Dead Man Haunt

Dead Man Mysteries #2

by T.M. Simmons

A Naked Ghost Demands Help in Dead Man Haunt, a Murder Mystery from T. M. Simmons
-Mineral Springs, Texas-
When Patrick, a gorgeous naked ghost, reaches out to author and paranormal investigator, Alice Carpenter and her cohorts for help, the small town of Mineral Springs, Texas, will never be the same. In exchange for helping him journey to the hereafter, Patrick leads Alice into a crumbling historical hotel, where she discovers a new murder-a woman severed in half at the bottom of an elevator shaft.
Joined by her Rottweiler, Trucker, her Siamese, Miss Molly, her mentor and teacher, Aunt Twila, her next-door neighbor, Granny Chisholm, and even her ex-husband, Detective Jack Roucheau, Alice attempts to solve these two murders. Together, they traverse the bowels of the haunted hotel, survive a hair-raising motorcycle ride, and journey the backcountry boondocks with Granny, who fantasizes she's an Indi-500 driver.
With only a few minutes left to expose the murderers and set the ghosts to rest before a bomb destroys the hotel, decisions are vital. Should they save themselves and leave behind the evildoers and restless ghosts, as well as a stolen body in a coffin? Might they risk their own lives to bring a peaceful existence to the formerly grand hotel?

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Paranormal Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2006

About the author

Trana Mae Simmons sold her first book two years from the time she started writing. After a decade and a dozen books in the romance genre, she now writes paranormal mysteries. The first book in her DEAD MAN series, DEAD MAN TALKING, was originally a release from Five Star Mystery. In addition to her writing, she enjoys developing her strengthening psychic powers. This has led her along the path of avid ghosthunting. Simmons delights in scaring herself silly at times during other-worldly encounters and has been known to visit graveyards in both the dark and full of the moon. She sometimes takes along her husband of 40+ years, Barney, to protect her from the bumps in the night, although he's been known to spy a ghost or two and retreat rather than confront. She's extremely willing to discuss her experiences with anyone she can corner.

Reviews

[Kelly McKnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery

The characters are interesting and humorous. I found it a delightful, easy read that was both relaxing and attention grabbing.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A library find.
November 2023.
Full of unnecessary cuss words.

[Sharon Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second adventure of Alice, Twila, Granny, Trucker, Miss Molly and Jack, as they try to solve a murder in an old hotel, while also trying to help Patrick, the naked ghost, cross over to the light.
All of the characters have a fairly strong personality, with Alice, the main character actually being the weakest of them (she seems to be based on the author herself, so I wonder if she forgot to fully 'round' her off). Patrick often decides that clothes are optional, and Jack, still a non-believer in ghosts, ends up swapping drag racing stories with a clothed Patrick.
Alice often seems to have doubts about her abilities, and is very defensive around Jack, her ex-husband, but she is feisty and stubborn and has a cool dog and cat as sidekicks

[Bette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost hunters Alice Carpenter and her Aunt Twila set out to investigate the death of gorgeous naked ghost Patrick, a former guest of the now derelict Springs Hotel in Mineral Springs, Texas. They are thrust into a new and grisly murder when they find a woman in the elevator shaft with her body cut in half, this is before they can even begin their paranormal investigation.

Ghosts, mystery, murder, animals, laughter combine in a fast-paced story peopled with characters I like. What more could I ask for in a story! Good Read!

[Maetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice and company visit a grand hotel that is scheduled for demolition. A ghost that has a predilection for appearing naked has requested help in crossing over. However before Alice can fully check into the floors of the hotel, a body is found and it's obvious that the victim was murdered. The tour guide promptly faints and Alice appears to be a suspicious person of interest to the cops. Lots of back and forth action. Jack, the reluctant ex-husband, is also featured.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

No where near as good as her first book. Dead Man Haunt has all the ghostly, haunting fun and the same great characters, but it suffers under the weight of too much stuff: too many characters, too many story threads, and too out-there motivations. But there's a great scene with skunks!

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/103726...

[Boneist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was slightly more annoying to read than the first book, but the story was still enjoyable, even if some of the characters were implausible.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

ghost hunting murder mystery with slapstick humor is the best way to describe this series. Its amusing, mindless read, but the main female character really needs to get a back bone.

[Jaye Sudar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this quirky series. I will be looking for more of them.

[barbara liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next!

Another funny clever and thought provoking mystery Rab's you from the start to the end with many twists and turns on the way great series looking forward to the next!

[Richard Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real dead

Looking for the rest of the series so I can read them thus is the second preview cuz this is not letting me see the series titles

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, I enjoy this authors humor, throw in a little suspense and it's a lively read.