Phantoms & Felonies - a Haunted Mansion Mystery (#2)

It absolutely sucks when you find a new series that you enjoy, with a writer that you find has created some engaging characters and a world full of great mysteries, and then have that rug pulled right out from under you after only two or three books when you discover that - oh, guess what?!  The series is over, the publisher and/or the writer has decided not to do any more books in the series.  It has happened to me more time than I care to admit.  The Change of Fortune series by Jesica Estevao ended after only two books.  The Lilly Long series by Penny Richards ended after only three books.  The Devlin Quick series by LInda Fairstein ended after only three books.  And the list goes on and on.... And now, here I have yet another wonderful series to add to this list - the Haunted Mansion Mystery series by Lucy Ness.  I came into the game a little late, picking up both the first and second book in this series after the second book was published.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and so as time came around and I picked up the second one to read, I did a search to see when the next one was coming out.  Only ... there is no "next" book for this series.  (sigh)

But that did not dampen my enjoyment of this second trip into the world of Avery Morgan and the Portage Path Women's Club.  Phantoms & Felonies finds Avery getting ready for the murder mystery party that the women's club is hosting, and resident ghost Clementine Bow (or "Clemmie" as she likes to be called) is eager to help Avery get the former speakeasy in the basement ready for the event.  A local theater troupe is going to be staging the interactive play, in which the guests at the club will have the opportunity to solve the murder that is going to take place.  But, as fate would have it, a real murder is on the menu for the evening as the local banker, Bob Hanover, who is playing the lead role in the play, turns up dead in the speakeasy - and Avery's aunt, Rosemary Walsh, is found standing over the body, a bloody knife in her hand!  Boy, does Avery have her work cut out for her!

Ness cooks up quite the little murder mystery with this one.  It turns out there were any number of people who were actually out of the dining room when the murder took place and could very well have gone down into the basement and done the deed.  The banker's wife, who was fearful that her husband was cheating on her ... the banker's ex-wife who never liked the fact he left her for his secretary ... the playwright who believes the banker stole his play and intended to sell it as his own ... the local landscaper whose was put out of business when the banker refused to give him a much-needed loan ... then there's the overly nervous waitress who takes the heat off of Aunt Rosemary when she confesses to the crime!  But Avery as well as the police do not think she did it.  Which begs the question - who really killed Bob Hanover?

The story is filled with suspects, clues, and secrets galore, and poor Avery has to make sense of them.  Clemmie tries to help, but she's in danger herself of being exposed, because Aunt Rosemary is almost certain she can feel a presence in the Portage Path Women's Club, and she is determined to ferret it out, even if that means calling in reinforcements to hold a seance.  The only problem is, when you start messing with the other side, you just never know what ... or in this case, who! ... you manage to reach.  This book definitely ups the ante when it comes to ghosts and the other side, as Avery does everything she can to keep Clemmie's presence a secret, as well as her own ability to see and speak with spirits.  All of this, plus solving a murder, definitely keeps our amateur sleuth busy.  

It's truly a shame that Ness is not continuing the series.  I would love to see more Haunted Mansion Mysteries.  Avery Morgan is a fun character, and her interactions with the self-absorbed playwright, Fabian LaGrande, are priceless!  (And let's face it, she picked the right surname for the character!)  Who knows, maybe if I'm lucky, Ness will shop the series around and find another publisher that will pick up on the series.  In the meantime, I would definitely recommend this and the previous book for anyone who enjoyed a good murder mystery with some ghosts thrown in the mix.

RATING:  9 pale aqua beads spotted with gold out of 10 for mystery, ghosts, and fun all rolled into one!

Haunted Homicide - a Haunted Mansion Mystery (#1)

Wait, what? Another new series?  But, Todd, I thought you weren't picking up any new series!  And a cozy series, at that?! Yes, yes, yes, I know.  But when you go to Barnes & Noble time and time again, and there are no new books in the series you do read, and you stumble across the start of a new series about a haunted mansion with a ghost that helps the new young business manager of the woman's club that houses its meetings and events within that haunted mansion - plus, with the unique font used for the title and the awesome cover art - well, let's face it, I couldn't help myself.  I picked up the first two books in the series and figured I would give them a try.  If I didn't like them, I knew I could always pass them on to someone else.

Well, I have no intention of passing them on!

Haunted Homicide, the first of Lucy Ness's "Haunted Mansion Mystery" tales, is a delightful little mystery with plenty of colorful characters.  Of course, when you are dealing with a bunch of high society, older-than-dirt women, you're pretty much guaranteed to have some fun characters!  The story centers around Avery Morgan, who has come to the small town of Portage Path (interesting name) to take over as business manger for the PPWC (Portage Path Women's Club).  Avery's parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her rather eccentric aunt who claims to see and speak with the dead.  Avery has never believed in any of that, and his move to Portage Path gives her a chance to get away from it all.  Or so she thinks...

Avery is welcomed into the PPWC by everyone except one - Muriel Sadler, an old, rich socialite who makes it clear that she does not want Avery there.  All of the others ladies on the Board for the women's club are happy to have Avery - Patricia Fink, Gracie Grimm, Valentina Hanover, and Agnes Yarborough.  The cook, Quentin, and the hostess, Geneva, are also thrilled to meet Avery.  But as soon as she arrives, she realizes things are not going well for the club.  Membership is down, attendance at meetings is low, and one of the rooms in the old mansion is having to be repaired because Agnes fell asleep in the records room and dropped her cigarette, starting a fire that nearly wiped out the room.  Enter: Jack Harkness.

Yes, you read that right.  Jack Harkness. No, not THAT Jack Harkness.  Although, it would have been rather hilarious if Jack Harkness turned out to be Captain Jack Harkness (as played by John Barrowman) in the Doctor Who series.  But, sadly, this is only a super-tall, super-good looking restorationist who will be fixing the Marigold Room.  However, I did smile every time I read his name, as I could only picture in my mind John Barrowman as Jack Harkness.

Anyway, before you know it, Muriel Sadler winds up dead at the bottom of the basement stairs.  Avery stumbles across the body - literally! - and she is left to wonder if the young woman in the 1920s flapper outfit she sees in the basement is connected to the murder.  Of course, Sergeant Oscar "Oz" Alterman and his policemen are unable to locate any woman in the basement.  Avery gets the suspicion they think she imagined the woman.  But she didn't.  She knows she didn't.  She spoke with the woman.  She was real.  Wasn't she?

With a series called "A Haunted Mansion Mystery," I think you pretty much know the answer to that.  Ness plays the story realistically (well, as realistically as you can with a ghost), and Clementine Bow (the ghost) is not able to simply tell Avery who the killer is.  Rather, Clemmie simply helps Avery talk through all the facts she uncovers about the suspects and the night of the murder, and she even manages to eavesdrop on some conversations that help Avery connect some dots about Muriel Sadler.  Of course, if she's going to figure out who killed the former president of the PPWC (at the request of the other board members, of course), she's going to have to get some answers to some important questions, like:  where did Patricia get those bruises? why was Muriel's husband at a movie the night of the murder when he told the police he was at home? what was Gracie doing with some of the records books at her house?  why did the previous business manager not turn in her key when Muriel fired her? and was it true that the former groundskeeper was stealing from the club, as Muriel accused him of when she fired him?  So much misinformation, so many lies, and so many secrets - all of which make for a great mystery!

Ness is off to a great start with this first book in her new series, and I hope the series sticks around for a while and doesn't disappear like Clemmie after only two books!

RATING:  9 purple t-shirts and purple-glittered hair out of 10 for kicking off this new series with a fun new mystery-solving duo!

A Haunted Mystery, Book Four - The Black Heart Crypt

Chris Grabenstein's last foray into the world of Zack Jennings and his haunted mysteries is definitely the best in the series.  The Black Heart Crypt is everything a young adult supernatural mystery should be.  It takes everything that has come before, builds on it story-wise and character-wise, and crafts a fast-moving, page-turning mystery that reveals more about Zack's family and leaves readers feeling utterly satisfied by the end of the tale.

This fourth and final Haunted Mystery finds Zack facing a whole new slew of ghosts, probably the deadliest and most vile villains to date.  It's Halloween, and as everyone knows, the veil between the living and the dead is at its weakest on All Hallow's Eve.  So to be safe, Zack and his friends, Malik and Azalea, plan to attend the festivities in downtown Main Street, figuring Zack will be safest among crowds of living people.

Of course, nothing ever goes quite as planned...

First, Zack's adventure into the local cemetery awakens some long-dead ghosts who are hungry for revenge...

Second, a local young woman who fancies herself a witch falls into an evil trap set by the ghosts to lure one of their descendants to the cemetery...

Third, Zack's three great aunts come to town to help him cope with his newfound "gift" of seeing and communicating with ghosts...

Fourth, Zack's friend, Malik, unwittingly solves a 3-D puzzle that actually breaks the curse that was holding those thirteen ghosts in their crypt in the cemetery...

And that's just the beginning!  This doesn't even include the appearances by his real mother's sister, his grandfather's ghost, a number of the ghosts from the previous three mysteries popping in to say hi, and of course, the very unexpected visit by Zack's deceased mother - you know, the one who hated him and basically blamed him for killing her?  Well, she's back, and Zack fears she may be coming back to seek her own revenge.  You'd think it was enough that the Ickleby clan of ghosts seeking revenge on the Jennings generations for what his three great aunts did to him years ago was enough - but now his mother, too?

All of this, plus Jack the Lantern is back from the dead to wreak havoc on the Connecticut community.  Just how in the world can Zack, his friends, his great aunts, and his step-mom (not to mention Zipper, his dog) put an end to all of these ghouls and save the day?  Well, Grabenstein manages to wrap everything up nicely in the end, although there it is certainly open-ended so if he ever gets the gumption to tell more stories about Zack and his haunting mysteries, the opportunity is there.

Personally, I think there are plenty more stories to tell...it's just a matter of getting Grabenstein to write them!

RATING:  10 big black ravens out of 10 for providing some much needed Jennings family history before ending this magnificent series.

A Haunted Mystery, Book Three - The Smoky Corridor

This series is by far one of the most enjoyable ones I've been reading. It is one that definitely must be read in order, as the first book, The Crossroads, introduces us to Zack Jennings, his father, stepmother, and dog - and introduces us to his ability to see and speak with ghosts.  The second book, The Hanging Hill, not only furthered his abilities to communicate with the dead, but helped Zack to grow and confide in others (his stepmother being one) about his ability.  Now, in the third book, not only must Zack face ghosts, but he must also deal with the reality of zombies!

With The Smoky Corridor, author Chris Grabenstein opens the door wide to pretty much any supernatural creature to exist in Zack's world.  The previous two books took place over the summer, but now fall has arrived, and Grabenstein introduces Zack (and readers) to the school setting, as Zack begins his first year at Horace P. Pettimore Middle School.  Needless to say, the school holds many ghosts within its walls, but the ghosts are not the only one harboring secrets.  The custodian has discovered some very interesting things behind the wall of his "office" in the basement.  The new history teacher seems to be a little too interested in Zack's welfare as a new student.  The assistant principal holds a grudge against Zack for no apparent reason.  And Zack's ghost friend, Davy, has appeared in Zack's locker to warn him.  To warn him to not only be wary of the Donnelly brothers who died many years ago in a school fire - but watch out for the zombie, as well!

Grabenstein once again provides engaging characters, and it's fun to watch Zach interact not only with fellow "nerds," but also how he stands up to the class bully (who just happens to be the older brother of the boy he embarrassed in the first book).  In fact, it's refreshing to see how his standing up to the bully encourages his newfound friends to also have courage.  What is a bit unrealistic, however, is how suddenly Zach, who is not so outgoing and who is a nerd, suddenly becomes so popular simply because his fellow ghosts help him solve some problems for his fellow students (like where a girl left her homework, how a boy with a heart murmur should not be doing physical activity in gym, etc.).  First, I think his fellow students would start to wonder how he could know all of these things and start to get suspicious.  And second, even if he did help them, somehow it's doubtful that they would all suddenly gravitate towards him.  I know this was a plot device for Grabenstein that comes into play towards the end, when the students show up at the most inopportune time for the villains in the story - but it just felt rushed and too "Afterschool Special"-ish.

Other than that, the actual mystery this time was quite well done.  The Donnelly boys accidentally set fire to themselves in a locked hall, also killing a teacher who tried to save them.  Their story has been told for years, but Zack, in his interactions with the ghosts - and his stepmother, through her research at the library - finds out that things aren't always what they seem.  Good ol' Horace P. Pettimore was rumored to have buried some gold he had stolen from the South during the Civil War somewhere on the school property.  And, as luck would have it, Horace is still hanging around, trying to find a way to get a new boy, which he can only do through a blood relative, thanks to voodoo magic he had performed years before.  At first, he thinks Zack might be the one, but it ultimately turns out that it is one of Zack's friends, one he is determined to save from the ghost's machinations.

And if that weren't enough on its own, there's always the truth behind the Donnelly boys, how that truth connects to the new history teacher, and just what is going on with that zombie (and what happens when the custodian comes into contact with and gets bitten by that zombie!)?

The books reads easily and smoothly, as the story flows naturally without feeling too rushed.  It's interesting to notice that in all three of these books so far, it is Zack and his stepmother.  Zack's natural father seems to only pop in now and then - although, at the end of this mystery, we do learn a secret that Zack's father has been keeping from him, something that changes everything - and leaves me wondering what's in store in the fourth (and final) book in this series!

As I know I've said before, I definitely recommend this series for anyone who enjoys young adult mysteries, as well as those who enjoy ghost stories.  They are fun, they are engaging, and a great way to escape the world in the rapture of a book for a while!

RATING:  10 bloody marys out of 10 for ever-broadening the world of Zack Jennings and leaving me longing for more - much more!

A Haunted Mystery, Book Two - The Hanging Hill

I always love it when I get so into a story I'm reading that I don't want to put the book down - in fact, if I'm so caught up in it that I pick it up at every stop light when I'm driving and read until the light turns green, then you know it has to be good! And there's no doubt that The Hanging Hill, the second book in the Haunted Mystery series, is good. It's better than good - it's great!  (Yeah, I'm channeling my Tony the Tiger there)

This second book picks up not too long after the end of The Crossroads, the first book in the series. Zack, his father, his step-mom, and his dog Zipper have been living out of a hotel due to the fire that destroyed their home. A fire that Zack sort-of caused when he was trying to defeat the ghost at the crossroads from coming back to the real world. Now, his step-mom has sold a script that is going to be produced in a theater on the east coast of Connecticut - a theater known as Hanging Hill Playhouse. A theater that is built right on the spot that used to see a lot of hangings back in the day. A spot that is ripe with spectral energy. So, needless to say, there are plenty of ghosts afoot.

As with the first book, Grabenstein tells the story through alternating points of view - each chapter is pretty much focused on a different character in the story, and it alternates throughout. From Zack and his step-mom, to the artistic director of the play, to a dying magician intent on coming back by whatever means necessary, to a young actress whose hopes are forever dashed by the cruel revenge of a spurned director. There is never any doubt who the villain is in the story - but, then again, that's not what this is about. It's not a whodunnit. It's more of a journey, as Zack not only comes to terms with his ability to see and communicate with the dead, but also his own fears and insecurities.

The author introduces some rather interesting characters in this story. There's Meghan McKenna, an award winning child actress who befriends Zack and reveals that she is able to see ghosts too. Then there's Derek Stone, the television child star who would rather be playing with his remote control truck than learn his lines. There's also Wilbur Kimble, the theater's custodian who has worked at the theater for many, many years and who harbors a few dark secrets of his own. And let's not forget Reginald Grimes, the villainous start of this drama, a man so set on gaining power and fame that he's willing to sacrifice the lives of two children to get it.

The story is fast-paced, and although there are 322 pages of mystery and mayhem, it reads easily. I was so drawn into the story that I managed to finish it in just a few hours of reading, over the course of two days. That's not to say that it is a simple story, nor that it skips over certain elements any book needs to be a good read. It simply means it really is that GREAT of a read! Plus, Grabenstein continues several plot elements introduced in the first book - including the death of Zack's birth mother and his unresolved feelings regarding her dislike of him. We learn more about his real mother, we see more of Zack's stepmom and her building relationship with Zack, and we see Zack's confidence in his "ghost-finder" ability grow more and more.

If I were to try and describe the book to someone, I could only offer that it has elements of a children's mystery series (such as Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys), with a bit of Dark Shadows thrown in for good measure. The ghosts are real, the danger is real, and this book closes with a truly explosive ending (no, literally - there are some pretty powerful explosions!). I cannot recommend this series, and this book in particular, enough to anyone who enjoys mysteries, anyone who enjoys ghost tales, and really, for anyone who loves to read!

RATING:  10 juggling girl ghosts out of 10 for taking two genres I love so much, combining them, and giving me several hours of enjoyment with this wonderful read!

A Haunted Mystery, Book One - The Crossroads

If the first book in this series is any indication of what I can expect in the future books of this series, author Chris Grabenstein definitely has a winner on his hands!  The Crossroads is, by far, the absolute best children's series book that I have read in a long, long time - - and I've read some good ones here and there, believe me.

The Crossroads tells the story of young Zack Jennings - a boy whose mother has died of cancer - - whose father has remarried - - whose step-mother seems to care for him - - and whose life is uprooted when his father decides to move his family to the small town in Connecticut where he grew up.  They move into a house at the corner of County Route 13 and State Highway 31.  A corner where, some fifty years ago, a horrible accident occurred involving a bus full of passengers, a hyped-up Thunderbird, and a police motorcycle.  All of the people involved in the crash died.  Except one...

Grabenstein brings all of the characters to life so vividly - from the main character of Zack to the supporting cast of his father, step-mother, new friend Davy, the cranky Greta Spratling, the not-so-bright Billy O'Claire, and readers even get a small taste of what Zack's real mother was like before she died of cancer.  While some of the characters are somewhat stereotyped, they are not so overly done that they become caricatures; instead, Grabenstein gives them just enough to cause readers to like, dislike, love, or hate the characters as you rightfully should.

The story itself is extremely well-paced, and while I don't usually like authors to alternate points-of-view throughout a book, Grabenstein manages to do it in such a way that it not only flows smoothly, but it actually enhances the reading of the story.  You get to know each of the characters in their own way, rather than from the perspective of just the protagonist.  You ever gain some understanding as to why characters such as Greta Spratling do the things they do, making them a little less villainous and a bit more human.

And lest you think the "Haunted Mystery" title of the series is a misnomer, there is definitely a supernatural element to the tale.  From the very beginning, Grabenstein introduces ghosts - good, bad, and indifferent - as well as a fifty-year old thirst for revenge and the idea that a hatred can burn so strong it can become embedded in and tied to inanimate objects, such as a tree.  Grabenstein plays a bit loose with the idea of ghosts, and in some cases, the reader is left to wonder who is a ghost and who isn't (although all is revealed by the end of the story).  While there is death and a couple of murders in the story, there is no profanity, no adult themes, and quite frankly, I would have gobbled this up back when I was a pre-teen.

This book definitely has it all - mystery, supernatural, page-turning cliffhangers, touching moments, and sorrow and joy, all within the 325 pages of story.  Without a shadow of a doubt, I would recommend this to older children and adults alike, as it is a thoroughly enjoyable read that leaves me anxious to read the next book in the series (and pray that is goes well beyond just the four books that are currently out).

RATING:  10 pails of white roses out of 10 for a thrilling, spine-tingling, page-turning mystery well-worth the read!