Give Up the Ghost

Haunted Home Renovation Series #6

De: Juliet Blackwell

Narrado por: Xe Sands

San Francisco millionaire Andrew Stirling wants to sell his Victorian mansion, but ghostly music, the squeaking of a long-disappeared weathervane, and an angry ghost keep running off potential buyers. After a famous psychic is called in, she informs the Stirlings that their multimillion-dollar renovations to "update" the home have left its resident ghost extremely agitated. So contractor Mel Turner is engaged to track down and replace some of the original features of the house. But when the beautiful psychic is found stabbed, it appears that someone had a very human motive for murder. Now Mel must use her ghost whispering gift to uncover the secrets of the haunted house on the hill and her sleuthing skills to catch a killer.

©2015 Julie Goodson-Lawes (P)2015 Tantor

Better and Better!

This series just gets better and better. It seems odd to assign 5 stars to such light lit, but the stars are my measure of the pleasure this delightful author delivers time and time again!

New Guy is Better

The new guy is much more appealing, and the main character has evoked for the better.

I Love This Series

I have read and enjoyed every book in this series. Give Up the Ghost was no different. There is lots of character development and action. I love the relationship Mel has with her family and friends. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

How many Ghosts?

Delightful Story! Try to to solve the mystery's of not one but 3 ghosts. The narrator was excellent. There was no difficulty recognizing each character, and no pause between character change. The reading flowed smoothly. i enjoyed guessing the outcome of each ghostly happening. I believe you will too. Oh, and there may be some attraction developing between our crime solver and an interesting character, but she is no good at reading what is going on with her!

Not great literature but sure is a fun read

Could not wait to get my hands on another Juliet Blackwell book and was NOT disappointed. It’s not great literature but sure is a fun read and another exciting “ghost story” with both interesting and believable characters. Mel Turner is a General Contractor who renovates Victorian houses and along the way removes their ghosts. This particular house has some surprises and not JUST the gaudy modernizations made by the current owner. (Now, those I had a hard time swallowing. Who would buy a Victorian house and remodel it THAT much?) That aside, it is still a fun whodunit. I hate to admit it but I picked the wrong person.

Another solid book by Juliet Blackwell

What made the experience of listening to Give Up the Ghost the most enjoyable?

The narrator. I love the way Xe Sands narrates.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wasn't surprised

What does Xe Sands bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She definitely fleshes out the character.

Any additional comments?

This is light reading but well written and very pleasant.

Xe Sands is the best!

restoration, murder, law-enforcement, ghosts

A family of overweening rich folk, a colorful house watcher, an incredibly beautiful psychic, a butchered historic house, a real home restorer, and the ghosts. And the murders. And much more!
Excellent read! Even better when narrated by Xe Sands!

Really good

Didn't want to turn it off, kept it going till my battery died. Can't wait for the next book, I've read all in this series.

This renovation has gone too far

There is a mansion in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California known as the Crosswinds for sale at $29 million. During renovation, pieces of the home were carelessly taken off in favor of newer items. At least one ghost in the house is very upset that familiar items are gone and is making the same noises the items did. For instance, the ghost makes the sounds of the squeaky weathervane which is now missing.

The only reason the owners care is because the noises and screaming the ghosts are making are scaring away possible buyers of the house. They hire a psychic named Chantelle to do a reading on the mansion. She tells them that the renovation has upset the ghosts since so much was removed; she suggests they find some of those items and put them back from whence they came in an attempt to calm the ghosts.

The family contacts an expert home renovator - Mel Turner of Turner Construction - to get facsimiles or actual items returned to the house. The first thing Mel does is to contact Chantelle to find out what she learned about Crosswinds. Upon Mel’s arrival at Chantelle's apartment, she sees the woman exit the apartment appearing very calm and floating down the hallway. Upon entering the apartment, Mel finds a man standing over a female body with a bloody knife next to it. Mel and this man are the first on the scene, so the man calls 911 and Mel calls the inspector she has become friends with over the course of many murders. As they await the arrival of the authorities, Mel gets to know Chantelle's brother Landon. He hadn't been very close to his sister, and now he regrets this even more.

Meanwhile, Mel has a friend call her desperate for her ghost whispering skills. After Mel visits the Historical Society, she has a better idea of who the ghost is and how to treat her. Mel just won't take her antics. For example since the ghost kept her kitchen drawers in perfect order, when she gets nasty with Mel, Mel dumps the silverware on the floor! What follows is hilarious.

Despite the fact that they have met over a murder, Mel and Landon are getting to know each other. He is in town to do a lecture series but is locked out of his sublet at first, staying at a nearby hotel. They keep bumping into each other at Chantelle's place, at the police department, but mostly at Crosswinds. He was impressed to see that the ghosts were real!

Juliet Blackwell has brought a mystery full of paranormal elements as well as construction and renovation details, lots of humor, a family who grows closer through tough love, and growing fondness where never expected. She ties it together beautifully so nothing is out of place nor sticks out like a sore thumb. The story moves along at a great pace. While this is an entry in an ongoing series, Juliet Blackwell does an excellent job at reminding us who everyone from previous books is as well as clearly introducing the new characters. It is advised to read a series in order, but with a well-written series such as this one, it is not necessary. However, each subsequent book in this series is enhanced by knowledge of what came before.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PANDEMIC ESCAPE FICTION

Another entertaining combination of fun San Francisco history, architecture, and legend. And finally we get a worthy romantic lead for our heroine!