If, like me, you saw the title of this book and thought "A ghost hunter solving a murder! Cool!", then allow me to disabuse of that notion. Said title is a little misleading, I'm afraid. There is no ghost hunter, and while there is a murder, there's not much mystery, for the reader, as to whodunnit. 👻
Don't be put off though, for I bring glad tidings. There are spiritualists, and there are séances. There is a spiritualist hotel, where members of the upper class come to attend said séances, in the hopes of communing with their loved ones. 👻
In the midst of all this lurks a German spy, for this book is set during the time of the Great War. 🪖💣
Despite it not being the cosy mystery I had anticipated, I quite enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable; even our traitorous spy, Excalibur, was charming. Spiritualism and espionage make for an entertaining combination. 👻🪖
Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for the digital ARC.

The title might not feel like the best fit, but I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! Alma learns of a secret aunt who has left her a large, strange, and rather unexpected inheritance and from there, secrets, mystery, and a touch of the paranormal begin to unravel.

As someone who visits Falmouth regularly, I particularly enjoyed the references to the area. They made the story feel grounded and piqued my curiosity about the local history. The premise was engaging, and I’d happily read more in this series to see where it goes next.

This book was just not for me. It felt all over the place and didn’t feel like it was the final copy of a book. I didn’t really feel like I could connect with the characters.

I really enjoyed this historical paranormal mystery. Its set during the war, with spies, murder, and ghost. It doesn't get much better than that. I would like to see more of the paranormal in future books though. Its was an easy read. I do look forward to the next.

I really liked this book; the premise, plot, and characters were intriguing. I enjoyed seeing how the mystery unfolded, and the historical and geographical setting was great. You could envision the places so clearly, and the relationships between the characters unfolded in a slow and interesting manner. I thought the book went down smoothly and made me interested in what else the author might write or how else the FMC might help in the solving of local mysteries throughout the war with her particular gifts.

However, I don't feel like the title really matches the book at all. The FMC is not a ghost hunter, per se - she sees and talks to them. She runs a hotel with a supernatural secondary function - which is great and does add to the ambience of the book but she's not out there hunting for ghosts so it feels like a misdirect before you even pick up the book.

Even still, a good read and I would recommend.

I really enjoyed this as a cozy mystery novel, it uses the idea in a charming way and was glad everything flowed together to tell the story it needed to. I was invested in what was happening and thought the characters worked in the story and was glad everything was so well written. The concept worked well in the genre and am excited to read more from F.H. Petford.

Apart from this misunderstanding, I really liked the story, which takes place during the WWI. We head to Cornwall, and more specifically to the Timperley Spiritualist Hotel in Falmouth. It's a rather unusual hotel, as it offers its guests the opportunity to communicate with the dead. But the suspicious death of one of the chambermaids disrupts the quiet daily life of this coastal town. As the investigation progresses, the hypothesis of a German spy emerges.

One of the negative points is that we learn the identity of the German spy quite early on, as there are scenes from his point of view. I would have liked a little more mystery on that point. There is still some suspense surrounding the sabotage operation planned by the Germans.

Yet, I really liked the fact that we got to see both sides' points of view: German and British. It was interesting to see how the story unfolded and to get the ins and outs of each side.

In terms of characters, I really liked Alma, who has just inherited the hotel and is learning how to run it. She finds herself in the middle of a love triangle between George Weaver and Alan Bricken. I sometimes found that the story dragged on a bit in this regard.

It was a very good historical detective novel, although I would have liked more scenes with ghosts, etc.

I believe this book is the first in the series featuring Alma Temperley. I can't wait to read the next one.

It took me a while to warm up to the main mystery of this book. I loved the character of Alma, and the set up of taking over a hotel where guests speak to the dead was interesting enough on its own. I still would have loved more focus on that, but I did grow to enjoy the mystery too.

It felt redundant to keep the identity of the spy a secret for so long. Once the book connected the two characters, I could get more immersed in the story and its twists.

There are a lot of different plotlines and characters through the book, and each of them got a fair amount of depth despite this. Each of the loose ends were dealt with in a way that made my heart happy. For as many of the twists I predicted, there was ones I didn't and I greatly enjoyed being kept on my toes.

Reaching the end of the book and the author's note, I'm impressed with the level of detail and care for the setting. It shines clearly through the story, even with the more fantastical elements. The hint of another story in this setting also excites me!

A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving a Murder - F. H Petford due for publication 2 October 2025

Alma Timperley inherits her Aunt’s spiritualist hotel in Cornwall at the beginning of WW1. Whilst she is getting to know the running of the hotel she feels the return of her clairvoyant powers allowing her to commune with the dead. However this is not the main plot of the story and we see early on there is a Nazi spy at the hotel passing vital information back to Germany. We get to see the mystery around Alma’s inheritance and parentage, the reawakening of her powers, her Aunt’s death and several murders. Although you know who the traitor / murderer is early on this was an enjoyable easy read with interesting characters.

I would have liked to see more of the spiritualist story but as it is the beginning of a series perhaps further tales will explore this and add greater depth to the main characters later.

Overall an easy enjoyable uncomplicated read and I would read more of this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

Thank you for this advanced copy of this gem of a book published 2nd of October, Historical fiction meets cozy crime - Alma’s aunt dies and leaves a very unusual hotel in her will for her. It’s not your everyday hotel this is a spiritual hotel and guests check in to get answers about dead loved ones. Alma like her aunt has the gift of seeing the dead as well. I loved this book and the characters I whizzed through this book I wioil highly recommended it

So close! This felt like a 2nd book of a series, and I think there could have been more time spent setting the story up. I was hoping for more, but found the plot dragging. The end came together beautifully - I loved the build of the action. It felt like a major plot hole to not have the police make the connection to the hotel sooner, and I dislike when mysteries rely on characters not making logical connections (especially when those characters are suddenly clever enough). Overall I left wanting more ghosts... but if the series continues, I'll read more.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder by F. H. Petford was a mysterious story with gripping characters and a twisted plot! Great read for someone who enjoys the dark side of ghosts, ghost hunters, murder and mayhem, and a meta look at crime and murder with a ghost hunter's tinge.

I had really high hopes for this one but it sadly didn’t meet them. I loved the characters but the rest of it was too slow paced and didn’t feel connected enough to want to read it

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Don’t be fooled! While this may look and sound like a fun historical cozy mystery, it is anything but that. In “A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving a Murder” we follow Alma, a medium, as she inherits the spiritualist hotel of her dead aunt, who is also a medium. While working on taking over her duties at the hotel, Alma and her staff realize one of the maids has been murdered during a bomb strike (this is set during WWI which plays a HUGE role) but it has been made to look like a casualty from the attack. Somehow we are then pulled into a tale of espionage as we learn who the murderer is and how he is a spy for the Germans, using his stay at the hotel as a cover. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. This book just had way too much going on in my opinion. And we never really encounter a ghost hunter or solving a murder because we know who it is the whole time! Everything felt so disjointed, especially because we were getting POVs of almost every single character we meet. This honestly reads more like historical war fiction, which I’m sure many people would love but it’s just not my cup of tea. The best part of the story in my opinion was Alma’s romance, but it honestly wasn’t even a main focus. I think this could be promising for some readers - but I highly recommend reading reviews and doing research to be sure it’s something you could enjoy.

This was an enjoyable historical espionage thriller with an interesting main character and a great setting. The title though is a bit misleading. The story takes place in a hotel run by mediums that specialises in spiritual trips. So there is an element of ghosts in this story but it was nowhere near as prevalent as I would have expected from the book title. Go into this book expecting a good historical mystery with spirits rather than a ghost story. I did like the unusual hotel as a business and a setting for this story and it was a useful vehicle for explaining the relationship between the three business owners. The main character inherits the hotel from her aunt who has a suspicious fall from the roof of the building. She knew nothing about her aunt previously and becomes immersed in the business with her aunts two associates, both acting mediums. She herself has a talent for this, which she has avoided using since she was at school.

The core focus of this story is the hunt for a German spy who is passing on strategic information and putting the port town the story takes place in at risk. The main character starts picking up on odd details which she passes on to her lawyer and friend who helps investigate further. This is central to the story as it takes place during the war. I thought the historical details of this story were explained very well.

Overall a good historical mystery, but I would have liked the ghostly parts of the story to have been explored in more depth. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

If you like WW2 paranoia, the spirits, a mystery and a colourful cast of characters, then this is the book for you.

Alma Timperley is called to a solicitor's to find out that an aunt she did not know she had had died and left her a spiritualist hotel in Cornwall. Deciding to go and see if she can run the hotel, she moves in as manager and begins to look at the possibility of a new life there. But she also feels the stirrings of her ability to talk to the dead awaken, as well as looking into the possibility that a nazi spy is spying on the port. Can she figure out who it is in time?

I enjoyed this book as the main character, Alma, is not a natural sleuth and doesn't always think logically. I also liked the pacing of the book. A great story.

'A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Murder' is described as the first of the Alma Timperley mysteries – and this instalment is a thrilling and engaging introduction to the series.

The novel opens on Christmas Eve in 1914. Alma Timperley has a secure, but boring, job as a clerk in London and lives in a cosy terraced house inherited from her mother – but, as she travels to the Embankment in response to a letter from solicitor James Nascent, she is about to hear news that will change her life.

The news is that she has inherited a hotel in Cornwall from her mother’s sister – an aunt she didn’t know she had - but she will only take ownership if she agrees to move south and manage the place. But this is no ordinary hotel – it is a Spiritualist Hotel – and her aunt was a famous and successful medium.

Petford thus sets the story up with a very engaging opening that immediately draws the reader in. As Alma settles down to learn the business of running a hotel, several storylines unfold. Fears of a German spy in the locality escalate and the list of possible suspects is gradually assembled. The actual spy is revealed about halfway through but this only increases the reader’s suspense as we experience characters’ misjudgements and blunders, some potentially fatal. The murders then begin.

I enjoyed the characterisation and the way that national stereotypes are creatively reworked to serve the needs of the story. The British are decent, honest, loyal and practical – but these qualities make them vulnerable to the cunning, intelligent and self-interested Germans. I often laughed aloud at the humour of classic British understatement: when two men are seriously injured, their sergeant comments, ‘neither of them looks too good’. I also liked the fact that the local police force – so often portrayed as inept in detective fiction – is here competent and contributes towards solving the mystery.

The theme of Spiritualism is interesting but perhaps my main area of criticism. As the author points out in his notes, this was a particularly fruitful time for a resurgence of interest in Spiritualism with so many young men – often officers from aristocratic families – being killed. Spiritualism provided a way for mothers to make peace with their dead sons and offered solace in the face of a bleak reality – but also offered a lucrative income for those involved. The genuine mediums in the novel contact the dead and show them to be living a contented and peaceful afterlife often shared with their dead colleagues. However, the charlatans are shown to give the same solace – but achieved through elaborate methods of invading people’s privacy. The author gives the spiritual fraud a very easy time, in my view, given that he is making money out of people’s misery. And the message of comfort is a bit too easy, the real horrors of war kept very much at a distance.

However, the novel does not purport to be a gritty historical novel about WW1. It is a fast-paced, cosy and engaging novel about espionage set in a sleepy English seaside town: think more 'Dad’s Army' than 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. But this is not to decry what is achieved and the final scenes are very exciting within a well-written and suspenseful narrative. There are interesting historical details – submarines and wartime telegraph systems – and the setting is atmospheric and appealing. The title is a bit cumbersome and I’m not quite sure where the ‘ghost hunters’ fit in, but that is a minor quibble.

So, overall, with a couple of reservations, I enjoyed this novel very much. It is an absorbing read and I’m definitely interested in the next instalment. It’s hard to predict where Petford will take us next; but then he often presented us with twists and surprises in this novel, so perhaps it’s just best to suspend belief and enjoy the ride. And there is no doubt that it is enjoyable.

"Meet Alma Timperley. She can:
- Run a hotel
- Solve a mystery
- Talk to ghosts...?

December, 1914: After the death of her aunt, Alma Timperley is surprised when she suddenly finds herself the heiress to the Timperley Spiritualist Hotel in a pretty coastal town in Cornwall.

But not everything is as it seems... the hotel offers guests a very special service: the chance to communicate with the dead.

When the body of one of the hotel's maids is found, it is considered a tragic wartime accident. But the more Alma and the local police try to fathom what happened, the more they begin to realise this is much more than just a death - there might be a German spy in Falmouth.

With the stakes higher than ever, Alma must grapple with her own extraordinary secret if she is going to have more than a ghost of a chance of solving the mystery.

Being able to talk with the dead is one thing; solving their murder is positively ghoulish..."

Why is it people who talk to ghosts and hotels go so well together?

If you like WW2 paranoia, the spirits, a mystery and a colourful cast of characters, then this is the book for you.

Alma Timperley is called to a solicitor's to find out that an aunt she did not know she had had died and left her a spiritualist hotel in Cornwall. Deciding to go and see if she can run the hotel, she moves in as manager and begins to look at the possibility of a new life there. But she also feels the stirrings of her ability to talk to the dead awaken, as well as looking into the possibility that a nazi spy is spying on the port. Can she figure out who it is in time?

I enjoyed this book as the main character, Alma, is not a natural sleuth and doesn't always think logically. I also liked the pacing of the book. A great story.

Rating: 1.3/5

Oh, dear! Where should I start with this? Well, seeing as it is the first part of the book you are likely to encounter, let's begin with the title. It is quite possible, perhaps even likely, that, like me, "A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder" on the front cover would lead you anticipate a quirky, probably largely comedic, cosy-style murder mystery with supernatural elements - but how very wrong you would be!

There is no ghost hunting in this novel at all, nor is much of the story concerned with trying to solve a murder. The closest to ghostly goings-on that you will find is the fact that the central protagonist, Alma, has inherited a hotel in Cornwall, where the establishment's unique selling point is that it offers its clients the opportunity to connect with their deceased loved ones through the psychic mediums who work at the hotel. In spite of the book's title, even this aspect is very much a sub-plot rather than being the main focus of the narrative.

So, if this isn't about ghost hunting and it isn't a murder mystery, cosy or otherwise, what is it? Well, essentially it is a lightweight historical drama set during WWI with an undercover German spy trying to undermine the British war effort by feeding information back to his native country. Even this element isn't a mystery, though, as the identity of the spy is made known to the reader quite early in the piece. If you like works of fiction based in that era, then you may possibly find something to enjoy about this book, but I wouldn't even be confident of that, because the writing style leaves an awful lot to be desired. I doubt this will satisfy many adult readers, as is it too simplistic and, at best, more reminiscent of a "Boy's Own" adventure. Furthermore, the pace is pedestrian, which is exacerbated by the amount of superfluous padding that serves only to beef up the word count. If it weren't for the fact that I hate not finishing a book, it would have been so easy to give up on this - at least I could have spent my time watching the grass grow instead.

As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.