A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Catching a Killer

A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Catching a Killer (2026) F. H. Petford

Set in Cornwall, England in 1915

Alma and Alan are excited to plan their wedding, but have things to work out, such as where they will get married (Alan wants a church wedding) and where they will live (Alma wants to live at the hotel, Alan needs to be close to his work).

Amid these domestic concerns, a guest is found dead, and the local doctor is suspicious.

‘Nevertheless, she is young and seemingly in excellent health so a post-mortem will be necessary to confirm things before I can write the cause of death on the certificate.’

In addition to the nurse Nell, they now have a new guest staying in the employee portion of the hotel: Joy Paget, an heiress escaping her overbearing mother.

‘Are you travelling alone, miss?’ he asked as she reached the barrier.

‘Yes.’

‘Do you live in Falmouth?’

‘No, but I’m going to. I’ve joined the VAD and am starting as a nursing auxiliary at the hospital tomorrow.’

And life in the village continues as normal, despite the war.

To his horror he realised he was blushing.

She reached over the table and stroked his hand. ‘There’s no need to be embarrassed. At your age you get urges. I do understand and it’s only natural.’

‘There’s nothing natural about me, Mrs Ruddy,’ he blurted. ‘Now for the last time, will you please give me those names.’

Well, mostly normally.

The story doesn’t pull back from the war and living in a coastal town where hospital ships dock.

Some men managed to get down from the train under their own steam, but most were handed down on stretchers or carried by orderlies. The were all in uniform and filthy with mud, and with a shock she realised that they had come straight from the battlefield.

(Also, it took awhile for hospitals and such to get organized and adjusted to the horrors of modern warfare. For more about this I highly recommend No Man’s Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain’s Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I

In addition to Alma and Joy, the story spends time with Constable Robinson and Sergeant Trewin as they attempt the solve the murder of the young woman.

This time you don’t know who the murderer is until late in the story, although there are plenty of clues uncovered by Alma and the police.

Again, I’m not sure I’d call this a cozy mystery, partially because it doesn’t follow a single POV, and jumps from characters to character as the story takes it.

Characters: Miss Alma Timperley, Alan Bricken, James Nascent, Gracie Banks, Polly Green, Nell McGuigan, Joy Paget, Valentine Wragge, Constable Arthur Robinson, Constable Ennis, Sergeant Jago Trewin, Sergeant Black, Superintendent Wallis, Inspector Luke, Chief Inspector Hamilton, Corporal Tommy Kennedy, Jim Creech, Sir Colwyn and Lady Alicia Paget, Mr Jeremy Thame, Miss Daniella Simpson, Lady Honoria Ware, Honourable David Fairfax, Mrs Caroline Fairfax, Mr John Hutchinson, Mr Oliver, Dr Grant, Mrs Collingwood, Hilda, Mrs Christine Singer, Claire Hind, Alf, Stephen Riley, Mr and Mrs Simpson, Constable Craig, Tilly Heywood, Kathleen Connor, Lady Moira Standish, Maeve McGuigan, Reverend Maltby, Archdeacon Cherry, Melvyn, Mr Pascoe, Dr Richard Singer, Surgeon, Annie, Becky Miller, Lady Arabella Buxton, Jane Trethennick, Mr Clarence, David Fairfax, Jennifer Buxton, Lieutenant Baker, Christopher Channon

Cover by Lisa Horton

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Rating: 7.5/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• The Murder of Mr. Ma, Audio Book » »
• « « Lavender House