NO GHOULS ALLOWED is Book nine in Victoria Laurie's "Ghost Hunter" paranormal mystery series. Although this book is part of a series, I believe it can still be enjoyed by readers who may be new to the series. NO GHOULS ALLOWED is not for the faint of heart. This is definitely a good book for readers who enjoy stories that terrify. Usually I prefer lighter, cozy mysteries but I enjoy a good scare now and then and NO GHOULS ALLOWED certainly qualifies.

NO GHOULS ALLOWED is about ghosts but it's also about what Agatha Christie's Miss Marple would refer to as "sleeping murder" -- murder committed a long time ago, and perhaps one that has never been discovered. The case that M.J. and company embark on is both a hair-raising ghost story and fascinating mystery. I enjoyed hunting down the clues along with the main characters and trying to figure out who all the villains are and the why of the haunting. I enjoyed feeling sucked into the mystery. Even though NO GHOULS ALLOWED freaked me out and gave me chills, I couldn't stop reading it. Victoria Laurie does a great job of capturing the feeling that nowhere is safe.

Part of what balanced out the scares in NO GHOULS ALLOWED, for me, is the likeable main characters -- M.J., Heath, and Gilley -- and their strong connection to each other. Families play a big part in NO GHOULS ALLOWED, some slightly dysfunctional and some incredibly toxic, but the makeshift family between those three main characters is something extremely positive amidst the forces of evil in the story. I like how Victoria Laurie treats the subplot involving M.J.'s relationship with her dad and her departed mother. Those family scenes are very emotionally powerful and act as a nice counterpoint to all the spooky activity.

NO GHOULS ALLOWED is perfect for anyone who wants to be scared -- with a sinister haunted house, truly evil villains - both ghostly and human, and a compelling mystery. As a longtime fan of this Ghost Hunter series, I enjoyed seeing familiar characters and having my craving for thrills satisfied. I eagerly await the next installment.

Book Summary

On a trip to Georgia to see her father, M. J. Holliday finds herself trapped in a haunted mansion and discovers...

THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN—FROM THE DEAD

M.J. has had a distant relationship with her father since her mother died more than two decades ago. But when M.J., her boyfriend, Heath, and BFF, Gilley, take a break from their show, Ghoul Getters, and visit her family home in Valdosta, Georgia, they find Montgomery Holliday a changed man. The source of his happiness seems to be his new fiancée, the charming Christine Bigelow.

But despite the blush of new love, Montgomery and Christine are dealing with a big problem in the form of the antebellum mansion she is having renovated. After a series of strange accidents, the work crew is convinced the place is cursed, and the contractor has walked off the job. At Christine’s request, M.J. and her pals agree to find out if they’re really dealing with some spirited saboteurs and a possessed plantation home.