Publisher's Weekly Review
Maureen Doherty--the smart, forthright protagonist of this exceptional paranormal cozy launch from Perry (the Witch City mysteries)--has worked at a Boston department store for 10 years. Shortly after it goes out of business, Maureen receives a letter from a law firm in Haven, Fla., informing her she has inherited Penelope Josephine Gray's estate, consisting of the century-old, and reportedly haunted, Haven House Inn. Maureen has no idea who Miss Gray is. However, with no other options, she packs up and heads for Haven. Within hours, she discovers a prominent ghost hunter's lifeless body on the inn's front porch. The police, led by unimaginative Officer Frank Hubbard, target Maureen and several members of the staff as potential murderers. Maureen is a breath of fresh air in the cozy world: no ruminating on her looks or past tragic loves, no drowning her sorrows in cookies and cake. The ghosts, in a refreshing departure from most paranormal cozies, don't take center stage, and entertaining subplots, such as her efforts to discover why Miss Gray left her the inn, keep the pages turning. Readers will look forward to Maureen's further adventures. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
A laid-off retailer left a property by a mysterious benefactor tries to make it a profitable business in spite of the dead man on the front porch. Things aren't looking good for Maureen Doherty. When her job at Bartlett's disappears, she's not sure where she'll find another company willing to hire a women's sportswear buyer, and the generous severance she's been given still won't cover the cost of heat for the cold Massachusetts winter ahead. But things turn around suddenly with a surprising envelope from a Florida law firm. A Penelope Josephine Gray has died and left her home and business, Haven House Inn, to Maureen. Like other heroines of cozy mysteries, Maureen doesn't wonder too much about being willed property by someone she's never met in a place she's never been. Instead, she straps her dog, Finn, into the car and heads down to start a new life. Haven House is a quirky place that could do with a bit of a renovation, not just in the dated furniture and linens, but also in some of the staff, many of whom appear to have been taking advantage of the former proprietor. Of special note is manager Elizabeth Mack, who's not only unfriendly to the changes Maureen tries to make, but also commits the cardinal sin of not liking dogs. Maureen tries to figure out how to wrangle staff and turn Haven House profitable--maybe by capitalizing on its alleged haunting--but she soon finds herself in trouble when she finds a very still man on the porch who isn't just sleeping…. Perry's new series kickoff smartly doesn't give away its biggest mysteries. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
After she loses her job in a Boston department store, Maureen Doherty worries about how she'll support her golden retriever Finn. Then she learns from a Florida attorney that she's the only heir to Penelope Gray and will inherit Haven House Inn, a historic property in Haven, FL. Although Maureen and her parents did once visit Haven, she doesn't remember a Penelope Gray. The lawyer mentions that the inn is supposedly haunted, but Maureen doesn't believe in ghosts, so she and Finn move down to Haven, on Florida's Gulf Coast. Haven House Inn is a beautiful, slightly rundown building with an eccentric cast of full-time residents, along with the ghost hunters who occasionally visit. On her first night, Maureen finds one of those ghost hunters dead on the porch and falls under suspicion. She's never met the man--why would she want to poison him? Now a local police officer seems to haunt the inn, and Maureen discovers there are real ghosts too, including a movie starlet who helps her search for the killer. VERDICT Perry ("Witch City" series) kicks off a character-rich series with this installment, which leaves unresolved Maureen's mysterious connection to Penelope Gray, for future books. Readers of E. J. Copperman's "Haunted Guesthouse" mysteries will enjoy this title.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
