{I've Been Reading} Death in the Haunted Wood

 Death in the Haunted Wood by Kim Griswell

After reading this fun cozy mystery set on the Oregon Coast, I'm planning a road trip to track down some cinamon bun French toast. I recognized many of the places Saffi drives past in the course of her investigation and actually put down the book to do a quick Google search to confirm that the cafe with the great sounding breakfast food is that place we've passed dozens of times but never stopped at. If you read cozy mysteries for the chance to visit someplace different, this book is a great choice. Aging horror star Malcom Morton is re-inventing a derelict theme park once devoted to The Wind in the Willows. Now the place will be the Haunted Wood, complete with a museum of horror memorabilia, but someone objects to his plans and is sending threatening post cards. It's an enjoyable read with intriguing characters (and the books are included in Kindle Unlimited!) but there seem to be some spoilers for the first book, so beware of that if you want to read the whole series. 

Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason

I almost put this murder mystery down after the first few pages because the protagonist has such a negative attitute. She doesn't seem to like anything or anyone very much, not even her own wife. And she REALLY doesn't like her retirement gift, a pre-paid ghost hunting weekend at a haunted estate. Reading Midge's complaints about the other guests and the upholstery in the bus and absolutely everything else got old fast. The actual mystery, though, is extremely well crafted and that makes up for the off-putting characters.  

The Girl in the Cellar by Maryann Webb

There's a girl who has been chained in the wine cellar for a year. There's the wife upstairs who is about to discover her. This book takes a familiar thriller trope and explores it in a new way, alternating chapters between the kidnapped woman and the wife, with occasional excerpts from a true crime podcast. After the interesting set up, the plot slowed and the secrets the women were keeping didn't have nearly the impact I was braced for. It's an entertaining read with great potential, but I wish it had been just a little bit more.  

Phantoms of Christmas Past Festive Ghost Hoaxes, Ghost Hunts and Ghost Panics by Paul Weatherhead

I was expecting to read about supernatural hoaxes along the lines of the Fox sisters with their fabricated poltergeist. Instead, I got true stories about villagers running around in the middle of the night draped in bedsheets, like something out of an original episode of Scooby Doo. There are accounts of fake ghosts, the people trying to find and unmask the fake ghosts and the panic that ensued....it's a fun, short non fiction book that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.