This second book in the Haunted Renovation mystery series was a fun enough, but distressingly heavy on Romance and light on Mystery. There were still some interesting tidbits on historical homes, though. I’m going to try the third book, but if it continues to emphasize goofy love triangles and sexual “tension”, then I’m outta here.

Audiobook via Audible subscription; Xe Sands’ performance is excellent as usual.

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Mel Turner renovates homes. Not just any homes...historic homes in San Francisco. Every house she works on has a story, a colorful past. Sometimes, Mel encounters ghosts and a mystery as she brings old homes back to their former glory. This time, her current project is a Queen Anne Victorian. It's a difficult project but not because of the work required. The homeowners insist on staying in the house during renovations and the resident ghosts seem determined that work should stop. Plus, a cantankerous neighbor, Emile Blunt, causes problems. When the neighbor is killed, Mel finds herself sucked into the murder investigation. She's a suspect! Yikes!

I like this series. Mel is a strong main character. She's funny, feisty and very good at her job. She still struggles with her new found ability to see ghosts but is doing her best to deal with it. I love the background theme of historic home renovation...perfect backdrop for ghosts and mysteries! The stories always have a nice mix of humor and mystery. Makes for an enjoyable reading experience! The books can be read as stand alone stories and don't necessarily have to be read in order, but there is some character development that might be better enjoyed by reading the series in order.

Dead Bolt is the second book in the Haunted Home Renovation series. There are seven books in the series.

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Xe Sands, the audio is just over 7 hours long. Sands reads at a nice pace and has a pleasant voice. Overall, a very entertaining performance. I have partial hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand this entire audio book.

I will definitely be reading the rest of this series! :) ( )

family-dynamics, friendship, ghosts, restoration, general-contractor, law-enforcement, murder, secrets

Former anthropologist Mel Turner is a general contractor working to restore/renovate a historic house which has some rather nasty ghosts distressing the young family who are the new owners. Mel is somewhat sensitive to spirits, but this is all new to her and she learns all sorts of interesting things about people who thrive on haunted buildings and that there are people who can help her both to learn and to free the departed to leave. And, of course, there is the murder (as well as physical sabotage which endangered the living. There's laughter and a smidge of romance as well.
A great read that is so thoroughly enhanced by the audio interpretation of Xe Sands! ( )

I adore Victorian houses and if I were rich...well there would be someone like Mel in my life. The only thing about reading these books on my Kindle is I cannot keep glancing at the cover to see someone's idea of a glorious Queen Anne. This is my second read (can you call listening to a book in audio form reading?) through of this book and the difference in perspective and how I heard the voices was an interesting experience. Still enjoying the series at a level 3 1/2 ( )

This series is so much fun to read ( )