Review of INDIE Ebook Haunted House Ghost – Book 5 of the Braxton Campus mysteries by James J. Cudney #BrainfluffINDIEbookreview #HauntedHouseGhostbookreview

I have thoroughly enjoyed this ongoing cosy mystery series featuring poor old Kellan – check out my reviews of Academic Curveball, Broken Heart Attack , Flower Power Trip and Mistaken Identity Crisis – so was glad to get hold of Haunted House Ghost during a special offer. And while I’m publishing this review in 2023, I actually wrote it in January 2021 – hence the allusion to the pandemic…

BLURB: It’s Halloween, and excitement is brewing in Braxton to carve jack-o’-lanterns, go on haunted hayrides, and race through the spooky corn maze at the Fall Festival. Despite the former occupant’s warnings, Kellan renovates and moves into a mysterious old house. When a ruthless ghost promises retribution, our fearless professor turns to the eccentric town historian and an eerie psychic to communicate with the apparition. Meanwhile, construction workers discover a fifty-year-old skeleton after breaking ground on the new Memorial Library wing.

While Kellan and April dance around the chemistry sparking between them, a suspicious accident occurs at the Fall Festival. Soon, Kellan discovers the true history and dastardly connections of the Grey family. But can he capture the elusive killer – and placate the revenge-seeking ghost.

REVIEW: Kellan is now planning to move into a large home, as his teenage nephew, Ulan, is coming to stay, while his father continues exploring Africa. But, this being Kellan, nothing ever goes smoothly. The place he has acquired needs a great deal of work, but the contractors are plagued with tools going missing, odd noises, and work being messed up.

Initially, I did find it a bit of a struggle to wrap my head around the sudden influx of characters and their relationship to each other, although the very helpful cast of characters at the front of the book did make that easier. If I wasn’t so distracted by the generally grim news and my own problems, I think it wouldn’t have been such an issue, so I haven’t knocked any points off. However, once I got fully into the story and it picked up, I once again became engrossed in the world.

Cudney’s strength is his ability to write a thoroughly nice chap who doesn’t come across as too good to be true. Kellan has enough edges and naughtiness so he feels real. I really like the fact that he is always having to be mindful of his small daughter and who is looking after her, when he goes rushing off to try to solve yet another murder. I also liked the occasional rants about the very high death toll he’s been encountering since he returned to Braxton. The mix of the slightly macabre and snarky humour was nicely balanced in this Halloween special. I especially was very envious of all those cinnamon and pumpkin flavoured goodies that were mentioned throughout the book…

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with plenty of suspects, twists and turns. I had no idea where the plot was going – and frankly didn’t care all that much, so long as I was whisked along convincingly. Which was the case. Highly recommended for fans of cosy mysteries, who appreciate a dollop of slow-burn romance and humour in amongst the body-count. But whatever you do – don’t jump into the series via this book, or you’ll be completely lost.
9/10