"The Thrill of the Haunt"

E.J. Copperman is a mysterious figure, or has a mysterious figure, or writes figuratively in mysteries. In any event, a New Jersey native, Copperman has written for such publications as the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, American Baby and USA Weekend.

Night of the Living Deed is the first E.J. Copperman novel. It was followed by An Uninvited Ghost, Old Haunts, A Wild Ghost Chase, Chance of a Ghost, and the newly released The Thrill of the Haunt.

Copperman applied the Page 69 Test to The Thrill of the Haunt and reported the following:

I just turned to Page 69 in The Thrill of the Haunt. It is as prosaic and completely undistinguished a page in the book as I could find. Almost any other page would surely have more interesting material. Sort of makes me want to get out of this business and take up upholstery. If it’s representative of the book, I can’t say. I wouldn’t read or not read the book based on the scintillating information on Page 69. It takes place when Alison Kerby, the owner of the Haunted Guesthouse (who just wants to run her little inn on the Jersey Shore and be done with it, but who for reasons you’ll have to pick up the book to find out keeps getting involved in crime investigations) is being overwhelmed from a number of sides. One of her guests is threatening to exorcise the resident ghosts from her house. Her client in one case is trying to get Alison to follow the client’s husband to gather blackmail material. And her other client, who wants her to investigate the death of the town’s favorite homeless man, is in her kitchen demanding results after a total of 18 hours of investigation. Her client, Kerin Murphy (Alison’s semi-nemesis) is there, along with Alison’s mom, Loretta, and unbeknownst to Kerin, Paul Harrison, Maxie Malone and Jack Kerby, three ghosts, the last of whom happens to be Alison’s dad.

From Page 69:

My attitude probably wasn’t good for business, but then I really wasn’t a PI, so that wasn’t really a very high priority for me. I was an innkeeper, and would be happy to never have another investigation client as long as I lived.

“This isn’t what we expected when we agreed to your exorbitant salary demand,” Kerin said.

I shrugged. “So fire me,” I said. Dad shook his head, but he didn’t understand that my business plan was to get out of business as quickly as possible. “Feel free to find yourself another investigator or as I would advise, let the police handle it. Why are you so hot and bothered over Everett’s death, anyway? I agree it’s very sad that the poor guy was killed, but I didn’t know him very well. Did you?”

Kerin sniffed. “My estimation of a person’s worth is not based on how well I know them,” she said. I considered asking whether she measured a person’s worth in dollars or negotiable bonds, but instead I noted Maxie floating in from the backyard, looking bored. She perked up when she saw Kerin, though, no doubt recognizing that her presence meant conflict, something Maxie enjoys no matter what her mood. “Everett was a part of this community, he was valued, he was worth caring about.”

“I agree,” I said. “What was his last name?”

Kerin’s head came close to the land speed record for snapping up. “His last name?” she asked.

See what I mean? I guarantee you’ll have more fun with other pages from The Thrill of the Haunt.

Visit E. J. Copperman's website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

My Book, The Movie: The Thrill of the Haunt.

Writers Read: E. J. Copperman.

--Marshal Zeringue