October Read: The Ghost Illusion by Kat Martin

 I switched from magic and witches to paranormal. It is October, after all. I love that it's getting darker earlier and I've broken out my fall candle.  Made pumpkin bread. Chili is on the horizon. I've also started watching my ghosty shows on Discovery. I'm all in!

I haven't read Kat Martin before, but in my years of bookselling and librarianship I've seen her name oodles of times and have ordered her books for the library. She's consistently popular and I'd say she's romantic suspense. This book definitely reminded me of Heather Graham and her Krewe of Hunters series. I'd love to see more with this group of ghost hunters. 

Eve St. Clair has recently moved to England to live in a family home she's inherited. She spent many summers there as a child and loves the home. Only problem is she's terrified. Every night there are running footsteps, cold spells, and voices arguing. She reaches out in desperation to Paranormal Investigations, an American group that travel the world helping people with paranormal issues. To her relief, Ran King, owner (and darn good looking, and rich) agrees to bring his team to Sunderland, England to help out Eve. 

Of course sparks fly between Ran and Eve. They both fight it, knowing this is just a short term meet and Ran will eventually return to Seattle once the ghost issue is resolved. But the pull is irresistible. 

Meanwhile, the ghostly phenomenon happening in Eve's home ramps up and is putting the team in harm's way. Eve seems to be the only one who can connect with the spirits, especially a young boy named Wally. The evil spirit that's keeping Wally and others trapped is bent on keeping the spirits there forever, and it will destroy anyone who tries to send them to the light. Can Ran and his team stay safe and solve the ghostly happenings? Is there a happy ending for Ran and Eve?

This was what I classify in my mind as a comfort read for me. I'm always up for a ghost story that involves a bit of history and the romance was a nice touch. Nothing surprising at all, and that was just fine with me. There was enough action moving forward that kept me reading and enjoying the plot and the characters. 

I'd read more of Kat Martin and probably will look into her other novels--she has a lot! But I really do hope she writes more involving the Paranormal Investigations team. 

Rating: 4/6 for an interesting ghost story, hot romance, and enough character building that keeps you invested but leaves the door open for *hopefully* more novels with this team. Fans of Heather Graham will enjoy this novel. 

Available in hardcover, ebook and audio book. 

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October Read: The Ghost Illusion by Kat Martin

The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White

 

There aren't many series that I start and read all the way through to the last book. However, The Tradd Street Series by Karen White is one that I have loved from the first novel published in 2008: The House on Tradd Street. 

I was so excited to read this novel I purposely bought a backpack purse large enough to fit a hardcover and took it on the plane with me when I went on vacation last week. I promptly buckled myself into my seat, opened my book, and read for the next three hours of my flight. 

So, no, do not start with this book if you've never read the series. This really is a series that needs to be read in order so you aren't confused because BIG things happen over the course of the series. So, for a quick recap: Melanie is a realtor selling historical homes in her hometown of Charleston. She's called to a home on Tradd Street to talk to the owner about listing it. However, the owner has something else in mind, and dies, leaving the home to Melanie. 

A gorgeous, stately home, it needs a heck of a lot of work--and as an extra bonus, comes with a few mysteries and ghosts. Melanie has psychic gifts (which she tries to ignore) and gets sucked into not only falling in love with the house, but begins to dive into the history of the house and the previous owners. Along comes author Jack Trenholm, a hot looking man who is also interested in the mysteries attached to the home--and interested in Melanie, as well. 

I won't give anything away that will surprise anyone, but here at the end of the series, Jack and Melanie are married with twin toddlers and Jack's teenage daughter all living in the house on Tradd street. Relationships have formed, strengthened, and have had quite a few tough spots. Melanie is still coming to grips with her transition from an independent go-getter to a mother of three and a wife to a man who continues to challenge her every day. And the spirits that inhabit her home, as well as the others who inhabit homes around Charleston are still calling on Melanie to solve mysteries and murders of the past. Will she finally embrace her gifts and use them to solve one last legendary mystery at her home? 

I can't tell you how much I love this series. It has everything in it I adore in a good book: a bit of romance, paranormal mysteries, history, historical restoration, and evolving relationships. Humor, quirky characters, and realistic relationships keep this series from becoming stale. One day I will visit Charleston! 

Here is the series in order of publication:

The House on Tradd Street

The Girl on Legare Street

The Strangers on Montagu Street

Return to Tradd Street

The Guests on South Battery

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street

The Attic on Queen Street

Thank you, thank you Karen White for such a wonderful series. I looked forward to every new novel in this series, and am happy to report while Jack and Melanie's story has come to an end, a new series will begin in 2022 featuring Jack's daughter Nola in New Orleans. The title is The Shop on Royal Street. To say I'm giddy with excitement is an understatement. You can bet I'll be reading and reviewing it!

Rating: 5/6 for a satisfying conclusion to the Tradd Street Series. While I was sad to turn the last page, I did so with a big sigh of happiness-characters got their just rewards.

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White

The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie

Well, if I've done anything in 2019, it was to finally read some Agatha Christie. Another author I've admired from afar, but never felt compelled to read. This new short story collection caught my eye, and I'm so glad it did. 

First, I'll say this book isn't a casual, read it in a few hours collection of stories. It's actually quite lengthy--over 350 pages. Just goes to show how prolific Agatha Christie was in her writing career. Only one of the stories had never been published in the U.S.: The Wife of the Kenite. All the other stories had been published multiple times in short story compilations and magazines over the years in both the U.K. and the U.S. The publishing reach of Agatha Christie was astounding. 

There are twenty short stories in The Last Seance, and each was gripping and smartly written. I quickly fell victim to Agatha Christie's style of writing, and I couldn't even begin to pick one of the stories as my favorite. Some were straight out murder mysteries; others had a paranormal bent. People murdered for money or spite, others were frightened to death. Clever killers were outdone by simple deductive reasoning from some of Agatha's prime characters: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Each story was fairly short, and that made it easy to read a few, take a break, then return for more. I don't read many short story collections, but when I do, I realize how much I enjoy the built in breaks between stories. 

This collection has it all: haunted houses, mysterious characters, marriages gone wrong, and sly con artists. It was a fantastic introduction to Agatha Christie's style of writing and her world of mysteries. She's got me hooked. 

Rating: 4/6 for a solid collection of short stories that keep you trying to figure out the whodunnit before the characters do. Short stories that dive right into the meat of the mystery, and keep you wanting more. I can't wait to read more Agatha Christie! 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie

Pale as Death: A Krewe of Hunters Novel by Heather Graham

I've been reading Heather Graham since I was a teen. First her historical romances; now I try to read every Krewe of Hunters novel that comes out. There are usually a few a year and I've got two on my bookcase that I still need to read. They, along with Pale as Death, are a mini-arc in the series; three brothers join the Krewe and get involved in ghostly happenings. And find love, naturally. 

I've read a lot of series, but most of the time they jump the shark (see: the Happy Days episode where Fonzie actually jumps the shark--and so does the show)and I stop reading them before I get to the end. I didn't even finish the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I had been reading it since the beginning, when they were cheap paperbacks and Charlaine Harris' name was in tiny print at the bottom of the cover. 

But for some reason, I keep reading the Krewe of Hunters novels. Part of the charm is the ghosty element. As you all know, I'm a HUGE fan of anything paranormal, and I do love a good paranormal romance. Another part of the charm of this series is that each novel centers around new characters, with a sprinkling of some returning characters--specifically, Jackson Crow, the head of the Krewe, a "secret" FBI unit that investigates crimes with a paranormal twist. Everyone on the Krewe can see the dead, and they solve murders and mysteries that otherwise would remain cold cases. 

In Pale as Death, someone is killing young actresses, and recreating the Black Dahlia murder. Gruesome, indeed. Every detail is replicated; even the young victims resemble Elizabeth Short, the original Black Dahlia. LAPD investigative cop Sophie Manning has been assigned the case, and Bruce McFadden, a private investigator, is sent out to LA by Sophie's friend (and Bruce's soon to be sis-in-law) to help her on the case. Of course they clash, and of course they are wildly attracted to each other. The formula for these novels is pretty predictable. 

So who is committing these horrible deeds? Could it be someone in the LAPD? Someone close to Sophie? How can Michael, the spirit of an investigative reporter murdered during the original Black Dahlia case help Sophie and Bruce? 

I have to say. I know how these novels go, and I still enjoy reading them. They're like popcorn for me. If you're interested in reading from the beginning, where Jackson Crow first enters the scene, here's a link from Goodreads on the list of titles, in order: https://www.goodreads.com/series/57401-krewe-of-hunters.

I'll be reading the other two novels with Bruce's brothers: Brodie and Bryan. Can't wait to tuck in--this series is pure escape for me. 

Rating:  3/6 for a look at the Black Dahlia unsolved case, Old Hollywood, and of course, a romance. 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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Pale as Death: A Krewe of Hunters Novel by Heather Graham

A Quick Review of The Guests on South Battery by Karen White AND Books for February

January sped by and now I'm staring February in the face.  Of course all the books I've asked for through the library are now rolling in, so I've got a glut to read.  Gee, twist my arm.  😉  But before I get to what I'm reading for February, I've got a quick review of The Guests on South Battery by Karen White.

I'll tell you right now that I absolutely adore this series.  This is fifth book in the series, so please don't start with this one, but start at the beginning with The House on Tradd Street.  You'll be a bit lost, and darn it, come into the story after all the really good stuff happens between Melanie and Jack.  **Warning:  spoiler alert**

Melanie is returning to work as a realtor specializing in historic homes in her hometown of Charleston, SC.  Work continues on her home, as do the odd paranormal events that come with her home.  Jack is working on a book, and having twin babies means they need a nanny.  Melanie's latest client has inherited a historic home on South Battery Street, and Jayne is eager to sell it.  Very eager to sell it.  It's obvious Jayne is very uneasy around the house, and will do anything to avoid stepping foot in it.  Lucky for Melanie, Jayne is a nanny looking for a job while the house is looked at by a team of historical renovation experts, restored, and all of the valuable antiques are evaluated and sold.  Jayne is a perfect fit for Melanie's household, and her twins Sarah and JJ (both adorable 10 month olds) take to her instantly.  

Meanwhile, lots of recent rainfall has caused part of Melanie's back yard to sink in, exposing a cistern that requires archaeologists from the local college to excavate it, as it's clearly from the early days of Charleston and may be of historical significance.  Only bad thing about it is that something dark and evil has been released and has taken root in Melanie's home.  Also, touring Jayne's home has given Melanie a sense that not only are there spirits around, but one isn't very nice.  Reluctant to embrace her gifts, but frustrated that during her pregnancy they seemed to be blocked, Melanie knows she's being called on to solve another mystery haunting historical Charleston.  But, in doing so, both her and Jack uncover a whole lot more that has repercussions for Melanie and her family.  

I dived right into this novel, and was happy to read the continuation of Melanie and Jack's story.  Here they are happily married, and new parents.  Melanie still suffers from moments of "I can't believe this guy is my husband!" and fresh off of a difficult pregnancy, she doesn't feel her most attractive.  Being a first time mom in her early 40's has given her great joy, but also a bit of a confidence issue.  This is a big part of the story, and while I understand completely, there were times I wanted to shake her!  Just goes to show that marriages always need work, and communication is so important between partners.  I liked the paranormal plot a lot, but I figured it all out pretty quickly so there weren't any surprises.  Still very enjoyable.   I give it a 6/10; it's available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.  If you're a fan of the South, and like a bit of paranormal, family drama, history, and romance, pick up this series.  Can't wait for the next one!

Now, onto my February reads.  I've got a plateful, for sure. 

Moms and drama at a school in small town England

John Wilkes Booth.  Should be interesting

Epistolary novel set during the Civil War

Sequel to the Lace Reader.  I'm giving her another chance

Publisher review.  Thriller. 

 And I'm going to try and squeeze in a romantic read...after all it is the month of love! 
 

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A Quick Review of The Guests on South Battery by Karen White AND Books for February

A Creepy Ghost Story: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

It's been quite awhile since I've read a novel that creeped me out.  It was creepy  enough that I decided to only read it during the day, on my lunch hour in a busy hospital cafeteria. Either I'm getting soft, or it was a pretty darn good ghost story.

It was a pretty darn good ghost story.

I love Cherie Priest's writing.  Her Eden More series is about restless souls; usually from the Civil War Era.  She followed that up with her steampunk Clockwork Century novels; Boneshaker really put her on the radar of a lot of science fiction/fantasy fans.  I did read Boneshaker years ago, and did enjoy it quite a bit, but her gift, to me, lies in her ability to make you uneasy in the comfort of your own home.  And that is what The Family Plot did to me. 

Music City Salvage is on the cusp of financial ruin, and one big job will save the company.  Enter Augusta Withrow, the last member of the Withrow family.  For $40,000, Music City Salvage gets all the rights to her family's estate before it's torn down.  They have a week to claim everything they can from the house, the barn, and carriage house. 

Dahlia, Bobby, Gabe, and Brad travel to Chattanooga to the Withrow estate, up a badly maintained road on the side of a mountain.  What should be a routine salvage job is not so routine as eerie things start right from the get-go.  Is the house angry at its demise, or is there something else in the house that is really, really angry?  And why is Dahlia the center of all the attention?

One thing that annoys me about paranormal fiction is a super slow buildup in tension.  Don't get that here--it starts right away, and thankfully, Dahlia, Bobby, Gabe and Brad start comparing notes on what they've experienced pretty quickly.  Showering in any bathroom at the house is a very bad idea.  Going up to the attic by yourself?  Bad idea.  Trying to reason with the paranormal?  Bad idea.  It's a race to finish the job and get the hell out of dodge for this crew.  Things start escalating as they near the end of their time at the house and start putting the pieces together to discover what, exactly, happened in the Withrow home all those years ago that has made the place a nightmare for anyone who tries to make it a home.  

The end...well... it's one of those endings where you get to decide how it should end.  

Loved the mystery of the house; it truly was enough to make me uneasy, and I don't scare easily (Unless you're a bat. Then I freak out.  Ghosts?  No.).  Sometimes the evil that is done to people sets off emotions that don't die when our physical bodies stop.  Yikes.

Rating:  8/10 for a truly chilling story.  My appreciation for Cherie Priest's writing grows with every book she writes.  

Available in hardcover and e-book.    
 

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A Creepy Ghost Story: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

I have been eagerly waiting to read the latest by Simone St. James.  She's the author of four previous novels, all set in England, all revolving around World War I and the supernatural.  I've reviewed The Haunting of Maddy Clare , An Inquiry into Love and Death,  Silence for the Dead, and The Other Side of Midnight. Just click on each title to find my reviews.  As you can see, I'm a big fan of Simone St. James.  She has the mix that I can't resist:  history, a bit of mystery, and enough paranormal creepiness to keep me glued to the pages but not afraid to turn out the light at night. 

In her latest novel, Simone's heroine, Jo Manders is living in 1921 England.  She's the paid companion to Dottie Forsyth.  This job is all that stands between Jo and poverty.  Her husband Alex was listed as missing in action during World War I after his plane was shot down over Germany and his body was never found.  Jo is alone in the world, except for her mother.  But, her mother is institutionalized and doesn't really know who Jo is, and lives completely in her imagination.  Dottie is Alex's Aunt, and in a roundabout way, the closest thing to family Jo has besides her mother. But that doesn't stop Dottie from taking advantage of Jo's situation.  

Jo travels with Dottie to the family estate in the countryside outside of London.  Wych Elm House is a bit neglected and was the site of the suicide of Dottie's fifteen year old daughter Frances.  Three years previously, Frances had jumped to her death from the top of the Wych Elm House.  Village stories of Frances and her demon dog haunting the woods around the estate cast a eerie miasma around the home and all who lived there.  

It doesn't help that Jo sees Frances sitting in the parlor on her first day at Wych Elm.  Yes, Frances is dead.  And Jo just saw a ghost.  Why is Jo seeing Frances around Wych Elm?  Why is Frances trying to get Jo's attention?  

Jo's intuition tells her that Frances didn't commit suicide, but was murdered.  But by whom and for what reason would someone kill a fifteen year old girl?  Was it her own mother, Dottie?  Or perhaps Martin, Frances' older brother, who is recovering from terrible wounds suffered in battle, and addicted to morphine. Or was it the stranger found dead in the woods the same day Frances died?

To top it all off, Jo is haunted by not knowing what happened to Alex, the love of her life.  She's convinced she doesn't know the whole story, and Alex's role in the military was more than she realized.  This becomes even more complicated in Jo's mind when she finds out Alex was at Wych Elm House the day Frances died, when he never told Jo he was even in England.  Why the secrets?  

I've got to say Frances' presence in this one is a bit creepy only because her appearances seem random and she never says anything.  Frances makes things move around, appear and disappear. The atmosphere at Wych Elm House is cold and unwelcoming, even though it is a beautiful country home.  You read the book and can feel that damp fall weather and bone chilling cold that keeps Jo struggling to stay warm.  Even reading  this in very hot temperatures and uncomfortable mugginess (summer in Iowa!) made me want to grab a blanket for warmth and comfort.  

I've really loved all of Simone St. James' books, but I have to say this was my least favorite.  I can't put my finger on it, but I felt her previous novels had a more solid storyline and were definitely up a notch in the paranormal element.  I will certainly keep reading anything Ms. St. James has to offer in the coming years; I just hope she keeps giving me chills in the middle of  the summer.  

Rating:  6/10 for an interesting story line, but one that could have had more paranormal creepiness.  Historical background was very interesting, and you can tell the author does her homework.  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective by Nancy Atherton

This is what I love about books:  you can circle around, look at, and think about reading a book, and it patiently waits until that magical day when you decide to pick it up and read it.  When I worked at my bookstore, I shelved so many copies of Aunt Dimity novels in the mystery section that I've lost count.  I was always curious why there was a rabbit on the front of something about an Aunt being a paranormal detective.  But I never went any farther in my curiosity, and kept shelving those novels.  

I finally decided to give Aunt Dimity a try, and checked this out of the library.  It is the first two Aunt Dimity novels together:  Aunt Dimity's Death, and Aunt Dimity and the Duke.  We are introduced to major characters in the world of Aunt Dimity, and introduced to Aunt Dimity herself--but only through letters, stories, and photographs.  Aunt Dimity remains a bit of a mystery herself, and I believe all 20 or so novels keep her that way.  It's an interesting concept, but it works.  Aunt Dimity is a bit of a magical characters, always putting the right people together, working in mysterious ways, and lends a bit of the paranormal to her stories.  The mysteries are barely there; I read somewhere that the Aunt Dimity mysteries are "the coziest of the cozies" and I have to agree.  These stories beg to be read with a cup of tea, a roaring fire, and a hand knitted blanket.  

Aunt Dimity's Death does begin with Lori, a down on her luck woman living in Boston.  Her mother recently died, and Lori is alone in the world.  She's broke, and at the end of her rope.  A letter from a legal firm in Boston requests her presence pronto, and she discovers that all the stories her mom told her when she was a child about Aunt Dimity were actually based on a real Aunt Dimity.  She was the best and closest friend of Lori's mom, and Aunt Dimity has died.  She's left a request for Lori: travel to England, stay at a cottage in the tiny village of Finch, and write an introduction for a soon to be published compilation of Aunt Dimity stories.  

But, there is a bit of a mystery:  Aunt Dimity and Lori's mom wrote heaps of letters over the years, and they are all together, waiting for Lori to read through them.  Her mom leaves her a personal letter, asking her to solve a mystery concerning Aunt Dimity and a photo taken in the 1940's from an unknown place that was dear to Aunt Dimity.  With the help of Bill, a partner in the law firm, she travels to England and begins her tasks.  And there she finds some odd things...could Aunt Dimity's spirit haunt the cottage?  

Aunt Dimity and the Duke is the second in the series, but is told before we meet Lori and Bill.  It is the story of Emma and Derek, who become good friends with Lori and Bill in the first story.  This story involves a castle, a local legend, gardening, and the death of a rock star.  I enjoyed it just as much as the first story.

What can I say?  I'm hooked on this series.  I'm happy to say there are around 20 novels, and Nancy Atherton keeps writing more.  These are enjoyable, cozy, British, and undeniably gentle mysteries.  There is no horrible violence, swearing, or grizzly murders.  Perfect for those who just want something fun to read, and full of characters that become friends.  I'm going to read every one of these books and that makes me very happy.  

Rating:  7/10 for a mystery series that doesn't have much mystery, but enchanted me nonetheless.  Lovely cozy British mysteries to take on vacation or read in front of the fire.  You'll get the rabbit symbol when you read the first in the series.  

This version is available in trade paperback and e book.  All of the mysteries are available in mass market paperback, and e book.  They are available at your local bookstore and library.  

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Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective by Nancy Atherton

I Listened to an Audiobook: Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

I have avoided audio books for 20 years.  I tried one once, listening while I worked around the house.  It drove me nuts.  I half-listened, made mental lists in my head, and the narrator's voice annoyed me after so many hours. Having a commute that was literally 3 short right turns and 5 minutes meant I never was tempted to listen in my car.  It also helped that none of my vehicles had a tape or CD player.  

Now my commute is an hour each way, four days a week.  I have a CD player in my car.  I've got nothing to stare at but miles of road, corn and soybean fields.  So I thought I would give an audio book a try.  I shied away from my beloved historical fiction, and instead tried something that was peculiar, off-beat, and humorous.  

Welcome to Night Vale  by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor is a very popular podcast.  I listened to a few of the podcasts on my commute and enjoyed the completely oddball-ness of it.  Night Vale is a strange town where secret police listen in on everything, creatures roam day and night, and time has a peculiar way of morphing.  There is a forbidden dog park, a woman named Josie who has angels following her around (they are all named Erica), and a radio announcer who makes sure everyone knows just what is going on in Night Vale. You do not have to listen to the podcast to enjoy this book.  As a matter of fact, you don't even have to start with episode one of the podcast to get into the swing of things.  Just jump in and go.  All the podcasts are free, and there are over 70 of them.  Enough to keep you amused for quiet some time.  

The audio book is narrated by Cecil Baldwin, who is the narrator of the podcast (and the radio announcer).  In the novel, Jackie is the owner of the pawnshop in town.  She's 19, and has been 19 for as long as she can remember.  Everything in the pawnshop costs $11, and you die for just a short time when you bring something in to pawn and agree on the price.  One day, a man in a tan jacket, with a deerskin briefcase, comes into the pawnshop.  He gives Jackie a piece of paper that says King City on it and flees, off into the desert.  

Diane works at a boring job, and is a single mom to her son Josh.  Josh is a shapeshifter, and at 15 is restless to know who his father is, and why he's not around.  Diane works with Evan, but notices Evan hasn't been at work for a while.  A mysterious phone call from Evan starts her off on a journey of complete strangeness.  She's the only person at work who remembers Evan even working there.  Is she crazy?  Or is it just the usual in Night Vale?

Jackie and Diane are on the trail of the man in the tan jacket, as well as the blonde man who keeps popping up all over town.  Is the blond man Troy, Josh's father?  Why does he keep avoiding Jackie and Diane?  What the heck is King City, and why can't Jackie get rid of the piece of paper that's permanently stuck to her hand?  How is it all connected?  And what do pink flamingos have to do with any of it?  Oh, and the library is not to be missed.  Hilarious!!

 I did enjoy listening to this audio book.  Having listened to some podcasts, I immediately enjoyed hearing Cecil Baldwin's voice again.  I will admit I had a few "tune out" moments, but I got on track again fairly quickly.  This novel is full of just plain silly stuff.  I chuckled quite a few times.  I envy the writing talent behind this crazy town of Night Vale.  Nothing is off limits, especially in your imagination. Makes you wonder if there is a Night Vale out there somewhere...

I would recommend listening to the audio of this book, because Cecil's voice is what makes this novel come alive.  If you've listened to the podcasts, you know what I'm talking about.  I don't think I would have enjoyed reading the novel as much as I liked listening to it on my commute.  

So...am I sold on audio books?  Sorta.  I think for me, audio books will work if I listen to non-fiction or humorous fiction.  There are just some books that I prefer to hold in my hand and read instead of listen to someone tell me the story.  

Next audio will be Tina Fey.  I hope to incorporate audio books and maybe even some podcasts into my reviews every month.  Driving 400 miles a week will give me plenty of opportunity to listen!

Rating:  7/10 for my first audio book.  I enjoy the world of Night Vale--a perfect blend of paranormal, humor, and downright silliness backed by clever writing and the perfect voice of Cecil Baldwin.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio book. 

 

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I Listened to an Audiobook: Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James

Simone St. James has quickly become one of "those" authors:  I eagerly await her latest book, and will buy it without hesitation.  I've got to wait until April 2016 for her next one!  I'll try to be patient. 

The Other Side of Midnight follows a similar plot found in Ms. St. James' previous novels:  a single young woman in 1920's England finds herself tangled up in a paranormal mystery that she must solve.  The themes running through these novels are the effects of World War I on those who survived it, and the changing world of women in the 1920's.  

Ellie Winter is a young woman who spends her days using her psychic skills helping clients find things they have lost.  What Ellie knows and what eveyone else doesn't know is that she is the real deal:  someone who can see and communicate with the dead.  She can read people and freak them out with her accuracy.  But she takes great pains to hide that part of herself because of the disastrous "outing" of her mother years ago, which ended her mother's career as the Fantastique.  Now Ellie is all alone in London, and bitter about losing her mother in the scandal that James Hawley and the New Society for the Furtherance of Psychical Research created by testing her mother's skills.  

But one day Ellie gets a visitor, who tells Ellie his sister, the infamous psychic and party girl Gloria Sutter, has been murdered.  Gloria, a former friend of Ellie, left her brother a note, telling him that Ellie would find out what happened.  Ellie wants no part of it, but becomes reluctantly drawn into the mystery of Gloria's murder as she struggles to put all the pieces together.  It's a pretty interesting murder mystery, and actually a pretty clever twist.  

Meanwhile, James and Ellie are thrown together to figure out who killed Gloria and who's made Ellie their next target.  Ellie will be forced to use her abilities to solve the mystery.  Will a romance with James that had potential all those years before come to fruition?  

I like St. James' atmospheric novels.  They have just the right touch of paranormal, and a heroine who is afraid but keeps moving towards a resolution. London in the 1920's is always fascinating as well, and the specter of World War I looms over all of it.  You can read all of St. James' novels in any order; each are a standalone.  A great blend of history, mystery, and the unknown.  

Rating:  7/10 for an interesting twist to a whodunnit.  

Available in paperback and e-book. 

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The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James

Krewe Of Hunters Is At It Again

 I've been reading Heather Graham since my teen years.  She writes good stories, whether they're historical, suspenseful, or paranormal.  Her latest trilogy involves the Texas Krewe of Hunters.  They're a group specially formed by the FBI that all have one common talent:  they can see and speak to the dead.  They first appeared in The Unseen, which takes places in San Antonio and involves ghostly happenings and murders at a hotel.  Logan Raintree and Kelsey O'Brien first meet to investigate the hotel, and from this book the Texas Krewe of Hunters is formed.  Logan, Kelsey, Sean, Kat, Jane, and Tyler all become trained and certified with the FBI to travel the country and investigate crimes that have a touch of the paranormal.  They're smart, gifted, and have a reputation as "unusual FBI agents".  

The Unholy takes the group to Los Angeles, and the investigation of a murder involving the son of the owner of a well known special affects company.  The studio is located directly next to a very old cemetery, and the studio itself has been around for decades.  They're currently producing the costumes and effects for a remake of a 1930's film involving a mummy, an ancient curse, and murder. The original film was clouded in murder, too.  But now someone is killing people disguised as Amun Mopat, the alleged  evil magician who lived during the time of Ramses II.  How is it all connected?  And can the Krewe--especially Sean, a film effects wizard, put the pieces together before more people are killed?  How will his budding feelings for artist Madison Devril play into this investigation?  Oh--and guess what--Sean and Madison can both see and hear the dead.  One very special spirit even hangs out at Madison's apartment.  

The story of Amun Mopat continues in the second novel of this trilogy The Unspoken.  While still in Los Angeles, Kat is tagged to go to Chicago to find out if the drowning of a diver in Lake Michigan was an accident or murder.  It's got the Krewe's attention because the diver was a well known expert on a local shipwreck:  The Jerry McGuen, which mysteriously sank in the lake 100 years before. When the ship sank, it was on its way to Chicago with a cargo hold full of artifacts from the real Amun Mopat's burial site in Egypt.  The ship went down with 60 souls, and no one has been able to find it.  Until now.  

But someone is willing to kill for the treasure.  But who is dressing up as a mummy?  Who is diving the wreck?  What are they looking for?  Kat soon arrives and meets Will Chan--a member of the original Krewe of Hunters.  He's been in Chicago on other business, and finds himself becoming part of this investigation.  The two soon find themselves diving the newly discovered wreck; Kat is having dreams and visions of what happened to the ship just before it sank.  What are all the dreams and visions trying to say?  The rest of the Krewe soon arrive in Chicago and the investigation swings into action.  Just who was Amun Mopat, and why is someone trying to steal the artifacts from the bottom of Lake Michigan?

I found The Unholy to be a bit thin as far as a storyline goes.  It's definitely readable and an entertaining story, but not much to it.  The Unspoken was much much better.  I loved the Egyptian history and diving the wreck of the Jerry McGuen.  There was a much more solid story and more to work with in this novel that the previous story and many more suspects.  I figured out who "did it" in the The Unholy pretty quickly, but The Unspoken  took a little longer to figure out.  

The third in this trilogy is called The Uninvited and it will be out in paperback this week.  I will definitely pick it up.  

Ratings:  The Unholy 2/5 for weak storyline and not much action.
The Unspoken 3/5 fascinating look at Egyptian history and shipwrecks.

Both are available as mass market paperbacks and e-books at your nearest bookstore.

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Krewe Of Hunters Is At It Again