Reading the Detectives discussion

With Hallowe'en coming up shortly, I'm wondering if there are any mysteries with ghostly/Hallowe'en themes which anyone has enjoyed reading (aside from our current Christie read)? Or just ghost stories which don't involve detectives?

One of the original "rules" of Golden Age fiction invented by Ronald Knox was that "All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course." But I'm guessing some authors probably broke this rule whenever they liked, as with the others on his list!

Answering my own question, all I can immediately think of is the Jonathan Creek TV series in the UK, which had locked room puzzles with a ghostly theme - I enjoyed this, but tended to be outraged if it transpired that supernatural agencies were actually involved!

I recently discovered Phil Rickman and read two of his early books, published under a pseudonym - Mean Spirit and The Cold Calling, which I loved. They are a good mix of the supernatural and crime. I also really loved Neil Spring's books, The Ghost Hunters and The Watchers.

I'm not sure if they are 'mysteries' but there are two police procedurals with a fair amount of supernatural. Rivers of London series, and London Falling and its sequels.

Thanks for the suggestions, Susan and Rosina - I have heard 'Rivers of London' mentioned quite a bit, but I hadn't realised the series had a supernatural element.

I've also found what is said to be a 'supernatural mystery' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle free on Kindle in the UK, The Mystery of Cloomber - I haven't read any of his non-Holmes books as yet.

Halloween theme, but not a true classic mystery: Quoth the Raven by Jane Haddam, part of a series I started last Christmas for a holiday read, Many classic elements and an enjoyable series. I plan to read the St Patrick's Day entry (not waiting for March) and then the Thanksgiving Day and a 2nd Christmas entry for those holidays. Then, I think, Haddam dropped the holiday theme and I can relax!

The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle has some ghostly overtones. A brother and sister buy a haunted house in the country. There's a movie of it (1944) with Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey.

Oh, I love Quoth the Raven, Sandy. I just hope Haddam's books arrive on kindle again in the UK after being suddenly pulled before I had downloaded them all :(

Several by Susan Hill. She is well known for The Woman in Black but my personal favourite is one set in Venice The Man in the Picture

I also like Dark Matter and her latest, Thin Air. Cold Earth is also a great read.

Susan wrote: "Oh, I love Quoth the Raven, Sandy. I just hope Haddam's books arrive on kindle again in the UK after being suddenly pulled before I had downloaded them all :("

That's so sad! Neither of my libraries have them on kindle, but one offers them on Hoopla which allows me to read them on a tablet.

On the other hand, I heard the author of The Tent, the
Bucket and Me speak on a podcast and I can't find that book in my US libraries.