Victoria Laurie (1) (1966–)

I used to really enjoy this series and always read them as soon as they came out, but the ninth book in the series, Vision Impossible was so... ridiculous, it really put me off the newer books, even after reading and enjoying #10. Which means this one languished on my TBR for over 3 years before I finally forced myself to pick it up yesterday.

Boy I'm glad I did; it was really good. I didn't realise it was a cross-over book that included the MC from her other series (which has since ended), show more and it worked really well. The book begins with Abbey coming to consciousness on her wedding day to discover a bomb strapped to her chest, the latest victim of a serial killer. From here the book switches between dual timelines and POV's: Abbey's and M.J.'s.

Normally I'd hate this, but it really worked here. Abbey's POV is the flashback to what led to her being strapped to a bomb, and M.J.'s POV is present tense, trying to find Abbey and the killer before time is up. It's tense and it's gripping.

Victoria Laurie herself is a professional psychic, so the paranormal aspect of the storytelling is handled realistically; it never gets so far out there that it becomes difficult to suspend disbelief. There was at least one small error of logic, and I often twitched about Abbey's high level of internal emotional drama, but overall I couldn't wait to pick it back up again.

This is good news, because I still have two other books in the series to read sitting on my pile. And now I'm much more optimistic about tackling them. show less

Whoever has mused that covers attract hasn't lied, for I admit the cover of this book is what first drew me to it. I always am a sucker for cozy mysteries, and this proved to be a fun one.

Abby's personality is a contagious mixture of bubbling awkwardness, firm self-assurance, and strong sense of humanity. Although she's a psychic, she's sure to limit her clients to only two visits per year, in order to prove to them true answers lie within themselves, and not to fall into the trap of being a show more scam artist causing others to depend on psychics for all their endless answers. Detective Dutch Rivers was a fun, protective guy...what is it about detectives that usually ends up so hot in most books? His personality was great, from the awkward set-up date to the interrogations and, finally, to the ultimate revelation of his feelings.

The mystery itself was also a pay-off, as it was hard to pinpoint who the culprit was. As Abby tried on a few red herrings for size - and enraged the detective at the same time - it was good times. The slow unraveling of clues produced a decent mystery that wasn't conveniently answered, and the suspense scenes when shown (there weren't many), were well-written. Thankfully Abby did the clever thing when she was threatened at the end, not being overly heroic (read: silly and stupid). This gave her a depth of realism I always like to read about with my characters.

Not to mention, the psychic ability itself was just plain cool! Okay, I know there's misconceptions about psychics, but this is an ability I'd kill to have. She doesn't get strange premonitions out of the blue by touching various objects like overly-dramatic lifetime movie renditions, but instead it's just a natural flow of things for her. She's a strong psychic, as well, and I always like when it seems realistic.

There's humor, too, but not to where it's cloying. Some amusing situations that fit with the ironic side of life, but nothing forced and too comedic to where it takes over the book. Nothing overly violent - there are deaths, of course - but no descriptive phrases that would make the violence-weary shudder in their beds. It's an addictive book that's easy to get through; I read it in one day. The length isn't atrociously short, being 295 pages, but something about the subject and the author's great writing style made it easy to breeze through quickly. I can't wait for more of this series! show less

Ghost hunter M.J. Holliday has a tough task on her hands - her friend Karen (Teeko) has asked her to investigate some ghostly activity at a New York boarding school. Some of the students there claim to have been chased by a ghost carrying an ax. M.J. doesn't have much time to work on this case - renovations at the school start in a week. As M.J. and her partners, Gilley Gillespie and Dr. Steven Sable, work to send Hatchet Jack back to the portal he came from, they also work to free the show more spirits of three young boys. This isn't easy - outside of the students, no one will admit to knowing anything about Hatchet Jack or any missing boys. The deeper M.J. digs, the more secrets she uncovers - secrets that someone is willing to once again commit murder in order to hide the truth.

"Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend" is the second book in Victoria Laurie's delightful Ghost Hunter mystery series (the first was What's a Ghoul to Do? (Ghost Hunter Mysteries, Book 1)). I love the ghost busting premise and Laurie does a good job of making it realistic. M.J. is a nicely written character and her ability to communicate with the dead is believable - I especially liked the side encounters she has with characters such as telling a policeman what happened to another cop and helping the deceased cop to "cross over". She is seemingly fearless and her tendency to rush into dangerous locations adds much to the excitement in the novel. Her partners - the gay and not so fearless Gilley and Steven "Dr. Delicious" Sable - are also well done. Laurie treads a fine line with Sable's tendency to mangle phrases - it could be irritating but she manages not to overdo it. The ghost aspects of the book are well done in many ways. The ghost of Hatchet Jack chasing after the students is a nice plot line and adds not only scary moments but a mystery as M.J. tries to find out not only who Hatchet Jack was, but who the three young boys were. While I figured out some of the plot aspects before the end, there is a nicely written twist at the end involving the ghosts and some of the "live" characters.

"Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend" is a nicely done paranormal cozy mystery. show less

Book source ~ NetGalley

Maddie Flynn is 16, a Jr in high school, and shy. She has a best friend named Stubby and that’s it. Her mom is an alcoholic and her uncle is a lawyer, but lives a couple of hours away. Ever since her dad died, she’s been taking care of herself and her mom. But there’s one thing I didn’t tell you about Maddie. She can see the date a person dies by looking at their forehead. That’s where the numbers are and when she was little she had no idea that’s what they show more were or that she was the only person who could see them. Her dad’s death was the catalyst for knowing what the numbers were. Because the date he died matched the numbers she saw.

She and her mom earn some extra money to help support themselves by reading people their numbers. Or someone in the family since Maddie can see the numbers in photos and video as well. She sees them all unless they’re too far away or have something covering their forehead. But it’s these readings that land her in trouble with law enforcement when kids loosely connected to her are kidnapped then brutally murdered. How is she going to prove her innocence now?

Wow. I thought the blurb was interesting, but I had no idea how compelling this story would turn out to be. I couldn’t put it down. Poor Maddie. Her life has been hard, but it’s about to get a whole lot harder. The kidnappings, the murders, the investigation are a shitton to deal with, but there’s also her alcoholic mom on top of that. And on top of THAT are the bullies at school. So much crap coming at her on all sides, but she handles it fairly well. Sort of. I mean, she’s still only 16 so it’s okay that she loses it a few times. I think anyone would, really. Or just go on a shooting spree. She does not do that, btw.

The characters, the world, the pacing, and Maddie’s voice make this a sweet spot story. Add in a murderer that’s hard to pin down and you get a fantastic paranormal mystery. I was sad, mad, and enraged throughout the book. The one thing I was not? Bored. If you like YA Paranormal Murder Mysteries with tons of heart then do not pass this one up. show less