Review - Tomb With a View

We are well into October and the nights are getting a chill to them, the air is nippy and smells of coming snow.  I love autumn actually.  I like to think of it as Mother Nature wearing her finest garments before digging out the cold weather gear.  Today we look at a mystery in a cemetery.  A good little Halloween read.

Author:  Casey Daniels

Copyright:  July 2010 (Berkley) 292 pgs

Series:  6th in Pepper Martin Mysteries

Sensuality:  Mild romance

Mystery Sub-genre:  Paranormal Cozy


Main Character:  Red-head Pepper Martin, cemetery tour guide and ghost whisperer who is a daughter of a prominent surgeon father, and a society mother.

Setting:  Modern day, Cleveland Ohio's Garden View Cemetery

Obtained Through:  Publisher for and honest review


Pepper is teamed up with the most obnoxious volunteer at the cemetery to put a President Garfield Commemoration together.  Pepper whines a lot about having to work with spiteful and mean Marjorie Klinker.  Marjorie constantly drones on about how she is related to James A. Garfield, twentieth President, via an affair and resulting illegitimate offspring.   Marjorie makes it clear to Pepper that she will be her "go-fer" in the commemoration efforts and starts piling it on Pepper.  So when Pepper gets a voice-mail first thing in the morning from Marjorie, she takes her time getting over to the memorial.  When she does arrive she finds Marjorie having taken a dive off the upper balcony onto the floor below at the foot of the Garfield statue.  The police determine there was a struggle and Marjorie was sent flying over the balcony.

Usually Pepper is approached by the dead to help them with something unfinished.  But Pepper is surprised that Marjorie isn't the ghost coming to her, but rather the ghost of President Garfield who stays in the memorial carrying on the presidential work that was cut short by a stalker turned shooter.  Garfield wants the ruckus to stop so he can work!  So why does Pepper dig into who killed Marjorie?  Because she just broke up with her police boyfriend, Quinn who couldn't accept that she sees and talks to dead people.  Quinn makes it very clear that she is meddlesome, so she is determined to solve Marjorie's murder before him.  Pepper also has a stalker since the previous book where she was in a reality show, Cemetery Survivor, about restoring a near-by cemetery.  The stalker is getting closer and she now has a face associated with her fears.

I had not read any of the Pepper Martin series before and it is easy to pick up the background information.  Pepper is used to living the high life until her dad went to jail for insurance fraud, so she is struggling to make a living as the only paid guide at the cemetery.  Imagine Paris Hilton having to get a real job and actually work and you have Pepper's situation down.  Pepper will appeal to some but not all readers.  She is young, brash, and a bit superficial - although she is working on that.  The stand-out character in this book is President Garfield himself.  I felt as though the 1880's social moors were brought to life not to mention Garfield's commanding personality in this one character.  Well done!  The "ex" is sufficiently portrayed as negative in attitude towards Pepper, which spurs her on.  There is an FBI agent that might have potential in future books that surfaces.

I suppose I should have been impressed.  I mean, what with this new ghost having been president and all.  But honestly, I wanted nothing to do with the old guy.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm not used to ghosts by now, and I'm sure not afraid of them.  After all, they've been bugging me ever since the day I hit my head  on one of the mausoleums at the cemetery.  And I've been a good sport about it, if I do say so myself.  I solve their murders.  I help them clear their names and their reputations.  Sure, I've considered bailing on this goofy Gift of mine plenty of times, but in the end, I've never shirked my responsibilities toward those pesky spooks.  They want closure, I give them closure, even if it means risking my own life.

What do I get in return?

I get walked out on by the man I loved.

This is a fast and easy read with a sufficient plot to carry the reader through.  The plot actually has several threads going but they all wrap up well.  The Garfield memorial provides a good setting within the cemetery itself and Pepper's investigating is on par for a cozy.  The big reveal of the murderer had just enough suspense and the wrap-up of the stalker sub plot was perhaps the best scene in the book. 

If you are looking for a light and easy spooky read (similar to Kate Collins' Flower Shop Mysteries) this may be just what you are looking for.

Now for a little Tombstone humor:

"In loving memory of Ellen Shannon, aged 25,
Who was accidentally burned March 21, 1870,
By the explosion of a lamp filled with R.E. Danforth's
Non-explosive burning fluid."
Epitaph in cemetery at Girard, Pa.


"Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake,
Stepped on the gas instead of the brake."
Gravestone near Uniontown, Pa.

"Here lies John Yeast,
Pardon me for not rising."
Cemetery in Ruidoso, N.M.

"Here lies Lester Moore,
Four slugs from a forty-four.
No Les,
No Moore."
Boothill Cemetery, Tombstone Ariz.

"I Told You I Was Sick"
Cemetery in Key West, Fla.

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Review - The Seventh Witch

Continuing with the Halloween theme we have a great Amateur Sleuth novel for everyone today.  I have been waiting to read and review this book for just this time of year.  I have read all the books in this series and have always enjoyed them.  So let's travel to hills of North Carolina.

Author:  Shirley Damsgaard

Copyright:  Jan 2010 (Avon) 288 pgs

Series:  7th in Ophelia and Abby Mysteries


Sensuality:  Mild romance

Mystery Sub-genre:  Paranormal Amateur Sleuth


Main Character:  Ophelia Jensen, Summerset Iowa librarian with psychic powers and her grandmother Abby who is descended from a long line of witches


Setting:  Modern day, hills of North Carolina


Obtained Through:  Purchased my own copy

This book leaves small Summerset Iowa behind for the hill country of North Carolina as Ophelia, her adopted medium daughter Tatiana (Tink), and Abby travel to the family roost for Great Aunt Mary's one hundredth birthday celebration.  Great Aunt Mary is the iron-fisted matriarch of the family who scared Ophelia in her youth with her sternness.  But shortly after arriving a snake is discovered in Abby's bedroom that zones in on Abby.  It becomes clear that a fifty-some-year-old feud with the neighboring Doran family has been stoked by Abby's return.  Apparently the Doran family has gained a reputation in the hills as being dangerous witches you don't want to cross if you value your or your family's health.

Ophelia, never one to back down from a bully starts asking questions about what started the feud and why one parcel of family land was given to the Dorans.  That particular piece of land has a stone circle, called the Seven Sisters, similar to Stonehenge, that probably dates back to early Native Americans.  But nobody in the family wants to dig up the past or rock the strained "truce" with the Dorans.  Then a man who Ophelia witnessed argue with Sharon Doran is found dead and Ophelia is on the case.  Ophelia keeps digging and the stakes keep getting raised. This book has your classic feud only between powerful witch families.

"Hush, Granny."  The younger woman stroked her grandmother's gnarled hand.  "I won't fail...I promise."  The dim light reflected in her eyes, turning them black, and the shadow of her kneeling body seemed to grow as if the spirit fleeing the old woman's invaded hers.  "They'll pay..."  Her voice trailed away while the ticking of the clock filled the room.  "They'll pay with blood."

At his niece's words, his mother's eyes drifted shut.  One last breath and her chest stilled forever.

His niece stood, placed a soft kiss on his mother's wrinkled cheek, and quietly crossed the room to the dresser.  Taking a shawl, she draped it across the old wavy mirror hanging on the wall.  Then she opened the glass door of the clock and stopped the swinging pendulum.  A heavy silence suddenly fell upon the room.  she turned, and with one last look at the quiet form lying in the double bed, she marched out the door.

Most of the series regulars are in this book, except Ophelia's best friend Darci who only gets a cameo appearance in a phone call.  Even the potential romantic interest, Ethan is back.  This book explores Abby's Appalachian roots and grounds Ophelia (and the reader) in her rich legacy.  I was delighted to have Ophelia's mom and dad throughout the book who are the only non-magical characters.  Their interactions with Tink were a nice counterweight for the otherwise serious tone.  I enjoyed their characters as well as the colorful cast of country relations that populate the landscape.  Each character was well drawn and the setting was  richly cast so I felt like I was in the isolated backwoods of North Carolina.

The plot took a standard idea of a family feud and built a captivating story.  There were a few areas that could have been further developed but weren't, some missed opportunities.  Which is easy for a "Monday Morning Quarterback" who isn't writing it, but I would have truly enjoyed some of the smaller story ideas utilized further.  I am always pleased when Ophelia uses her powers, but it didn't happen in this story.  She digs information up and confronts accepted thinking.  But in the climax where I was hoping for her to tap into her magical self, she doesn't.  The Seven Sisters stone circle was a great element that I would have enjoyed a parting progress report on in the wrap up, but no luck there.  These are all "nice to have" comments that don't necessarily detract from the story - they just would have been icing.

The plot was solid enough to carry the reader through to the end, and even though the reader sees what is happening before Ophelia, that is how I think it was meant to be for suspense.  Like watching a thriller movie and knowing the character just should not open that door!  The witch-magic element is low key compared to the Hollywood influenced books, which gives it a bit more realistic touch and keeps the "horror movie" factor down.  Bottom line, this is an enjoyable read that has well defined characters and setting as its strongest points.

I enjoyed this book as I have the rest of the series and I suspect that some of you may enjoy it as well.


Now for a classic Southern recipe RED EYE GRAVY that was mentioned in the story.

Ingredients:

• Country ham
• Boiling black coffee
• Brown sugar to taste (optional)

Preparation:

Red-eye gravy, requires first a good, well-cured country ham.

Take a slice of uncooked ham with most or much of the fat left on. Fry the ham in its own fat until nicely browned on both sides. When it is cooked, transfer the ham to a warm platter and add boiling black coffee  to the skillet, scraping to dissolve the particles that cling to the bottom and sides.

That is red-eye gravy, which you pour over the ham and serve.

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