Inspector Specter

By: E.J. Copperman

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Just when she thought she'd seen everything... Detective Lieutenant Anita McElone is one of Harbor Haven's finest. She's also a hard-boiled ghost skeptic. So when she shows up on the doorstep of Alison Kerby's Haunted Guesthouse to ask for supernatural help in solving the murder of her former partner, it's hard to tell which woman is more flabbergasted. But McElone is dead serious, so Alison promises to help in any way she can - even asking her resident ghosts, Paul and Maxie, for help with the case. As Paul's spirit source reveals some troubling information about the deceased detective, Alison wrestles with what to tell McElone. First, though, she has to find her... because the lieutenant has suddenly disappeared.

©2014 Jeffrey Cohen (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Wish there were more in the series!

What made the experience of listening to Inspector Specter the most enjoyable?

The narrator. She is absolutely fantastic.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters of Paul and Maxie.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was at the end when Lt. McElone showed gratitude to the main character.

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

No

Any additional comments?

All of these books in the series are excellent.

The series is getting very formulaic

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It's a decent listen to pass the time, but there's nothing really earth-shattering here.

Would you be willing to try another book from E.J. Copperman? Why or why not?

Yes. I like the series, and it seems to be progressing toward something very interesting, but it's doing so slowly with a lot of the mundane and annoying as filler.

What about Amanda Ronconi’s performance did you like?

Amanda is the perfect voice for Allisen. She has the exasperated and snarky tone down perfectly. Unfortunately, she can also come across a bit whiny as well.

Any additional comments?

We get a few peeks into more of the dynamics of the ghost world in this book, and Paul seems to be progressing along nicely.

Unfortunately, outside of that we have the typical formula. A case is reluctantly taken on by our "heroin", she stumbles through it, and constantly missing obvious clues to her case and to the side story that is going on. The author is also very lazy in how she allows this to drag on as well ("I was about to make the phone call that would end all this silly, drawn-out drama, but oh something else came up... for the third time), which makes it even more frustrating.

I wish Allisen were a smarter, less annoying character, but I do love the supernatural aspect of the series.

Hilariously entertaining!

What made the experience of listening to Inspector Specter the most enjoyable?

It was great to finally see Anita involved in a paranormal situation.

What did you like best about this story?

That Anita and Allison became closer afterward.

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

Yes, I have listened to them all and I have a hard time choosing a favorite. I'm waiting for more!

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

I really enjoyed it, all the more because I've listened to the rest and feel "at home" with the characters. It's kind of a comforting feeling.

Any additional comments?

I'd highly recommend anyone who likes a haunting story, but more on the "light" side, to listen to these books.

I love this series

The books in this series are so good that I am sad when I come to the end. The characters are well developed and funny. Their are enough personality quirks that make the characters come and alive. and seem real. The plot is rich with many twists and turns so it never becomes stagnant. This is one of my favorite series and I can't wait until the next book is available.

Fun Little Mystery with Ghosts

The story revolves around a B&B that has two resident ghosts. This are not dangerous/vicious ghosts but do have unique personalities. One ghost is an ex-private eye who pesters the owner of the B&B to assist him in his sleuthing. The beginning third of the story is a bit slow but gets moving quickly as the story develops. Its a cute story.

Fun!

Listened for Review (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished:Inspector Specter by E.J. Copperman was another delightful entry in the A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series. This series has delightful characters, strong mysteries, and a ton of fun. They don't have to be read in order (I didn't), they work well as stand alone mysteries!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Amanda Ronconi / Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins


When I first picked up this series (about a year ago), it was totally because Amanda narrates it. She pretty much rocks! She has a voice that just screams "fun"! I highly recommend these in audio!

Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! reviews

Great book

loved it! great twists. kept me listening. look forward to more! keep them coming E.J.

Clever and Amusing

I thought the story cleverly done. Light hearted mystery. Reader seemed to fit the character well.

Excellent

I love this book. I have listened to all The Haunted Guest House stories one after the other and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I laughed out loud on many occasions.
The narration was so good, I was sad when I got to the end. Amanda Ronconi is a joy to listen to.

Cooperman has another hit!

What made the experience of listening to Inspector Specter the most enjoyable?

The narrator! I love how Amanda Ronconi reads and her voices for each of the main characters never change throughout the series!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. But then all of this series has managed to keep you at the edge of your seat, wondering who killed the victim.

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

Her ability to do a wide variety of voices. I could never imagine how these characters sounded.

Another lovely installment

As entertaining and comforting as previous novels in the saga, McElone's plunge into the ghost world is hilarious, and all the other characters we know and love are in top form too.

A truly good read, light humorous and fun.

If you could sum up Inspector Specter in three words, what would they be?

fun, witty, enjoyable

Who was your favorite character and why?

very much the mother, she was just a loveable character.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

again, I find this question so difficult because the story, was so enjoyable and just a pleasure to read.

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

yes in places I certainly laughed, but did not really cry.

Any additional comments?

A great read, try investigating the work also of Chris Fieldwater, he has written some great works, and I understand not everyone would enjoy his work, but in my eyes most enjoyable, much like Km woods as well and John Ringo,

Great cozy mystery as usual!

I love this series! great humour and interesting mystery going on all read with great charisma

😁 entertaining and enjoyable 😉

I am really enjoying this series and love the narration 😆 this story was an enjoyable and entertaining listen 😁 great use of characters 😀

Just gets better and better

I enjoyed this book. Mainly because the case centres around Detective Anita McElone and I Just love her reaction to both the ghosts and Alison and it was fun to learn more about her home life and even contained a few surprises and twists that I didn't see coming. I think she is my favourite character, no wait that is Maxie or Melissa, oh hang on Ollie had a bigger part in this book. Let Just say I like the characters and they are the reason I keep returning to this series. I just love the ghostly aspect the the stories, the way the ghosts get involved in the investigations and in this case taking down the bad guys. The mystery was busy with two murders to investigate, as well as all the guesthouse guests to spook but as usual it all gelled together nicely and held my attention until the very end. Off to see what the ghost are up to in the next book.
Detective Anita McElone doesn't do ghosts and she just about tolerates Alison 'the ghost lady's and her investigations, so when she turns up at the guest house asking for help, Alison knows it's serious. Her ex partner has been murdered but his work colleagues are writing it off as accident and she needs Alison to do what ever she does with her ghostly connections to find out what happened. The same night her partner died so did the man he was investigating and when McElone disappears things get very complicated. Was he on the take? And can Alison find the killer, track down McElone and babysit her best friends baby all while entertaining her guests. It's going to be tricky especially with the resident ghosts and partners in the detective agency distracted, Maxie acting weird, keeping secrets and rushing off and Paul has discovered electricity which seems far more interesting than keeping Alison safe from the mob.
I still really like the narrator and think she does a good job of giving each character there own voice and style.

Enjoyable

An enjoyable book. The central characters are very likeable, and the book does not contain any swearing or violence.

That was brilliant!

This was a great time, I binged this in three days. Amanda Ronconi is fantastic as always. I love her narration. The story was very enjoyable with a very refreshing structure and conclusion. I hope to hear more books like this. I laughed out loud a number of times.

Cheesy and undemanding

As a story it just meandered round and round not getting anywhere for most of it then all of a sudden ended. Hard work getting to the end. Would not listen to another by this author

Good story.

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were likeable and fun. The story was amusing and interesting. I thought the narrator did a good job and was easy to listen to.

Ok, but…

the premise is intriguing and in fairness, it lives up to expectations for the most part, at least with regards to the concept. For me, the problem was the narration. I found her voice irritating in the extreme and her inflections gave the story the impression of a low budget US drama on some obscure channel. Perhaps to an American audience the reception is more positive, but to myself, from the UK, it felt quite tacky. I wish I had read this book instead, I suspect that I may have enjoyed it more but as it stands, I was unable move past the low budget made for TV vibe.

If you don’t want to claw your own ears after five minutes, give it a listen, if you do, it doesn’t get better, run away!