A definite read! This book combines all the good stuff. New Orleans, Ghosts, Ghost tours and Murder! I mean what else should you do when you have the gift of seeing ghosts.. help solve their murders.

I love a paranormal cozy mystery so this one hit the spot for me! I can't wait to see where the author takes us next in this series. I'm already anxiously waiting for the next installment!

I really liked this book. The storyline kept me engaged throughout the book. The characters were well developed and interesting. Overall it was a really good read with a unique story. I highly recommend it.

Ava Burke launches a new cozy mystery series set in New Orleans with Haunting and Homicide.

Tallulah “Lou” Thatcher always wanted to combine a gift shop with a haunted tour of the Garden District in New Orleans. She’s been able to see ghosts since she was a child, and she works with a ghost who enjoys supplying occasional special effects of orbs during some of the tours. But, Adam Brandt, another tour operator, is watching. He accuses Lou of stealing his territory and lying about the ghosts. He even tries to get her license repealed.

So, of course, when Lou stumbles over Adam’s body, she’s the primary suspect, even though the lead detective is her best friend’s brother. She knows she’s not qualified to conduct an investigation. She bumbles through interviews, but she’s determined to prove she didn’t kill Adam. And, Brandt is the one pushing her. The angry dead man wants to know who killed him, and insists Lou find his killer.

There’s a lot happening in this cozy, especially for the first in a new series. Lou has to cope with the investigation, threats, her sixteen-year-old brother who flees from his home after he’s bullied, and her grandmother who has a car accident and a new beau. There are a lot of personal issues, along with the ghosts and the case. My favorite part of the book? The ghosts, who at times seemed to be out of a Heather Graham Krewe of Hunters novel rather than a cozy mystery. My least favorite part? The solution that seemed to be a little out of left field.

Fans of mysteries set in New Orleans, and cozies featuring the paranormal, might want to try Haunting and Homicide.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this cozy mystery! I am someone who loves exploring different themes in the cozy murder mystery subgenre as they are vast with hobbies, interests and plot types. "Haunting and Homicide" features a spooky New Orleans setting and a psychic ghost tour guide - how fitting right? As her business gains traction due to online posting of sights caught by visitors, Lou Thatcher is on her competitors' radar. When the founder of her biggest competitor is murdered, fingers are naturally pointing at her as the suspect with the known rivalry around town. I was not expecting the twist at the end, making for an interesting turn of events as everything from personal relationships to business becomes intertwined very quickly for Lou.

In cozy murder mysteries, the main character's life amongst the investigation is the primary narration, however I did find a lot of things happening in this book more than the usual for cozies. Lou not only has her ghost tour business to manage, she also has to deal with the fact the main detective is her best friend's brother (who she has a crush on), her grandma new beau after years of being a widow, her half-brother being neglected back home with her parents so he escaped to Louisiana to be with her, having to solve the murder to clear her name with the help of spirits around town, and interacting with the shady suspects that become violent and reactive at her accusations and meddling. There are a lot of sub-plots that take place throughout this book that can become a dizzying array of facts to upkeep. If you can keep your notes straight, I think this is a very entertaining take for cozy mysteries in which the main character will utilize all that she can around her to get to the bottom of the incriminating situation.

Something to beware of while reading this novel is the extraneous details that become repetitive with the iteration of certain facts. I also believe that name dropping current popular media, like social media apps, and ways of speech might date this novel for future readers. It was interesting to have spirits from an older time period be made aware of technology in which they are read comments and shown videos from popular sites like Facebook and TikTok regarding their hauntings. With due respect to the power of social media, it is what allows Lou to grow her business so some may view it as a natural integration to the story.

I enjoyed reading something different from my usual baking or librarian theme cozy murder mysteries. Overall, Burke brought New Orleans' paranormal aura to life with a fitting theme of ghost hunting tours and historical, creepy haunting spots. I hope to see more spiritual powers and entities introduced in future books alongside Lou's navigation with family, work, and a new love life.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Lou has moved to New Orleans to live with her grandmother as soon as she could get away from her mother and stepfather. She sets up a ghost tour and shop with a haunting theme and her popularity is growing. Of course, she has a distinct advantage over other tour guides—she actually sees ghosts and always has. One of her competitors has become obsessed with proving she is faking the ghostly events on her tour, leading to bad feelings between them. When he is murdered and Lou finds him by literally falling over him, she becomes a primary suspect. Lou sets out to find the real murderer, with help from her ghost friends. Along the way, there is a little romance, family tension, and a fun mystery.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first book in A Ghost Tour mystery series by Ava Burke. Lou Thatcher has just started her business as a walking ghost tour company, which is convenient since she can actually see ghosts. A fun part of the story is that she has ghosts on her route who help her out.

When a competitor who thinks she is a fraud is murdered, Lou can see his ghost and tries to discover who killed him. The murderer made a comment after the stabbing, which should have been a clue to the killer. Because of this, it really made 1-2 of the suspects not viable. However, this didn’t detract from the story.

Lout has a good support team in the form of her grandmother, employee, and her best friend. The addition of her runaway brother adds an interesting dynamic to the story. Poor kid with his parents. I found her crush on her best friend’s brother annoying as he is a bit of a jerk at the end of the story. I hope she finds love with the guy she is about to go on a date with.

I didn’t love or hate this story, but would like to read another story in this series to see how the characters develop.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute introduction to a new series. I enjoyed it so much I read it in one evening. Looking forward to continuing the series!

first of all, thank you Netgalley for introducing me to this new book series!

Breeze through this book right from the start. it is all that you expect on a cozy mystery, the atmosphere of the small town , the familial relationship is comforting to read. especially Lou and her grandmother it’s really special really. although one thing that this book nails the most, it is the atmosphere.where you’re immersed on this town where ghosts tour are the norm where vengeance are hiding in plain sight and finding the real perpetrator can be convoluted at times.

p.s : can’t wait for book two!

A great start to a new series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

This story, of a spook tour operator who can really see dead people, is a most entertaining mix of ghost story and whodunit.

When she literally trips over the corpse of a rival ghost tour operator and finds herself the prime suspect of a murder investigation, Lou Thatcher has to become a sleuth in addition to being a ghost whisperer in order to clear her name. This is a small-town community, and when her school rush becomes the leader in the investigation against her, it does all get to become very personal.

The ghost of her erstwhile rival is also keen on finding out who killed him.

In the mean time, Lou has to take on the care of her sixteen-year-old brother who has absonded from home, and a stray puppy, as well as keeping her grandmother out of harm's way. There is a feel-good factor to all this, where strong community ties offer support where needed: good news for those readers who may be dismayed by unremittong bleak and horror. The heroine of this story does get to understand what maters most in life as the story unfolds: in this tale, dead people tend to stay fettered to their immediate surroundings, and don't just fade away into the Light once their earthly issues are resolved.

As a whodunit, the reveal does surprise, although possibly the character of the murderer could have been built up a little more: hiding in plain slight.

Overall though, a most entertaining read.

I was not sure how I would like this, but I Loved this. Not usually a paranormal fan, but Ava Burke did a remarkable job of adding in ghosts, while still keeping the plot cozy mystery. I was hooked from the start. Lou its a great main character, and her ghost friends truly were enjoyable. Highly recommend for all cozy mystery lovers. Looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to ťhank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I was very excited to reas this book because I love a goos mystery and throw ghost in there and I am set! I think the book was strong the beginning-late middle, but after that it just kind of gor boring for me. I love cozy mysteries but I wish these authors wouls stop throwing liberal woke subjects in them...it just makes me roll my eyes.

I’ve read books by this author before under her alternate name Amber Camp. I found them to be mildly enjoyable but this book was so much more interesting! I really loved the sense of atmosphere in the spooky and historic town of New Orleans. The fact that the main character Lou can see ghosts only added to it, and didn’t feel cheesy at all like it can in some other cozies.

The family dynamic, while untraditional, was really heartwarming and I enjoyed Lou and the other main characters a lot. The mystery was decent but it did feel like the ending came out of nowhere with Lou having no clue despite having the ghost of the victim to help. My one gripe would be that one of the so called love interests was a total jerk and were meant to believe it’s because he cares.

Overall though I found this cozy mystery to be very enjoyable and will happily add this one to my collection when it comes out!

Thank you to #Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early advanced copy!

I love this first book in Ava Burke's new series and can’t wait for the next one.

In Haunting and Homicide, we are introduced to Tallulah “Lou” Thatcher. Lou lives in New Orleans. She’s a Ghost Tour Guide with a bit of an edge. She can see and talk to ghosts, so her tours tend to go viral. This leads to a rival tour guide spying on her and accusing her of cheating. One night while following her, he gets stabbed in the back. She is the only witness and becomes the main suspect. Everything points to her, especially when the murder weapon turns out to be a ritual dagger from her shop. Now Lou has to find out who really did it before she ends up in jail.

If only that were her only concern. Her younger brother also chooses to run away from home at this time, showing up at her door looking for shelter. She is ready to do this, knowing what her Mother and Stepfather are like. So her Nan and she take him in and prepare for the battle to come.

Maybe with the help of her spirits and family, she can solve this before she becomes part of the tour.

I can’t wait to read more by Ava Burke. Thank you to Netgalley, Ava Burke, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. This is My Honest Review.

So I got this book off of NetGalley because I love paranormal cozies, and I loved this one. This was an adorable fun cozy with ghosts, murder, family, and a cute little puppy.

I enjoyed the main character Lou and her fumbling investigation of her rival Ghost Tour Leader Adam. I loved the fact that Lou wasn't perfect with investigating right off. She didn't know how to interview people, got angry, and fumbled her way around. It made me laugh and feel anxious for her and made the entire t thing feel real.

i Can't wait to get a hard copy when it comes out and to hopefully read a second book in the series sometime soon!

"Haunting and Homicide (A Ghost Tour Mystery #1)" by Ava Burke is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series. Set in New Orleans, Lou Thatcher is a ghost walk guide and tour company owner. Her tours are extra exciting because she actually can see ghosts so she knows where to get actual sights and even has some odd the ghosts playing along to give her tour guests a bit of a show.

That's where the mystery comes in. A rival tour owner thinks she's faking all the sighting and gets stabbed in the back trying to follow her for proof. So, now she can still see him and gets wrapped up solving what happened to him. She wants to help and she wants to clear her own name, mostly the later. I have to say I didn't suspect the actual culprit until right before the reveal.

On top of a newer business and being a suspect, her teenage half brother ran away from his dad and her mom, coming to Lou and her grandmother asking for their help. Lou's mom and step dad are a real piece of work. I hope they don't give her constant problems now that her brother has been allowed to stay with her, grudgingly by his dad mostly.

Haunting and Homicide is the first book in a new series by author Ava Burke. I was not previously familiar with this author, but the book description and setting had me intrigued. I was not disappointed. This is a very solid start to a new series. I very much enjoyed the characters, both the living and the paranormal. Each one had a part to play in moving the story along. The book itself had a good pace with plenty of plot twists that had me turning pages to see what would happen next. As I mentioned, the location and the paranormal element were both a big draw for me in deciding to read this book and I was not disappointed. I am looking forward to seeing where the author takes the characters and the series in future books.

I received a free copy of, Haunting and Homicide, by Ava Burke, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Tallulah Thatcher or :Lou as she is known, can see ghosts, when her rival is killed she can see his ghost too, can she solve his murder, and clear her name? An intriguing read.