Tag:

Paranormal

Review

All Her Ghosts

by Dodie Ownes

Prith’s YA debut is set in a world where the dead have lived alongside the living for nearly 20 years. Persephone Green is 17 years old, and her whole life people have been talking about the mysterious Ghost Wars. She and her mother, Chloe, move every few years, always suddenly, making Persephone the weird new kid at school over and over again. Chloe spends all her time in a locked laboratory with strange equipment and warning systems and refuses to discuss her work, even when alarms start going off. When Persephone meets Sebastian, something pulls her to him, and they recognize that they share one very unusual trait: neither has a heartbeat. When ghost swarms begin to grow and threaten to overtake their high school, the two decide it is time to find out who, and what, they are. The teens light out for the secret and now deserted facility that may hold the truth, pursued by Chloe, the military, and ghosts, as well as Sebastian’s friend Cain, who seems to know a lot more about Persephone than she does. This genre blender will appeal to teens who share feelings of alienation, distrust of adults, and love a good conspiracy tale—with spirits!—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Unnamed Bones

by Dodie Ownes

Harrow Lane is 16 years old, and frankly, a mess. It doesn’t help that her mysterious hometown, Seeker’s Rest, seems to morph its landscape at will—a mountain that suddenly appears, a lake that shouldn’t be there, and a new island that shouldn’t have old-growth trees on it. Why doesn’t anyone else find this odd? Don’t they remember when those people disappeared in the lake? Considered an outsider, Harrow is surprised that when she announces she is going to explore the island, her ex-best friend and others want to join the expedition. As readers get to know Harrow, they may recognize that she is experiencing dissociative identity disorder; she has built a motel in her mind that houses Guilt, Fear, Hope, and other feelings. Her mental health struggles intertwine with the horror that waits on the island—trees that attack, water that poisons, a killer fungus—and as the group attempts to escape, their chances of survival dwindle, as do their numbers. Only when Harrow confronts her emotions is she able to see the clear path, but will the monstrous terror this island holds let them go? Themes of grief, isolation, and loneliness, as truly experienced by these trapped teens, will resonate with both young adult and adult readers.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

Death and Other Occupational Hazards

by Dodie Ownes

Death has gone on vacation here and there, but after she hears about a sabbatical while on a trip across the River Styx, the Boss agrees to her request for a break. Her sister Life gives her the chance to live in human form so she can understand humans better. Now Delara, working as a paralegal at a second-rate law firm in London, is shaken when she discovers an Unplanned Death caused by vampire fish—after all, it’s her department, and the Boss will not be happy if he finds out. She left the temp in charge—is that the problem? Of course, Life is all over Delara, asking how her creations could be snuffed out without regard for the Plan. The days of simply putting folks on the Boat could be over if she cannot find out how this aberration has occurred. No longer in a black sack and carrying a scythe, Delara is hot to get to the bottom of the issue when charming parasitologist Marco enters the investigation. Debut-author Dapunt fills this rollicking story with sideways glances at the afterlife, the underworld, and the Human Communications Director (HCD, aka Jesus). Beyond the central murder mystery, the novel explores themes of life and death, love and relationships, the meaning of existence, and human emotions. Satirical, funny, and packed with wry observations on how humans approach death, and life.

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Review

A Whiff of Murder

by Danise Hoover

In a historic house in Astoria, OR lives Lise, who can scent emotion, and sometimes history; Fran, who can hear the spirits of the house talking; and Theodora, or Teddy, owner of the house and former muse to rock stars. The house itself accepts or rejects new renters, and though economics necessitates another housemate, the house so far has not found anyone acceptable. Lise, clerk in a shop that sells crystals, potions, tarot cards, and the like, finds her boss dead the morning after she submits her resignation, and the police officer who responds is a nemesis from her earlier years in Seattle. The three women, unsatisfied with the quick dismissal of the death as coming from natural causes, set out to find the truth. Their methods are creative, exciting, and somewhat dangerous. Our trio has intriguing backstories, and the adjunct characters that assist along the way are a wonderful addition to the cast. This is the first of a promised series from the author of another witchy Oregon series (the Witch Way Librarian books) and readers will look forward eagerly to the next installment.

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Review

Monster in the Moonlight

by Danise Hoover

A cryptozoologist’s views are not exactly recognized by the whole of the scientific community. But a dead woman in small-town Wisconsin brings law enforcement to cryptozoologist Morgan Carter, as they know her as a source of assistance. Lydia Palmer was found in a rural area with a broken neck and her throat ripped open by what could be the “Beast of Bray Road,” a local legend that has been capturing imaginations for years. Morgan is pretty sure from the outset that there is some human source to this mystery. Lydia, a widow with an adult son disabled from the car accident that killed her husband, was always looking for a way to make money. She wasn’t particularly wise about her methods, but there is still no good reason for her to have been in dark woods in the middle of the night. Sightings of the beast seem realistic, but Morgan has a good idea of what caused the deep scratches in Lydia’s car and body, and it’s not what people think. Another dead body and faked historic documents, among other things, lead Morgan to a conclusion that is worse than any beast. Though part of a series, this is nicely framed so that the back story stays in the background and readers new to Morgan and trusty hound Newt can keep up.

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Review

Undead and Unwed

by Dodie Ownes

Tiffenie is a 300-year old-vampire forced to live within the existence of Tiffany Amanda Blair, whose identity she recently purchased online. You see, this is a very modern vampire story. Undead and Unwed is set in dozens of Hallmark movie tropes—The Fixer Upper, The Perfect Snowy Date, The Bachelor Auction —in a small Vermont town where Tiffany has just inherited a dilapidated country house. But why now, and where is the real Tiffany? Having just lost her job at the plasma bank, Tiffenie picks up and moves with her roommate and newly minted vampire, Heaven, to Valentine to start new lives. Drinking coconut water instead of blood works, to some extent, but a gal can get thirsty, and when handsome Christmas-tree farmer Tyrone appears on the scene, Tiff’s undead body gets hot. Her irksome and devastatingly handsome ex Vlad keeps showing up, offering her eternal princesshood at his side, and decides to stay in Valentine. Everyone in town knows more about Tiffany Amanda Blair than Tiffenie does, and there is the matter of her ex-fiancé’s untimely death and his connection to Tyrone. Tiff’s sessions with the town therapist, during which she tries to convince Dr. Rosetti that she is an actual vampire, are hilarious. When the town inspector threatens to condemn the house that Tiff and Heaven plan to turn into a B&B, he suffers a regrettable injury and starts to dig deeper into Tiffany Amanda Blair. Blackmail, small-town minds, and mean girls meet found family, true love, and Hallmark happiness in this campy, little-bit-steamy, and entertaining tale.

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Review

Sugar and Spite

by Brian Kenney

Fortunately for M.C. Beaton (aka Marian Chesney) fans, this sixth Agatha Raisin novel created since Beaton’s demise, and written by R. W. Greenby, provides all the fun they are looking for. Mrs. Bloxby, the Vicar’s wife, convinces Agatha to attend a lecture by the Carsely Ladies Society to be delivered by three bird watchers (they call themselves twitchers). Agatha expects a dull evening but it turns out to be quite the opposite as a local farmer breaks up the lecture and threatens the women for trespassing on his land, and then the trio of twitchers ends up having a full-on war among one another. The next day, Agatha learns that one of the women has been discovered dead, and the rather dumb police chief insists it isn’t murder. So off we go, as Agatha takes up the search for the murderer, using the staff of her detective agency, friends, and inside knowledge from the police themselves. A pleasure, but brace yourself for a very surprising ending.

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Review

The Midnight Shift

by Willy Williams

In this Korean bestseller, police detective Suyeon is called to the scene of the fourth suicide of an elderly patient at a crumbling hospital in a deserted part of Incheon. Her boss believes the deaths, spurred perhaps by pervasive depression and loneliness, are coincidental and sees no point in investigating further, especially since their families had abandoned the dead. But Suyeon thinks something is off. All four victims, who suffered from dementia, jumped from the hospital’s sixth floor, but very little blood was found at the spots where they landed. Returning to the hospital later that evening, Suyeon encounters a mysterious Korean-French woman named Violette, who tells her, “A vampire did it.” A skeptical Suyeon angrily dismisses Violette until the autopsy of a fifth suicide reveals two puncture holes in the victim’s neck and the body drained of blood. Claiming to be a vampire hunter, Violette explains to Suyeon that someone at the hospital is helping a vampire target his next victims. As Suyeon seeks to identify that particular nurse, the narrative shifts back to 1983 France, when a teenage Violette, adopted by loving French parents but feeling isolated and lonely because of her Koreanness, begins a strange, intense, almost Sapphic friendship with the enigmatic, barefooted Lily. Skillfully translated (but a glossary of Korean terms would have been helpful), Cheon’s novel is more than a queer paranormal mystery (the inconsistent vampire elements are its weakest parts); instead, it’s an eerie and bleak portrait of societal loneliness, isolation, and marginalization.

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Review

Dead & Breakfast

by Brian Kenney

Have you ever noticed that vampires (not to mention werewolves, elves, and others) always get the short end of the stick? Take Arthur and his husband, Salvatore (Sal), for example. Two vampires in love, they have recently opened a bed & breakfast in rural Oregon. Life is sweet, but while vampires are sometimes accepted, there are plenty of not-so-paranormal-friendly attitudes to go around, and much of their time is devoted to educating their new neighbors (garlic is O.K., they don’t bite—really!—and they go out in the sun, but use plenty of sunblock not because of a reaction, but to stay young looking). So when the mayor is found dead in their garden, with two puncture rooms in his neck, Arthur and Sal end up accused of the mayor’s murder, to the point where Sal is jailed. How will the two of them—along with a few friends—manage to find the real murderer, exonerating themselves? A pleasure to read from beginning to end, with plenty of humor, Dead & Breakfast should find an audience from young adults through retirees.

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Review

Haunting and Homicide

by Jeff Ayers

“Lou” Thatcher runs a ghost-tour company in New Orleans, and it’s popular with both the residents and tourists. The tours are so in demand that Lou is contemplating hiring help to run two per night. Lou has the perfect resume for the job, since she can see ghosts. A competitor who consistently clashes with Lou, Adam Brandt, declares her a fraud and wants nothing more than to shut her down and steal her clients. When he’s found murdered, she’s not surprised, but that’s when her life turns upside down. The cute cop considers her the prime suspect, and the ghosts she can see are not very talkative. You would think that Adam would steer her in the right direction of the person responsible for killing him, but he didn’t see who it was, and he also thinks Lou is responsible. The backdrop of New Orleans shines in this fun and chaotic tale of Lou, her gift, and her efforts to prove her innocence without looking like she needs to be hospitalized for talking to folks who are “not there.” This reviewer is dead serious that this haunting and homicide is a terrific series start.

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