The Hostess with the Ghostess,
by E.J. Copperman
I like the way this book’s narrator, Alison Kerby, talks directly to the reader, saying things such as: “More on that shortly.” “Perhaps I should explain.” “This is where the story gets a little weird.” “Hang on. There’s more.” And “If you’ve ever had an argument…” It’s a very engaging style.
Here’s the setup: A tour group guarantees Alison a certain number of guests each week if she can in turn provide the guests with a supernatural experience, complete with ghosts, at her “Haunted Guesthouse.” Actually, there are more ghosts in the cast of this paranormal cozy mystery than in any other I’ve read so far. In addition, you have Alison’s family: her husband Josh (alive), her mom (alive), her daughter Melissa (alive), and her dad (a ghost). In the cast of non-family ghosts, you’ve got Paul, Richard, Maxie, Everett, and Keith. Whew! That’s a lot of ghosts.
However, author E.J. Copperman does a fairly good job of differentiating among these ghosts; each has his or her own personality and motivations. Yes, these ghosts talk—a lot! They also move objects and affect physical reality. This allows guesthouse owner Alison to put on “spook shows” twice a day to entertain her guests. All is well until Richard shows up… he’s a ghost with a problem. A clever mystery follows, complete with more than one murder, and real people with their own conflicting agendas. I enjoyed this well-written mystery, although the ghostly antics are a little over-the-top for my taste.