Ghoul Interrupted

Table of Contents

 

 

“Victoria Laurie is the queen of paranormal mysteries.”

—
BookReview.com

 

“Reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s bunch, Laurie’s enthusiastic, punchy ghost busters make this paranormal series one teens can also enjoy.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Laurie’s new paranormal series lights up the night.”

—National bestselling author Elaine Viets

 

“A bewitching book blessed with many blithe spirits. Will leave you breathless.”

—Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries

 

“Filled with laugh-out-loud moments and nail-biting, hair-raising tension, this fast-paced, action-packed ghost story will keep readers hooked from beginning to end.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“[A] fun, suspenseful, fast-paced paranormal mystery. All the elements combine to make this entry in the Ghost Hunter series a winner.”

—The Romance Readers Connection

 

“A lighthearted, humorous haunted-hotel horror thriller kept focused by ‘graveyard’-serious M.J.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“Ms. Laurie has penned a fabulous read and packed it with ghost-hunting action at its best. With a chilling mystery, a danger-filled investigation, a bit of romance, and a wonderful dose of humor, there’s little chance that readers will be able to set this book down.”

—Darque Reviews

 

“Victoria Laurie continues to excite and entertain with her ideas and characters and also inform John Q. Public in matters metaphysical. Cannot wait for the next from Ms. Laurie!”

—
AuthorsDen.com

“Perhaps what makes this story and this series so good is that Victoria Laurie is actually a professional medium. She knows what she’s talking about, and she sure can write a good story.”

—A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf

 

“A great, fast-paced, addicting read.”

—Enchanting Reviews

“A great story.”

—
MyShelf.com

 

“Laurie’s new sleuth, M. J. Holliday, is a winner.... Laurie makes everything that her characters do ring true, which can be a feat in a paranormal story. This highly entertaining book has humor and wit to spare.”—
Romantic Times

 

 

“Victoria Laurie has crafted a fantastic tale in this latest Psychic Eye Mystery. There are few things in life that upset Abby Cooper, but ghosts and her parents feature high on her list . . . giving the reader a few real frights and a lot of laughs.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“Fabulous . . . Fans will highly praise this fine ghostly murder mystery.”

—The Best Reviews

 

“A great new series . . . plenty of action.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“An invigorating entry into the cozy mystery realm . . . I cannot wait for the next book.”

—Roundtable Reviews

 

“A fresh, exciting addition to the amateur sleuth genre.”

—J. A. Konrath, author of
Cherry Bomb

 

“Worth reading over and over again.”

—
BookReview.com

 

“A series which somehow manages to get better with every book that comes out.”

—
Examiner.com

The Ghost Hunter Mystery Series

 

 

The Psychic Eye Mystery Series

 

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First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, January 2012

ISBN : 978-1-101-55927-7

Copyright © Victoria Laurie, 2012 All rights reserved

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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By my count this is my eighteenth book. Technically, it’s the seventeenth to be published, but the eighteenth to be written. (Number seventeen—or eighteen depending on how you look at it—will be out in February.)

Anyway, the point is that I’ve written a buttload of books. Not as many as Barbara Cartland or Nora Roberts, mind you . . . but still, a buttload. Throughout most of them, I’ve acknowledged not only those people who’ve helped make that book a reality, but also those souls who’ve inspired characters and plots. To that end, I’m quite blessed. I’m surrounded by amazingly colorful people and I love showcasing them in fun ways—well, fun ways to me; maybe not always fun to them (just ask my sister . . . ahem!). Still, on the whole, they’ve all been incredibly good sports about it.

So while I list here the names of those wonderful folks who’ve assisted with the process of bringing Abby and M. J. to life, remember that many of them have often given more to the process than they bargained for!

To my amazing, dedicated, and incredibly supportive editor, Sandra Harding, who is just about the most gracious and talented woman I know: Thank you, Sandy, for all your time, effort, and insight. I absolutely adore both you and the opportunity to work with you.

Jim McCarthy, my agent, muse, and friend. True story about Jim: midway through this book I called him, complaining that I’d run out of new neuroses for Gilley. Without missing a beat he replied, “Did I ever tell you about the time I had a really bad headache on a plane and convinced myself that I was having a stroke, to the point that I spent most of the flight in the bathroom making sure I could raise and lower both eyebrows?” If you love Gilley like I do, then you may also have Jim McCarthy to thank.

Michele Alpern, my awesome and fantabulous copy-editor (who is probably right now itching to fix the word fantabulous!). Michele is so good that I refuse to be assigned to anyone else. I believe she walks on water. . . . Mostly, she just keeps me honest and makes sense of the prose. (Trust me, walking on water is less of a miracle!)

Clair Zion—my publisher extraordinaire! This woman is an absolute marvel, and I’m so grateful to huddle under her umbrella. Especially if it’s an L. L. Bean umbrella. (Haha! Claire, that one’s just for you!)

Kaitlyn Kennedy—my publicist and a veritable fountain of bubbly enthusiasm. You cannot talk to this talented young lady without feeling jazzed, energized, and enthused about getting the word out. Thanks, Kaitlyn. You’ve definitely made a difference!

Finally, a few personal mentions: My own Team Laurie, namely, Katie Coppedge and Hilary Laurie, who keep me firmly ensconced in a happy bubble of love and support, where I get to work without interruption. Thank you for creating such a secure and happy space for me. I love you both.

Also, some of my trusted inner circle should be noted here too: Nora, Bob, and Mike Brosseau; Karen Dit-mars; Leanne Tierney; Neil and Kim Mahoney; Betty and Pippa Stocking; Shannon Anderson; Silas Hudson; Juan Tamayo; Ric Michael; Thomas Robinson; Jackie Barrett; Suzanne Parsons; Molly Boyle; and the woman who started it all, Martha Bushko. Love and special thanks to each and every one of you.

I’ve always believed in ghosts. Actually, I had no choice in the matter. My childhood was full of encounters with disembodied voices, strange blue flashes, flickering shadows at the edge of my peripheral vision, and odd-looking orbs appearing right over my head.

And then, of course, my mother died and her ghost came to see me.

I was eleven going on twelve when her cancer finally won the war it’d waged so savagely against her. I knew the instant that she passed, even though every adult in my world had tried to shield me from the knowledge that it was coming. I remember playing with my new best friend, Gilley Gillespie, on the back porch of his house in beautiful Valdosta, Georgia. The memory of that day is as clear as if it happened yesterday.

Even back then his mother had indulged Gilley’s rather effeminate tastes. Gil had one of the best collections of Barbie and Ken dolls you’ve ever seen and we played with those dolls almost constantly.

In fact, on that beautiful early fall morning twenty-odd years ago, that’s exactly what we were doing. While Gilley was setting Ken up on a blind date with G.I. Joe, I’d been happily working Barbie into a new pencil skirt, and just like that, I knew my mother was gone.