Gloria Galloway

What do you get when you pair one bad-boy good looking homicide detective with his returned from the dead female partner? A dynamic duo that is on the hunt to track down a serial killer in Sacramento. What more could Detective Tony Camarelli ask for then to have his partner, Julia Reynolds, as a ghost dead by his side solving the homicide cases!

Sacramento Sheriff Department homicide detectives Tony Camarelli and Julia Reynolds have been partners for twelve years. They knew each other inside out, and despite the rumors that frequently circulated the squad room, they were never romantically involved. Tony did love Julia, and he suspected that she was aware of it, but Julia made it clear that there would be no romantic entanglements, and he respected her wishes. While on a late night stakeout, Tony and Julia stop at his sister's bakery for coffee, and before going in for their purchases, Julia takes off her bulletproof vest, only to be shot dead by a shotgun blast to the chest at the bakery's door by a robbery suspect. Tony takes out the suspect with three shots, and he frantically works on Julia even though her chest wound was fatal. Grief stricken and numb, Tony is placed on administrative leave and hasn't seen a sober day in over a week since Julia's funeral. After being on a seven day drunk, Tony knows it's time to clean up his act when Julia's ghost appears before him at his home. He goes back to work and gets a homicide case where a young mother of twin girls is bludgeoned to death in her bed. Julia's ghost makes another appearance, and Tony thinks he is hallucinating, but she sticks by him and partners up with him once again to track down the murderer, who turns out to be a demented serial killer who is terrorizing women in Sacramento.

Dead By My Side is a gritty and intriguing mystery suspense thriller with a paranormal twist. With a fast-paced plot that immediately draws the reader into the story, this is one heck of a page turner. Rich in detail and vivid descriptions that could rival a CSI show, the story has a lot of drama, suspense, realistic law enforcement investigative procedure and forensic evidence, and twists and turns that captivates the reader and brings them along for the ride with Tony and Julia as they hunt down the serial killer.

The author has created an intriguing cast of characters that are realistic and quirky, that are easy to relate to, and who will pull you into their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the quick wit and quirky banter between Tony and Julia, it was really humorous and balances the grittiness of the crime scenes. With a host of supporting characters like family, friends and neighbors, the serial killer, FBI, law enforcement, and a quick-witted medical examiner, their dialogue, interactions and contributions to the story make it that much more entertaining and compelling.

Dead By My Side is the debut novel for author Gloria Galloway. She has created a richly detailed and engrossing mystery suspense thriller with a neat paranormal twist that is sure to satisfy crime thriller fans.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and for hosting a virtual book event on my book review blog site.

Virtual Book Event: On Friday, July 13, 2012, author Gloria Galloway participated in a virtual book event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/author-guest-post-gloria-gallo...

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