A review by carolsnotebook
Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke, Ava Burke

mysterious fast-paced

3.5

I love catching a new series at the beginning and Haunting and Homicide is a fun read and a good introduction to Tallulah “Lou” Thatcher and her family and friends, both living and dead. Lou lives with her grandmother in New Orleans and has a business doing ghost tours which makes perfect sense since she has been able to see and talk to ghosts since she was little. When a rival ghost tour guide dies Lou is unfortunate enough to stumble across his body. But now he’s a ghost who begs her to make sure the police find out who killed him. She wants to help and she wants to clear her own name – she found the body, they were clearly not friends, and the murder weapon came from her store.

The mystery is well-written with several twists and surprises. This is Lou’s first outing as an amateur sleuth and she’s not great at it yet, but she does have some help the cops don’t. I had a guess at who the killer was, but it was just a feeling. The ghosts are handled well here, each has their own personality, back story, and abilities. Lou herself is great. She’s lively and a hard worker, she’s loyal and protective of her friends and family. She has a lot going on at home, but deals with it all well, even the parts she’s a little uncomfortable with. I’m hoping she doesn’t end up dating the cop. She’s too good for him. And New Orleans is, as always, a fabulous setting. One of these days I’ll get there.

I listened to the audio and i love the narrator’s Southern accent. She did a good job bringing the characters to life and keeping the tone light even when some difficult issues are discussed.