Slay It by Ear

Lise Bloom has a discerning nose. But she isn’t just good at recognizing vintage perfumes or fragrant flowers—she can also sniff out jealousy, greed, and other motives for murder . . . A ghost-hunting team is filming at Corrie House, the decrepit Victorian mansion where Lise lives with her roommates in Astoria, Oregon. She suspects the reality show is a scam, but with her gift of clairalience—the ability to smell emotion—she’s picked up strange aromas that suggest the house is genuinely haunted. It also needs a new roof, so the money from the show is hard to turn down. Lise and her housemates recount their spooky experiences for the camera. Then comes a surprise: A man, introduced as a descendant of the sea captain who built the house, enters the room. It seems Lise’s home has a mysterious, scandalous history—one that echoes her own murky past. By the second night of filming, trouble is in the air. While a snooty neighbor complains that Corrie House is an eyesore, the seaman’s great-grandson appears quite fond of it . . . and openly covetous. Meanwhile, there’s major tension between the show’s host and his cameraman. But the TV crew’s departure doesn’t dispel the malevolent mood. And when the women make a shocking discovery in the house, it’ll take both detection skills and sixth-sense talents to find the truth.