Old Haunts
Alison Kerby returns in the third in what is billed as the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series by E.J. Copperman. Alison, a single mother of a precocious ten-year-old daughter, after her divorce from the man she not-so-lovingly refers to as “The Swine” returned to the town where she grew up, Harbor Haven on the Jersey Shore, purchased a house over a century old, hoping to live out her dream of running a guest house. Those plans changed somewhat after Alison discovered that the previous owner of the house, “Maxie,” is still there – sort of. Actually, it’s Maxie’s ghost who is still there, as well as that of a young detective named Paul, who had been hired by Maxie shortly before death threats had been carried out against her, with both of them becoming murder victims. Alison, her mother and daughter seem to be the only ones who can see them. But on the positive side, word has gotten around, and the ‘haunted guesthouse’ is now being booked by a tour agent for senior citizens interested in what is billed as a “unique experience,” promising two-a-day “ghostly happenings.” Maxie, who died – and still remains – at 28, and Paul – English-born and Canadian-raised, and wanting to keep his hand in the p.i. business, so to speak - have no problem with that, especially as they are apparently incapable of leaving the house.
It is a typically hot – make that ‘very hot’ – July “down the shore” in Harbor Haven. Alison has her usual contingent of guests, most of them the normal group of seniors, when Alison discovers “The Swine” on her doorstep. Uninvited, and certainly unexpected, he states that he and the woman for whom he left Alison have broken up, and indicates that he wants them ‘to be a family again.’ To further complicate matters for Alison, the body of a man is discovered in a neighboring town, and police identify it as that of a man to whom Maxie was briefly [4 days, to be exact] married. Alison undertakes to try to find out who killed him, and why.
As if this isn’t enough for her to deal with, Paul asks Alison to try to track down the woman to whom he was about to propose before his untimely death; the engagement ring was in his pocket at the time. With her [as they are described] ‘non-alive assistants’ and her best friend, the very-pregnant Jeannie, Alison undertakes to do what has to be done to resolve all these issues, in well-plotted and very funny fashion. [As just a small example, I cite the author’s description of a man who runs a collection agency, “wearing a sport coat so loud he had to shout to be heard over it.”] But the humor and charm of the writing is difficult to capture – you simply have to get this book and experience it for yourself – it is highly recommended.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback.
Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.