Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Ghost Hunter Next Door by Danielle Garrett Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Series: Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery #1
Published by Tantor Audio on March 5, 2019
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal
Length: 6 hours, 2 minutes
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
The first rule of being a ghost whisperer: Don’t tell anyone.
Seriously. Don’t.
Sure, it might sound harmless. A fun party trick, even. I assure you, it’s not.
How do I know? Well, let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, and nine times out of ten, it turns into an all-consuming disaster.
Being plagued by needy ghosts twenty-four/seven is one thing; being harassed by a horde of curious — or worse, grieving — flesh-and-blood people is an entirely different circus. I mean really, who wants to hold an impromptu séance in the middle of the cereal aisle? Not me, and the manager of the grocery store probably isn’t too crazy about the idea, either.
So, that’s it. If you’re a ghost whisperer, just keep your mouth shut and act normal. Ghosts? What ghosts?
Now, if only I would start listening to my own advice …
Ghost Hunter Next Door is the first in the Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries. I already know the town and even Scarlet, from the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries. I recently reviewed Betwixt which has a variety of novellas set in the town, and one which introduces Scarlet.
Scarlet is more isolated and perhaps introverted than Holly. They both try to help others and enjoy their quirky new town. Scarlet ends up spending a lot of time solving a ghost issue which has nothing to do with her personally. It’s just she’s the only one who can help or will be able to solve it, because of her skills.
In spite of Scarlet’s preference to not date, or get involved, or have anyone know about her skills, she ends up in the thick of things. She has more than one guy interested in her, but spends the most time with Lucas. That relationship has some potential so we will see if it goes anywhere as the series continues.
The series is a cozy mystery so it is light and a bit silly in some aspects. The writing is good and the story enjoyable. The books are relatively short, so they are quick. The books of both series are in Kindle Unlimited. I’m on to Ghost Gone Wild next.
Narration:
Amanda Ronconi is a favorite narrator and comfortable in this genre. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed. The voices were distinct for the small number of primary characters, both male and female voices. I enjoyed the performance.
Listen to a clip:
About Amanda Ronconi
Amanda is an actress and narrator who divides her time between New York City and Upstate New York. She has a BFA from NYU where she studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory. She has performed in theaters around New York City and regionally at The Alley, Capital Rep and many productions at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Her Off-Broadway solo comedy, Shirley at the Tropicana, received critical acclaim and was subsequently featured in The New York Times. Film and TV credits include Daydream Believer (Slamdance 2001’s Best Dramatic Feature winner), The Understudy, Deadly Sins (ID Discovery), IFC’s Get Hit and Chasing Paradise. National network and regional commercials include Chase Bank, Sony and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her voiceover work encompasses nearly 100 audiobooks available on Audible.com. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity.
Amanda’s new solo show, Kempner, will debut in 2016.
About Danielle Garrett
From a young age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she’s gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well.
Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn’t call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Releases
I had a good time with this one too.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
It is a fun series. I like the everyday touches of real life things which make it more authentic. I also liked seeing Holly and others I know already from BHMM series.
I had a good time with this one, too. The ghost friends are my favorite part. I’m listening to the second book right now.
I’ll be back with the second one soon. The ghosts are the quirky characters and her “posse”. Plus she hasn’t opened up much to the human or other supernaturals yet.
You seem to have had a lot of fun with this one, Anne! I’m going to have to check out the connected series. Fun review!
Thanks I’d start with the BHMM first. They are in KU. They are a quirky, fun paranormal cozy.
This sounds like so much fun and I love Amanda Ronconi is a fabulous narrator. I will have to add this to my wishlist for when I get a little caught up with review books.
I’d start with BHMM. So far they are all in KU. If you like quirky, fun cozy paranormal, this series is well written.
I listened to Murder’s a Witch already and enjoyed, so I plan to get to this series eventually as well. Does it work as standalone or is it better to finish the witch series first? I like the sound of how Scarlett is a different main character than Holly.
I haven’t read all of the BHMM and I’m moving along in BHGM, picking up more of the BHMM as I can fit them in. Still I would always prefer to do them in order and read the BHMM first. I skipped ahead to review since the BHGM are just coming out on audio now. Otherwise, I would do it all in order.
Very nice review. I like the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Series. Glad to see you liked this one.
Thank you. If you liked BHMM I’m pretty sure you will enjoy this too!
I liked this one too. I’m sure the more stories we get the more invested we’ll become. But I did miss the group camaraderie of Holly’s stories.
Well Scarlet is just getting started and her crew is kind of her ghost regulars I guess, and sort of Lucas.
Glad you enjoyed this I still need to get to it!
I think they are fun and well-writtten.