It’s Halloween, and excitement is brewing in Braxton to carve jack-o’-lanterns, go on haunted hayrides, and race through the spooky corn maze at the Fall Festival.Despite the former occupant’s warnings, Kellan renovates and moves into a mysterious old house. When a ruthless ghost promises retribution, our fearless professor turns to the eccentric town historian and an eerie psychic to communicate … communicate with the apparition. Meanwhile, construction workers discover a fifty-year-old skeleton after breaking ground on the new Memorial Library wing.
While Kellan and April dance around the chemistry sparking between them, a suspicious accident occurs at the Fall Festival. Soon, Kellan discovers the true history and dastardly connections of the Grey family. But can he capture the elusive killer – and placate the revenge-seeking ghost.
Praise:
★★★★★ – “There’s also Cudney’s charming humor that makes you laugh out loud and now has me wondering which Halloween socks to wear! This series just keeps getting better and better so now I’m awaiting #6!”
★★★★★ – ”The character development is superb. As these books progress, the characters come alive… If this book were made into a Halloween movie or TV show, I would enjoy seeing Kellan’s responses to various things.”
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Kellan Ayrwick has a new house, but it comes with a few surprises!
Kellan is busy renovating his new home–though pranksters keep vandalizing the space–planning the fall festival, and creating a stable life for his daughter and young cousin.
When a skeleton is found during the demolition of the Memorial library, the town speculates whether it is the long lost mistress of Kellan’s new home and Kellan wonders if he’s found his ghost.
A series of suspicious accidents sends Kellan on a search for the truth, but a killer has a few plans of their own.
The author did a fantastic job of world-building in this series (each can easily be read as a standalone), creating a memorable cast of characters, some who are rather eccentric!
Favorite lines
You always remembered your real first kiss, but it’s rare when the intensity blindsided your ability to think straight.
Cudney, James J.. Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) . Gumshoe Books – A Next Chapter Imprint. Kindle Edition.
And just like that, my hopes for a future free of spooks and murders, along with any residual sanity, splattered on the floor.
Cudney, James J.. Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) . Gumshoe Books – A Next Chapter Imprint. Kindle Edition.
My patience had worn thinner than a dryer sheet.
Cudney, James J.. Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) . Gumshoe Books – A Next Chapter Imprint. Kindle Edition.
I can relate with that last one!
If you like strong family dynamics, relatable characters, and whodunits that keep you guessing, try Braxton Campus Mysteries today!
I give Haunted House Ghost 5 spooky kisses- a fun read!
Whew, I’m officially caught up on all the happenings at Wharton county! And, just in time for the next book in the series to be released. I’m also officially on the list of fans who would LOVE to see this series played out in a TV drama series. Talk about thought provoking and unguessable twists in each and every book. I’ve even found myself dreaming up what actors would play who’s parts. For me, that’s rare! One thing that I love about Braxton campus is that every single book is packed to the brim with well rounded dynamics. There’s family bonds, feuds and speculations. There’s scandals, shocks, secrets, and of course — dun, dun, dun — mysterious death around every corner.
Haunted House Ghost delivered all of these qualities and MORE. You see, Kellan is somewhat used to stumbling across freshly murdered people (I mean as used to something like that as any regular person can be. It’s clearly a shock every time!) but what he’s new to, is finding old ones.
Cold case mysteries are a whole different flavor of cookie to crack, but what’s worse, can the bones uncovered beneath the campus library be tied to all of the odd goings on at the home he’d just purchased?
Kellan is a family man. He’s an amazing father to Emma who is now seven. We’ve watched her grow throughout the books. She’s one of my favorite characters. He’s also now raising a teenager, thanks to the tenacious Nana D who volunteered him for the temporary task. Nana D has eased into her job as Mayor which gives her a bit more insight on the happenings at Wharton county. This ultimately helps Kellan in solving the complicated and twisty crime that may have happened nearly 50 years prior yet still bleeds into the present.
Kellan bought a house that is supposedly haunted, but the problem with that is Kellan doesn’t necessarily believe a true blue haunting to be the case. He feels like there is more to his house drama than a ghost. There’s a reason he’s being stalked and threatened in his own home, and he’s determined to find the tie between his house, and the skeleton found while renovating the library on campus. There are too many coincidences that tie into the infamous county judge Mr. Grey, as well as the family of his first wife who went missing the same year that the skeletons origins rooted back too.
Another awesome aspect about Haunted House Ghost that really sets it apart from the previous Braxton Campus books is the blossoming romance between Kellan and April, the county sheriff. Because he’s still working out the kinks of his estranged wife, Kellan is trying his best to take it slow with April. Which isn’t a hard thing to do, despite their eminent pull to one another, because time is of the essence and quite frankly neither of them have any. Every time they’re able to catch a few moments of privacy they’re interrupted, which really feeds to the build up of their relationship. I can’t wait to see where James J. Cudney will take this relationship in book 6! Hands down, another 5 stars! Way to keep the mysteries one of a kind James, I’m holding my breath for book 6!!
This is my first Braxton Campus mystery. It was a delight discovering these characters—and there are many. When you join a series in progress, it’s easy to get lost, but not with the Braxton series. The author did an excellent job of establishing who was who, as well as explaining the relationships that connected all the people in this fabulous fictional setting.
College professor and amateur sleuth, Kellan, moves into an old house only to discover it may be haunted by ghosts of the past. Set during Halloween, this cozy relies on past connections, family histories, plenty of secrets, and a cast of suspects that keeps the reader guessing. Toss in a fifty-year old skeleton, an eccentric psychic, plus Halloween happenings, and you can’t go wrong.
Kellan’s family is a delight—especially Nana D who is fond of calling him “brilliant one.” His developing romance with town sheriff, April, adds a nice hint of romance to the layers of mystery. Grab your scorecard, tally up the suspects, and take your best guess. If you like cozies, you’re sure to enjoy this charmer!
I wanted to get into the Halloween mood and chose this book to kick it off! Not having read the Braxton Campus Mysteries, it worried me I’d be lost in the story, but Mr. Cudney does an excellent job making sure the reader keeps up with the extensive list of characters and relationships. I enjoyed meeting Kellan, the college professor who seems to run into many murders that need solving. He’s moving into a house that needs some TLC, so contractors are fixing it up, but things happen that seem to point to a ghost. While Kellan works on that mystery, there is the planning of the local festivities for fall and Halloween, which is a favorite time of year for me, so I enjoyed that. There’s a budding romance with the local Sheriff and lots of interaction with family, my favorite being Nana D who adds humor. When there’s a body found, then a murder, there’s a long list of suspects. I changed my mind several times about who the killer was, and my final guess was incorrect. This is an entertaining cozy mystery set in a town I wouldn’t mind living in, minus all the murders. It will be fun to go back and read the other books in this series.
I avoid the stories that haunt, ghosts have never been my favorite characters yet Haunted House Ghost beckoned me because I have been following Braxton Campus series that coruscate with delightful mysteries, well-crafted characters and witty dialogue. Spooky imagery sets the tone with a meticulous choice of words right in the beginning, easing a little as the book progresses.
The plot is so intertwined with present and past connections that you have to be alert all the time. A plethora of characters that James keeps excavating demand an extra effort. This book is not an easy read but is a harmonious blend of conjectures, judgments and investigations about who is haunting the house and why. The story is muddled with too many webs with one string attached to the Fall festival, another to relationships and bizarre ideas of a psychic but the magnificent revelations are worth all the effort!
My expectations have been rising with each book and Cudney never disappoints. His style has been improving but I must mention that some unnecessary details could have been eliminated to keep the flow, which is hampered by many POVs, repetition of Kellan’s family details; his routine and then cramming in the demeanor problems of Ulan. Too much description doubts the imagination of the reader. Probably an incisive editing could make this book an unparalleled sensation. It deserves five stars despite all those issues.
Lovely Halloween mystery
Kellan is back and this time he is moving to a new house because of something that Nana D has done. It connects up to the skeleton in the library and naturally Kellan is in between it all. Between loads of fun, his work at keeping Emma safe, his relationship with April, the sheriff, is lovely and beautiful.
The scary scenes in between also added up to the horror element in the story and made a perfectly enjoyable read.
The mystery and intrigue of Halloween as he tries to figure out the haunting ghost was thoroughly enjoyable. Lovely read.
James J. Cudney IV’s captivating mystery, The Haunted House Ghost is the 5th book in the Braxton Campus Mystery series. The novel itself is a marvel of intricacy, very much like a corn maze, with dead-end paths just when you think you know who the murderer is and it leaves you guessing, and you forge ahead as the Protagonist, Professor Kellan continues to forge ahead to unravel the 50 year old mystery. Beyond the mystery are unique personalities that you get to know like family.
A fascinating aspect is that the writer deftly combines 50 years of mystery about the one murder discovered after 50 years, that brings new mysteries to be solved and solved they will be. Kellan, the brilliant one or so his grandmother Nana D. refers to him, is a very dedicated amateur sleuth that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together in very ingenious ways.
Imagine that it is approaching Halloween night in Braxton, Pennsylvania and you have just purchased a historical home with a storied history of a beautiful young woman named Prudence, who was married to Judge Hiram Grey. Prudence is said to have disappeared 50 years ago during the fiery Vietnam War Protest at Braxton Campus that damaged the oldest part of the Campus Library.
You are told that Prudence haunts her family’s ancestral home that was built before the Civil War in America, but you just shrug your shoulders because you don’t believe in ghosts, until suddenly you do.
Imagine in that same small town of Braxton, Pennsylvania, a young male Army veteran just home from the war, named Ian, disappears on the same day during the fiery episode of the Vietnam War Protest in front of the College. Therein lies the heart of the mystery, but that mystery just opens up Pandora’s box to reveal hidden crimes of money, betrayal, love, and revenge that appears to have rattled the bones of everyone in town.
Imagine it is now the present day and the Board of Directors at the Braxton Campus decides to tear down the oldest part of the Library as they wish to upgrade the College Campus into a University. During the demolition of the more than 100 year old structure of the oldest part of the Library, it was a shock to find the bones of a human being with brutal injuries suggesting a murder had taken place 50 years ago in the Library.
The town’s older generation wonders, could it be Prudence or some other poor soul? Many people remember Ian, whose wife to this day is full of grief at the loss of her husband. Did he abandoned her when he was discharged from the Army or did he really make it back home and is it his bones at the bottom of the now hollow hole?
Professor Kellan, the grandson of a longtime resident of the small town of Braxton, Pennsylvania, Nana D., finds himself in the center of this mystery as he actually bought the Civil War era haunted manor.
Professor Kellan being an amateur sleuth, knew he had to find out the truth. He manages to convince April, the town’s new sheriff, to help with his informal investigation when they become aware of the strong chemistry between them. They both aim to discover who the bones belong to and who is the murderer. Kellan devises a plan to research and dig up the ugly truth, so that he and his daughter Emma may live there without being haunted in their newly renovated home that may still belong to the disappeared Prudence. Kellan decides to get the help of a psychic medium who warns him of the danger he is in.
During all of this upheaval the Halloween Festival must go on with horse drawn carriages, haunted hayrides, and the race through the spooky corn maze. Everyone was enjoying the Festival when out of the dark, something spooks the horse drawn carriage causing deadly damage to two people, Professor Kellan knows that this was no accident.
This brilliantly conceived mystery, Haunted House Ghost, is a superb story that is thrilling, captivating, fascinating, and a very satisfying read that surprises you when you least expect to be surprised. The kind of thrilling mystery that you will want to read again and again. 5 stars
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Kellan Ayrwick is staying in Braxton and has purchased the old Grey House. A big Victorian that is said to be haunted. Kellan doesn’t believe the rumors until some weird things start to happen as the crew finishes up renovations on the main floor. Kellan gets advice from a psychic and the town’s historian to learn more about the Grey’s family history. He finds himself a rich old mystery to delve into.
Braxton is also having a Halloween festival complete with haunted hayrides and the college is making way for a new library wing. When one of the buildings is demolished to open space a skeleton is discovered in the debris. The timing is peculiar but many believe the skeleton and Kellan’s “ghost” are connected. As the festival draws near Kellan is on the trail for answers and the truth. But he puts himself in peril as he starts to put the clues together.
I have read each book in this series and each one tops the last. This time the author includes a cast list which I just glanced at as I started reading but soon I was very thankful for that list. While my favorite characters from previous books returned readers are introduced to a vast number of new characters that connect to others, sometimes in a myriad of ways.
What I really enjoy about these stories in the family dynamics at play. Kellen has had a lot of drama in his life but he is working hard to provide a stable home for his daughter. He is trying to move his personal life forward too and I loved the new beginnings of romance in his life but I don’t believe his past love is totally behind him. They will always be connected by their daughter and that leaves a door open for plenty of drama. The Ayrwich family continues to be revealed and evolve as the series continues. Nana D. continues to be my fave.
Again, the mystery is complex and filled with twists on top of twists. A skeleton, a missing woman, a ghost . . . at times I thought I should have a flowchart just to keep track of all the players and their deeds, but Mr.Cudney does an excellent job of keeping readers on track and in the know. He also lets humor shine in all the right places. The book has a complicated and intricate plot that will keep readers on their toes. Several times I slowed down my reading so I didn’t miss a single clue. I still was unable to solve this one totally without everything spelled out. While the mystery is wrapped up at the end of the book Cudney again sets up another cliffhanger.
Haunted House Ghost is a perfect Halloween read with such a touch of paranormal. It is well-plotted and hard to put down. I found the entire story fascinating.
Now, I find myself tapping my foot waiting for the next Braxton College Mystery. The sneak peek at the end of the book was just unfair. Mr. Cudney, please finish it up soon!
A Ghost, Halloween Festival, and Secrets Long Buried Exposed
I’ve gone over the previous stories in this series while looking at the map included in this book and placed everyone and all the action in the various locations. The list of characters and how they relate in the story is a great idea too. The map and list of characters creates a great foundation.
As the story progresses, Cudney continues to build the personalities of his characters, their interactions among themselves, their lives, and how they tie to Braxton Campus. Through all of Cudney’s stories, his humor rings true.
It’s Halloween and once again, Kellan finds himself investigating a murder. First, we learn Kellan had purchased the Old Grey House that is supposedly haunted. But are they rumors or is it really occupied by one or more ghosts of residents past? This story and its surprising and unsettling twists can be classified as light horror. It’s a perfect plot with a Halloween setting.
As Kellan renovates the old home and moves in, secrets about the house, its past residents, and even the relatives are laid bare. A skeleton is discovered buried in the Memorial Library wing of Braxton Campus as the burned out Library is being renovated and rebuilt after a devastating fire. Are those remains tied to the ghost of the Grey House with its disturbing historical past? So many threads tie to the remains.
This series is so much fun! And when I saw this title and this cover, I just knew it was going to be my favorite. I’m a huge Halloween fan and would seriously just like this holiday year round! Anyway, now that I’m going off course, let me get to my boy Kellan!
Kellan’s life is full of so much drama and I love it! There’s a ton of mystery to these stories, but what I like just as much is the family dynamic with the side characters. Kellan’s such an awesome dad, and I’ve always wanted that bond he has with Nana D. Seriously, I want my own Nana D! Also, there is some awesome chemistry between April and Kellan in this one! They need to catch a break!
There was talk about Halloween costumes, food, and an entertaining mystery that needed to be solved! Can I also mention that this book had me at skeleton being found in the library! I literally finished this one in less than 24 hours because I wanted to know what was going on! Andddddddd of course there is a cliffhanger, so that leaves me yearning for the next book! Side note: can there just be a Netflix series on Kellan’s mysteries? That would be amazing!
This season we are back with Kellan as he’s once again pulled in a million different directions what with parenting not only Emma but his cousin as well, along with teaching, other family obligations with Nana D, Violet, Eleanor, etc., and being co-chair of a Halloween/Fall Festival being held at Danby Landing, all while trying to complete fixing up his newold house so they can move in. But all is not smooth sailing for the Ayrwick family as strange things have been happening during the renovation process. Conveniently, Gabriel has been away so they’ve been able to stay in the cottage. And the possibility that these things are being caused by the supernatural causes Kellan (though he doesn’t believe) to agree that Eleanor can contact her psychic friend Madam Zenya to see if she can help.
The renovations for the Braxton Campus library also get underway in this book but those are put on hold when during the demolition a body is discovered in the foundation. So now Kellan feels compelled to investigate that situation as well.
I quite enjoyed reading this story, and it’s always good to catch up with my friends in Braxton. I also often emulate Nana D, as I also bake pie the first weekend of October. And I think this story has just enough suspense and mystery and humour and just Fall fun to make it the perfect read to curl up with on a cool Autumn night, along with a blanket and a hot chocolate.
Having read and enjoyed the first four books in this series, I simply had to read this one and I wasn’t disappointed. Kellan Ayrwick is back on the case when a fifty year old skeleton is discovered while building work is being carried out on the new library extension at Braxton College. First thoughts by the locals are that it is the body of a woman who went missing fifty years previously, but it turns out that the remains are that of a man.
Then, when Kellan discovers messages painted on a door in an old house he is having renovated, he begins to get concerned as to whether the place is haunted and is talked into having a chat with Madame Zenya, a psychic well known for her abilities. However, Kellan finds Madame Zenya to be just as mysterious as the ghost haunting his house. I could go on, but it would only spoil it for the readers.
The author managed to keep me in the dark about what was going to happen next, which meant I couldn’t put this book down. I simply had to know. Another Brilliant read from James J Cudney.
They say ghosts will haunt a house during renovations and that’s exactly what Kellan Ayrwick discovers after a series of strange happenings at his newly acquired home. But is it a ghost or is someone playing games with the heroic professor? After a skeleton in a library closet is unearthed, he is desperate to collect every clue he can. This marvelous mystery brought to us by James J. Cudney, is the latest in his Braxton mysteries. Picture fall, a college campus town and a slew of quirky, lovable characters as they try to solve a 50 year old mystery that some would rather it remain unsolved. The story is beautifully written, one can practically taste, see and smell this Halloween tale in all it’s autumn glory, the descriptions are just that vivid. If you love cozies, October and fun characters, then this is for you. 5 out of 5 stars for this meticulous mystery!
Have enjoyed this series from the first book. He is clever and has created a wonderful town with great characters.
I like the books but this was my favourite. The Halloween theme and fall setting were fantastic.
The title says it best: you have a haunted house; you have a ghost. But you also have Halloween, the Fall Festival, a murder, a killer, and a 50-year-old skeleton. What more do we need to get intrigued and dive into this macabre story!
Haunted House Ghost is a cozy mystery novel finely dosed with excitement, expectation, curiosity, and humor. James J. Cudney has created a true holiday atmosphere and charismatic and funny characters we love more and more as the popular series develops. In the fifth book in Braxton Campus Mysteries, he raised the ladder even higher. How far he will go? Only the sky’s the limit!