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Haunted Mansion Mystery #1
Haunted Homicide
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 29, 2020
26 people are currently reading
683 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Ness
2 books41 followersAlso writes as Miranda Bliss, Casey Daniels, Zoe Daniels, Connie Deka, Mimi Granger, Anastasia Hastings, Connie Lane, Connie Laux, Constance Laux, Kylie Logan.
Lucy Ness is an established mystery author. She has written the League of Literary Ladies Mystery series and the Button Box Mystery series.
Lucy Ness is an established mystery author. She has written the League of Literary Ladies Mystery series and the Button Box Mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
October 13, 2020
What a fun beginning to a promising paranormal cozy mystery series! Main character Avery has landed a new job as manager of Portage Path Woman's Club, though she's off to a rocky start when she finds the body of the current club president in the basement, along with a ghost from the 1920s.
Clever and determined, Avery had grand plans to modernize the club, but first she must use her smarts to catch Muriel's killer. I enjoyed the club setting in the old mansion, and I especially liked Clemmie, the flapper ghost helping Avery with her investigation. The cast of quirky characters was interesting and likable, though the author kept me guessing as to whom would want Muriel dead.
HAUNTED HOMICIDE is an intriguing murder mystery with just the right amount of paranormal. I hope to learn more about Clemmie in future books!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Clever and determined, Avery had grand plans to modernize the club, but first she must use her smarts to catch Muriel's killer. I enjoyed the club setting in the old mansion, and I especially liked Clemmie, the flapper ghost helping Avery with her investigation. The cast of quirky characters was interesting and likable, though the author kept me guessing as to whom would want Muriel dead.
HAUNTED HOMICIDE is an intriguing murder mystery with just the right amount of paranormal. I hope to learn more about Clemmie in future books!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 15, 2020
This was a fun start to a new series I am looking forward to reading more of!
Avery is hired to manage a Women's Club. Her first week she finds the club's president dead and runs into a ghost from the past in the big mansion. Now it's up to her to find out who the killer was before she joins the ghost.
I am looking forward to finding out exactly what happened to Clemmie, the ghost, later in the series. I never did guess the culprit until she was revealed.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
Avery is hired to manage a Women's Club. Her first week she finds the club's president dead and runs into a ghost from the past in the big mansion. Now it's up to her to find out who the killer was before she joins the ghost.
I am looking forward to finding out exactly what happened to Clemmie, the ghost, later in the series. I never did guess the culprit until she was revealed.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
December 2, 2020
This was okay. Really, just okay. I finished it, but I can't say I loved it, and I doubt I will read on in this series.
The main issue for me was that literally every character was just nasty. This is a perfect demonstration of that old quote: "The rich; they're different from you and me." In this book that was totally true. All the members and the board of the club where the absolute worst of "rich people" with outdate perceptions of how special and important simply having money made them. They may have been little old ladies, but they were all rotten human beings, and I couldn't like any of them.
Even Avery, who was nice enough, just never drew me in and made me connect with her.
This was fine, but as I said I probably wouldn't read others in this series. Not a great fit for my reading interests.
The main issue for me was that literally every character was just nasty. This is a perfect demonstration of that old quote: "The rich; they're different from you and me." In this book that was totally true. All the members and the board of the club where the absolute worst of "rich people" with outdate perceptions of how special and important simply having money made them. They may have been little old ladies, but they were all rotten human beings, and I couldn't like any of them.
Even Avery, who was nice enough, just never drew me in and made me connect with her.
This was fine, but as I said I probably wouldn't read others in this series. Not a great fit for my reading interests.
June 17, 2021
3.5 stars
This is a first of cozy mystery series featuring Avery Morgan, the new manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. After the first day of her job in which Avery discovers that Muriel Sadler, the president of the PPWC Club to be an unlikable human being, it turns worse for Avery because she stumbles into Muriel's dead body. Oh, and there's a ghost too in the basement.
I find this quite enjoyable. I like Avery enough - I think she has sense of being a level-headed person, even if she is then tasked to investigate the murder by the members of the board. I mean, Avery doesn't really endanger herself in doing so. Also, because Avery's aunt is a medium, Avery accepts the existence of Clemmie the ghost. No panic or huge denial there.
I'm not sure about the partnership at the moment though. As in, I don't know what Clemmie will bring into the sleuthing activity which I believe will be part of Avery's job in the near future ... especially with book #2 already released 😄
There's a dash of possible love interest with Sergeant Oscar "Oz" Alterman. So far, I like Oz too because he's not hostile about finding about Avery's side job of playing detective. Oz seems to take it easy when he catches Avery at the same place where he has been following a suspect. Usually in this genre, the law enforcer love interest can be rude at first.
So yes, I think I would like to check out the second book.
This is a first of cozy mystery series featuring Avery Morgan, the new manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. After the first day of her job in which Avery discovers that Muriel Sadler, the president of the PPWC Club to be an unlikable human being, it turns worse for Avery because she stumbles into Muriel's dead body. Oh, and there's a ghost too in the basement.
I find this quite enjoyable. I like Avery enough - I think she has sense of being a level-headed person, even if she is then tasked to investigate the murder by the members of the board. I mean, Avery doesn't really endanger herself in doing so. Also, because Avery's aunt is a medium, Avery accepts the existence of Clemmie the ghost. No panic or huge denial there.
I'm not sure about the partnership at the moment though. As in, I don't know what Clemmie will bring into the sleuthing activity which I believe will be part of Avery's job in the near future ... especially with book #2 already released 😄
There's a dash of possible love interest with Sergeant Oscar "Oz" Alterman. So far, I like Oz too because he's not hostile about finding about Avery's side job of playing detective. Oz seems to take it easy when he catches Avery at the same place where he has been following a suspect. Usually in this genre, the law enforcer love interest can be rude at first.
So yes, I think I would like to check out the second book.
June 21, 2021
*Source* Library
*Genre* Cozy / Mystery
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Haunted Homicide is the first installment in author Lucy Ness's Haunted Mansion Mystery series. 29-year-old Avery Morgan left home in Lily Dale, NY to take a job managing the Portage Path Women’s Club in Ohio, hoping for a fresh start. She is to take up the position of business manager for the Portage Path Women's Club hoping to revitalize the historical club. But things aren't exactly smooth. The club is faltering, membership is dwindling, a member claims she accidentally set a fire to a room where the clubs records are kept which now needs to be restored, and the clubs President was outvoted in hiring Avery for the position because she wanted someone else.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Cozy / Mystery
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Haunted Homicide is the first installment in author Lucy Ness's Haunted Mansion Mystery series. 29-year-old Avery Morgan left home in Lily Dale, NY to take a job managing the Portage Path Women’s Club in Ohio, hoping for a fresh start. She is to take up the position of business manager for the Portage Path Women's Club hoping to revitalize the historical club. But things aren't exactly smooth. The club is faltering, membership is dwindling, a member claims she accidentally set a fire to a room where the clubs records are kept which now needs to be restored, and the clubs President was outvoted in hiring Avery for the position because she wanted someone else.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
September 1, 2021
Fun first in series!!
October 2, 2020
Avery Morgan moves to Ohio as the new business manager of the Portage Path Women's Club. The membership numbers keep going down to the point the club is now endangered. Her new boss, Muriel, is the President of the club and quite difficult. The only person on the board not to approve Avery's hiring is doing everything she can to make Avery's life miserable. The author did a spectacular job writing a pretty mean character in Muriel.
Muriel managed to make everyone's lives nightmarish. Her words and actions caused blood to boil, mean thoughts to enter minds, and, for someone, the delight of her demise. As a reader, Muriel is one of those characters that you'll love to hate. She may even remind a reader of someone they've encountered in real life. Muriel was horrible and the author wrote her in such a way that you couldn't help but feel bad for those she abused, as well as angry on their behalf. Muriel isn't the only character written this well.
Avery, Oz, Jack, Clemmie, the rest of the club, and all the side character were equally written well. You could feel Avery's frustration at Muriel, her sadness at the treatment of the kitchen staff, and she disbelief in her ability to see ghosts. Oz didn't make many appearances but he was written as a well-respected and capable police officer with what could be a romantic side. Jack is a restorationist with secrets, yet he's willing to aid Avery in her quest for justice against Muriel. Clemmie was written with period characteristics, clothes, and speech. I was able to visualize her and "hear" her talk in a way we don't hear anymore.
The world building was great. I envisioned myself right smack dab in the middle of the mansion with Avery, Clemmie, and the rest of the club members. I enjoyed the descriptive text, providing me with enough description to create the scenes myself, Not having enough doesn't allow me to connect to the characters, the setting, or the book and having too much description makes me feel like they were included as filler. This books had the perfect amount of description.
The mystery itself was intricate, full of twists, turns, and red herrings. I enjoyed trying to figure out who may have been the culprit. I had a feeling I knew who the murderer was but I was never convinced I had the clues in order. The author did a great job masquerading the guilty person and not making things obvious or too easy to guess. This is a fun who-dun-it and I look forward to the next book.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.
Muriel managed to make everyone's lives nightmarish. Her words and actions caused blood to boil, mean thoughts to enter minds, and, for someone, the delight of her demise. As a reader, Muriel is one of those characters that you'll love to hate. She may even remind a reader of someone they've encountered in real life. Muriel was horrible and the author wrote her in such a way that you couldn't help but feel bad for those she abused, as well as angry on their behalf. Muriel isn't the only character written this well.
Avery, Oz, Jack, Clemmie, the rest of the club, and all the side character were equally written well. You could feel Avery's frustration at Muriel, her sadness at the treatment of the kitchen staff, and she disbelief in her ability to see ghosts. Oz didn't make many appearances but he was written as a well-respected and capable police officer with what could be a romantic side. Jack is a restorationist with secrets, yet he's willing to aid Avery in her quest for justice against Muriel. Clemmie was written with period characteristics, clothes, and speech. I was able to visualize her and "hear" her talk in a way we don't hear anymore.
The world building was great. I envisioned myself right smack dab in the middle of the mansion with Avery, Clemmie, and the rest of the club members. I enjoyed the descriptive text, providing me with enough description to create the scenes myself, Not having enough doesn't allow me to connect to the characters, the setting, or the book and having too much description makes me feel like they were included as filler. This books had the perfect amount of description.
The mystery itself was intricate, full of twists, turns, and red herrings. I enjoyed trying to figure out who may have been the culprit. I had a feeling I knew who the murderer was but I was never convinced I had the clues in order. The author did a great job masquerading the guilty person and not making things obvious or too easy to guess. This is a fun who-dun-it and I look forward to the next book.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.
January 5, 2023
Haunted Homicide is the first book in the Haunted Mansion series by Lucy Ness.
This new series stars Avery Morgan, newly hired manager of the Portage Path Women's Club, a ladies club that has seen better days. Once numbering over 2000, current membership stands at 89 -- most of whom are, well, old to older (one, Gracie, likes to say she's "older than dirt"). Avery has been hired by the board to revitalize and save the ladies club -- and maybe bring it into the 21st century. However, the day she arrives to move in, she finds the club's grand old mansion home is in disrepair -- and there's been a fire! -- and a restorationist has been hired. On her official first day, she finds out the maintenance man has been fired by the current club president, her room is trashed and burgled, and she finds snobby, hoity-toity club president Muriel Sadler dead in the basement. Oh... and, she meets the ghost of a 1920s singer. Said ghost, Clementine (Clemmie), was a young singer when the cellar of the mansion was a speakeasy. She was killed when two guests got into a gun battle. What will day three bring!
The board, who all had run-ins with Muriel and problems with her high-handed ways, asks Avery to investigate for the good of the club. With Clemmie's help, she sets out to do just that. How do you rule out suspects when it seems like everyone who came into with contact Muriel didn't like her?
Along the way we're introduced to the club's board (Patricia Fink, Gracie Grimm, Valentina Hanover, and Agnes Yarborough), the club's kitchen workers (Chef Quentin Cruz and waitress Geneva), the former handyman Bill Manby and his girlfriend, Brittany Pleasance, who held the manager position prior to Avery. Then there's Jack Harkness, the restorationist dealing with fire damage and Sergeant Oscar (Oz) Alterman, the detective investigating Muriel's death -- two possible love interests for Avery, though Jack is engaged to Kendall Sadler, Muriel's granddaughter.
What a fun start to a new series! I instantly liked Avery and most of the other characters. The club ladies are sweet but strong. Even Quentin and Geneva are fun. It's the bees-knees listening to Cammie speak in 20's vernacular and describe the mansion in the grand old days. On top of the great characters is the the mystery, which is well crafted. Ms. Ness lays out enough clues and red herrings to keep things interesting as we follow Avery's investigation. 4.25-4.50 stars
I can't wait to see Avery (and the board!) bring the club back to life. Cammie is an interesting character and it will be fun to see how she adapts to life in the 21st century. She's also helping Avery jazz up her life and appearance. And, I'm looking forward to Avery and Oz! I've already started book two in the series, Phantoms and Felonies.
Lucy Ness is a pseudonym for Constance Laux who writes romance, young adult, and mysteries under various pseudonyms. While I haven't read any of her romances or YAs, I have enjoyed her mysteries. I've read or started most of the series written under her various names. You can't go wrong with any of them:
* Miranda Bliss - Cooking Class
* Casey Daniels - Pepper Martin LOVED THIS SERIES!
* Mimi Granger - Love is Murder SWEET!
* Anastasia Hastings - Dear Miss Hermione coming in 2023
* Kylie Logan - Button Box LOVED THIS SERIES -- Chili Cook-off -- Ethinic Eats -- Jazz Ramsey -- League of Literary Ladies I had a slow start with this series, but wound up really enjoying it.
This book was not complimentary. I am reviewing it of my own free will because the book, or the experience of reading it, moved me to do so. All thoughts and opinions are my own, biased only by my experience(s).
#LucyNess; #HauntedHomicide; #HauntedMansion; #CozyMystery
#MirandaBliss; #CookingClass; CaseyDaniels; #PepperMartin; #MimiGranger; #LoveIsMurder; #AnastasiaHastings; #DearMissHermione; #KylieLogan; #Button Box; #ChiliCook-off; #EthinicEats; #JazzRamsey; #LeagueOfLiteraryLadies; $ConstanceLaux; #ConnieLaux
This new series stars Avery Morgan, newly hired manager of the Portage Path Women's Club, a ladies club that has seen better days. Once numbering over 2000, current membership stands at 89 -- most of whom are, well, old to older (one, Gracie, likes to say she's "older than dirt"). Avery has been hired by the board to revitalize and save the ladies club -- and maybe bring it into the 21st century. However, the day she arrives to move in, she finds the club's grand old mansion home is in disrepair -- and there's been a fire! -- and a restorationist has been hired. On her official first day, she finds out the maintenance man has been fired by the current club president, her room is trashed and burgled, and she finds snobby, hoity-toity club president Muriel Sadler dead in the basement. Oh... and, she meets the ghost of a 1920s singer. Said ghost, Clementine (Clemmie), was a young singer when the cellar of the mansion was a speakeasy. She was killed when two guests got into a gun battle. What will day three bring!
The board, who all had run-ins with Muriel and problems with her high-handed ways, asks Avery to investigate for the good of the club. With Clemmie's help, she sets out to do just that. How do you rule out suspects when it seems like everyone who came into with contact Muriel didn't like her?
Along the way we're introduced to the club's board (Patricia Fink, Gracie Grimm, Valentina Hanover, and Agnes Yarborough), the club's kitchen workers (Chef Quentin Cruz and waitress Geneva), the former handyman Bill Manby and his girlfriend, Brittany Pleasance, who held the manager position prior to Avery. Then there's Jack Harkness, the restorationist dealing with fire damage and Sergeant Oscar (Oz) Alterman, the detective investigating Muriel's death -- two possible love interests for Avery, though Jack is engaged to Kendall Sadler, Muriel's granddaughter.
What a fun start to a new series! I instantly liked Avery and most of the other characters. The club ladies are sweet but strong. Even Quentin and Geneva are fun. It's the bees-knees listening to Cammie speak in 20's vernacular and describe the mansion in the grand old days. On top of the great characters is the the mystery, which is well crafted. Ms. Ness lays out enough clues and red herrings to keep things interesting as we follow Avery's investigation. 4.25-4.50 stars
I can't wait to see Avery (and the board!) bring the club back to life. Cammie is an interesting character and it will be fun to see how she adapts to life in the 21st century. She's also helping Avery jazz up her life and appearance. And, I'm looking forward to Avery and Oz! I've already started book two in the series, Phantoms and Felonies.
Lucy Ness is a pseudonym for Constance Laux who writes romance, young adult, and mysteries under various pseudonyms. While I haven't read any of her romances or YAs, I have enjoyed her mysteries. I've read or started most of the series written under her various names. You can't go wrong with any of them:
* Miranda Bliss - Cooking Class
* Casey Daniels - Pepper Martin LOVED THIS SERIES!
* Mimi Granger - Love is Murder SWEET!
* Anastasia Hastings - Dear Miss Hermione coming in 2023
* Kylie Logan - Button Box LOVED THIS SERIES -- Chili Cook-off -- Ethinic Eats -- Jazz Ramsey -- League of Literary Ladies I had a slow start with this series, but wound up really enjoying it.
This book was not complimentary. I am reviewing it of my own free will because the book, or the experience of reading it, moved me to do so. All thoughts and opinions are my own, biased only by my experience(s).
#LucyNess; #HauntedHomicide; #HauntedMansion; #CozyMystery
#MirandaBliss; #CookingClass; CaseyDaniels; #PepperMartin; #MimiGranger; #LoveIsMurder; #AnastasiaHastings; #DearMissHermione; #KylieLogan; #Button Box; #ChiliCook-off; #EthinicEats; #JazzRamsey; #LeagueOfLiteraryLadies; $ConstanceLaux; #ConnieLaux
April 29, 2021
This is the first book in the haunted mansion series. This was such a great first book in the series. I loved Avery as a lead character. Avery takes a job a the business manager for the Portage Path Women's Club. On her first night in the clubs mansion, the clubs very rude president is found at the bottom of the stairs dead. The club members ask Avery to investigate. I loved that Avery could see and hear the ghost of a woman who died in the building years before. I thought it added an interesting aspect to the story and loved how the ghost helped Avery investigate. The lead detective was good as well. I liked how he worked with Avery and hope to see more of him in the future.
September 21, 2020
3.5/5
Mon avis en français
My English review
I love ghosts, so when I saw the release of this novel, I was immediately very curious to know what it was all about!
Avery’s just been hired and she’s very excited about this new job. Unfortunately, while everyone welcomes her, this is not the case for the club’s president: Muriel. But well, Muriel seems to hate everyone and it’s mutual. So when she’s found dead, the women of the club mandate Avery to find out who the murderer is! If the police investigate, our heroine will be helped by a ghost to find out the truth. That’s also how she will learn the secrets of the club, from each of the women until the much sought-after truth explodes.
It was a nice enough novel, although maybe I was expecting something more. Anyway, I had a great time and it was a pleasure to meet Every, but also Ben and Oz, the cop investigating the murder.
A perfect novel for a light read.
Mon avis en français
My English review
I love ghosts, so when I saw the release of this novel, I was immediately very curious to know what it was all about!
Avery’s just been hired and she’s very excited about this new job. Unfortunately, while everyone welcomes her, this is not the case for the club’s president: Muriel. But well, Muriel seems to hate everyone and it’s mutual. So when she’s found dead, the women of the club mandate Avery to find out who the murderer is! If the police investigate, our heroine will be helped by a ghost to find out the truth. That’s also how she will learn the secrets of the club, from each of the women until the much sought-after truth explodes.
It was a nice enough novel, although maybe I was expecting something more. Anyway, I had a great time and it was a pleasure to meet Every, but also Ben and Oz, the cop investigating the murder.
A perfect novel for a light read.
May 11, 2021
I honestly don't understand why this book is getting such high ratings. I just could not get into this book. To be honest, I couldn't even finish it. Maybe if the ghost was quicker to come into the story, it would have been more interesting? And I felt the characters fell flat and as hard as I tried, could not come around to liking any of them. Won't be reading any more books in this series.
October 12, 2020
Synopsis:
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when
the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together the Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Avery has a new job: manager of the Portage Path Woman’s Club. She has her hands full learning the ropes and dealing with Muriel, the club president. Muriel is mean, unhappy and does not like many people. Avery has no idea how she is going to get along with Muriel, it will not be easy. When she finds Muriel dead, she knows that things have gone from bad to worse. Now, on top of everything else she has going on, she has to try and figure out the killer. Ske will have help from Sergeant Alterman, known to his friends as Oz, and some of the women from the Portage Path Woman’ Club. And the resident ghost, Clemmie, that only Avery can see. I personally would have liked Clemmie to be more involved in the book. That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book was a quick easy read. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved. I was not completely sure of the culprit until it was revealed at the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you like a ghost in your mystery, like I do, grab this book and enjoy.
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when
the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together the Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Avery has a new job: manager of the Portage Path Woman’s Club. She has her hands full learning the ropes and dealing with Muriel, the club president. Muriel is mean, unhappy and does not like many people. Avery has no idea how she is going to get along with Muriel, it will not be easy. When she finds Muriel dead, she knows that things have gone from bad to worse. Now, on top of everything else she has going on, she has to try and figure out the killer. Ske will have help from Sergeant Alterman, known to his friends as Oz, and some of the women from the Portage Path Woman’ Club. And the resident ghost, Clemmie, that only Avery can see. I personally would have liked Clemmie to be more involved in the book. That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book was a quick easy read. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved. I was not completely sure of the culprit until it was revealed at the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you like a ghost in your mystery, like I do, grab this book and enjoy.
January 5, 2021
Avery Morgan has been hired to bring an old fashioned women's club back to life.
Membership is falling and the grand old mansion where it is housed is in need of maintenance.
Her new boss, Muriel Sadler is a nightmare to work with and gives her problems at every turn.
It is just one problem after another, there has been a fire in the main office/library and a restorationist is called in to repair the damages.
The grill is not working correctly in the kitchen, the grounds are not in good shape and the lights go out with bad fuses often.
After just that occurrence, Avery heads down into the basement to fix the fuses and stumbles over a dead body. At the same time she comes across Clemmie Bow the ghost of a 1920's singer.
Avery really has her work cut out for her! The membership numbers ar ethe least of her problems. NOw she has to find out who the murderer is and hope that she is not the next in the killer's sights!
Membership is falling and the grand old mansion where it is housed is in need of maintenance.
Her new boss, Muriel Sadler is a nightmare to work with and gives her problems at every turn.
It is just one problem after another, there has been a fire in the main office/library and a restorationist is called in to repair the damages.
The grill is not working correctly in the kitchen, the grounds are not in good shape and the lights go out with bad fuses often.
After just that occurrence, Avery heads down into the basement to fix the fuses and stumbles over a dead body. At the same time she comes across Clemmie Bow the ghost of a 1920's singer.
Avery really has her work cut out for her! The membership numbers ar ethe least of her problems. NOw she has to find out who the murderer is and hope that she is not the next in the killer's sights!
April 20, 2022
This was so much fun! I liked Avery and her ghost sidekick, Clemmie, whose life I hope we get to hear more about in future books. After all that happened at the club in this book I’m interested to see what will happen next.
September 26, 2022
4 stars
Haunted Homicide is my first Lucy Ness's book (whom is a pen name of Connie Laux, whom have...so many pen name I can't count) and also the first of Haunted Mansion Mystery. All of the paranormal and supernatural creatures, I hate ghost so much. They scared me and give me heebies jeebies. Call it curiosity even scared at first (what that's called? scaruiosity? curioscared? heh!), I give this book a chance and also buy the second book so I can binge read it.
Told from first PoV, our narrator, Avery Morgan got her new job as a business manager for Portage Path Women Club aka PPWC. I call it a women club for snob white older ladies, because...they are even not all of them. Even Avery got warm welcome from member of PPWC board, PPWC's president say otherwise. Muriel is a nasty human being, a bully to the core. But, when Avery discover Muriel's dead body in the basement, the board ask her to search for the murderer. The question is, whodunnit?
Haunted Mansion is a classic whodunnit mystery. There's no locked room mysteries to be unraveled, since the method to kill Muriel is pretty easy (she got knocked in her head). Like I said first, Muriel is a bully. Everybody that Avery knows have a reason to kill her, include Avery herself. But ofc, she's not our perpetrator. Avery must play amateur detective and start question everyone about their alibi. There's no red herrings and the mystery seems to pretty straightforward. I kinda guess who the culprit is, but Ness keep the mystery of the reason why the they murder Muriel, tight to almost the end. Some people apparently lied to Avery to secure their alibi and well.. there's bound to be some scandals.
It's not complete to discuss about the ghost. Seems like Avery have ability to communicate with ghost, or like she said "a being from the Other Side", although she denied it at first. Clementine Bow, or Clemmie for short have been dead for centuries and even Avery try to deny her ability, Clemmie become some helps in the end. Sadly, their interaction is not that much, despite the series have "haunted" words in it. Clemmie appear in the half last parts, so I guess she will play major role in the second book. Beside, I liked that Ness also incorporated some of Probation elements in this book since Clemmie came from Roaring Twenties era.
There's potential love interests, with Avery have some blossoming romance with Jack the restorer and Sergeant Oscar "Oz". The former is wilted before its blossomed, and Avery seems to continue the "not-so-friendship I guess" relationship with the latter. I liked that Avery and Oz seems have same height with Avery slightly taller. Like, you know, sometimes I got tired to read a petite women heroine with a larger than bear heroes, despite I myself is short :P.
A pretty solid cozy mystery with likable narrator and setting, Haunted Homicide start with a good story and I hope I will enjoy book 2, too!
Haunted Homicide is my first Lucy Ness's book (whom is a pen name of Connie Laux, whom have...so many pen name I can't count) and also the first of Haunted Mansion Mystery. All of the paranormal and supernatural creatures, I hate ghost so much. They scared me and give me heebies jeebies. Call it curiosity even scared at first (what that's called? scaruiosity? curioscared? heh!), I give this book a chance and also buy the second book so I can binge read it.
Told from first PoV, our narrator, Avery Morgan got her new job as a business manager for Portage Path Women Club aka PPWC. I call it a women club for snob white older ladies, because...they are even not all of them. Even Avery got warm welcome from member of PPWC board, PPWC's president say otherwise. Muriel is a nasty human being, a bully to the core. But, when Avery discover Muriel's dead body in the basement, the board ask her to search for the murderer. The question is, whodunnit?
Haunted Mansion is a classic whodunnit mystery. There's no locked room mysteries to be unraveled, since the method to kill Muriel is pretty easy (she got knocked in her head). Like I said first, Muriel is a bully. Everybody that Avery knows have a reason to kill her, include Avery herself. But ofc, she's not our perpetrator. Avery must play amateur detective and start question everyone about their alibi. There's no red herrings and the mystery seems to pretty straightforward. I kinda guess who the culprit is, but Ness keep the mystery of the reason why the they murder Muriel, tight to almost the end. Some people apparently lied to Avery to secure their alibi and well.. there's bound to be some scandals.
It's not complete to discuss about the ghost. Seems like Avery have ability to communicate with ghost, or like she said "a being from the Other Side", although she denied it at first. Clementine Bow, or Clemmie for short have been dead for centuries and even Avery try to deny her ability, Clemmie become some helps in the end. Sadly, their interaction is not that much, despite the series have "haunted" words in it. Clemmie appear in the half last parts, so I guess she will play major role in the second book. Beside, I liked that Ness also incorporated some of Probation elements in this book since Clemmie came from Roaring Twenties era.
There's potential love interests, with Avery have some blossoming romance with Jack the restorer and Sergeant Oscar "Oz". The former is wilted before its blossomed, and Avery seems to continue the "not-so-friendship I guess" relationship with the latter. I liked that Avery and Oz seems have same height with Avery slightly taller. Like, you know, sometimes I got tired to read a petite women heroine with a larger than bear heroes, despite I myself is short :P.
A pretty solid cozy mystery with likable narrator and setting, Haunted Homicide start with a good story and I hope I will enjoy book 2, too!
November 26, 2020
This is a fun new read and is book 1 in the Haunted Mansion Mystery series. Avery has been hired by the Portage Path's Women's club to bring it into the 21st century. The club president wanted her daughter to get the position but the rest of the committee chose Avery. Now the President is dead, her family is trying to get as much out of the club as possible and there is a ghost in the middle of the case. Clemmie has been in the building for a 100 years and knows all the goings on. Paranormal fans will enjoy this light read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
February 28, 2021
This one was fun and I guessed the killer way before it was revealed. And I take that as a win. I’ll always enjoy a mystery that involves the paranormal.
July 27, 2021
Cute book.
March 3, 2022
An amazing new entry into the world of Paranormal Cozies. I'm looking forward to Lucy Ness's next book in this series.
July 1, 2022
I just recently discovered this author and after reading Haunted Homicide I plan on reading everything I can find by the author. A fun paranormal cozy with vibrant characters that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
December 15, 2020
Well well... A simple, sweet , funny and of course "haunted" mansion mystery to give ya a happy escape from the locked boredom. Happy reading... And yes. I love Clemmie...😁😁😁
December 13, 2020
https://openbooksociety.com/article/h...
Haunted Homicide
A Haunted Mansion Mystery, Book #1
By Lucy Ness
ISBN# 9781984806772
Author Website: kylielogan.com, LucyNessAuthor (Facebook)
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women’s Club, but first she’ll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman’s Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares–thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room–but she’s also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one “nay” vote when the rest of the board voted “aye” to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel’s snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel’s body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together the Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel’s murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side. (Goodreads)
Review:
Haunted Homicide is the delightful debut in the Haunted Mansion Cozy Mystery series by Lucy Ness (also known as Kylie Logan). It’s wonderful manor setting, focus on the past and present, lively ghost, fun protagonist, and intricate mystery make it a worthy read. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Avery leaves her home in upstate New York to take a job managing the Portage Path Women’s Club in Ohio, hoping for a fresh start. All but one board member, the president Muriel, voted in favor of hiring Avery, and Muriel is now out to make her life miserable. When Avery finds Muriel’s body in the club’s basement, and discovers the resident ghost Clemmie, she learns that just about everyone associated with Muriel has a motive for murder. With Clemmie’s help, she investigates to find the killer to save the club and her own future.
I really like Avery. She is the perfect balance of intelligence and curiosity without being annoyingly nosy or too stupid to live. I appreciate that she does not work against the police. Readers are introduced to local detective Oz, and whether he and Avery develop a romantic relationship remains to be seen, but their interplay is entertaining. The other characters are equally as well developed and add interesting variety to the story. I am particularly interested in learning more of Clemmie’s back story. I am sure there is a great mystery to be solved there.
Ness’s easy writing makes Muriel easy to dislike, and there are lots of clues and suspects for Avery to sort through. I vacillated between suspects and did not figure out whodunit until almost the big reveal, and I enjoyed investigating alongside Avery.
Haunted Homicide is a lot of fun, perfect for traditional and paranormal cozy readers. I look forward to many more adventures featuring Avery and Clemmie. Highly recommended.
Haunted Homicide
A Haunted Mansion Mystery, Book #1
By Lucy Ness
ISBN# 9781984806772
Author Website: kylielogan.com, LucyNessAuthor (Facebook)
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women’s Club, but first she’ll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman’s Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares–thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room–but she’s also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one “nay” vote when the rest of the board voted “aye” to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel’s snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel’s body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together the Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel’s murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side. (Goodreads)
Review:
Haunted Homicide is the delightful debut in the Haunted Mansion Cozy Mystery series by Lucy Ness (also known as Kylie Logan). It’s wonderful manor setting, focus on the past and present, lively ghost, fun protagonist, and intricate mystery make it a worthy read. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Avery leaves her home in upstate New York to take a job managing the Portage Path Women’s Club in Ohio, hoping for a fresh start. All but one board member, the president Muriel, voted in favor of hiring Avery, and Muriel is now out to make her life miserable. When Avery finds Muriel’s body in the club’s basement, and discovers the resident ghost Clemmie, she learns that just about everyone associated with Muriel has a motive for murder. With Clemmie’s help, she investigates to find the killer to save the club and her own future.
I really like Avery. She is the perfect balance of intelligence and curiosity without being annoyingly nosy or too stupid to live. I appreciate that she does not work against the police. Readers are introduced to local detective Oz, and whether he and Avery develop a romantic relationship remains to be seen, but their interplay is entertaining. The other characters are equally as well developed and add interesting variety to the story. I am particularly interested in learning more of Clemmie’s back story. I am sure there is a great mystery to be solved there.
Ness’s easy writing makes Muriel easy to dislike, and there are lots of clues and suspects for Avery to sort through. I vacillated between suspects and did not figure out whodunit until almost the big reveal, and I enjoyed investigating alongside Avery.
Haunted Homicide is a lot of fun, perfect for traditional and paranormal cozy readers. I look forward to many more adventures featuring Avery and Clemmie. Highly recommended.
November 4, 2020
This is the first in a new series, called the "Haunted Mansion" mysteries. The protagonist is Avery Morgan, who fled the spiritualist community in Lily Dale, NY for a more sane life in Portage Path, OH. There, she's been hired as the business manager of the Portage Path Women's Club (PPWC).
Avery is excited and anxious to begin anew in Portage Path, but it seems she'll have an uphill battle. The PPWC is losing relevancy in the modern age, there's been a fire in one of the meeting rooms, and the club's president, Muriel Sadler, cast the only 'nay' vote when it came to hiring Avery. Muriel wanted her granddaughter, Kendall, to get the job, and she minces no words when it comes to letting Avery know it. Just as Avery is immersing herself in learning the club's history and getting a handle on what needs to be done, she literally stumbles over Muriel's dead body in the basement. If that wasn't terrifying enough, Avery also encounters the ghost of Clemmie Bow, a flapper who was killed in the club back when it was a private home.
The murder just adds another strike against the PPWC, and the remaining board members ask Avery to see if she can help figure out who murdered Muriel. They want to put members' minds at ease, as well as try to attract new members to the club. Avery reluctantly begins to investigate, aided by Clemmie. Along the way, she uncovers dark secrets involving some of the uppercrust families that the club members hail from, but will she reveal a secret someone would kill to keep?
I liked this story, but it didn't grab my attention, which is why it took me so long to read it. The characters were portrayed well, including the odious Muriel. Avery has two potential love interests, one of whom is--you guessed it--the detective investigating the murder. At least he didn't come across as a complete ass. The plot didn't zoom along, but I find I appreciated the slower pace and the building of clues and discoveries.
Wish I could give this a 3 1/2, but I'll go with a 4.
Avery is excited and anxious to begin anew in Portage Path, but it seems she'll have an uphill battle. The PPWC is losing relevancy in the modern age, there's been a fire in one of the meeting rooms, and the club's president, Muriel Sadler, cast the only 'nay' vote when it came to hiring Avery. Muriel wanted her granddaughter, Kendall, to get the job, and she minces no words when it comes to letting Avery know it. Just as Avery is immersing herself in learning the club's history and getting a handle on what needs to be done, she literally stumbles over Muriel's dead body in the basement. If that wasn't terrifying enough, Avery also encounters the ghost of Clemmie Bow, a flapper who was killed in the club back when it was a private home.
The murder just adds another strike against the PPWC, and the remaining board members ask Avery to see if she can help figure out who murdered Muriel. They want to put members' minds at ease, as well as try to attract new members to the club. Avery reluctantly begins to investigate, aided by Clemmie. Along the way, she uncovers dark secrets involving some of the uppercrust families that the club members hail from, but will she reveal a secret someone would kill to keep?
I liked this story, but it didn't grab my attention, which is why it took me so long to read it. The characters were portrayed well, including the odious Muriel. Avery has two potential love interests, one of whom is--you guessed it--the detective investigating the murder. At least he didn't come across as a complete ass. The plot didn't zoom along, but I find I appreciated the slower pace and the building of clues and discoveries.
Wish I could give this a 3 1/2, but I'll go with a 4.
February 26, 2024
Avery loves her Aunt Rosemary, who raised her after the death of her mother, but is skeptical of her aunt's claim to be able to speak to the dead. So imagine Avery's surprise (and dismay) when she discovers that she shares her aunt's gift. But perhaps this new-found ability will come in handy as Avery investigates who murdered the president of the Portage Path Women's Club where Avery has recently been hired as manager. The president was a woman who had alienated virtually everyone in her life, including her family, the other members of the club and the club's employees. But whose dislike of her rose to the level of murder? In this first book in the series, Avery only encounters one ghost, a young woman who was employed by the original owner of the home that is now the headquarters for the club. Perhaps in the upcoming books in the series, there will be additional ghosts.
This was a strong first book in a series, with a likable, capable protagonist and a variety of interesting supporting characters. I especially liked the ghost and the club members (with one or two notable exceptions). The club is currently losing membership as it has failed to change with the times, so Avery has a major task in front of her as she seeks to modernize it and make it more inclusive. There are a few elements I did not enjoy as much--the culprit seemed rather obvious and the motivation was a little flimsy for a book published in 2020. Also, there are hints of a love triangle even though Avery is clearly more attracted to one of the men and the other one is engaged. Not sure why so many authors feel the need to include this tired trope. But perhaps I am wrong and the love triangle will be gone by book #2. I guess I will know soon since I definitely intend to continue with the series.
This was a strong first book in a series, with a likable, capable protagonist and a variety of interesting supporting characters. I especially liked the ghost and the club members (with one or two notable exceptions). The club is currently losing membership as it has failed to change with the times, so Avery has a major task in front of her as she seeks to modernize it and make it more inclusive. There are a few elements I did not enjoy as much--the culprit seemed rather obvious and the motivation was a little flimsy for a book published in 2020. Also, there are hints of a love triangle even though Avery is clearly more attracted to one of the men and the other one is engaged. Not sure why so many authors feel the need to include this tired trope. But perhaps I am wrong and the love triangle will be gone by book #2. I guess I will know soon since I definitely intend to continue with the series.
October 20, 2020
Haunted Homicide is an apt description of the harrowing events in this cozy mystery by Lucy Ness. Avery Morgan has been hired to renovate and run the Portage Path Women's Club. A fire in the Marigold room shut things down for a while, making scheduling meetings and events an exercise in juggling. She's quickly over her head dealing with one repair job after another and keeping the peace between the strong, opinionated club members. One gives her an especially hard time - Muriel Sadler, club president and the only one who voted against hiring Avery. Avery does enjoy working with the handy man, Ben Harkness, but even that can't make up for the trouble Muriel is causing. As Avery heads down to the basement to replace yet another fuse, she trips over a body that turns out to be Muriel. She also nearly trips over another being that turns out to be Clemmie Bow who helps Avery try to find out who killed Muriel. The interesting thing is that Clemmie is a ghost. She was accidentally killed in the building over a century ago. She and Avery must work quickly to find Muriel's murderer before Avery is the next to go.
Haunted Homicide is the first of a two book series. The characters are fun to read and the ghost and murder add a little depth to this cozy mystery. Add this to your TBR pile and enjoy an exciting new author. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.
Haunted Homicide is the first of a two book series. The characters are fun to read and the ghost and murder add a little depth to this cozy mystery. Add this to your TBR pile and enjoy an exciting new author. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.
June 19, 2021
I liked this book all right. I would have given it 3.5 stars. I really have no comments about it.
Book Description:
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.
Book Description:
Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.
Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.
After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.
She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.
Together Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.
October 12, 2020
Avery Morgan had no idea what she was truly getting herself into when she accepted a new job at the Portage Path Women's Club. She thought maybe she'd have to deal with a difficult member here and there but certainly not a murder ... and most definitely not a ghost!
When a member of the club is murdered, Avery starts digging around to find the truth. As she digs, she finds the resident ghost, Clemmie, who might be able to help her along the way. Can Avery solve whodunit with the help of her new spirit friend?
I really enjoyed reading this book! The characters really stand out and draw the reader in, and I can't wait to continue with the series and this group of characters. I'm intrigued a lot by Avery's aunt from Lily Dale... though she's only ever mentioned, I'd love to see her interact with Avery and the PPWC in the future!
This was a wonderful read for this time of year, and I look forward to further installments in the series 🙂 I highly suggest this to those who love a great cozy mystery with a bit of humor added in.
When a member of the club is murdered, Avery starts digging around to find the truth. As she digs, she finds the resident ghost, Clemmie, who might be able to help her along the way. Can Avery solve whodunit with the help of her new spirit friend?
I really enjoyed reading this book! The characters really stand out and draw the reader in, and I can't wait to continue with the series and this group of characters. I'm intrigued a lot by Avery's aunt from Lily Dale... though she's only ever mentioned, I'd love to see her interact with Avery and the PPWC in the future!
This was a wonderful read for this time of year, and I look forward to further installments in the series 🙂 I highly suggest this to those who love a great cozy mystery with a bit of humor added in.
November 15, 2020
first reviewed here: https://belovedgraceful-carissasbooks...
Title: Haunted Homicide
Author: Lucy Ness
Ch: 23
Pg: 294
Series: A Haunted Mansion Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher: Berkeley
Avery Morgan is now the manager of the Portage Path Women’s club. What she didn’t know was that less than twenty four hours on the job she finds a dead body and a possible murder. As well as discovering that the club is haunted by Clemmie Bow a flapper from the 1920s.
I generally don’t like cozy mysteries with ghosts in them but for some reason I enjoyed this one and I think it’s because the ghost was a woman from the 1920s and she brought some of that twenties feel to the story with the language and her use of twenties slang.
I love the main character Avery she was a strong heroine and it was a cozy mystery in which the heroine wasn’t a suspect for long. The only thing I didn’t like about the mystery was that I figured out who did it before the end mainly to me it was because it was easy to see who had the most motive and most to loss. But still an enjoyable read I look forward to the next book in the series.
Title: Haunted Homicide
Author: Lucy Ness
Ch: 23
Pg: 294
Series: A Haunted Mansion Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher: Berkeley
Avery Morgan is now the manager of the Portage Path Women’s club. What she didn’t know was that less than twenty four hours on the job she finds a dead body and a possible murder. As well as discovering that the club is haunted by Clemmie Bow a flapper from the 1920s.
I generally don’t like cozy mysteries with ghosts in them but for some reason I enjoyed this one and I think it’s because the ghost was a woman from the 1920s and she brought some of that twenties feel to the story with the language and her use of twenties slang.
I love the main character Avery she was a strong heroine and it was a cozy mystery in which the heroine wasn’t a suspect for long. The only thing I didn’t like about the mystery was that I figured out who did it before the end mainly to me it was because it was easy to see who had the most motive and most to loss. But still an enjoyable read I look forward to the next book in the series.
August 26, 2020
This was a well crafted fluffy murder mystery.
The first time Avery steps into her job at Portage Path Women's Club, she finds out that there had been a fire. The next night she discovers a ghost and her boss's dead body. As murder can be seen as hurting the club, club's committee tells her to investigate the murder. Using her new found medium powers, she gets the ghost, Clemmie to help her.
I really enjoyed this book. Avery is smart and quick on her toes. I wonder if her medium powers are going to be explored in last books. Her friendship with Clemmie is sweet but I felt sorry for Clemmie having her life cut short and being stuck in that house.
There might be a love triangle (or square) that I'm crossing my fingers doesn't develop in the next book. Ben and his maybe fiance doesn't have to be explored. They can never be spoken of again.
This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.
The first time Avery steps into her job at Portage Path Women's Club, she finds out that there had been a fire. The next night she discovers a ghost and her boss's dead body. As murder can be seen as hurting the club, club's committee tells her to investigate the murder. Using her new found medium powers, she gets the ghost, Clemmie to help her.
I really enjoyed this book. Avery is smart and quick on her toes. I wonder if her medium powers are going to be explored in last books. Her friendship with Clemmie is sweet but I felt sorry for Clemmie having her life cut short and being stuck in that house.
There might be a love triangle (or square) that I'm crossing my fingers doesn't develop in the next book. Ben and his maybe fiance doesn't have to be explored. They can never be spoken of again.
This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.
April 22, 2021
What a great start to a cozy mystery series. Avery Morgan has just started her new job as business manager of the Portage Path Women’s Club, and it starts out with quite a bit of excitement, including the murder of the club president, Muriel Sadler. There’s no shortage of suspects since no one seems particularly sad at her death. Muriel has made quite a few enemies over the years due to a nasty personality. When Avery discovers Muriel’s body, she also discovers resident ghost Clemmie Bow, who is absolutely delightful. I loved Clemmie’e flapper jargon, especially when she calls Avery’s PowerPoint presentation “the eel’s eyebrows” (meaning it’s good). The mystery kept me guessing and characters were very likable, making for a delightful start to the series. This book is the bees knees!
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