With the title of Murder Most Haunted, and the knowledge that Emma Mason’s novel is a locked-room mystery, I was looking forward to an exciting story. Instead, I felt the story was slow-paced with dislikable characters, even the protagonist.

She spent thirty years with the police department, retiring as a Detective Sergeant. But, Midge McGowan was invisible to her co-workers, working in the the personal property office. They gave her an appalling retirement gift. Why would a morbidly overweight woman with a bad knee who uses a cane want three days on a Haunted Christmas Weekend? The only reason Midge begrudgingly goes is because her wife, Bridie, pushes her to go while Bridie has her chemo.

When Midge learns the owner of Haunting Holiday Excursions, John Rendell, is a former cop she remembers vividly, she’s extremely unhappy. He doesn’t remember her, and she never tells him or the driver that she’s a retired police officer. When Rendell, the owner, takes their phones away, no one makes a big fuss. The other guests for the weekend include a pop star, a doctor and his wife, a podcaster. They’re off to Atherton Hall, a house with stories of a ghost and mysterious deaths of Atherton family members. Midge observes that the house is in poor condition. Of course, a blizzard traps them in a house. And, when one of the group is found murdered in a room that’s locked from the inside, they realize they’re stuck in the house with a killer. Although Midge hasn’t worked as a detective, she has catalogued items for years in the property office. She begins to gather items that may be clues to the murder and the apparent haunted house.

I read Murder Most Haunted, but it was slow-paced with an unsatisfying conclusion. The characters felt distant. I hate to say that about a debut novel. But, as I always say, this is just my opinion, and others might enjoy the book.

Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason. William Morrow, 2025. 308p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book with no expectations.