Cozy Monday

The Skeleton Haunts a House (Family Skeleton Mystery #3) by Leigh Perry (Berkley Prime Crime mass market paperback, 6 October 2015).

Sid's favorite holiday is (no surprise) Hallowe'en, because he's able to go out in public, although he enjoys wearing a costume.

This year, he and Georgia are disguised as Scooby-Doo and Velma when they visit the Halloween Howl  on the McQuaid University campus.  Georgia's sister Deborah, and daughter Madison are working at McHades Hall, the annual haunted house.

Georgia gets hot dogs for herself and Deborah, and they eat while Sid goes through the house.  Their dinner is interrupted by some louder-than-normal screams, and a walkie-talkie message for Deborah that a real dead body has been found.

The body is that of Kendall Fitzroy, a local young woman attending the Howl with three of her friends.  They obviously became separated on their way through the haunted house, and are unable to shed much light on what happened to Kendall.

Deborah, concerned about liability because she was in charge, asks Georgia and Sid to investigate. When their parents, who have been on sabbatical, return early, they (as well as Madison) join the team.

The case is complicated by the fact that Kendall did not attend McQuaid, which means that Georgia has to take advantage of some past connections at other schools she's worked at.  Also, the building used for McHades Hall doesn't actually belong to the University, but is part of a complicated bequest that may be negated if the haunted house has to be shut down.

As usual, Leigh Perry does a great job of balancing humor with solemnity, in a story so absorbing that the reader feels very much a part of Georgia's family, and it's a bit jarring to return to reality at
the end.



The publisher has generously offered a copy of THE SKELETON HAUNTS A HOUSE to one of my readers.  Please comment below by 12:01 a.m. on October 12, and don't forget to include an email address where I can contact you if you win.  Entries from the U.S. only, please.



FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of the book.