Carol J. Perry is the author of the Witch City Mysteries, but she’s also written three cozies in the Haunted Haven series set in Florida. After living in Florida for eighteen years, I have a fondness for the quirky mysteries set there. Haunting License, the third in the series, fits the bill with its rocking chair seniors and the ghosts that haunt the town, especially the Haven House Inn.
Just about a year earlier, Maureen Doherty inherited the Haven House Inn from Penelope Josephine Gray, a woman she never knew. Maureen’s been going slowly through items Gray left behind to learn more about her benefactor. The latest find, a trunk, gives Maureen an idea to reinvent a fishing tournament from twenty years earlier. And, the death of a fishing boat captain, Eddie Manuel, gives her the perfect excuse to bring the community together in a tournament to honor his memory. It might also bring business to the inn and the town, both needing a push during the summer months.
At the moment, Maureen only has a few guests at the inn, an anthropologist and the photographer for a bird magazine. But, Frank Hubbard, a local police officer is interested in the photographer and his boss, the magazine’s editor. He suspects one of them might be a link to the death of Eddie Manuel. He even asks Maureen to let him know if she has a “feeling” about Eddie’s death. In Haven, even the police believe in ghosts or “feelings”.
But, Maureen sticks her nose into the investigation a few too many times, and Frank warns her to back off. It might be too late, though. A killer might have Maureen in his sights.
Someone here on the blog mentioned Perry’s Haunted Haven mysteries recently. She’s right. While I enjoy the ghosts that haunt the inn and the seniors who assist there in return for room and board, Haunting License was quite slow-paced. Because so much suspicion fell on one character, I expected a twist. There wasn’t one. The killer was obvious for half the book. Why did I stick with it? I enjoy the story of a woman trying to bring back a one hundred-year-old inn in Florida. I like the characters associated with the Haven House Inn. The current book is unlikely to attract new readers to the series, but it was a leisurely stroll through a week in the life of an innkeeper.
Carol J. Perry’s website is https://www.caroljperry.com/.
Haunting License by Carol J. Perry. Kensington, 2024. ISBN 9781496743602 (paperback), 293p.
FTC Full Disclosure – Library book
Until now, the only mystery series with ghosts I like is Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series. They take place in England near the Welsh border, and the Reverend Merrily Watkins is a divorced Anglican priest who finds herself specializing in exorcisms. She has a mouthy but appealing teenage daughter named Jane and a maybe-boyfriend named Lol Robinson, who plays folk rock and whose mental health is fragile. The first book is THE WINE OF ANGELS. However, these books are not cozies.
Oh, the Merrily Watkins series sounds interesting, Kim. Thank you! Very interesting – location, main character. Thank you. I’m going to look for The Wine of Angels.
Lesa – I didn’t realize you lived in Florida such a long time! I only lasted a couple years and then moved to Alaska.
Eighteen years in Florida followed by ten in Arizona, MM. I preferred Arizona.