My Audible account includes a selection of audiobooks similar to Kindle Unlimited. That makes it great to sample a series and decide if I want to continue. Recently, with all of the heavy topics I’d been reading, I wanted something light. The Ghost of Marlow House seemed to fit the bill. It’s also the first book in the Haunting Danielle series, which is currently at 35 books. If I like it and I want some light reading, I’ll be all set for a while.

Danielle Boatman has inherited a house on the Oregon coast from her great-aunt-by-marriage. The house has been vacant for almost 90 years, although it was kept up all that time and not allowed to deteriorate. Having recently lost her husband, Danielle is looking for a change of scenery when the inheritance comes through. She decides to move to the small town of Frederickport and open it as a B&B. Her friend Lily accompanies her. Lily is a teacher who is on summer break, so eventually, Danielle will be alone in the house.

Almost immediately, Danielle discovers the house has a ghost. She’s had moments like this before in her life, so it’s not unusual for her to see a ghost. Walter Marlow died in the house and has been trapped there ever since. He doesn’t perceive time as normal folk do and doesn’t realize that almost 100 years have gone by since his death. He disputes the official account of what happened to him and wants Danielle to set the record straight.

There’s also the issue of the renter across the street who seems to have eyes for Lily but isn’t being as honest with the women as he should be. Walt was rumored to have been close friends with a silent film star who died quite young, and whose million-dollar necklace went missing after her death. There are a number of people wondering if it was hidden in Marlow House.

The Ghost of Marlow House was a good, light mystery that drew in historical references. The author managed to draw in a discussion of how African-Americans were treated in Oregon in the early part of the 20th century. It has a great reputation for being liberal, but its laws back in the day are a peek at the injustices present across the country.

I enjoyed The Ghost of Marlow House quite a bit. It was fun to follow Walter as he adapted to a world different from the one he left. He was fascinated by the televisions Danielle installed in the home. They are one of the first things he learns to control as a ghost. There’s a romantic tension between them, which will be interesting to see how it is handled going forward as Walter doesn’t seem to want to leave any time soon.

The characters are complex, and that shows without an information dump. Walter’s background is slowly revealed as in the beginning, it seems he was in a great marriage, then the truth is slowly revealed as more of his memories come into focus. Danielle has her own troubles she is trying to put behind her. Even the characters who are in secondary roles I got to know pretty well without it feeling forced.

The narration of the audiobook was good. Romy Nordlinger seems to have a nasal quality to her voice that normally I would find annoying. However, it works well for a book with a strong female protagonist. She changes the tone enough for different characters to be easy to follow who is speaking.

I’ll be continuing with the series as I like what I heard so far in the first book. It’s a cozy, light mystery that was fun to follow. The characters were interesting and well written. It’s exactly what I was looking for.

Next book in the series: