Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries Books in Order
Part ofEJ Copperman Books in OrderSee the Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries by EJ Copperman in order, with quick summaries, series background, and a clear guide to where to start.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
12 books
Night of the Living Deed
by EJ Copperman
2010
Newly divorced Alison Kerby returns to her Jersey Shore hometown to open a guesthouse, only to find it occupied by two ghosts. They want their murders solved, and Alison soon realizes starting over may be the least of her problems.
An Uninvited Ghost
by EJ Copperman
2011
While juggling guests and a reality TV crew, Alison is asked to help a troubled ghost who thinks he caused a death. Then the woman turns up murdered inside Alison's house, making the case dangerously real.
A Wild Ghost Chase
by EJ Copperman
2012
Ghost detective Paul Harrison takes the lead when a young spirit appears in the guesthouse searching for his missing mother. What starts as a small, sad case grows stranger as Paul realizes the boy is not telling the whole truth.
Old Haunts
by EJ Copperman
2012
Maxie wants answers about her murdered ex-husband, Paul cannot stop thinking about the fiancée he left behind, and Alison's own awful ex comes calling. Old baggage, living and dead, turns into a fresh mystery at the guesthouse.
An Open Spook
by EJ Copperman
2013
As a huge storm bears down on the Jersey Shore, Alison's mother Loretta takes center stage. A Vietnam-era ghost wants help finding a missing POW bracelet, and the answer lies in a secret that has been buried for decades.
Chance of a Ghost
by EJ Copperman
2013
A blizzard traps Alison close to home just as her mother worries that Alison's late father has gone missing in the afterlife. To find him, Alison must work with a melodramatic ghost who refuses to help until his own killer is found.
The Thrill of the Haunt
by EJ Copperman
2013
Alison's reputation as the local ghost lady brings business she never asked for, including a dead man seeking an exorcism. When two seemingly separate investigations turn lethal, she has to sort out the link before someone else dies.
Inspector Specter
by EJ Copperman
2014
Ghost skeptic Lieutenant Anita McElone shocks Alison by asking for supernatural help on a murder case. With Paul and Maxie digging from the other side, Alison must find the truth before Anita disappears for good.
Ghost in the Wind
by EJ Copperman
2015
Alison's quiet evening vanishes when the ghost of British rock star Vance McTiernan appears at her guesthouse. He believes his daughter's overdose was murder, and Alison soon finds herself chasing a killer with a taste for secrets.
Spouse on Haunted Hill
by EJ Copperman
2016
Alison's ex-husband blows back into town owing dangerous people a lot of money and scheming to sell her guesthouse. When a murder follows and Steven disappears, Alison reluctantly sets out to find him before the bad guys do.
The Hostess with the Ghostess
by EJ Copperman
2018
A new ghost arrives at Alison's guesthouse with bad news: he was murdered while trying to prove a defendant was innocent. To solve the case, Alison first has to find the missing Paul Harrison.
Bones Behind the Wheel
by EJ Copperman
2019
A beach excavation behind Alison's house uncovers a vintage Lincoln Continental with a skeleton at the wheel. Alison wants no part of the cold case, but family, ghosts, and danger have other ideas.
Series background & context
At the center of the Haunted Guesthouse books is Alison Kerby, a newly divorced mother who heads back to her Jersey Shore hometown, Harbor Haven, hoping to build a calmer life for herself and her daughter Melissa. She buys a worn Victorian house and plans to turn it into a guesthouse. That would be hard enough on its own. Then she discovers the place already has permanent residents, Paul Harrison and Maxie Malone, two ghosts who were murdered on the property and have very strong opinions about almost everything.
That setup tells you most of what kind of series this is. These are cozy mysteries with a supernatural twist, but the ghosts are not just decoration. Paul was a private investigator when he was alive, so he still wants to work cases. Maxie is funny, loud, reckless, and usually the first one to drag Alison into trouble. Alison spends a lot of time insisting she wants no part of any investigation. She rarely gets her way.
The dead are not decorative here.
Harbor Haven has the feel of a small shore town where old business never really stays buried. The guesthouse matters in every direction. It is Alison's home, her job, and the place where the living and the dead keep crossing paths. Some books start with a ghost asking for help. Others begin with living trouble arriving at the front door, from rude guests to Alison's impossible ex-husband Steven. Over time the circle widens to include Melissa, Alison's mother Loretta, local police, and later the people Alison trusts enough to call family. The mysteries stretch beyond the house, but the house is always the thing that pulls everyone back together.
That is usually when Alison's day gets worse.
What keeps the series moving is the balance between humor and stakes. Night of the Living Deed starts with Alison solving the murders that made the house haunted in the first place. Later books like Ghost in the Wind and Bones Behind the Wheel show how flexible the setup can be, moving from music-world secrets to cold cases dug up out of the sand. The books are funny, but they are still proper whodunits, with clues, suspects, and Alison trying to stay one step ahead of danger.
If you like mysteries that mix sarcasm, family chaos, and just enough paranormal weirdness, this series is easy to sink into. Alison is practical, Maxie is chaos in human form, Paul is steadier than anyone expects, and together they make a very odd investigative team. The result is cozy, quick-moving, and very rooted in place. You go for the murders, but you stay for the guesthouse.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts