Midge McGowan joined the police force to become a detective. Complications ensued and she spent the bulk of her career managing the evidence room. For some, that job might seem tedious. For Midge, keeping track of even the smallest detail made her an even better detective.
She will need those skills to survive a weekend in a haunted house, a gift from her co-workers. Midge is reluctant to make the trip, not only because she hates the entire idea of being with strangers in an unsafe environment, but also because she wants to be there for her wife, Birdie, who is undergoing chemotherapy. Birdie, however, insists that she go and enjoy herself. So Midge has no choice.
The group is small and quirky. What most concerns Midge, however, is that the event is being run by a former detective, John Rendell. He and Midge, as they say, have history, and she’s worried he will recognize her, even though she’s gained weight and no longer is the young cop he would remember. When they are introduced, he doesn’t show even the slightest sign that he knows who she is. And because she doesn’t tell anyone that she was a police officer, she relaxes, feeling, at least for now, that her identity is safe.
Rendell runs the company, Haunting Holiday Excursions, with Harold, who drives the coach that will take them to the Atherton mansion believed to be haunted by the White Lady of Atherton Moor. The other guests include; Noah, a podcaster whose show is about the paranormal; Dr. Andrew Mortimer, and his wife, Gloria; and Rona, a pop star recently out of rehab. Everyone seems to have an ulterior motive for attending this weekend. Noah’s podcast has been losing sponsors and he hopes spotting the ghost will jumpstart his business. Gloria’s son was killed by a drunk driver and she hopes to make contact with him during a planned seance. Rona’s assistant booked her for the weekend, knowing the star needed time away from the paparazzi.
Midge has no clue why her co-workers would book such a weekend for her just as she was leaving the force. But she decides to make good use of her observational skills, watching Rendell and Harold, as well as the other guests. An army training area nearby puts everyone on edge with shooting sounds blasting out during the day and night. Bad weather adds another complication, closing down the nearby roads. Escape is impossible since someone disabled the bus by slashing the tires.
Rendell took all their cellphones, and when he is found dead in a bathtub floating in bloody water caused by the slash on his neck, Midge realizes that she is spending the weekend with a murderer. And when a second person is killed, time is running out to identify the killer.
Emma Mason’s Murder Most Haunted will delight fans of Agatha Christie. Because of Midge’s appearance – she’s overweight, uses a cane because of a sore ankle, and dresses like she shops at a thrift store – no one sees her as a threat. What the others don’t know is that Midge is the most likely one to have wanted Rendell dead because of what happened when they served together on the force. But she’s also the only one who can figure out who wanted two people dead before it’s too late.
Murder Most Haunted
Emma Mason
Top photo: Bigstock
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