Book Series: Ghost Detective Short Stories

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.

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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.

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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.

Included in Unfinished Business, Vol 1.

 

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

Double funerals are a rare thing in a tiny cemetery. Both deceased becoming ghosts even more so.

While resident ghosts Clothilde and Robert wait for their new compatriots to emerge from their caskets, the screams coming from below seem tinged with quite a bit more... anger than usual.

The promise of "till death do us part" takes on a whole new meaning with the fresh arrivals.

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

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I liked the previous story in this series, and this one is just as much fun.

Tangent Online

Till Death 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 Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Issue #13.

Included in Unfinished Business, Vol 1.

In French cemeteries, “perpetuité” only lasts for a hundred years. If the deceased’s family wants to keep their dead buried, they must pay the rent.

If not, the municipality will excavate the tomb to liberate the space for a new family.

After the latest excavation, Robert and Clothilde find themselves faced with a ghost much older than themselves — along with the daunting task of solving a century-old mystery.

Is it still possible to find eternal rest for their new friend?

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 2.

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The ghosts are fully developed characters, as are the living people in the story. The plot is clever and involving, and the sense of time and place is richly conveyed.

Tangent Online

Family History was on Tangent Online's recommended reading list for 2021.

Tangent Online

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In Other Books

This story was first published in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Issue #14.

Solving crimes from the confines of a cemetery where no one can see or hear you can be difficult at the best of times. The victim’s ghost usually won’t remember who killed them, and the murder suspects can’t hear the ghost detective’s interrogation.

Even so, for the most part, Robert and Clothilde manage just fine.

However, discovering the name on a headstone does not belong to the body beneath it throws something of a wrench in their method.

How can they help the ghost find peace when the police aren’t even investigating the right murder?

This story is included in the collection Unfinished Business, Volume 2.

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