Every town has one. The big old house which has stood empty for so long that no one really remembers anyone living there. The iconic subject of lore and folktales which hints at supernatural occurrences, tragedy, and family curses, that can be neither confirmed nor denied. For the town of White Eagle Montana the house that served as the subject of ghostly stories by the campfire was a huge old … mansion built more than fifty years ago by a wealthy industrialist as a summer home for his wife and five children. The house, void of love and laughter, served as a sort of luxury prison far away from the hustle and bustle of Hartford Harrington’s full and busy life in San Francisco.
Structurally, Harrington House had weathered the long winters and hot summers of northern Montana. It had endured long after every one of those five children had been buried in the little family cemetery at the edge of the huge estate. I’m really not sure why the place was never sold, or even lived in, by whichever Harrington relation inherited the place, but after the summer Houston Harrington jumped from the third floor window to the concrete bricks of the veranda below, not a single Harrington or Harrington heir had set foot in the place.
Until now.
When Jordan Westlake inherits the house from his mother, he decides to break tradition and take up residence. He expected that the renovation on the old mansion would be an expensive and time consuming endeavor, what he didn’t expect to find was a skeleton in his closet. Literally.
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“The Halloween House” earns 5/5 Holiday Pumpkins…Very Clever and Engaging!
Exciting mysteries have Tess Thomas and gang preoccupied during the Halloween festivities. It is a source of gossip when a new owner takes up residence in a decades empty mansion on the outskirts of town. Strange stories of a missing daughter, premature deaths, and suicides have swirled about subjecting the house to larger-than-life rumors of being haunted. Worse yet? Deputy Mike receives a disturbing phone call about a “skeleton in the closet” having been found…literally! Tess also struggles with the idea her father thought to be dead this past fifteen years may not have died in the fiery crash. She hasn’t shared this information with her family, and having enlisted Tony and his expert computer skills to search for answers several curious, if not disturbing, items have come to light leading to more questions than answers.
Another marvelous adventure from Kathi Daley! This series is a favorite offering a clever mystery slowly revealing clues as Tess works with law enforcement, it’s her brother, but she also questions and explores evidence in a way that the reader doesn’t have to suspend belief. I really enjoyed the “cold case” storyline with so many issues, twists, turns, and book club discussion topics to consider. And each book adds another layer and intrigue to Tess’s search for the truth about her father. Love it! Daley’s first-person narrative style is informative and engaging, but she doesn’t just rely on it. She includes an entertaining banter that best illustrates emotions and personality. But, as the mystery unfolds, life elsewhere goes on. Tony is field testing video games. Tess continues to help Brady manage pet adoptions. BFF Bree and brother Mike continue to navigate their budding romance, as does Tony and Tess. We are also treated to what Kathi Daley does best…holidays. Everyone is prepping for Halloween with orange fairy lights, cobwebs, and Jack o’ Lantern pumpkins. Add to that the marvelous recipes and you have a signature hit from Kathi Daley!
I like the characters. Tess and Tony are s delightful couple. As Tess investigates an old murder, she is busy getting homes for animals at a local shelter, and investigate her father’s disappearance. She is also getting busy for Hallowe’en. There is much going on in this story. There are twists and surprises. It is a very entertaining mystery.
The Halloween House
A Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery, Book #4
Kathi Daley
5 Stars
Synosis:
Every town has one. The big old house which has stood empty for so long that no one really remembers anyone living there. The iconic subject of lore and folktales which hints at supernatural occurrences, tragedy, and family curses, that can be neither confirmed nor denied. For the town of White Eagle Montana the house that served as the subject of ghostly stories by the campfire was a huge old mansion built more than fifty years ago by a wealthy industrialist as a summer home for his wife and five children. The house, void of love and laughter, served as a sort of luxury prison far away from the hustle and bustle of Hartford Harrington’s full and busy life in San Francisco.
Structurally, Harrington House had weathered the long winters and hot summers of northern Montana. It had endured long after every one of those five children had been buried in the little family cemetery at the edge of the huge estate. I’m really not sure why the place was never sold, or even lived in, by whichever Harrington relation inherited the place, but after the summer Houston Harrington jumped from the third floor window to the concrete bricks of the veranda below, not a single Harrington or Harrington heir had set foot in the place.
Until now.
When Jordan Westlake inherits the house from his mother, he decides to break tradition and take up residence. He expected that the renovation on the old mansion would be an expensive and time consuming endeavor, what he didn’t expect to find was a skeleton in his closet. Literally. (Goodreads)
Review:
As is usual with this author, the characters are well developed and well rounded. Tess loves to solve puzzles and mysteries and with the help of her friend, Tony, she is very good at doing just that. I like Tess and Tony’s relationship and you can tell how much they care about each other. It is progressing along nicely and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and she creates settings that anyone would want to go visit and spend time in. She is also great at creating mysteries that are not easy to solve and have a lot of twists and turns along the way.
I would recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. You cannot go wrong reading a book by this author.
The thing I look forward to most in cozy mystery series is the mystery, the uncovering of clues along with the amateur sleuth. Sometimes I even think I see clues the protagonist missed or doesn’t seem to connect with until much later.
Taking place in October, a Halloween theme is perfect for a mystery involving a skeleton and a reportedly haunted house. Someone new is moving into the Harrington House. Rumor has it that the family that built the house was cursed. It seems Mr. Harrington buit the magnificent house just so he could abandon his family there.
That abandonment theme hits home with Tess, who recently discovered her father may not have died as and when she believed. Her search, with assistance from computer research maestro Tony, is an ongoing theme within the series. We also get to deal with animals looking for a longterm, stable and loving home and people who can be patient and kind, and deal with issues that come up in their lives together. Lots of parallells within the story and subthemes.
While many cozies are built on unusual murders, it is the characters that make this series. We become part of their family and close inner circle. We learn a little bit more about them in each book. In this series we are also investigating human behavior and motives.
Overall this book has a sad feeling, but also, just like the season in which it is set, there is a feeling of change. It promises that if we stay for the journey, secrets will be revealed.
This book was a cozy read but it was a bit disjointed. There wasn’t enough character development and there was no beginning, middle, and end.
I loved this book with all its twists. When the Harrington house that has been empty for years suddenly has a new owner who is renovating it, it starts people talking about all the stories tied to it. When the new owner finds a skeleton in the closet, even more twists are added to the sad tale of the house. Tess is riveted about its history and wants to learn more, as more unfolds the more that you want to know. Add to that the ongoing search for Tess’ father, you have a page turning story. I eagerly await the next in this series.
The Halloween House is the 4th Tess and Tilly book – a nice cozy and quick read. More than one mystery is woven through the story, there are plenty of likable characters, and the ending definitely leaves the reader waiting for the next book! A+
Love this series. Love this Author. Her writing is smooth and has a way of drawing you into the characters world so you feel like they are close friends by the time the story ends. Looking forward to the next book in this series or any of her other series.
I gave this book five stars!! Kathy Dali is growing by leaps and bounds in her writing abilities. Each book is better than the last. Absolutely loved the way this one went!
A supposedly haunted house, a whole family ended up dying – – or did they? Kathi tells an awesome story and I can’t wait for the next one. She has several series and each one is it’s own celebration of writing.
The Halloween House is the fourth book in the Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery series. Harrington House is one of those creepy houses you’d see and speculate about, tell ghost stories with the house as the setting, and maybe even sneak in as a kid. Jordan is the next heir, and he decides to move into the house, unlike many of the previous heirs. But when he finds a skeleton in the closet, what else will be unleashed? This story sucked me in from the start, and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book.
The Halloween House is the fourth episode in Kathi Daley’s Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery series. This book is filled with the elements of a cozy mystery including suspense, romance, humor, love, friends and family, and a sense of community.
Tess Thomas is a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service in the small town of White Eagle, Montana. While delivering mail, Tess learns that someone is moving into and planning to renovate Harrington House, the large, old, haunted mansion which was built over sixty years ago, but has been vacant for over fifty years. Then the new owner of the mansion finds a skeleton in a closet. Tess’s job allows her the opportunity to talk to others, along with help from her resourceful friend Tony, to learn the truth about the tragic events that occurred in the past at Harrington House.
This book is filled with the sights and sounds of Halloween. The fall season and upcoming fall harvest, the fabulous Halloween decorations, and an old haunted mansion make for a festive and spooky atmosphere. As always, Mrs. Daley’s writing flows smoothly, and her setting and relatable characters make for an extremely enjoyable and quick read. I really look forward to reading the next book in this series.
The Harrington House has been empty for years but it looks as if someone has bought in and will be moving in soon, at least that is what Tess has heard. Come to find out the young man moving in didn’t buy it but inherited the home and plans to bring it back to its former glory. The story behind the house is not only sad but tragic which peeks Tess’s interest into looking into its back story. When Jordan, the new owner, finds a skeleton in one of the closets everyone wonders just who it could be. You see one of the daughters of the previous owner disappeared not long after moving in and has never been found. Could the skeleton be hers or is it just a drifter who happened to pass? Tess aims to find out, the mystery behind all the goings on in that house are just to good to pass up. Follow along as Tess enlists the help of some friends and family to figure out what happened all those years ago. Why did a man send his wife and five children to that house and never visit them? Why did death visit the house so frequently? Tess wants to find the answer these questions and more. Along the way she is still dealing with what exactly happened with her father and her feelings changing when it comes to her best friend. I love mysteries that are older and didn’t happen right then in a book. They seem harder to figure out and leave you feeling good once solved. I look forward to seeing what mystery befalls Tess next and how she deals with her new found feelings for her best friend.
Tess and Tony Investigate an Intriguing Cold Case
The Halloween House is the fourth book in Kathi Daley’s awesome Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery series. The characters are well rounded and affable and the well-plotted storyline flows smoothly at a steady pace. Ms. Daley has provided readers with a clean, fun read, caring and compassionate characters, an intriguing mystery to try to solve, and adorable dogs and cats. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted cozy mysteries.
Tess Thomas works for the United States Postal Service and enjoys delivering the mail and visiting with the town’s residents and business owners on her route in the small community of White Eagle, Montana. She has a special relationship with her dog, Tilly, who accompanies her while she delivers the mail, and she has two kittens, Tangle and Tinder. Tess has one brother, Mike, who’s a member of the White Eagle Police and has recently started dating her best friend, Bree Price, the owner of the local bookstore. Her mom, Lucy Thomas, co-owns a café with her aunt, Ruthie Turner. In addition to being a mail carrier, Tess is an animal shelter volunteer and works closely with Brady Baker, the local veterinarian and shelter owner, to train and place animals with people who are a perfect match for each other. Her other best friend, Tony Marconi, who is extremely skilled at locating information and has contacts around the world, is trying to help Tess solve the mystery surrounding her father who reportedly died in an accident when she was a teenager, but whom she believes may still be alive.
Hartford Harrington built Harrington House in 1955, for his wife and their five children, but he continued to live in San Francisco, providing only financial support for this family. Tragedy hit the Harrington family over the next four years when the oldest daughter disappeared, the oldest son was shot, the mother committed suicide, and the remaining three children died within a few years of each other. The house sat empty since the last of the five children died, but Jordan Westlake, who is related to the Harrington family by marriage, recently inherited the house, has moved in, and plans to renovate the house. The history of Harrington family is intriguing to Tess and Tony, who both love solving mysteries, and when Jordan finds a skeleton in his closet, they are determined to figure out what really happened to the family so many years ago and identify the skeleton.