Member Reviews
Verity and Franky are back! This time they are investigating a murder at an old sanitarium nicknamed the Mint Julep Manor. They are locked in by a powerful ghost who refuses to let them leave until the killer is caught. This really reminded me of the game Clue with it’s murder mystery. The ghosts in the manor are quite interesting and sad at the same time. It is depressing learning how easy it was to be committed back then, especially for people who were different or ahead of their times.
I really love Vertity and Franky. They are an interesting team but they work really well together. I love that Verity is still trying to free Franky. Ellis is the perfect man for Verity. He supports her, believes in her, and goes ghost hunting with her even though he is still struggling to accept her profession. But he is starting to be able to feel some ghost so I am excited to see what happens in the future books.
The ending left me very anxious and really needing the next book. I wasn’t expecting that at all and I need to know what Franky and Verity are going to do!
Murder, mystery, trapped in a haunted asylum, and gangster ghosts. What more could you want?
I loved how each ghost had a back story. It wasnt just oh heres a ghost and oh look theres another one. These ghosts all had their part in this story and they were fully fleshed out characters. One of the ghosts, named Levi became a character that I just absolutely loved. For a second there I thought the author was going to go cliche with who the murderer was but who the actual murderer was, wasnt who I had initially guessed. This was an enjoyable read and it was suspenseful in parts.
Though not revolutionary, I couldnt find anything to critique.
The Mint Julep Murders is the eighth book in Angie Fox’s Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. Ghost hunter Verity Long, her boyfriend, Sheriff Ellis Wydell, and her resident ghost, Frankie the German, are taking a long weekend to visit the Mint Julep Manor, better known as the Pikesville Sanatorium, a mental hospital built over a century ago and closed down in the middle of the last century. The hospital had been purchased a year earlier by Barbara Slater to turn into a haunted mansion. Verity’s group is traveling in the guise of Verity checking to see if actual ghosts are in residence.
The true reason they have made the trip is that the ghost of convicted psychopath Bruno Scalieri has asked Frankie there promising to tell him who had killed him.
In the initial contact Verity and Frankie make with Scalieri, the ghostly inmate insists Frankie help him escape, which Verity flat out refuses. As they make their way from where Scalieri is being held, the storm that had threatened all afternoon breaks loose and electricity in the haunted mansion is lost. But also lost, is a way out as there is a complete ghostly breakdown which makes all inhabitants prisoners.
In helping to get the generator going, Ellis and Verity accompany Barbara to the basement to find the generator. As they are looking for the generator, they are surprised by a presence and something then slams a chair into Ellis’s leg, perhaps breaking it. Verity guides an injured Ellis back to the main floor while Barbara continues to work on getting the generator going.
In a darkened asylum with both ghostly and menacing spirits roaming their domain, the mortals are determined to discover who murdered one of their own. This includes the couple who has paid big money to sleep on the third floor, the two young men who have broken in to rest their homemade sensors, and, of course, Verity. As they split up to cover more territory, it is ghost hunter Verity who is the one who encounters the other side. And while she does, it is others who pay the ultimate price from their encounters.
When there is a second fallen fellow, and Verity continues to try to figure their way out of the asylum, the paranormal players come in to play, leaving Verity in a dangerous predicament with ghostly power attempting to take her down. However, it is the forces who have been at play since the hospital’s closing that determine the real threat.
What an exciting edition in this premier series! These stories never disappoint! Rich characters, settings on two planes, and more twists and turns than a Sugarland country road. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it,
The Mint Juelp Murders his is the 8th book in the Southern Ghost Hunter series. I really enjoy this cozy paranromal series. The main characters are Verity Long and her roomate Frankie, who is ghost. They are hilarious. There are some real laugh out loud moments between the two of them.
In this edition, they go to Mint Julep Manor, an insane asylum to help a mobster. They do this in hopes that the mob boss can set Frankie free in the afterlife. But is Verity really ready for that?
I was on the edge of my seat reading this cozy mystery! It was really intense, but in a great way.
This is really a great series.
a new book from one of my favorite mystery series he Southern Ghost Hunter mysteries a fun blend of paranormal and cozy mysteries with lots of surprises. I recommend for any lover of mysteries or paranormal fiction
This is the second book in this series I have read and again I loved it. This time she is sent to investigate hauntings at an asylum. Not only will she discover what’s going on but she will also be able to help her sidekick possibly become free. I can’t wait to continue on because it really left on a cliffhanger
Verity is a ghost hunter who can see and interact with the realm of the dead. Frankie is a gangster ghost who reluctantly helps Verity solve cases. When Verity, her boyfriend, Ellis, and Frankie head to an insane asylum to pick a criminally insane mob boss ghost for information, they end up stranded during a storm. During the storm, the new owner of the asylum is found murdered. Washed in from the rains, no one could’ve gotten in or out. Who did it? The two eccentric wannabe ghost hunters? The husband and wife looking to buy the place from Barbara? Things take an even deadlier turn when one of the ghosts locks down the facility and refuses to let anyone out until the murder is resolved. Can Verity find the killer before it’s too late? Can she help some of the ghosts in the asylum to find their way to the light? This book is engrossing and impossible to put down. The plot is not only well developed, but full of twists, turns and cliffhangers. The characters are delightfully hilarious, lovable, and easy to root for. The character dynamics are engaging and help to bring the story to life. The writing style is unique and the author doesn’t miss a beat. A must-read for fans of ghost stories, cozy mysteries, and humor. It isn’t necessary to read the other books in the series to read this one, but you’ll be dying to read the others before you’re done.
I love The Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery Series! This is the 8th book in the series.
This book has Verity, Frankie and Ellis on their way to Mint Julep Manor which was Pikesville Sanitorium in the early 1900’s. They need to find Scalieri in there and have him tell them finally who killed Frankie. They find Scalieri and he wants them to bust him out of prison. Frankie is all for it, but Verity would rather not. Verity has to deal with the current owner of the manor Barbara, a fake medium and two nerdy hyper active ghost hunters that just keep getting in the way.
Barbara gets murdered while in the basement, and the manor gets locked up by the dominant ghost. Verity, Frankie and Ellis have to find a way out the manor and find out if the living or the dead killed Barbara.
90% of the book is Verity, Frankie and Ellis in the manor. I didn’t have a problem with that, it’s just this book was not as funny as all the rest. I love the banter between Verity and Frankie and it failed to provide that amusement.
I would still highly recommend it cause it does provides a lot of entertainment. I loved the history to the back stories of the ghosts that remain in the manor. Learning the different gadgets the ghost hunters use was fascinating; and at times actually worked. I find the entire series fun! Reading this book or any book in this series will not disappoint. This series is by far in my top 20 books to read.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
A big Thank you goes out to Netgalley and Moose Island Books for providing me with an advanced digital read. The opinions here are my own.
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com.
Verity Long is a ghost hunter, not in the professional sense I guess, but more that she ends up in these situations where she has the chance to help the dead move on. In this instalment, Verity finds herself, her boyfriend Ellis and her ghostly companion Frankie at Mint Julep Manor. The place used to operate as an insane asylum, and they're not here to take the ghost tour. One of the dead inmates of the ghostly asylum may be able to help Frankie move on, if they can get the mob boss to disclose who shot Frankie dead, maybe it's just the information he needs to break free of the shackles of having his ashes buried in Verity's rose bushes. However, things aren't going according to plan. The asylum is filled with many spirits and when a situation causes the asylum to go into spiritual lock down. Those locked inside are tasked with finding the culprit otherwise they will never be allowed to live, forcing them to become members of the asylum on the other side. Can they solve the mystery and get out before it's too late?
This is the first book I've read in this series...which I found really funny after I finished it, I realised that I've had the first book of this series sitting in my kindle library unread for probably a good year + now. I don't think not having read any other previous books takes anything away from this story as I knew nothing of the history of the characters or their relationship and still found it an incredibly enjoyable read that I just flew through. There is mention of things that happened earlier in the series which obviously I had no knowledge of, but as a whole, I found this to be a fun read even not knowing things that the characters were referring to. I feel like I did miss out on the relationship evolution between the characters a bit, but that's okay because I'm actually going to go and read the series from the beginning soon. It's made me even more excited to dig my teeth in and see where it all began!
Verity is actually a really likeable character. I sound surprised because I was expecting to be irritated by her, I'm honestly not sure why, I just had this feeling she was going to piss me off, but she didn't at all, so colour me surprised. Ellis is likeable enough but I feel like he needs to voice his concerns to Verity instead of her ghostly sidekick, otherwise there's going to a world of trouble on the horizon for this bubbly couple. I absolutely ADORED Frankie. His character made me smile and laugh and he was just an all round big hoot. He injected a light heartedness to the otherwise serious scenes that we came across in this book, though there weren't many, there were definitely a few scenes that pulled on the emotional tabs a bit. The secondary characters that we meet in this book were fun and rounded out the cast nicely. I enjoyed the ghost hunters Brett and Cash, and I'm kinda hoping that we see them again in later instalments to the series. They were entertaining and I think it'd be fun for Verity to cross paths with them again, and maybe even for them to become a more solid staple in the line-up.
The mystery itself was well thought out and executed wonderfully. It honestly kept me guessing, and as you all know, that's my favourite thing. Working everything out before the characters is a pain in my arse and not something that I enjoy, especially when you've cracked the case 50% through a book and have to sit there and watch the characters run around like headless chooks. It kept me guessing right up until all the threads started coming together just before the big reveal.
The story itself does have the stand-alone mystery involved, but it also encompasses other things that the characters will be dealing with over the long term which is nice. I love a good story that can be wrapped up in a single book, especially when it comes to the mystery genre, but I also enjoy that there's an overlying story line that carries through the series. I feel like this endears the characters to me more because I'm with them for the long haul and am hoping to see a light at the end of the big issues for them.
Fox writes an easy and flowing narrative, giving personality and individuality to all of her characters, main and secondary alike. I found myself thoroughly enjoying this story which I would place as a cosy paranormal mystery. It definitely gave me the cosy vibes while reading which is always nice. I look forward to continuing this series, from the beginning of course, now that I know I've already got a copy of book one that has been patiently awaiting it's spot light.
If you're a fan of easy reading cosy mysteries with a paranormal/supernatural twist, give this series a shot. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
This is book 8 in the fun cozy series, Southern Ghost Hunter. Verity and Frankie her ghost partner, Frankie, are traveling with boyfriend Ellis to an old hospital for the insane with hopes of finding out who killed him. Once he knows what happened he can go to the light. Now they are locked inside the old hospital with lots of ghosts and a killer. This book depends on some knowledge from previous books in the series but can be read as a stand alone. As always Angie Fox has ended this story with a perfect start for the next book. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Once again we are submerged in a world with ghosts, interefering humans and funny and scary stories that will either make you laugh so hard or make you want to read every letter of this book. This time Verity finds herself in way more trouble than the previous books, like a lot, I can't say how or why, it would spoil the book for you. But rest assured that you are gonna love it. It kind of made me sad Ellis' thinking. And that cliffhanger, damn. The only thing I don't like about this book is that I have to wait months to get a new one...
I need the next one now, hehe.
If you haven't started reading this series, you should.
I have been a long standing fan of this series. Verity Long, ghost hunter, and ghost Frankie the German have been in some pretty dicey circumstances, but there have always been an abundance of lighter moments and laughter. Not so in book #8! I don't think I laughed once. Frankie was nasty, treating Verity unkindly with his abrupt "turning on and off" of his ghostly powers that make Verity able to be a part of the ghost world. The entire book was a mishmash of time, horror images from every horror film made, and general nastiness well beyond what was needed to set the tone for the book. It was darker than anything I have read by this author, and I was sorry I had agreed to read it.
To be fair, the author had well developed characters and an interesting, although somewhat trite setting. Because I think she is a good author, I rated the book 4 stars. Did I like it? No! Would I recommend it? No! Do you like ultra creepy horror stories? Then this might be a book you will enjoy. Sorry, but I didn't.
I would like to thank Moose Island Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC copy and express my opinions.
For Southern girl Verity Long, friendship means sitting down to stories and sweet tea on the front porch. For her gangster ghost housemate, it means dragging Verity out to a remote haunted asylum during a raging thunderstorm to do a favor for a long-dead mob boss.
But Verity is always ready to help out a friend, even one as eternally eccentric as Frankie. And in the case of Mint Julep Manor, the stakes are too high to refuse. The criminally insane mob boss holds a secret to Frankie’s past, one that might set Frankie free. Do the favor—survive the favor—and they might change Frankie’s afterlife for good. Fail, and they might never leave the asylum.
The premise of this seemed fresh and fun, but in reality it was a bit boring. The plot wasn't super engaging and I kind of hated Verity.
*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was a fantastic and fun ghost mystery story! I thought that (judging on the cover, bad me) I was getting a sweet and lighthearted cozy mystery story but I got so much more! It’s more than a fun read, you will become absorbed in to the story and want to solve the mystery just as much as the characters do. I really enjoyed this story, the author’s writing style, the characters and the dialogue! I have never read this author before so I was very happy to have found a new one to love.
This story takes place in an asylum and it is full of scary ghosts jump frights! It is a standalone as I was not lost having not read the previous seven books (though I am going to now). This reminded me of one of a suspenseful Hollywood horror/mystery movie. I was trapped between the pages until the story was finished. I loved every sentence!
The author has a way of keeping my attention to the point of even holding my breath during certain scenes. I loved her creativity and the way she paced the story. I liked the way the characters death with the mystery and each other, you could tell there was history there and they had a strong connection. I was surprised at the amount of emotions that this book created, both between he characters and between the reader and the story. I can’t wait to devour more stories from this author and in this series. I received an ARC via NetGallery and I am leaving an honest review.
#NetGallery #TheMintJulepMurders #GhostStoryReadingAtItsBest
Angie Fox does it again! This one really creeped me out, I so need a nightlight now! Verity, Ellis, and Frankie go to Mint Julep Manor the local very haunted insane asylum. One patient might hold the key to setting Frankie free, but is it worth it? This series is awesome and this is a very spooky addition to the series! Can’t wait for the next book!
This was my favorite book in the series. The mystery was very well done and had me guessing all the way up until the reveal. I also liked the new app that was introduced. I really hope that it(or and updated version) is used by Ellis and Frankie in future books because it made for some very humorous scenes.
I was so relieved that Virginia wasn't in this book. The absence of her toxicity made a huge improvement over the previous books in the series. I hope that will continue in future books.
I did miss Lucy very much. Although she was mentioned, it just wasn't the same without her cuteness.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series and am hoping that my faith in Ellis hasn't been misplaced this whole time because that would be a crushing blow.
I do wonder if Frankie's discovery will be the missing piece of the puzzle that will finally set him free and allow Verity and Ellis to have their Happily Ever After. So much to look forward to in the next book!! I can hardly wait.
I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.
Princess Fuzzypants here: Mint Julep could have been a very inviting and handsome place. However, the things done to the inmates of the hospital for the criminally insane would have shattered any illusion. Now more than half a century after being closed, those suffering inmates are still there and still suffering, as Verity discovers when she, her boyfriend and her ghostly gangster sidekick go there. Frankie needs to meet with another ghostly gangster who may know who pulled the fatal trigger that ended his life.
This is the latest in an enjoyable series about a southern girl who becomes a ghost hunter. She may have reasons to question whether this skill is a good thing or not when the threesome, the woman who bought the property planning to turn it into a sideshow, a couple who are not whom they say they are and two scientific ghost hunters are trapped inside the building by a very powerful ghost. A couple of murders later and it is beginning to get dead serious.
Any character whose pet is a rescued skunk has my vote. I do like her spunk and her sense of humour. I especially like her compassion when she is talking to the spirits. She has a talent that she wants to use to help those trapped souls. This time around the story is much cleaner with less of the supporting characters who have been introduced in previous books. It actually helps the story along with only the three main characters and then those they meet both corporeal and non. Whether it was being trapped in a haunted hospital with an insane killer with no power and a terrible storm, I cannot say. I was hooked and speedily turning page after page. It’s a good one.
Five purrs and two paws up.
Love love these ghosts and their care takers. Nothing like good gangsters to keep you on your toes. This one might keep you up all night!
Excellent cozy-mystery series!
In this installment, Verity heads up to a an old abandoned mansion that used to be an asylum, looking for answers of how to get her resident ghost free.
What was supposed to be an interview with a ghostly inmate, turns out to be a lock-down for the living and the dead, an unexpected murder and a lot of creepy situations.
Can be read as a standalone book, but you will sure want to read the others.
An old asylum doesn't seem like it should be a place that Verity would want to visit. I mean, it is going to be rife with ghosts. But that's where Scalieri is being held, the ghost who has the answer to who killed Frankie. But he's not alone. Of course, there are the ghostly guards keeping him in, but there are also inmates of the asylum who never left. One of who is named Crazy Charlie. Also included are the director of the asylum and one of his dedicated nurses. They are disturbed because the corporeal owner of the asylum is turning it into a haunted house/paintball arena. They just want to live their afterlives in peace.
In addition to all of the ghostly players, there are two people who have paid to sleep in the haunted asylum as well as the owner, Barbara, Verity, and Ellis. A sudden storm traps them all on the island and then something else traps them in the asylum. And someone ends up dead.
A very nice addition to the series and I am really excited to see what Frankie does with the information that's been given to him.
Four stars
This book came out April 25th
ARC provided by publisher and NetGalley
Opinions are my own