Just Desserts: A Ghost Detective Short Story

Just DessertsTitle: Just Desserts
Series: Ghost Detective Short Stories #1
Genre: ,
Pages: 34
Publication Date: 21/05/2020

The screams reverberate through our cemetery as soon as the casket exits the church, with its large group of mourners in tow.

A new arrival.

Not everyone graciously comes to terms with suddenly dying and becoming a ghost. Hardly any of us, actually.

Especially when the person who killed us still walks free.

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 1.



Goodreads

This is a most unusual detective story, filled with memorable characters, both dead and alive. It reminds me of Peter S. Beagle’s early novel A Fine and Private Place, which is high praise indeed.

Tangent Online

Just Desserts was on Tangent Online's recommended reading list for 2020.

Tangent Online

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In Other Books

This story was first published in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Issue #9, then reissued in A Twist of a Knife and in Ghosts Among Us.

 

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Beyond the Grave: Book 1 of the Ghost Detective Series

Beyond the Grave book cover. Dark stone background. Man walking through a street at night.Title: Beyond the Grave
Series: Ghost Detective Novels #1
Genre:
Pages: 250
Publication Date: 15/07/2021

The forever rebellious Clothilde’s gravestone only mentions her first name and date of death. A small bump in the ground next to her grave marks former police officer Robert’s last resting place.

And in thirty years, no visitors for either of them.

Confined within the cemetery borders and yearning for closure to move on, the two ghosts can’t go after the people who killed them.

Until Clothilde receives her very first visitor — and along with it, the means to escape the cemetery.

Beyond the Grave is the first novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde in their search for justice.



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Unfinished Business, Volume 1

Title: Unfinished Business, Volume 1
Series: Ghost Detective Collections #1
Genre: ,
Pages: 140
Publication Date: 16/12/2021

When someone dies with unfinished business, their souls linger until they find closure.

A rather tall order when the ghost is stuck within the confines of the cemetery, with minimal means to affect the world of the living.

Robert and Clothilde know their way around the limitations, though. While waiting for their own release, they help the other ghosts deal with their unfinished business and find peace.

Unfinished Business is the first collection of short stories in the Ghost Detective series, including the titles Just Desserts, Lost Friends, Family Bonds, Common Ground, and Till Death.


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Lost Friends: A Ghost Detective Short Story

Title: Lost Friends
Series: Ghost Detective Short Stories #2
Genre: ,
Pages: 20
Publication Date: 23/04/2021

At the farthest corner of the cemetery, a very special mausoleum stands vigil. Tall, solid, and spacious, it houses the remains of our town’s Jane and John Does. The bodies nobody claimed.

Two police officers arrive with a new urn, to be placed in a slot without a name. Clothilde and Robert, the cemetery’s only resident ghosts, attend the funeral from their side of the veil.

Most people need time to come to grips with being a ghost. Most people scream for days.

When a young girl pops out of the urn without so much as a squeak, Clothilde and Robert know they have a challenging new case on their hands.

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 1.



Goodreads

It is a terrifying case that motivates the ghosts to try their best to warn and help the living and sends the readers a beautiful message.

Tangent Online

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This story was first published in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Issue #11.

Included in Unfinished Business, Vol 1.

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Unveiling the Past: Book 2 of the Ghost Detective Series

Unveiling the Past coverTitle: Unveiling the Past
Series: Ghost Detective Novels #2
Genre:
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 19/08/2021

Not everyone can attend their own funeral. Not consciously and calmly, anyway.

Even Robert, a long-time ghost and something of a pro when it comes to final rites, finds it disconcerting. In the company of his long-time friend and fellow ghost Clothilde, Robert watches as his mother accompanies his remains to the grave — thirty years after his demise.

But why does Clothilde’s frail old uncle do the same? Does he know about the link between Clothilde and Robert’s deaths?

A funeral won’t put the past to rest — only solving the mystery of their own murders can bring closure.

And Uncle Lucien seems to hold vital clues…

Unveiling the Past is the second novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde in their continued search for justice.



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Unfinished Business, Volume 2

Title: Unfinished Business, Volume 2
Series: Ghost Detective Collections #2
Genre: ,
Pages: 180
Publication Date: 12/10/2022

When someone dies with unfinished business, their souls linger until they find closure.

A rather tall order when the ghost is stuck within the confines of the cemetery, with minimal means to affect the world of the living.

Robert and Clothilde know their way around the limitations, though. While waiting for their own release, they help the other ghosts deal with their unfinished business and find peace.

Unfinished Business is the second collection of short stories in the Ghost Detective series, including the titles Family History, Heritage, New Beginnings, Far From Home, and Severed Ties.


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Family Bonds: A Ghost Detective Short Story

Title: Family Bonds
Series: Ghost Detective Short Stories #3
Genre: ,
Pages: 24
Publication Date: 24/06/2021

Being one of the cemetery's two resident ghosts for three decades can be a lonely existence — even more so when your sole friend disappears for several days.

While waiting for Clothilde's return, Robert decides to greet the newest arrival, an overly polite octagonarian who makes no claims of unfinished business.

But as her story unfurls, it becomes increasingly likely the old lady's affairs and Clothilde's disappearance are closely related — in more ways than one.

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 1.



Goodreads

It’s a combination of mystery and ghost story, with a strong ending and the possibility that there will be more stories about the ghosts involved.

Tangent Online

Family Bonds was on Tangent Online's recommended reading list for 2021, with two stars.

Tangent Online

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In Other Books

This story was first published in Pulhouse Fiction Magazine Issue #12.

Included in Unfinished Business, Vol 1.

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Beneath the Surface: Book 3 of the Ghost Detective Series

Title: Beneath the Surface
Series: Ghost Detective Novels #3
Genre:
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 16/09/2021

Captain Emeline Evian reluctantly finds her neighbor’s guest bedroom a near-idyllic setting for speaking with the dead — even if the ghost she aims to help is, well, resistant.

On the other end of Evian’s Ouija board, Ghost Detective Robert and his rebellious friend Clothilde do their best to contain the unpredictable Constantine and help this old, worn soul find peace — all while investigating their own decades-old cold cases in an elusive search for justice.

Can the ghost detective finally settle his own unfinished business? Will Clothilde allow them to take a deep dive into her past?

Beneath the Surface is the third novel in the Ghost Detective series, following Robert and Clothilde in their ceaseless search for closure.



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Common Ground: A Ghost Detective Short Story

Title: Common Ground
Series: Ghost Detective Short Stories #4
Genre: ,
Pages: 20
Publication Date: 15/07/2021

Life as a ghost can be a lonely existence. Robert counts himself lucky to have had Clothilde by his side for thirty years, as they watch the seasons pass, the mourners weep, and other ghosts come and go as they deal with their unfinished business.

When Clothilde makes a new friend in their latest arrival, Robert marvels at seeing her laugh and behave like a teenager again. Even if it means him being lonely. She deserves some hapiness.

But when a second girl arrives in their cemetery, a pattern emerges.

Robert and Clothilde must once again apply their crime-solving skills to go after their new friends’ murderer.

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 1.



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Included in Unfinished Business, Vol 1.

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Piercing the Veil: Book 4 of the Ghost Detective Series

Title: Piercing the Veil
Series: Ghost Detective Novels #4
Genre:
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 17/03/2022

All detectives search for clues and take testimonies when working a case. Ghost detectives are no different. And they have an advantage: They can depose other ghosts — the actual victims.

Robert and Clothilde’s current interviewee occupies a tiny cemetery in the depths of the Pyrenees. Alone since her burial over a decade ago, she willingly tells the detectives about the circumstances around her death.

Louise’s story sets Robert, Clothilde, and Captain Evian on the path to uncovering new facets of the conspiracy responsible for so many deaths — bringing them one step closer to justice.



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