What's a Ghoul to Do?

Although ghost buster M.J. Holliday finds Dr. Steven Sable attractive, they initially clash when he wants to hire her to investigate strange happenings at his grandfather's lodge. M.J. doesn't allow her clients to help her but Sable insists and she reluctantly gives in at the insistence of her partner Gilley. Although his death was labeled a suicide, Steven isn't convinced his grandfather killed himself and is hoping his ghost will help clear things up. When they get to the lodge, they find there is more than one ghost there, but at first the ghosts seem to be playing harmless pranks like turning on all the TV sets in the lodge, even when they are unplugged. But the ghosts soon turn violent and Gilley is hurt. Not only that, but when show more M.J. and Steven are trapped and almost killed they realize it's not only ghosts they are dealing with but a very much alive murderer.

"What's a Ghoul to Do" is the first book in Victoria Laurie's new Ghost Hunter Mystery series and it's a nice beginning. Laurie is a talented writer who makes the paranormal aspects of the book very real and believable. She does a good job of explaining M.J.'s powers and how she picks up on the energy of ghosts and how she's able to help the ghosts cross over once they are ready. Adding to the believability is how all the characters accept the existence of the ghosts - there's a wonderful scene in the book where a character matter-of-factly plays chess with the ghost of Steven's grandfather. There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book like when M.J. calls out "ghost is clear" after ridding a house of its ghostly inhabitants and the fact that Gilley is actually afraid of ghosts. M.J. also has a pet parrot, Doc, who adds a lot of humor and fun to the book. All of the characters, Gilley included, are well developed. M.J. is a nice heroine, good at her job, attracted to Steven, a/k/a/ Dr. Delicious. Her longtime friendship with the gay Gilley adds a lot to the book. Steve is one of the best-developed characters in the book, largely due to his tumultuous relationship with his father. Laurie straddles a fine line with his character as his first language is not English and he tends to mangle words, which could have been annoying after a while, but is instead endearing.

"What's A Ghoul to Do" is a good paranormal mystery. show less

What's a Ghoul to Do?
3.5 Stars

M.J. Holliday has the ability to see ghosts and hires herself out as a “ghostbuster”. Her latest client, Dr. Stephen Sable, is convinced that his recently deceased grandfather was the victim of foul play and that his ghost is haunting the family lodge. When M.J. and her partner, Gilly Gillespie, arrive on the scene, it soon becomes clear that there is more than one troubled spirit in need of help and that the solution may lie with the living rather than the dead...

As this is the first book in the series, it takes time to establish the setting and the characters. Consequently, the mystery only picks up about halfway through. Although there are some good red herrings and a few exciting scenes, there is show more also a gigantic plot hole, no court would accept Stephen Sr.'s DNA reult without getting an independent test done and the rather convoluted resolution sort of comes out of nowhere.

The romance is also problematic as despite his sexy accent and hilarious mutilation of English idiom, M.J.’s love interest is an arrogant and obnoxious ass. That said, M.J. is a delightful heroine and the premise of the series is entertaining enough to continue with the series.

On a final note, Eileen Stevens' narration is really good. She has an excellent grasp of accents and her voice for Doc the parrot is fantastic! show less

To my surprise, this was a very enjoyable book.

MJ is a medium turned ghostbuster who has taken a job to fi. out if Dr. Sable's grandfather was murdered or committed suicide.

This was part of my Crafting While Listening to An Audiobook list, narrated by Eileen Stevens who did a great job.

This was a good story with an interesting plot with a well written mystery that keeps one guessing. The paranormal aspect of it was a nice element, and Steven's massacre of the English language (superbly rendered by the narrator) was simply funny.

It a nice, funny, sometimes quirky paranormal story that will make you think you know who the culprit is until the very end.

I picked up this book on a whim at the thrift store after being drawn in by the cover. Well, no, I take that back, not the cover, but the little devious looking piggy-ghost on the bag the girl is holding. I just thought that it was adorable in a "Sure, come closer... yeah, closer... Mwahahahaha!" way.


Click for larger image!

Anyway, so I picked it up on a whim, and was actually surprised by it. I liked it quite a bit. The premise and set up reminded me quite a lot of Charlaine Harris's "Grave Sight", only this was good. To be perfectly honest, once that connection clicked in my head, my initial thought was "Oh shizzle." But I gave it a fair chance, and was rewarded by something decently written, not creepy at all (at least in the sexual show more tension department - it did have a little bit of a creepy ghost factor, or maybe that was just because I was reading it at night by flashlight...) and amusing.

Speaking of... There was quite a bit of sexual tension here, minus the sibling aspect, and it made things interesting. M.J., the main character, was quite conflicted about her feelings for a certain "Dr. Delicious", and in a reasonable and believable way. She is not someone who does the whole social dating scene. She doesn't dress up, she's not girly and doesn't play games and is willing to wait for what she wants. She's self-reliant and sure of herself, for the most part, so her confidence doesn't feel fake or put-on or snotty. She just seems genuine, and not Super-Tough-Independent-Girl.

I liked the interplay between M.J., Steven, and Gilley. They were quite humorous and fun. Plus M.J. had a parrot, which at first I thought was a silly gimmick, but was done well. Doc (the bird) was a character unto himself, and rather than being a one-time mention for quirkiness, or a single-use plot device, was counted and treated as a family member. You could tell that M.J. took her bird-parenting seriously, and that the others accepted the bird as a matter of course. Of course, that's not to say that Doc didn't help move certain things along, like a little awkwardness to break the ice between Steven and M.J. Speaking of Steven, I really enjoyed his broken English and the way that his vocabulary faux pas would lighten the mood or create the little misdirection needed to distract us from something important. Of course, if I'm writing about that, then it's kind of failed in the attempt of distracting me because I recognized it as distraction, but the characters didn't and the story still moved right along, so I'll count it as good.

This was definitely light and fun, but, at times, the writing seemed stiff and awkward to me. For instance, M.J. is supposed to be from the South, but the only southern characteristic she had was in her use of "honey" and "sweetie" and the too-much-used "my friend". I can't hear that phrase without thinking of John McCain now anyway, but it's just not a phrase that sounds natural to me... ever. It sounds forced and fake, even when it is not meant to be. M.J.'s guidance to the spirits she encountered was also stiff and kindergarten teacherish. I get that sometimes the communication between dimensions was hard to deal with, and that spirits can be reluctant to chat, but it just seemed a mite condescending to me at times.

I was a eensy bit disappointed with the mystery resolution. I'd wanted it to be one where I say "WOW! Who would have guessed that!" but rather it was a kind of "Yeah, that makes sense. What's on TV?" (Well, I would have said that, if I watch TV, but I don't really.)

I liked this, but it wasn't great. Funny, but not gut-busting funny, or the kind of funny that really lingers and makes you giggle at odd moments so as to make people look at you like you're crazy. But still amusing. I will read the next book in the series if I happen to stumble across it, because this was nice and light and fun, and the characters were interesting and entertaining, but I doubt it will become a favorite. show less

Book one of the Ghost Hunter Mysteries. Another mystery, but this time the mystery revolves around ghosts. M.J. Holliday is a medium turned ghostbuster, meaning she can sense energies of those who have crossed over, as well as those who are stuck (i.e., ghosties). Book one introduces us to M.J., her business parter and long-time friend Gilley Gillespie, the hotly handsome client Dr. Steven Sable, and Doc, M.J.’s African Gray parrot. The mystery surrounds Dr. Sable’s grandfather and his apparent suicide at his lodge where strange things keep happening. It’s up to M.J. and Gil to find out what happened.

Who should read: fans of paranormal/urban fantasy (I’ll post later about the problem with these genre titles). Basically, if you show more like ghosties and mysteries, then this series is for you.

Why I like it: For one, I love the title. Cheesy play on words always make me giggle. That and I really liked the cover art. I know, I know. Don’t just a book by its cover. But I do. So does everyone. I just don’t always let it sway me. But seriously, Laurie has a solid writing style. The characters are believable, and I like a female lead who isn’t too wishy-washy. While M.J. has her fretful “oh my what to do” kind of moments, she’s balanced with the “I know exactly what I’m doing.” I personally dislike females who are too wimpy. Overall, a fun read. show less

Okay, the 2 stars a little harsh for what is the start of a new series that actually does have all the right ingredients and non-cardboard characters.

It never came together for me -- not the unlikable main characters, the plot, the worldbuilding or anything. Almost, almost, almost...and how highly can you rate a book where you did not like the characters?

I had a sample of this to read (large TBR pile of whole books and samples so was just slow getting to) when a buddy-read/penpal thing happened and this one was in both our TBR piles. Between time I downloaded sample to time I read, I had discovered and adored author's Psychic Eye series (I still have latest on pre-order). That means I did have unfairly high expectations for this book show more (on the other hand, I also give the first book in a series some leeway).

PROS: interesting plot outline (synopsis at this site correct so not repeating), ghost busting not done to death, main characters (MJ, Stephen and Gilly) not cardboard nor completely stereotyped, decent attempt at worldbuilding with an effort to throw in some technical aspects of ghost busting.

CONS: nothing really gelled. Not plot, not romance, not horror story, not documentary on proper ghost busting -- tried in bits and pieces but just did not happen. Could not like any of the main characters. MJ and Gilly really unlikable (MJ later gets giggly and Gilly got more unlikable as we see him treating his love interests like garbage and being too afraid of ghosts to be any real help); Stephen got dorked up all the time interspersed with oh-how-hot-a-kisser-he-is (paragraph after paragraph of correcting his English and making fun of him got really old; as book progressed he did turn rather cardboard and took everything completely in stride while becoming exactly what MJ might wish for).

Some of the romance scenes were plopped in at odd points in plot apparently for the sake of romance and nearly degenerated to the is-that-a-roll-of-quarters -in-your-pocket-or- are-you-happy-to-see-me style of romance -- no wait, excuse me, if you say "double roll of" that would literally be a quote from the book. Interspersed with the romance, the business end of ghostbusting, and a not very clever mystery were some technical details of ghostbusting and relevant equipment that read more like a handbook than part of a work of fiction. Just awkwardly thrown in ("tell" versus "show" I guess; at any rate, read like reader was suddenly attending lecture on the subject rather than flowing with story). I think book would have worked better if stuck to the story, the ghostbusting, the mystery or the romance than having each go on a bit and then something else shove in.

CONCLUSION: I am not done with the author (although considered it after reading this book and the links below); but, I am unlikely to continue with this series.

I did my status updates on touchscreen with auto-text/correct so apologize for all the typos.


Maybe after all the controversy when this author and other authors respond badly to a 3-star rating (I put some links at end of review if anyone curious) I should be desperately afraid to rate a book low!

Links to the "controversy" with this and other authors:

http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/does-psychic-victoria-laurie-f...
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/victoria-laurie-sends-blogger-threats-from-a-...
http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/wherein-jane-sends-email-to-vi... show less