Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts


The Remains of the Dead
A Ghost Dusters Mystery, Book 1
Wendy Roberts
Obsidian – Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
December 4, 2007
ISBN# 978-0-451-22268-8

With her company, Scene-2-Clean, Sadie Novak has a job that’s disturbing to most people. Cleaning up after murders, suicides or deaths that have gone unnoticed for some time is difficult. Having lost her brother, Sadie knows that her services are a big help to the families left behind. She also has a special gift, one that she usually wishes she didn’t. Sadie can speak to the dead whose ghosts have lingered at the scene.

With Zack Bowman, an ex-cop and Sadie’s employee, they tackle a job for a grieving mother who’s having a hard time believing that her son, Grant, killed his wife and then took his own life out of guilt. Trudy, the wife’s ghost that’s stayed behind, is trying to share the truth with Sadie, but someone is out to make sure that Sadie doesn’t have a chance to figure out the facts.

A stranger shows up on Sadie’s job, and thinking he’s a ghost, Sadie dismisses him. Later, when she realizes that Kent was no ghost, she looks into his connection to the deceased couple and begins to wonder if he could have had something to do with the deaths of his friends. With the help of Maeva, a psychic who was inadvertently pulled into the mystery, Sadie draws closer to solving the case. Now the killer is more determined than ever to stop her, even if it means permanently eliminating her to do it.

The Remains of the Dead is the first installment in the Ghost Dusters Mystery series. Sadie is a strong woman who has reluctantly accepted her psychic talent and is determined to help the ghosts that look for her help. When she finds herself tracking down a murderer who’d like to see her dead, she’s thankful to have Zack at her back and a new psychic friend by her side. Ms. Roberts kicks off her series with a fabulous mystery and a charming group of characters. A well-told mystery, a healthy dose of the paranormal and a taste of potential romance will keep you guessing through the twists and turns. Remains of the Dead leaves readers eager to discover where the next visit with Sadie and her friends will lead.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

9 comments:

Unknown said...

sounds very interesting

Anonymous said...

It sounds promising. Is this a young adult? I'm straddling the fence with this one and could go either way. It isn't one that makes me want to race out and buy it, nor is it one that makes me want to avoid it. Call me indecisive.

Kimberly Swan said...

blackrose37 - I did think it was interesting and it's definitely creative in the job she does. :)

SCooper - Not YA, but it didn't jump into sex either. Like most, I enjoy a good mystery and she did a great job of sharing clues (most of which I completely missed). I'm looking forward to learning more about the characters and their past, especially Sadie and Zack. Take a peek at it next time you make a book run. :)

Anonymous said...

This sounds good. Looks like I have another book to add to my TBR pile.

Katie said...

this sounds really good!

Kimberly Swan said...

I've been reading another psychic mystery series for a few years, so I knew I just had to read this. It's really great that they're blending them this way. :)

Enchanted by Books said...

I was dying to read your review when you first posted this but I resisted since I was reviewing it too! Now that I am done with it and reviewed it, I read yours. Very nice review. I like the way you explained the story. Nice job! :)

Enchanted by Books said...

Did this remind you of Tombs of Endearment by Casey Daniels at all? Just the whole talking to the dead thing..

I think Casey Daniels book was more comic and this was a little more serious.

Kimberly Swan said...

It did in the sense that she's psychic, talks to the dead, and ends up helping them solve the crime. I think that every other aspect of the story was different from Casey's (Pepper Martin) series though, and I enjoyed the first Ghost Dusters installment just as much as I enjoy our favorite Cemetery Tour Guide. :)