Haunting License (A Haunted Haven Mystery #3) by Carol J. Perry #bookreview #mystery #paranormal

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Title: Haunting License

Author:  Carol J. Perry

Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Page Count:  312

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

The latest novel in this exciting supernatural cozy series from the author of the Witch City Mysteries features a New Englander transplanted to a Florida town along the scenic Gulf of Mexico when she inherits a charming, century-old—and very haunted—inn from a mysterious benefactor. Fans of Amanda Flower and Heather Blake will delight in murder, ghosts, and the heroine’s golden retriever, Finn.
 
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.
 
Inspired by an old brochure she finds in a trunk she inherited along with the inn from her mysterious benefactor Penelope Josephine Gray, she gets the brilliant idea to revive a June fishing tournament from twenty years ago, hoping to reel in anglers who’d love to catch the Gulf Coast’s popular kingfish and take home a trophy.
 
But one fisherman won’t make it to the tournament. 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 . . .

Haunting License by Carol J. Perry is the third book in the paranormal cozy A Haunted Haven Mystery series. As with most cozy mystery series each book in this new paranormal mystery series will contain it’s own mystery that will be solved within so they can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. Of course there will be some character development that carries over from book to book for those that follow the series in order.

Maureen Doherty had been settling into her career as a sportswear buyer for a department store when she got the news that the store would be closing. At just that moment when Maureen needed it most she received a letter from a lawyer informing her that she had a mysterious inheritance waiting for her in Haven, Florida. Maureen is now the new owner of a cozy inn on the Gulf of Mexico. The only catch to the inheritance is the inn is supposed to be haunted but not believing in ghosts Maureen saw it as the opportunity for a new career path.

Now as Maureen is getting settled into her new life in Haven, Florida it’s June and that is the slow season for tourism in town. As Maureen is going though an old trunk in the inn she finds an old brochure from twenty years before advertising a Haven fishing tournament and gets the idea to revitalize the event to bring in guests. Unfortunately for Maureen just as the idea for the tournament begins to take shape she stumbles upon the body of a fisherman as she’s walking the beach leading to yet another murder needing to be solved in the small town.

I have been following the A Haunted Haven Mystery series from the beginning since I really enjoy the crossing of the two genres bringing the paranormal into a cozy mystery. When I ask for quirky fun characters in my mysteries they don’t necessarily need to be of the living variety so incorporating a couple of ghosts here or there will also do the trick. And on top of the small town vibes and the quirky characters there’s also a fun mystery to be solved in each installment of this series which will continue to bring me back time and again.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Carol J. Perry was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween eve, and that magical city serves as the backdrop for her Witch City Mystery series. She is also the author of several young adult novels. Her nonfiction articles on travel, antiques, and ecology often appear in regional and national publications.