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Tess and Tilly #12

The Ghostly Groundskeeper

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If you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this mystery series set in the small town of White Eagle Montana.

In book 12 in the series, Tony offers to pay for a televised ad promoting the annual haunted house, and Tess agrees to act as spokesperson. She shows up to film the piece and quickly discovers that the 'haunted' in haunted house was proving to be more real than imaginary. Join Tess and the gang as she decides to uncover the truth about former resident Doctor Franktown once and for all.

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2021

199 people are currently reading
171 people want to read

About the author

Kathi Daley

349 books1,771 followers
Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn't writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she's not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home.
Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.

Join me on Facebook at Kathi Daley Books (www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks) for updates on my books, photos of life in Lake Tahoe, recipes, contests, and giveaways. For weekly updates and contests sign up for The Daley Weekly Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/NRPDf).



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5 stars
826 (67%)
4 stars
280 (22%)
3 stars
101 (8%)
2 stars
19 (1%)
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5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for Mystereity Reviews.
778 reviews50 followers
October 11, 2021
*sigh* I've done it, I've read the whole series. Now all I can do is hope there's more books!

I liked this one, it had a lot of facets. A dead body in the cellar of a house once owned by Dr. Franktown, a man who confessed on his death bed to killing 9 men while experimenting on them medically (eek!). Years later, the property has been sold to a developer and has given permission for Tess and Tony to film a ghost hunting show there at Halloween. Add in a very real ghostly groundskeeper, and a hectic Halloween festival weekend and this was a great book and a perfect Halloween read!
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,450 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2021
Ms. Daley has another charming mystery for readers of this cozy series. Tess and Tony are co-chairs for the annual Halloween Festival which has kept them busy. Plus they have arranged for a ghost hunter crew to do a televised tour of a reported haunted estate at the edge of White Eagle. With a few deft twists, red herrings and some indepth research done by Tony, they are soon helping Mike to solve a murder. I always enjoy reading a book in this series because not only is there a mystery to solve but the stories are also filled with family and friendship.
Profile Image for Patrizia.
1,924 reviews41 followers
January 28, 2022
4 stelle e mezza
Sto tentando di mettermi in pari con almeno un paio delle serie di questa autrice, ma, pur essendo i suoi libri abbastanza corti, è dura. Qui c'è un cold case (interessante) e un omicidio più recente (meno intrigante). Buona lettura, ma altri libri mi sono piaciuti di più.
Profile Image for Lynne Moody.
452 reviews150 followers
September 26, 2021
The characters were really great and interesting. The storyline keep me reading with all the twist and turns that will keep you wanting more. You don't want to miss one.
Profile Image for Taryn.
1,107 reviews31 followers
August 2, 2022
Tess and Tony learn that while away they were put in charge of the towns Halloween festival. They both want to bring as many people to the event that they can so Tony pays for a televised ad that will promote the event. Tess volunteers to be the spokesperson in the ad but so learns that filming isn't as easy ash she thought it would be. She ends up telling the tale of a local doctor who ended up being a serial killer. You see the town is hosting a ghost hunter type show at the late doctors home a week before the festival. There are a limited amount of tickets and hopefully they will sell like hotcakes. The town needs the money to help keep it in the black. Tess and Tony are also in charge of everything to do with getting ready for the show and will also be there to keep things moving when its being taped. While making sure the house is safe for their upcoming visitors a body is found in the basement. How did the man end up here and who killed him are the questions that need to be answered especially when everything was locked up tight. Follow along as Tess and Tony start looking into things hoping to find the answers they seek. Will they figure things out and will the show still go on after such a horrible incident? This was a great read with a wonderful plot. It kept me on my toes the whole way through.
16 reviews
September 12, 2021
Halloween Adventure

Another great read in this series that kept me guessing. Makes me want to live in this small beautiful town
251 reviews4 followers
September 9, 2021
Tony is awesome

So, Tony is wealthy, handsome, owns his own business, is a genius with computers, and does all the cooking. Tess works every once in a while and takes the dogs for walks. What does Tony see in her exactly? Still kind of fun mystery series.
Profile Image for Janet Epperson.
517 reviews3 followers
October 9, 2021
Fantastic series by Kathi Daley one of several of hers that I enjoy.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
173 reviews
March 1, 2023
The Halloween festival is coming up in White Eagle so naturally there is a spooky old house where a serial killer once lived.

There is a TV show called Ghost Therapist who are coming to White Eagle to do a ghost hunting tour of the mansion that was once owned by a doctor. On his deathbed, the doctor confessed to killing nine men in this mansion while he was doing medical experiments on them in the 70s and 80s. He told his groundskeeper to bury them on the grounds of the estate. These bodies have never been found and the groundskeeper is supposedly dead. Legend says that if you are in the tower of the house, you can see the groundskeeper at night with his flashlight, checking on the graves of these buried men.

People are going to bid to see who is going to stay in the mansion with the Ghost Therapist. The twelve highest bids will be chosen. Tess, Tony, Mike and two residents will also be staying there. During their stay in the mansion, they discover that someone has been living there in a secret room.

While Tess & Tony are at the mansion with the electrician to check things out before the big night, they find a dead body who has been there just a few days. The main suspect is Sam, who just moved next door to Tess' mom.

What does Sam know about the deceased?
Who is living at the estate and why?
Where are the bodies of the men, the doctor confessed to killing?

Join Tess, Tony & Mike while they solve another murder.

This is another compelling story by Kathy Daley. The author keeps the reader engaged and guessing as the plot unfolds.

If you like small town romance with a side of murder and pets, you will love this series.
Profile Image for Laurie Pinnell.
111 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2021
Okay, I have to be honest here. I hadn't read any Tess and Tilly books when this book peaked my interest. I bought it and proceeded to read. Every chance I got I read. It is so good that now I'm hooked on Tess and Tilly. In no time at all, I knew the characters and felt very comfortable reading the latest entry, first.
The annual Halloween Festival is soon and Tess and Tony got the job of co-chairs because they were absent from the meeting and they were voted in. The big draw is the haunted house that happens to be the site of the murders of nine kidnapped young men over the span of a decade. The house has set vacant for some time and now that it's been sold, it is slated to be demolished. Before that happens, they have permission to auction off entry to the legendary mansion to witness the filming of a popular "Ghost Therapy" reality show to raise money for the town's annual budget which is in critical condition. Before they can get the house checked out for safety's sake, a dead body is found in the basement. A recently murdered body. Uh oh, that wasn't expected. This is just the beginning of their newest adventure. Who was this man and why was he murdered? Does this murder tie in to the ones from the past or is the common murder site just a strange coincidence. Together with Tess's brother Officer Mike Thomas, and a few others They set out to solve this crime and answer a lot of questions doing so.
I am looking forward to the next one and meantime I'm planning on getting caught up with Tess and Tilly and their past adventures.
6 reviews
September 13, 2021
The Ghostly Groundskeeper is the 12th book in Kathi Daley’s Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery series. This book is another great story filled with the elements of a cozy mystery including suspense, romance, humor, love, friends and family, and a sense of community.

In this story, Tess and Tony are co-chairs of the local Halloween Festival fundraiser to raise money for the town so local programs won‘t have to be cut. One event is an online auction in which the 12 highest bidders get to spend the night in an old, dilapidated, possibly real haunted house with two ghost hunters from a cable television show called “Ghost Therapy.” While preparing the huge house for this event, a dead body is discovered in the basement. Tess, along with her resourceful husband, Tony, and her brother, Mike, who is a police officer, work to discover the identity of the killer and to learn the truth about the tragic events that occurred in the past at this house.

The setting is perfect for a Halloween mystery. As always, Mrs. Daley’s writing flows smoothly, and her setting and relatable characters make for an extremely enjoyable and quick read.
Profile Image for RO G'ma.
1,061 reviews45 followers
September 7, 2021
The Ghostly Groundskeeper is the twelfth book in Kathi Daley’s Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery series. The setting is charming, and the three-dimensional characters are delightful in this cozy mystery. The storyline flows at a steady pace, and the storyline is well plotted and intriguing, with plenty of twists and red herrings to keep readers engaged. I highly recommend this series to those who enjoy reading well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Upon their return from a trip to Italy to visit Tony’s family, Tess and Tony learn that while they were gone, they were nominated for and voted in as co-chairs for the annual Halloween Festival, including a special television event being filmed at Doctor Franktown’s estate. The Franktown estate, which was abandoned decades ago and is currently slated for demolition, is rumored to be haunted by men kidnapped, murdered, and buried when Doctor Franktown and his wife were alive. The mansion becomes an active crime scene when the electrician Tony hired to ensure the electrical system was safe and properly working discovers a body in the basement.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,205 reviews346 followers
July 30, 2021
Probably my favorite Tess and Tilly mystery yet! The town is gearing up for Halloween and we all get to go Ghost Hunting! Well, a select group of people are invited to a real haunted house and laboratory.
It was home to a mad or evil Doctor who people believe was a serial killer.

There is also a local legend that the former groundskeeper still keeps watch after his death.
But a present day real murder shortly before the ghost hunters arrive has the town buzzing with speculation and gossip. Who is that man with the tattoo? Has he been the one breaking into and robbing local businesses? What is his mysterious connection to the town and to Tess and Mike's father?

We get plenty of community involvement, the holiday feel we love in a Kathi Daley series, and exciting danger ... well, I can't go spoiling the surprise for you.
Everything you want in a cozy read or small town fiction plus it takes place at my favorite time of year!
Profile Image for Darla Taylor.
1,836 reviews
September 9, 2021
Tess and Tony have been voted in as co-chairs of the local Halloween festival. Tony pays for a television ad for the haunted house and Tess is the spokesperson, but when they go to check the house out ahead of time a body is found. Can Tess and Tony help Mike find the killer?

This is a fantastic series and this book is no exception. Kathi Daley masters the cozy mystery and this book is a must-read. The book's well-written with a wonderful cast of characters and believable relationships. I love the way small town life is captured. I was drawn into this story from the beginning and kept captivated throughout. The book's a quick, fun read with a mystery that'll keep you guessing. I'm looking forward to more from this series. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order for the most enjoyment and benefit.
5 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2024
Disappointing

While I like this series, this book seemed lacking. Perhaps she was running behind on her schedule or maybe something serious was happening in her life. Ms. Daley is a good writer, but this book read like a new student had written it. Run-on sentences were so distracting and it was filled with those. I understand how a person will go over conversations in their mind, but 'Tess' did this too many times. Plus those conversations weren't that important to the storyline. I usually do not give a negative review of a book. Since I've never finished writing one, I don't know the pressure of turning out book after book after book. Hopefully this is only one bad book in this series. I read cozy mysteries to escape the pressure of these times, and was not able to do that with this book. It was work to get through it. Sorry
Profile Image for Jane Firebaugh.
Author 7 books99 followers
September 7, 2021
Tess and Tony are co-chairing the annual Halloween haunted house, and it is promising to be a really exciting event, as the house they are using is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of nine men who were held there as medical human guinea pigs by a grief-crazed doctor and eventually killed and buried somewhere on the property.

Not only that, but a TV show episode of "Ghost Therapy" is scheduled to be filmed at the haunted house, and Tess and Tony are to be there along with several lucky townspeople who won the privilege.
Unfortunately, a new dead body complicates matters a bit and Tess and Tony find themselves embroiled in a new murder mystery as well.

Really fun read, and it kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,408 reviews12 followers
January 1, 2022
I really enjoy reading these books, sad to have finished the last one for now, and hoping there are more to come soon.

Tess, Tony and the rest of the team are caught up in Halloween again, and when a body is found in the haunted house, once which shouldn't be there, they're drawn into a mystery many years in the making.

If you like cozy mysteries set in a small town with likeable characters, and a touch of romance thrown in, then these are for you. In fact, all of the cozy mystery series written by this author are similar in vein.

Books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series.
Profile Image for Penney.
696 reviews
September 10, 2024
This is book 12 in the series,
Tony offers to pay for a televised ad promoting the annual haunted house, and Tess agrees to act as spokesperson. She shows up to film the piece and quickly discovers that the 'haunted' in haunted house was proving to be more real than imaginary. Join Tess and the gang as she decides to uncover the truth about former resident Doctor Franktown once and for all.

Another great read! The Characters are great! I loved the Suspense of the story. Love the settings. I loved how it ended.
I'm looking forward to the next in this series

If you havn't read this series yet I highly recommend reading it.
1,033 reviews2 followers
September 9, 2021
Tess and Tillie -- and Tony, of course

While co-chairing the annual Halloween Festival Tess and Tony get permission from the new owner of a dilapidated estate outside of town to use it for a ghost hunter type TV show and were at the mansion with an electrician to be sure the electric systems were safe to use for the filming and find a body in the basement. They then are trying to solve the mystery while putting on the festival. Plenty of twists and turns, their friends in town, and the discovery of a new friend. Great story, as always.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,189 reviews
September 9, 2021
The Ghostly Groundkeeper ( Tess and Tilly #12 )
By: Kathi Daley
The Ghostly Groundkeeper is the twelfth book in Tess and Tilly series. The story is well written and the characters are well developed. Tess and Tony are co-chairing the annual Halloween haunted house and the house is suppose to be haunted and is the house of a serial killer. Is all this true? People are excited about the house. Tess, Tony , and friends all have their hands full preparing for this event. Mystery and murder surrounds this old house.
181 reviews2 followers
September 16, 2021
Another Tess and Tilly mystery worth reading

This book is such a great continuation of the Tess and Tilly series. I have enjoyed everyone of these stories
I love the characters and the changes they go through in their lives while solving Complex mysteries . This book did not disappoint my expectation of a great story, filled with Side characters and a happy ending. I don't b like to tell the details of the plot because then you have no reason to read it, butb12 books and still great mysteries - great reading time
Profile Image for Monica.
1,100 reviews
October 8, 2021
Another great mystery with the past linking to the present. Kathi Daley always keeps me at the edge of my seat and I have to read the books in this series in one sitting. Love the little side where Tess and Tilly sub for the postal carrier so that we get to walk around with them visiting the residents of this charming town. Still more mysterious links to Tess' dad in the ongoing mystery that I hope we'll get all the answers to some day. Tony is forever the great detective and problem solver. Looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Celest.
704 reviews8 followers
November 29, 2021
Couldn't put it down

I found this to be one of those mysteries that was hard to find a stopping point. So I just read all night. Kathi Daley's books tend to be like that for me. I was happy to see that Tess and Tony were including Mike a lot more while investigating, but then Mike has a tendency to end up tied to a chair on occasion. It all adds to the excitement of the story. True to her style, the ending was quite the surprise. I enjoyed reading this book and now I'm on to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Cindy.
762 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2021
The Tess and Tilly series is always a fun, quick read with great characters. There's a creepy story behind the house that will be used in the Halloween celebration and a current-day murder in the house as well. I do encourage you to start at the beginning in this series. Although there are no cliff-hangers, the characters do evolve and you may be left wondering about some of the references made about Tess and Mike's dad if you don't know the background.
Profile Image for Theresa Feeley.
63 reviews
March 15, 2022
Can’t get enough!

I love reading Kathi Daley’s adventures with all her characters. Don’t know what I will do when I finish all the stories. This edition of Tess and Tilly features a complicated mystery which includes a level of danger for Tess and Tony. No spoilers for you. Read it! It’s a wonderful example of community support and fun with a little mystery challenge thrown in for variety.
4 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2022
perfect cozy mystery!

This was the first I’ve read from this series ( I think it’s book 11)… but it was pretty easy to keep up. I do suggest reading the previous books because there are some character interactions that I needed to be elaborated on.
The book takes place over Halloween season. The characters are relatable. The mystery was a engaging. I will definitely be read this series starting at book 1!
Profile Image for Marissa.
3,556 reviews46 followers
September 7, 2021
Kindle Copy for Review

It is Halloween haunted house again.

Tony offers to pay television promotion of the haunted house and Tess ends up being spokesperson.
On her arrival to film the promotion she begins to realize there is more than meets the eye and the history of the house.

It’s another enjoyable Tess and Tilly story.
Profile Image for JoAnne.
1,804 reviews97 followers
September 9, 2021
Love the twist that came about in the ghost story and what a great outcome for all. Love the good all over feeling I get when reading about how Tony and Tess are such good-hearted people. A great book where I got to learn more about the characters in this series, was able to be a sleuth following the clues to solve the murder mystery, and was able to immersed myself in the community activies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for D.
1,294 reviews17 followers
September 9, 2021
Tess and Tony missed a committee meeting--ending up with the two of them running the Halloween events for the town. The town desperately needs the money the event will bring in. Dr. Franktown's history and deserted house becomes the center point of the story. Lot's of action for our delightful characters makes this a fast and fun read.
169 reviews30 followers
September 11, 2021
Ghostly Encounters?

Good rather scary Halloween story. I always enjoy how the author has a multi-facted storyline. The main thread is the Haunted House where a mis guided doctor used Kidnapped victims for experiments.The town Halloween festival Ghost hunters, Murder and a light in the Forest all come together..Enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews

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