Old Haunts (Haunted Guesthouse Series #3)

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.

Old Haunts is like an old friend....solid, snuggly and dependable. Good cozy mystery.

In Copperman’s mystery novel, Alison Kerby’s guesthouse has two resident ghosts—two gloomy resident ghosts named Maxie and Paul. Maxie has just learned that her ex-husband was murdered and wants Alison to solve the case. Paul, still longing for his still-living almost-fiancée, wants Alison to find her and confirm that she’s doing fine. As if that’s not enough, Alison’s ex-husband, The Swine, has taken a room at her guesthouse in hopes of winning back his family. The only question she has for that is, “Why is he really here?” This is such a light and lively romp through a haunted house. A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery, Old Haunts is a delightful addition to the series.

The Best One Yet I love this series. The past comes back to haunt Alison, Maxie and Paul and when asked to solve a murder and look for an old friend, Alison does her best to help her ghostly friends and the journey to the end was filled with amusing exploits. This fast-paced and well-written whodunit was a fun read that I could not put down. This was a good mystery as the ending caught me by surprise. With a wonderful cast, entertaining and witty dialogue, “Old Haunts” is the best one yet in this delightfully charming series.

alison has purchased a house that needs repairs. it also has two ghosts, feisty maxie, and subdued paul. both make these stories interesting. paul was a private detective, maxie was a real estate agent. a body is dug up n the beach that turns out to be maxie's ex-husband, (of three days. maxie wants alison to find out what happened, and paul tries to help. paul has another problem he wants alison to solve. what happened to the girl he was going to ask to marry him, and give her the ring he had picked out. this story has two surprise endings. don't miss them!

“Old Haunts” is another fun story in the Haunted Guesthouse series. I really enjoy these cozy mysteries, they take place in a beach town, have some interesting characters and you never quite know who’s done it until the end. This book focused a bit more on Alison’s personal life than the mystery compared to earlier books in the series but it wasn’t so much that I didn’t find it interesting. This book is well written and I found it to be a fun and interesting escape!

Came into the series late, but quickly caught up purchasing all of them.  What a great read!!  Found it hard to put down.  Love the writing style, love the characters.

Fantastic humor and extremely well written. This is just part of the Haunted Guesthouse Series and I heartily recommend these books. In addition, reading on the Nook is so easy with the ability to change font and the book automatically opens to where you left off.

I am addicted!

Wonderful story. Nice twist at the end and living in San Diego, I enjoyed the mention of Mission Beach.

This was the first time that I read a book by E. J. Copperman. It was easy to read and enjoyable. Lots of good humor and wit. It's supposed to be a ghost story, but there is nothing the least bit scary about it. It's just great fun! "Old Haunts", the third book in the series, inspired me to obtain the first and second books in the series. I just started the first book in the series and am enjoying it every bit as much as the third book. These books are worth the read -- total entertainment -- go for it!

Book 3 of this series and I have found it to contain wonderful main characters, ghosts and mystery story lines. And best of all (for me) is that since I live "down the shore", the places mentioned (such as Asbury Park, Eatontown, Seaside, etc.) are very familiar and thus easier to picture. I also like that the author is fleshing out Maxie and Paul, and well as adding more depth to the other main characters.

EJ Copperman does it again with another great installment in the Guesthouse Mysteries. A must read!