Murder on the House

Written by Juliet Blackwell

Narrated by Xe Sands

Word has spread that contractor Mel Turner can communicate with the spirits of the dead, and she's having a hard time maintaining a low profile. She decides to embrace her reputation for the chance to restore a historic house that calls to her. The new owners, who hope to run a haunted bed-and-breakfast, want Mel to encourage the ghosts that supposedly roam the halls to enhance the house's paranormal charm.

The catch: Mel has to spend one night in the house to win the project. During the spine-chilling sleepover, the estate gains another supernatural occupant when someone doesn't survive the night. As Mel tries to coax the resident spirits into revealing the identity of the killer, she risks becoming the next casualty of this dangerous renovation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452685649

Reviews for Murder on the House

[elizabeth grosse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story and the narrator was great but parts of the book were skipped which was disappointing

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mel is a young woman who has taken over the family's historical home renovation business in San Francisco. She is invited to place a bid on a new contract for a haunted house that the soon to be owners want to turn into a haunted B&B. When Mel arrives she is greeted at the door by a little girl and led into the parlor.... However it turns out that the little girl is a ghost from the turn of the century who with her family all died at the same time of mysterious circumstances.

The current owner of the home is an old woman who has promised many people many things upon her death..... The current couple (who wish to purchase the house) would like the old woman dead so that they might freely move ahead with their plans....

When the old woman is found dead at the bottom of the well....... the ghosts become more active and the lists of suspects spreads. It is up to Mel to figure out with the help of the little girl who the murderer is.

This was a light and entertaining read. I actually prefer Juliet Blackwell over several other Paranormal Mystery writers, her characters may have flaws, but they are certainly not ones that you'd like to murder yourself..... I am looking forward to the 4th in the series.

[akmamma · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the author and the series. More coming later!

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a good, quick holiday read! I enjoyed the cast of characters, by and large. Looking forward to the next installment.

[debbieaheaton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Blackwell’s paranormal mystery novel, the word is out on contractor, Mel Turner—she can communicate with the dead. When an impressive historic home comes up for restoration, Mel sucks it up and embraces her new found identity as a “ghost buster.” The new owners want to turn the house into a haunted bed and breakfast and they invite Mel to spend the night and make contact with the other side. During the unnerving night, an elderly woman is found dead and while Mel attempts to speak to the dead—a killer hiding in plain sight closes in.A cleverly plotted story with a great deal of detail regarding the history of the greater Bay Area—smooth, seductive—I can’t wait for the next installment.

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MURDER ON THE HOUSE was a spooky little cozy mystery, and I loved every minute of it! Though I haven't read the first two books in this series, I was able to jump right into this one with no problems. The main character Mel and I felt like longtime friends.Mel Turner is a contractor, specializing in the restoration of older homes in San Francisco. She can also see and sometimes communicate with ghosts that dwell in these places.The new owners of a Victorian house want to hire Mel for both her restoration and "ghost whispering" abilities. They want Mel to convert the home into a Bed & Breakfast, but first she has to spend the night in the house to see if she's up to the challenge. But, things don't go so well. Someone ends up murdered in the house, and Mel's hoping the ghostly residents will help her figure out the culprit. Truly I enjoyed everything about this book. It was the perfect blend of ghost story and clever mystery, with a cast of interesting and likable characters. I also loved the author's rich descriptions of the San Francisco Bay area - really drew me into the story.I would highly recommend MURDER ON THE HOUSE to fans of paranormal cozy mysteries. 5-stars!Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

[cissa_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engaging cozy mystery, even though the victim is more sympathetic than is usual in the cozies, and many of the suspects are pretty dubious; for me, the mystery solution was not especially satisfying.Still, it's got some interesting historical tidbits, and the secondary characters, especially the recurring ones, are well-drawn and fun to get to know better.Still, in the end a lot more questions remained unanswered than were resolved. Partly that's because Mel, our first-person protagonist, is making some difficult decisions about the path her life will take- but partly it's also because various situations, especially regarding the various suspects- remained unresolved by the quick and neat ending.You could probably start here in the series without missing much, except I think the 2 previous books were tighter than this one.Recommended for cozy mystery fans who don't mind a touch of the paranormal.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

family-dynamics, friendship, relationship-issues, renovation, general-contractor, ghostsMel the anthropologist/general contractor/lover of all things old house is slowly edging into some kind of comfort level with her ability to see and communicate with ghosts. And that is one thread in the story. Another is her relationship with a man she is attracted to, and yet another is with her ex-stepson and his father. Besides interacting with the owners of the house she is helping to bring into code for a Bed And Breakfast she is becoming friends with the little girl who has lived there since before her death in 1912. And then there is the current murder to be investigated and all the copies of the will to be found. Great story!Xe Sands has great skills in interpreting the characters as their narrator.

[newsieq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Melanie “Mel” Turner heads one of two construction companies who hope to bid on job to restore a century-old home in San Francisco’s Castro District. The would-be owners want Mel and her competitor, Josh Avery, to spend a night in the house (still occupied by its elderly owner Mrs. Bernini) to make sure they can get along with the spirits who haunt the home. It seems that Mel is a well-known, if reluctant, ghost-buster. Josh is not. Sure enough, when Mel rings the doorbell, it’s answered by one of the ghosts, a little girl named Anabelle. She and her family died in the home early in the 20th Century, and the cause of their deaths never was determined. But before the overnight adventure is over, Mrs. Bernini is dead, murdered. She had a habit of promising people they would get the house in her will. And there’s some doubt that the contract to sell the home is even valid. Mel still wants the job, and she’s curious about just what went on when Anabelle’s family died. But how does he go about solving a contemporary murder and century-old suspicious death. Murder on the House is a light-hearted cozy with a side of woo-woo. I’m not a big fan of woo-woo, but I seem to buy a lot of books tinged with it at my local used-bookstore – for 50 cents, it’s worth a try.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another enjoyable read by Ms. Blackwell. While I tend to like her other series a bit better, this series and this book are really fun reads. The ghosts in this book verged just enough on creepy - especially the toys, what is it about toys moving by themselves that is so creepy??

The actual murder mystery was very well written - a lot of suspects that had reason and opportunity and Ms. Blackwell controlled the reveal perfectly.

The ending felt a tiny bit rushed, or maybe not rushed but I did miss having one or two things explained in a bit more detail, but these missing explanations didn't detract from the story at all and are things, I admit, most probably won't even notice.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good cozy with ghosts that are just the right amount of creepy.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First Line: What makes a house look haunted?The word is out. General contractor Mel Turner has been named "California's most promising up-and-coming Ghost Buster" by Haunted House Quarterly. An Indiana couple has an arrangement with the owner of the historic Bernini House to buy it and turn it into a haunted bed-and-breakfast. Only two contractors are still in the running for the project: Mel and Josh Avery of Avery Builders. The couple has a novel idea for choosing their contractor. Mel and Josh have to spend the night in the house, and the one who stays in the house longest wins.Mel already knows the house is haunted because she met and spoke with the spirit of a little girl who died a century ago. Armed with that knowledge, she brings an entourage of friends to the sleepover. Unfortunately the house gains another ghostly occupant when someone doesn't survive the night. Somehow Mel has to cajole the reticent spirits into revealing the identity of the killer, and as she tries, she risks becoming a permanent (if ethereal) resident of Bernini House herself.I enjoy this series for many reasons. Blackwell treats her readers to a bit of the history of the San Francisco area in these books. This time it's the colorful and vibrant Castro District. Readers also get a good idea of just what a general contractor does during the renovation of historic homes. The plots are fun, too. In this third book, the elderly woman who owns Bernini House is the type of woman who makes a habit of promising people things in order to get what she wants. These promises wind up adding many names to the suspect list. As in any cozy mystery worth its salt, it's the cast of characters that keeps me coming back for more. Mel is hard-working, talented, and funny, and I love how she tries to adjust to her new ghost buster status. Her father, her stepson Caleb, her friends... Mel is surrounded by an interesting mix of people who add a lot to the enjoyment of the book. The paranormal angle is well done, too. Since Mel deals primarily with old houses that have lots of history and colorful owners, most people would expect a ghost or two to pop out of the woodwork. Depending on their dispositions, they can either give Mel a lot of help or be frustrating hindrances.If you love mysteries that take place in wonderful old spooky houses and have a good cast of characters, I definitely recommend Juliet Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series.

[Sanrio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story especially the characters, the places in the bay area love it!