Home for the Haunting

By: Juliet Blackwell

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

San Francisco contractor Mel Turner is leading a volunteer home renovation project, and while she expects lots of questions from her inexperienced crew, she can't help asking a few of her own - especially about the haunted house next door . . . the place local kids call the "Murder House." But when volunteers discover a body while cleaning out a shed, questions pile up faster than discarded lumber.

Mel notices signs of ghostly activity next door and she wonders: Are the Murder House ghosts reaching out to her for help, or has the house claimed another victim? Now, surprised to find herself as the SFPD's unofficial "ghost consultant," Mel must investigate murders both past and present before a spooky killer finishes another job.

©2013 Julie Goodson-Lawes (P)2013 Tantor

Fun and Spooky

Where does Home for the Haunting rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks at the top. Juliet Blackwell is one of my very favorite authors. Her Haunting books will be my 2014 pick of the year for Best Series. Love them all

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that it moves along at a fast pace and there is always something unexpected happening.

Have you listened to any of Xe Sands’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Excellent. Xe Sands is a Rock Star in the Narrator world. Love every book she reads.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, but it was a little creepy but always ending well.

Any additional comments?

Fun and fast paced. Lots of interesting characters and tons of funny quips. I love that Mel can see and hear ghosts.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another good book

This is another good addition to a very good series. If you would like to spend your day with a cozy mystery this is a good one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A Hauntingly Good Read

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

Xe Sands is an outstanding narrator!

Any additional comments?

Juliet Blackwell's series about Mel, a lady construction contractor who seems to be able to see and sometimes talk to ghosts, are fun reads. They are light and do not delve into the gruesome black areas that many ghost stories do. Its a great entertaining light read. Even my husband has enjoyed the series!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A pleasant cozy mystery and light read..

Any additional comments?

I am growing accustomed to quirky Mel Turner, building contractor of fringe and spangled dresses, and the quirky people in her life. The book moves along nicely. The Audible narrator could differentiate a bit more on some of the voices, but she still does good work. I'll continue to read the series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A good series!

If you've read any of my other reviews, you already know I like a fun listen. And these Blackwell books are that. They are fun. Xe Sands is very playful with the characters, but I'm fussy about readers and hear more vocal fry in every single character than I'd really like to hear from just one or two. It can sometimes be difficult to tell who is speaking.

The heroine seems to be pretty down to earth, if you don't count the wacky way she dresses. I could have lived without that character quirk - it seems a little forced, but it doesn't get in the way of the stories so I choose to wink at it.

The books themselves have romance and fun twists and it isn't easy to figure out who the bad guys are - always a plus. Blackwell isn't King or Koontz, but sometimes it's a relief not to have your socks scared off. And, really, who doesn't like a humorous ghost story?

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Excellent mystery, writing, & voice read!

Excellent mystery, writing, & voice reader. Riveting dialog that keeps you wanting more. Could listen all day to this writer and reader. Witty, funny, character relations development, and a thriller packed all in one!

Great Story...well read

Enjoyable murder mystery. Very nicely read by Xe Sands. Leaves you wanting to hear the next story.

Who is knocking on the door?

This book was fun to read. Quirky characters and a haunted home made for a super interesting book!

Ghosts

She has a series of books that all somehow have Ghosts show up.
Good listening. I recommend this book and the others

Trouble arrives in the form of Cookie

I loved this new entry in Juliet Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation Series. Mel Turner, general contractor, is working on a home for a disabled man who uses a wheelchair. They plan to build a ramp, several specific projects, and generally tidy up. Some of Mel's workers are at the house on a Saturday along with many neighborhood residents to help as best as they can.

Before the charity work can begin, Mel's sister Cookie arrives without her husband or children. She wants to show that she is important as Mel, so accompanies Mel all day to learn what her job is like.

Cookie shows how little she knows by wanting to just pop into numerous boutiques, eat out, and then go to Mel's evening class as well. In a comical scene, Mel tries to drop Cookie at a Bart station so she can get within a few blocks from home. Cookie objects so vociferously that she takes Cookie part way home where she is picked up by family to get home.

The next day brings the charity work day. They soon discover that the house next door is known as the Murder House where a man shot his daughter and wife with his son and second daughter hiding in an upstairs bedroom. The father then shot himself, and the remaining children crawled out a window to escape and to gather help. Ghosts are known to exist there introduced by loud banging of the front door knocker in a repeating pattern.

Mel has begun working on learning more about ghosts via classes with a renowned professor on the subject. He helps Mel set up a séance on the 25th anniversary inside the Murder House. Mel has even become friendlier with the SFPD detective that seems to show up in each book.

I am truly impressed by how much Mel has grown, up to and including this book in the Haunted House Mystery series. This book could stand alone, but I believe it was so very much richer having read it in publication order, just as this series has become.