Derek has just purchased a ranch house that has been empty for almost twenty years since a murder/suicide took place in it. The sole survivor, Patrick Murphy, who was a young child at the time left the area and was raised by an aunt and uncle. He has decided it’s time to sell the house and, because it is in such a state of disrepair and purported to be haunted, Derek and Avery get it for a song. 

Avery has her doubts and when she hears footsteps and unexplained screams she gets nervous. Her rational side reminds her there are no such things as ghosts, and that someone must be trying to scare them off, but who and why? The discovery of a skeleton in the crawlspace under the house unearths some bad memories for someone, someone who thinks a nosey next-door neighbor knows something, because she too winds up dead. 

Avery learns the girl is Holly White who it had been assumed took off for Hollywood many years ago. There are some pretty good suspects right on the same block, including Holly’s alcoholic mother and creepy neighbor Leonard. Avery knows haunted houses invite lookers, but can she and Derek clean up their new house to make potential buyers forget about its tragic past?  

Spackled and Spooked is a fun mystery, though it is not as engaging as the first title in the series. It may be because Avery has grown used to living in her new town and being with her new man, but there is something missing. The plot is clever, as the past meets the present and there are several mysteries to unravel, including an unpublished romance manuscript found in the attic, where Patrick Murphy is today and what really happened to Holly White. 

Derek and Avery’s relationship is growing nicely, though they took a big chance to go into business together at such an early stage in their relationship. There are several suspects, though one stands out above the other. There are some interesting renovation tips throughout giving readers something to think about once an arrest has been made and the sale sign has gone up.                                                  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry