Book Review: The Skeleton Haunts a House by Leigh Perry (Family Skeleton Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Delightfully fun mystery and characters

Cons: I have no bones to pick with this book

The Bottom Line:

Corpse in haunted house

Tough case for Georgia, Sid

Boney fun for all

Murder in a Haunted House

When you write a series with a living skeleton as a main character, there are some logistics on how to get him out of the house and involved in the mystery.  Of course, Halloween is a perfect time to do that, and that’s just what we get with The Skeleton Haunts a House, the third Family Skeleton Mystery from Leigh Perry.

Each year, McQuaid College, where Georgia Thackery is teaching English as an adjunct, turns over an abandoned building on campus to create a haunted house.  The funds from the house, dubbed McHades, are used as a scholarship.  It’s a huge deal, and this year, Georgia’s sister, Deborah, is in charge of the house and her teen daughter, Madison, is working inside.

Sid, Georgia’s best friend who just happens to be a skeleton, is looking forward to going through the house.  He’s dressed up as Scooby Doo this year, so no one will be freaked out by, well, him.  Sid is on his second trip through the house when a real dead body is found in the midst of the fake carnage.  Suddenly, Sid has to make himself scarce so the police don’t learn his secret.  Meanwhile, Deborah asks Georgia and Sid to find the killer to clear anyone from the haunted house staff from involvement in the murder.  While the victim is identified easily, can they find a motive and the killer?

Honestly, once the book got started, I forgot about the logistics of Sid getting in and out of the house and just got lost in the story.  There are a good number of suspects and motives, and Georgia and Sid are kept busy trying to track down alibis to figure out who actually committed the murder.  We get some fun twists along the way before reaching the climax, which both shocked me and kept me glued to those last few pages to find out what was going to happen next.

The book is filled with richly developed, real people.  And yes, I’m including Sid in that equation.  He truly feels as real as all the flesh and blood characters, and he’s a fun addition to this series.  We get to meet Georgia’s parents in this book, and considering we’ve just heard about them before, I enjoyed getting to see them.  They add to the dynamic of this story.

Now, if you have a book with a living skeleton as a main character, you have to expect humor, right?  You certainly get that in spades here.  From Georgia’s asides as the narrator about Sid’s condition to the swear word alternatives that Georgia and Sid use to the occasional bone pun, the humor will keep you entertained as well as you move through the book.

Sid and Georgia make an excellent team, and they prove it once again with The Skeleton Haunts a House.  I’m anxious to see where things go from here for this dynamic duo and their friends and family.

Check out the rest of the Family Skeleton Mysteries in order.