Helpful Score: 9
Great start to a new series!
Meet Alison Kerby, new homeowner to a fixer-upper guest house, and her daughter Melissa. Alison's renovations get turned upside down when a pair of ghosts decide to drop a bucket of copound on her head. Now Alison and see and hear the ghostly duo, and they insist she help them find out their killer. What she discovers is that theres a valuable hidden artifact inside the house, and theres someone in town that would kill to get it.
This book was awesome!!! Do not be fooled by the spooky cover and errie title. This is definitely a cozy mystery. No blood, guts or gore here, just good old fashioned ghostly fun. I especially loved the home renovation aspect as this type of activity tends to stir up ghosts in general. The ghosts, Maxie and Paul were great characters. Maxie was histerical with her antics. Paul guides Alison on her sleuthing and she finds herself in some sticky situations. I am usually pretty good at guessing the murderer in these type of cozy mysteries. But 3 cheeers for this author as I was stumped up until the final reveal. Thank heavens the reveal wasnt too complicated. The clues were sprinkled all throughout the book, and I found myself slapping my own forehead at the end for having not been able to figure it out! LOL
This is definetely a series I plan to continue, and am looking forward to the next book!
Meet Alison Kerby, new homeowner to a fixer-upper guest house, and her daughter Melissa. Alison's renovations get turned upside down when a pair of ghosts decide to drop a bucket of copound on her head. Now Alison and see and hear the ghostly duo, and they insist she help them find out their killer. What she discovers is that theres a valuable hidden artifact inside the house, and theres someone in town that would kill to get it.
This book was awesome!!! Do not be fooled by the spooky cover and errie title. This is definitely a cozy mystery. No blood, guts or gore here, just good old fashioned ghostly fun. I especially loved the home renovation aspect as this type of activity tends to stir up ghosts in general. The ghosts, Maxie and Paul were great characters. Maxie was histerical with her antics. Paul guides Alison on her sleuthing and she finds herself in some sticky situations. I am usually pretty good at guessing the murderer in these type of cozy mysteries. But 3 cheeers for this author as I was stumped up until the final reveal. Thank heavens the reveal wasnt too complicated. The clues were sprinkled all throughout the book, and I found myself slapping my own forehead at the end for having not been able to figure it out! LOL
This is definetely a series I plan to continue, and am looking forward to the next book!
Heather F. (AZmom875) -
Helpful Score: 8
This book is great for cozy lovers. The cover makes it sound creepier than it really is. I thought the dialogue was perfect and witty. I loved our two ghosts, but I love ghost stories more than any other paranormal theme such as vampires etc. I thought the mystery was very well done and had several possible suspects. I loved it so much I grabbed book 2 and finished book 2 in one day. I dont know who E J cooperman is but the writer has talent.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 6
First Line: "I don't get it, Mom."
Newly divorced Alison Kerby has returned to the Jersey Shore to fulfill a dream: renovating a Victorian fixer-upper into a beautiful guesthouse. She figures she has the know-how and just enough money to complete the makeover and open for business so she can provide a decent future for Melissa, her nine-year-old daughter.
As she begins the process of renovating, she gets the odd vibe now and then but thinks nothing of it until a fifty-pound bucket of joint compound knocks her in the head, and she begins seeing ghosts. Two of them. One an evil-tempered young woman named Maxie (the previous owner of the house), and the other, a private eye named Paul. Both died in the house on the same night. Police think they "drank the Kool-aid" and committed suicide. Maxie and Paul insist that they were murdered-- and they also insist that Alison drop everything to find out who killed them.
It's quite a stretch for Alison to believe in the resident ghosts to begin with, but she finally has no alternative. Both ghosts are very good at getting their way, although they have very different methods. However, Alison's not bad at driving a hard bargain herself, and she manages to persuade them that she'll investigate as long as the renovations keep on schedule. As she begins to play sleuth, things begin to happen, and she realizes that she'd better identify the killer before she becomes the third ghost in her guesthouse. (And don't you dare call it a bed and breakfast!)
I was in the perfect mood for a light, fast-paced, and laugh-out-loud funny read. Night of the Living Deed almost immediately had me in reading nirvana. The cast of characters is superb. Alison's voice is pitch-perfect: alternately sarcastic, befuddled, DIY knowledgeable, stressed out, and punch-drunk... as only the mother of a young girl can be. Her daughter, Melissa is a nine-year-old prosecuting attorney who's the perfect sort of child to have live in a haunted house. Alison's mother, her friends, the police detective she runs to constantly, and the ghosts, Maxie and Paul, all add color, depth and humor to the story.
When I wasn't laughing or telling Alison to "Check there! Check there!", I was appreciating the fact that this mystery with the home renovation theme actually had quite a bit of DIY detail. Alison kept to her bargain and managed to wear her deerstalker cap while she refinished cabinets. So often in themed mystery series, the theme seems to be a thin veneer that's easily cast aside. Not so in this book, and that's refreshing.
I tired of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series long ago, and I've felt the lack of a truly funny mystery series in my reading life. No more-- and I have E.J. Copperman to thank for it!
Newly divorced Alison Kerby has returned to the Jersey Shore to fulfill a dream: renovating a Victorian fixer-upper into a beautiful guesthouse. She figures she has the know-how and just enough money to complete the makeover and open for business so she can provide a decent future for Melissa, her nine-year-old daughter.
As she begins the process of renovating, she gets the odd vibe now and then but thinks nothing of it until a fifty-pound bucket of joint compound knocks her in the head, and she begins seeing ghosts. Two of them. One an evil-tempered young woman named Maxie (the previous owner of the house), and the other, a private eye named Paul. Both died in the house on the same night. Police think they "drank the Kool-aid" and committed suicide. Maxie and Paul insist that they were murdered-- and they also insist that Alison drop everything to find out who killed them.
It's quite a stretch for Alison to believe in the resident ghosts to begin with, but she finally has no alternative. Both ghosts are very good at getting their way, although they have very different methods. However, Alison's not bad at driving a hard bargain herself, and she manages to persuade them that she'll investigate as long as the renovations keep on schedule. As she begins to play sleuth, things begin to happen, and she realizes that she'd better identify the killer before she becomes the third ghost in her guesthouse. (And don't you dare call it a bed and breakfast!)
I was in the perfect mood for a light, fast-paced, and laugh-out-loud funny read. Night of the Living Deed almost immediately had me in reading nirvana. The cast of characters is superb. Alison's voice is pitch-perfect: alternately sarcastic, befuddled, DIY knowledgeable, stressed out, and punch-drunk... as only the mother of a young girl can be. Her daughter, Melissa is a nine-year-old prosecuting attorney who's the perfect sort of child to have live in a haunted house. Alison's mother, her friends, the police detective she runs to constantly, and the ghosts, Maxie and Paul, all add color, depth and humor to the story.
When I wasn't laughing or telling Alison to "Check there! Check there!", I was appreciating the fact that this mystery with the home renovation theme actually had quite a bit of DIY detail. Alison kept to her bargain and managed to wear her deerstalker cap while she refinished cabinets. So often in themed mystery series, the theme seems to be a thin veneer that's easily cast aside. Not so in this book, and that's refreshing.
I tired of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series long ago, and I've felt the lack of a truly funny mystery series in my reading life. No more-- and I have E.J. Copperman to thank for it!
Mary E C. (mrsc1963) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I liked it ! It was a quick, easy read. The characters were quirky and fun, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Helpful Score: 3
We both really loved the book. The characters are fun and likeable. Enjoyed the book from start to finish. I am getting ready to start book 2.
Helpful Score: 2
Lot of fun - this is an easy read, and I'm already in the midst of the second one, with the 3rd on order.
Ann M. (WorkingMom2) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Enjoyed this one very much. Setting more than makes up for supernatural silliness.
Keri (TXGrobanite) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 270 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I loved the characters and the setting of this book. The ghosts are wonderful and bring a lot of personality to the book. Looking forward to the next one!
Jolene O. (esmestohelit) -
Helpful Score: 1
This was a quick light read. I had it finished within 24 hours. I liked the characters (I loved Maxie!), but it felt like the story was missing something. The story moves along at a nice enough pace. Seeing as the was a first in series book, I didn't expect it to be all that great. The author has set a nice foundation for the series, and I will try the second book.
Martha S. (sissy448) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 15 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book very much & look forward to the next one in this series.
Lucille B. (lucibee) -
I enjoyed this bit of nonsense. It was a fun read!
Kathy C. (kdkat) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 20 more book reviews
Well enough written that I will try another book by this author. By the end of the book, I was basically liking the characters, still wouldn't want to spend much time with Alison. DIY and house renovators probably will not like this book as there does not seem to have been much research on how plaster walls are made and repaired. The humor didn't work for me although I found it laughable when the hiding place was revealed. Not a lot of mystery except for the convoluted method of murder.
Fun read from beginning to end. If you like a good "who done it" with a ghostly twist, then this is a book you'll enjoy.
Tim H. (Timbuktu126) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 479 more book reviews
Apparently I am in the minority, but I really didn't care for this book. For like the first 50 pages, the main character argues with the ghosts about helping them solve their murders. OK, got the point- 50 pages of the same thing is irritating. I also found the heroine a bit annoying at times. I've read a number of ghosts/amateur sleuth books and enjoyed them, but this is one series I don't think I will continue on with.
Amanda (RockStarGirl) reviewed Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse, Bk 1) on + 329 more book reviews
The first in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series, this is just a fun cozy mystery with a couple of ghosts trying to solve their own murder. They are stuck in a huge old house, and now a single mom and her daughter plan to turn it into a bed and breakfast (minus the breakfast, thank you very much!). It turns out the motive for murder might very well be the house itself, or more specifically, a very valuable antique deed that is located somewhere on the property. There are a lot of people who would like to get their hands on that deed, and finding out who it is in time isn't so easy when you only have a couple of dead people to help you. Lots of trademark E.J. Copperman humor here on top of a solid mystery.
BookwormKath -
I love a good ghost story. Truly I do. This just isn't one of them. Yes, there are ghosts in the books... They're simply shticky characters to give the book a foundation.
Yes, it's a mystery. And not a good one. Predictable, shallow (REALLY shallow). Unbelievable, corny characters.
And as if that's enough, the writer's continual (and overdone) attempts to be clever make it even more painful.
On the upside, it's a quick read. The book doesn't take any concentration or energy. That's about the best I can give it.
"Night of the Living Deed" is being promoted as the first in a new series. Needless to say, I won't waste my money or time on #2.
Yes, it's a mystery. And not a good one. Predictable, shallow (REALLY shallow). Unbelievable, corny characters.
And as if that's enough, the writer's continual (and overdone) attempts to be clever make it even more painful.
On the upside, it's a quick read. The book doesn't take any concentration or energy. That's about the best I can give it.
"Night of the Living Deed" is being promoted as the first in a new series. Needless to say, I won't waste my money or time on #2.
Phillis (Spike2Day) -
I enjoyed reading this. I can't wait to get to the 2nd in the series. I originally picked this book because the setting is in NJ, down the shore, even though Harbor Haven is a fictional town. Its a mystery which is my favorite genre, but it is fast, light, reading with humor. Sometimes reading mysteries can get intense, but this is enjoyable and a change of pace for a bit. So whoever has the next books in the series, (I believe 2 to 5) please list your books so we get a chance to read them.
Lynn P. (Bama-Booklover) -
WONDERFUL book; great start to a new series. Allison discovers ghosts living in the house she bought to renovate into a guesthouse; giving her a gimmick to attract guests after solving a murder and almost being murdered herself. Love the characters of the two ghosts haunting the guesthouse, can't wait to read more
Kimberly N. (kimberlyrav) -
An absolute 5 star gem of a book. I was totally drawn in, with this story. I had a terrible time setting the book down, I wanted to see where the author would take me next. Loved the characters, loved that certain people could see ghosts living in the new guesthouse, story line was awesome and enthralling. I totally look forward to more in the series. Its the perfect spooky, cozy, mystery. Great for the month of October with the Halloween holiday coming up, its a must read!
