Haunted House Ghost by James J Cudney

It’s Halloween and Kellan is turning 33. His estranged wife Francesca is no longer interfering in his life but peace isn’t something Kellan’s used to. As the previous book – Mistaken Identity Crisis – ended, we saw Kellan learn two things that might shape his life in the future (specifically, the plot for this book). 1) His cousin and Nana D’s grandson Ulan will come over from Africa and live with Kellan and Emma 2) Nana D wants Gabriel(Kellan’s younger brother) to move to her guest cottage so that means Kellan must find a house. Nana D helped him find a house – a dilapidated, haunted house that once belonged to the Greys.

In Haunted House Ghost, we see Kellan trying to adjust to his ‘new life’. Things went a little hawwt-hawwt with April in the previous book and they sealed it with a kiss. Now, we see Kellan waiting for April to return from her father’s funeral. At the same time, he learns of the construction workers being spooked by the house ghost. When the old library building is demolished, Kellan and Maggie discover a skeleton in the rubble. Prudence Grey, Hiriam’s first wife went missing fifty years ago. She was last seen going to the library…

Haunted House Ghost is the fifth book in the Braxton Campus Mystery series by James Cudney. I have followed this series from the start and I really like the way this series is proceeding. We have the foes-turned-lovers angle (April and Kellan), the supposedly dead wife returning to Kellan’s life (Francesca), Nana D becoming the Mayor (hoot hoot!) and murders. Looks like Kellan always stumbles up on a dead body. Behold The Unlikely Death Locator. *thunder and lightning*

James has gone a little out of comfort zone here, exploring the angle of ‘paranormal’ in a cozy series with a college-campus-setting. Do you believe in ghosts? How about seances and psychics? In Haunted House Ghost, we see Kellan exploring the possibility of paranormal world. I absolutely loved this new dash of twist in the series.

I do not want to talk much about the story and make this review a spoiler. There’s a lot of surprises in this book. Kellan stumbles across a cart load of secrets involving the Greys. At the same time, he’s also being ‘haunted’ by the ghost in his new house. What I absolutely loved about this book are: the angle of ghosts in a murder mystery; a bundle of secrets that might reveal a thing or two about a few residents of the Wharton County; some romance (at last, April and Kellan kiss and make up! Phew!) and… Kellan’s elder brother (a pain in the backside) is back. Cannot wait to see what twist he’s going to bring to the story. (Frozen Stiff Drink, book #6).

Excellent writing , well-developed characters and plot with a spooky, Halloween theme, make Haunted House Ghost a must-read cozy mystery. Oh yes, a cozy series featuring a male protagonist who’s trying to find a balance between the crazy kookies and family life.

---

Follow The Book Decoder on:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads