Kirkus
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A decrepit Victorian manse in Astoria, Oregon, is haunted but strangely welcoming to the right people. Lise Bloom is one of three women currently living in Corrie House, whose owner, Teddy Bright, needs two boarders in order to keep the place solvent. Teddy’s lived an exciting life filled with sex and rock and roll. Fran is a loner who avoids her family while quietly working on a mystery novel. And Lise, who’s searching for her birth parents, works at the Lucky Lotus, a New Age shop whose owner, Dyann, is in a constant battle with her ex-husband, Richard. Dyann plans to change her will to leave an allowance to her son, Murphy, who’s turning 18, and the rest of her money to Blavatsky Manor, a retirement home for psychic mediums. Arriving at work the next morning, following Murphy’s birthday party, Lise, who’s sensitive to smells, notices a strong odor that leads her to Dyann’s corpse. Police officer Signe Rasmussen, a high school classmate Lise recalls without pleasure, clearly thinks she has something to do with the death. When Teddy and Fran encourage Lise to find other suspects, Richard seems like a good prospect. The three start sleuthing and even try to befriend Ornette, a strange man who works at a snake refuge. Now that she’s lost her position at the Lucky Lotus, Lise takes a job at Blavatsky Manor, a haven for nonviolent criminals who add their experience to the search. Richard’s death forces the sleuths to change course in order to find a killer. The house is one of the stars in a mystery filled with suspects and psychic hints. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.