Marsh, Kate: Ghost of a Chance (2008)

Kate Marsh is a pseudonym for Katie MacAlister. As far as I can tell, “Ghost of a Chance” is the only book that is written under this pseudonym. Ghost is a mystery, a regular who-dun-it. The characters in Ghost are fun and the plot clever. The world created by Marsh is interesting and quirky.

Karma Marx is half poltergeist (father) and half human. As such she is especially well qualified to clean out haunted houses. But rather than send the haunters off to oblivion, Karma has a tendency to let them into her own house.

Unfortunately for Karma, she is married to Spider (a man of all qualities undesired). To get him out of her life, she agrees to clean out one last haunted house. Through nefarious means Spider has managed to get a hold of house with an existing owner (albeit a poltergeist). Adam, the poltergeist, is NOT interested in being cleared out of his house, nor is he interested in getting his house-guests cleared either.

In a true locked-house mystery fashion all the combatants gather, the house is locked down, and murder occurs. Karma has to discover who killed her husband: her father, her foster child, Spider’s partner or Adam and his house-guests.