This is the last book in the group of books I pulled off my jammed TBR shelf in March. Needless to say I'm not making as much progress clearing out some books as I'd like but I guess any progress is good progress. This is the 3rd book in the Haunted Guesthouse series and I have 4 and 5 waiting on me.
Rating: 3 Stars
Description: Allison Kerby is trying to keep her haunted guest house going as well as keep her 10 year old daughter and 2 resident ghosts, Paul and Maxie, happy. The last thing she needs is to have to run down what happened to Paul's ex kind of fiance or figure out who murdered Maxie's recently discovered ex-husband. She really doesn't need to deal with threatening text messages warning her off and she really really doesn't need to deal with her ex-husband waltzing back into her life.
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I have read and really enjoyed the previous 2 books in this series. Plus ghosts and old houses always get me.
My Impression:
Pros: Despite the chaos and extra details this is a well done mystery. Since Allison has a private investigator's license it makes sense as to why she is asking questions. The police are helpful without falling all over themselves to be accommodating. The ghosts provide enough background on the cases to be interesting without being overwhelming. The fact that they can't leave the house helps a bit from too much ghost overload. Allison herself is likable and the scheduling her actually haunted guesthouse to appear haunted but only to a certain group of guests is pretty funny.
Cons: The whole ex-husband subplot drove me crazy. I found it odd that Allison who is officially divorced had never once seemed to think about the custody arrangement regarding her daughter. One would think this would be a requirement in a legal document regarding a divorce with a minor child involved. It seemed wildly unrealistic and like it's sole purpose was to have some added drama. I also don't love the semi-attraction between Paul and Allison but that probably wouldn't bother most people.
Overall Impression: While the personal drama got a bit old I did enjoy the mystery itself. Overall, it was a fun read and the added ghost touch makes it unique. I definitely plan to continue with this series.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes. I already have the next 2 in this series and will look for more books by the author.
Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes though I would start with the first in the series because not only is there a lot of explaining but I probably liked it the best!
I haven't heard of this author or series but it sounds interesting. And yes, I agree that the bit about the custody arrangements seems implausible.
ReplyDeleteI really wish the custody thing hadn't been such a big subplot but the mystery was good. Definitely read the first one in the series. I really enjoyed it!
DeleteYou're right, the custody thing is completely implausible. No divorce agreement would fail to specify a custody arrangement. I can't imagine a divorce lawyer or judge signing off on one that ignored it. But perhaps I'm misinterpreting, and the ex wants to change the custody arrangement previously in place?
ReplyDeleteNope not misinterpreting! She acted like it never occurred to her that she would have to let her daughter visit the father. It drove me insane because it was so unrealistic. I was willing to go with mystery solving ghosts but the no custody agreement got me!
DeleteThat's what I tell myself: a little progress counts towards the bigger goal. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun book! I am glad the ghosts don't overwhelm the story--I can see how that might happen.
Unfortunately, just about every other day I come across situations where parents are divorced and have no custody arrangements. It does happen. At least in California.
That makes me feel a little better about the believablity. I worked for a family attorney when I was in college and never came across a divorce where a custody arrangement wasn't worked out. It may not be worked out perfectly but at least it was addressed! Allison was shocked that she'd have to let her daughter see her father. But other than that this is a pretty fun book!
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