil villain Ian. We stopped after 2 chapters. 2* DNF
Read
September 8, 2021Dnf 25% I've been overzealous with the cozies
April 30, 2024
Narration was not that good and story was just ok. Might read next one.
Read
January 13, 2018There is a really good story in here, but somehow it’s hidden under too many subplots and unnecessary characters and scenes that have no purpose. I love Walt, but I have to give up on the story because I can’t keep it all straight in my mind.
June 3, 2021
1.5*
Detektyvas su vaiduokliais.
Detektyvas su vaiduokliais.
June 29, 2025
SO CUTE. I didn’t know what to expect with this one. I think I read about it and thought it sounded interesting so I got it. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it. It was so fun. All the characters were great! (except Lily, I just can’t with her) A really good story that was engaging from cover to cover.
“ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ.”
“ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ.”
August 9, 2018
It wasn't the worst book I every listened to - thats the most positive thing I can say about The Ghost of Marlow House.
The mystery itself (or perhaps, the multiple mysteries) were rather dull. There was no suspense in the story. The writing needs polish, as the nitty-gritty details drag the story down. There are many examples, for instance, where we hear that characters remove their clothes before putting on new clothes, take sandwiches out the bag and unwrap them before eating (and we also get to hear how they clean up the garbage), and how drinks get passed around before everyone takes a drink. It moved from a bit annoying to maddening pretty quickly. The narration only makes it worse. Romy Nordlinger narrates like she's reading to pre-schoolers. Every sentence is the most exciting thing she's every encountered.
The mystery itself (or perhaps, the multiple mysteries) were rather dull. There was no suspense in the story. The writing needs polish, as the nitty-gritty details drag the story down. There are many examples, for instance, where we hear that characters remove their clothes before putting on new clothes, take sandwiches out the bag and unwrap them before eating (and we also get to hear how they clean up the garbage), and how drinks get passed around before everyone takes a drink. It moved from a bit annoying to maddening pretty quickly. The narration only makes it worse. Romy Nordlinger narrates like she's reading to pre-schoolers. Every sentence is the most exciting thing she's every encountered.
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