Haunting License Review By E. B. Davis

 

It’s June in Haven, Florida, a “between seasons” time in the tourism business, and Maureen’s Haven House Inn is feeling the pinch. There are plenty of ghosts in residence, but Maureen needs living guests to pay the bills…
 

While walking on the beach with her golden retriever Finn, Maureen discovers a body. When Officer Frank Hubbard arrives, he recognizes local charter boat fisherman Eddie Manuel.
 
Now it’s up to Maureen and her spirited sleuths to sort through the red herrings and bait a hook for a killer before someone else ends up sleeping with the fishes . . .

Amazon.com

 

Haunting License is the third book in Carol J. Perry’s the Haunted Haven mystery series. I interviewed her on the first two books and was delighted by the ghosts frequenting the old inn. But I wanted the ghosts to be part of the sleuthing process. In this book, one ghost overhears a conversation and relays it to main character, Maureen. The ghost provides a key clue in discovering the identity of the murderer. For me, this was the element making the book special.

 

Local detective Frank Hubbard continues to be passive aggressive, which adds tension. It’s a wonder Maureen doesn’t get in his face because he can be annoying. He acknowledges that Maureen has a talent for solving mysteries, but all he wants are clues from her. When she actually sleuths, he scolds her about amateur detectives and danger. However, in this case he is right, which doesn’t make Maureen back off. Perhaps because she has found a friend and partner in one of the inn’s guests.  

 

The looting and selling of artifacts from Native American Mounds is the crime involved, a violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. The mounds can be found throughout the country wherever there are/were Native lands. These formations can be found outside of the fictional town of Haven, FL ostensibly via the Seminoles. When Maureen and one of the inn’s guests, an archeologist and mound expert, witness a man confiscate stolen treasures from a mound, they are threatened and set themselves up as bait to trap the killer.

 

One subplot: Before inheriting the inn, Maureen was a buyer for a department store. In creating a gift store in the inn, Maureen gets to employ her old skills while practicing her new sleuthing skills. Another—reviving a fishing tournament to increase inn/town business during the slack season.

 

This book is an enjoyable read filled with nonthreatening ghosts, Finn, Maureen’s pet Golden Retriever, feral cats, delectable inn dining room menus, a bit of romance, and fun characters. Buy this one before heading out to the beach this summer.