Keeper of the Castle: A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery

THE HAUNTED HOME RENOVATION MYSTERIES

Home for the Haunting

“Just when I think Juliet Blackwell can’t get any better, she ratchets it up a notch . . . an intense, riveting story.”

—Lesa’s Book Critiques

“Juliet Blackwell continues to craft enjoyable and fun novels with a woo-woo aspect that is surprisingly minimal.”

—Kings River Life Magazine

“Fun . . . this story, with the usual characters as well as some new faces, is fascinating and keeps readers thinking that there is more than meets the eye.”

—
RT Book Reviews

Murder on the House

“A winning combination of cozy mystery, architectural history, and DIY with a ghost story thrown in . . . This well-written mystery has many different layers, offering something for everyone to enjoy.”

—The Mystery Reader

“Juliet Blackwell successfully blends house renovation and ghosts in . . . this delightful paranormal mystery.”

—Lesa’s Book Critiques

Dead Bolt

“Juliet Blackwell’s writing is like that of a master painter, placing a perfect splash of detail, drama, color, and whimsy in all the right places!”

—Victoria Laurie,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Psychic Eye and Ghost Hunter Mysteries

“Cleverly plotted with a terrific sense of the history of the greater Bay Area, Blackwell’s series has plenty of ghosts and supernatural happenings to keep readers entertained and off-balance.”

—
Library Journal

“Smooth, seductive. . . . Fans will want to see a lot more of the endearing Mel.”

—
Publishers Weekly

If Walls Could Talk

“A riveting tale with a twisting plot, likable characters, and an ending that will make you shudder [at] how easily something small can get totally out of hand. [It] leaves you wondering what you just saw out of the corner of your eye . . . a good, solid read.”

—The Romance Readers Connection

“Melanie Turner may well be one of the most exciting, smart, and funny heroines currently in any book series. . . . There’s enough excitement to keep you reading until late in the night.”

—Fresh Fiction

THE WITCHCRAFT MYSTERIES

A Vision in Velvet

“Another gripping and delightful story, sheer entertainment with all the ingredients: murder, danger, high stakes, love.”

—Mysteries and My Musings

“Blackwell blends vintage clothing, humor, an interesting corner of San Francisco life, a touch of romance, some powerful magic, and a history of witchcraft and women.
A Vision in Velvet
is just the latest captivating story in a bewitching series.”

—Lesa’s Book Critiques

Hexes and Hemlines

“
Hexes and Hemlines
carries you along with an unconventional cast where nothing is out-of-bounds. Extraordinarily entertaining.”

—
Suspense Magazine

“This is a fun and totally engrossing series that hooks you instantly and makes you want more. . . . I love the mix of vintage clothes, magic, and a lingering possibility of romance combined with mystery.”

—Fang-tastic Books

A Cast-Off Coven

“If you like your mysteries with a side of spell-casting and demon-vanquishing, you’ll enjoy the second title in Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mysteries.”

—
Romantic Times

“This awesome paranormal mystery stars a terrific heroine.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

Secondhand Spirits

“Juliet Blackwell provides a terrific urban fantasy with the opening of the Witchcraft Mystery series.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“It’s a fun story, with romance possibilities with a couple hunky men, terrific vintage clothing, and the enchanting Oscar. But there is so much more to this book. It has serious depth.”

—
The Herald News
(MA)

H
AUNTED
H
OME
R
ENOVATION MYSTERIES

If Walls Could Talk

Dead Bolt

Murder on the House

Home for the Haunting

WITCHCRAFT MYSTERIES

Secondhand Spirits

A Cast-off Coven

In a Witch’s Wardrobe

Hexes and Hemlines

Tarnished and Torn

A Vision in Velvet

A Haunting is Brewing

(a Haunted Home Renovation and Witchcraft Mystery novella)

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014

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penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Copyright © Julie Goodson-Lawes, 2014

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

ISBN 978-1-101-63533-9

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To Anna Cabrera,

Hermana del corazón

You inspire, just by being you.

Many thanks to my wonderful editor, Kerry Donovan—and a warm
welcome to earth
to little Maeve! Thank you to Jim McCarthy, agent extraordinaire. And to the whole Penguin crew who work so hard to make my books a reality—thank you for everything.

Special thanks to Mary Grae for her fascination with chandeliers made of bones, which inspired part of this story line. And to John Sperling, who—whether he knows it or not—always seems to influence my depiction of incredibly wealthy men.

To my writer posse: Sophie Littlefield, Rachael Herron, Nicole Peeler, Victoria Laurie, Gigi Pandian, Mysti Berry, Adrienne Miller, Cecilia Gray, Lisa Hughey, and LGC Smith. And a special thanks to the wondrous women of Xuni who make my life so much easier: Maddee James and Jen Forbus, you two make me look good! You
rock
. And to Lesa Holstine, may your love of books always be contagious.

My sister Carolyn always provides me with calm, steady writing support just when I’m about ready to blow. Thank you for all the brainstorming, rewriting, and general muse-worthy actions that never fail to help me get my manuscripts to the finish line.

Thanks to my father, Robert, who allows me to follow him around and write down the things he says for Mel’s dad, Bill. And to my sister Susan, for her unflagging support and cheerleading. And Mom—I miss you, ever and always.

Finally, thanks are due, as always, to my son, Sergio, for making me happy and proud to be his mom every single day. And
merci
to Eric, for putting up with the crazy of book deadlines and creative crises—I know it’s not easy to put up with an author, but you do it with a certain
je ne sais quoi
.