Poultry and Poltergeists Books in Order

Poultry and Poltergeists may have the most Elizabeth A Reeves title imaginable. It is funny, slightly absurd, a little creepy, and very clear that ordinary life is about to get interrupted by something impossible.

The first book, What the Actual Cluck, introduces Ophelia Mortimer and her young daughter, who happens to be an extraordinarily powerful necromancer. Ophelia herself can see ghosts, which already makes daily life complicated enough. Add in the family hobby farm and the zombie silkie rooster her daughter has raised from the dead, and you have a good sense of the tone before the real mystery even arrives.

This is not a straight comedy, though. The turning point comes when a ghost dog leads Ophelia into the woods and she finds the body of a young woman on her property. From there, the series becomes a paranormal mystery rooted in family, land, and the uncomfortable fact that Ophelia is connected to a much stranger world than she wanted to admit.

The farm setting matters a lot. Reeves uses it to keep the story earthy and specific. There are animals to manage, children to protect, and property lines that suddenly feel a lot more dangerous once a corpse turns up in the dark. That blend of domestic detail and supernatural weirdness gives the book its own flavor. It is spooky, but lived-in. Silly in spots, but not weightless.

Ophelia is the kind of heroine who makes this sort of story work. She is not out looking for adventure. She is trying to keep her daughter safe, make sensible choices, and avoid getting swallowed by magical trouble. Of course, the trouble has other plans. The mystery pulls her deeper, and the strange behavior of the dead woman does not make anything easier.

If you like your paranormal series with a rural setting, a family center, and a sense of humor that never quite cancels the danger, Poultry and Poltergeists is a strong pick. It promises ghosts, necromancy, murder, and poultry-related chaos, which is really a very specific kind of comfort read.