I absolutely love the dry wit of the Curmudgeon Avenue series. In this fun fourth installment, Harold, Edith and Edna have met an unexpected demise and returned to haunt Curmudgeon Avenue as ghosts. Of course they would have a great deal of awkwardness adjusting to their new ghostly status. And are they going to give up meddling in the affairs of Ricky Ricketts and Wantha and their new baby Emma Fidelity whose paternity everyone seems to be questioning? With a name like Emma Fidelity, how could Ricky Ricketts ever doubt ( )

This is Book 4 in the Curmudgeon Avenue series. The story is again told by the house itself, in its familiar and gossipy manner, which I find amusing and highly entertaining. The writing is quirky, frenetic, warm, engaging, funny and endearing. It was like coming home to old friends, the moment I started this book.

We have new people at Number One, including a self-obsessed, self-published author, and an aspiring-although-talentless artist. The previous occupants of Number One, the now deceased Edith, Edna and Harold are trapped in ghost-form inside Number One. They are not the only ghosts there, and find themselves haunted by more experienced ghosts! The wonderful Toonan and Wantha are regular visitors to Number One as they take the unlucky-in-love Krystina under their wing, to find her a new man. The fey Patchouli has a chat with ghost Edith while using the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, and her daughter Toonan discovers she also has 'the sight'.

All those barmy characters that I have come to know and love from Ms. Henthorn's previous books, make an appearance in this one, along with some new faces - some of whom I could slap: Callum, Zandra Bennett & Jordan Slippery Fox; while others will fit in just nicely: Stuart Hardcastle (he's using his middle name) & The ghost of Beverley, Big George’s great grandmother.

I'm still a big fan of The Whitefield Massive, Patchouli in particular, who, although she has gone up in the world, is not beyond a little shoplifting. And still not a fan of the conniving Gemma Hampsons; I was delighted to see her found out - that was after I stopped laughing at the name she has bestowed on her poor baby.

Harry the Bastard takes a bigger role in this book, and I think I've rather warmed to him now. He is engaged by Zandra to do some work at Number One, and winds up living at 'the most popular shop in Whitefield'. However, the owner of the shop, and street gossip, Mrs Ali, seems to have given up her nosy ways in this book. In fact, I felt she took a back seat in this story. Not like Mrs Ali at all!

At the end of the book we are promised another instalment next year, focusing on Ricky and Wantha's relationship. I wonder if the ghosts will still be hanging around then?

I feel that The Ghosts of Curmudgeon Avenue could be read as a standalone but would recommend readers read the other books in The Curmudgeon Avenue series before settling down to enjoy this one, to really appreciate the whole story. ( )