The Ghost of Halloween Past is the fifth book in Bobbi Holmes’ Haunting Danielle series. This is a series that builds on what has happened already, so it’s best to start at the beginning.

There’s another haunted house in Fredericksport, Oregon, besides Marlow House, where Danielle lives. Rumor has it that every Halloween, a ghost appears in Presley House. It’s become something of a rite of passage for the local high school kids to experience Presley House every Halloween. Of course, no real harm can come to them because it isn’t really haunted… right?

In truth, Harvey has arrived every Halloween to look for something in the house. He was a teenager when he died, although the truth behind his death was covered up. Max is also there and tells some of the story. I figured out who Max is pretty early in the book. It was a cute angle, and the one part of this story that I really enjoyed. The police chief, who knows about Danielle’s ability to talk to ghosts, asks her to accompany him to Presley House.

Unfortunately, the Chief is scheduled to go on vacation with his family. While he’s gone, things begin going sideways for Danielle. How many times will we get the story of an inept police department that seems to want to pin every bad thing that happens in Fredericksport on her? Joe Morelli (no relation to the guy from the Stephanie Plum books) once seemed to be a love interest for Danielle and is now just annoying. He thinks he’s a good guy, but he’s typical of the reason women choose the bear.

At the same time, the two men who were behind the kidnapping of Danielle’s best friend Lily, have escaped jail and are on the run.

I struggled a bit with the story in The Ghost of Halloween Past. Writing a formulaic story isn’t a problem for me; I’ve enjoyed the Stephanie Plum books quite a bit, despite the stories not really changing that much or the characters advancing. The problem in The Ghost of Halloween Past is that the main character, Danielle, repeatedly makes the same mistakes over and over. How many times is she going to get information from a spirit and then approach the police without a good story as to how she came by the information? This might not be an issue when the Chief is around, since he understands and believes her, but when she’s dealing with Joe or Brian, his partner, she always ends up in trouble. Realistically, she should not even talk to them when it comes to the spirit world.

Walt is still hanging around, although there’s a bit less for him to do in this story. He has a pivotal role in the story, but he’s not front and center as Danielle has to investigate a haunting at a different house. He and Sadie have settled into a comfortable relationship, and that helps Danielle get information at various times.

I could appreciate The Ghost of Halloween Past for what it was, though. It’s a light bit of escapism that I need in between some of the more deep books I read or listen to. I did enjoy listening to it. Romy Nordlinger does a terrific job with the narration. She has the right tone of amusement to her narration to make this story fun.

I did enjoy The Ghost of Halloween Past, although there were some issues, and it didn’t grab me quite the same way as earlier books in the series did. I keep wondering where Holmes is going with a possible relationship for Danielle. Walt is a ghost, the police chief is married, Joe is a jerk, and Adam is untrustworthy. Will she eventually drop a new character into the mix for Danielle? I will keep reading the series because it gives me a break from the world while at the same time being interesting and fun. Hopefully, it will get better from here.

Previous book in the series: