A. W. Hartoin

I can’t believe that Bitter Bobby and the Devil Woman is already book #7 in the Jess and Libby Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series. Actually, I can’t believe that favorite author A. W. Hartoin has three different series going at once, each unique but all interconnected, and all fantastic.

Back to St. Sebastian and the big house that used to be a funeral parlor with resident ghost Leo, who used to be the funeral director, ghost visitors – welcome and unwelcome – ghost animals, ghosts from show more all eras. Not everybody can see the ghosts, but Jess and Libby and Jess’ daughter Mariah and Libby’s twin sons Max and Henri can. Jess and Libby somehow kind of fell into solving Leo’s murder, and they now run an investigative agency into crimes where ghosts may be involved: ghosts that won’t leave, cause trouble, are unrepentant. They are good at this and in demand, even if it’s exhausting and dangerous at times and if Jess is still grieving husband Hal’s death and Libby is still navigating being almost-divorced from Derek. And sometimes, they don’t choose cases – case choose them.

By this point in the series interacting with ghosts on a daily basis seems normal. Leo, for example, has become a friend. Handsome, charming, protective; Leo pops in anywhere at any time when needed and keeps unwanted ghosts out of the house. Well . . . most of them. Their current case is pro-bono, a first for them, but they just couldn’t refuse. Then a paying case falls into their laps and suddenly they’re super-busy and getting the puzzling sense that there might be some connection or overlap between these two cases.

Bitter Bobby and the Devil Woman is another delightful fast-paced, funny journey into the land of the dead, or undead, or don’t realize they are dead, or don’t want to be dead. Take your pick. As always author Hartoin takes the one million (or so) factoids from all her series and pops some of them in at the perfect spots so that instead of feeling as if you’re reading a one-off story you are just continuing one long adventure with people you know, places you’ve been, cases you’ve solved – you’re part of the whole thing. The backstories have been built up through the series and now you know those always smiling troublemaking twins will be up to something, Mariah will draw a line at some point at their antics, Jess will take another baby step toward the end of grief, Derek will pop in and out of Libby’s life but probably not to stay, and Leo is the guy you can always count on.

The mystery is appropriately complicated with plenty of clues to make you think you might be solving it, there are twists, turns, surprises, and aha! moments, satisfying resolution and a new ghost I hope to see again.

I received an advance copy of Bitter Bobby and the Devil Woman from the author as part of her review team. I am always so excited to get a new book to read and review as Hartoin cycles through her series. Each and every book is standalone but why miss the slow build and the details and the secrets? You need to read this book, this series, the Mercy Watts series, the Stella Bled series; you’re welcome. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

It goes without saying that this oh so entertaining series by favorite author A. W. Hartoin just keeps getting better: funnier, new characters to get to know better and learning more about characters we already know, something you never would have imagined to be fixed, figured out or gotten rid of and that thread of strong family that runs throughout – things that still aren’t quite right, things that still need to be accepted, regrets, sorrow, hope.

Life in the St. Sebastian house is show more never dull. Life with the twins is never dull. They are clever, active, ambitious and exuberant. Considerate of their mother Libby and of Jess in the way that only teenage boys can be. Which is to say very considerate in intent but not always that considerate in fact. They try, but they always have another project going, another idea – or they’re just hungry. Mariah sometimes gets dragged along, sometimes joins in voluntarily, sometimes stubbornly decides to do her own thing. Considerate of her mother Jess and of Libby in the ways of a teenager girl, which is to say often very, very dramatic. And now, as the Christmas holiday is right around the corner, dull has moved the needle to frantic. There’s an extravagant Christmas pageant to put on, a ghost turkey infestation (and you thought the ducks were bad), a long-dead cop who just won’t go away and causes more trouble than you would think one ghost guy could do, and a new case involving a mysterious, secretive wealthy town resident, Alfie Nettles, who seems to have been murdered, but whose ghost won’t slow down enough from mischief making to help solve the crime. Add in the fact that this is the first Christmas without Hal for Jess and Mariah and that everyone is trying to cope with that.

Put it all together and you’ve got another well-plotted, fast-paced story with a dizzying number of events and clues that you keep you wondering and guessing (when you’re not laughing, groaning, or worrying about the residents of Number Eight) but all comes together and makes perfect sense in the end. And of course leaves a delightful little crumb of what might be next.

There’s a greedy family, an unexplained inheritance, an unsolved murder, random ghosts popping up here and there, often not knowing what to do so ending up doing the wrong thing and a new element tossed in for good measure – the ability to predict the future. Sounds great but maybe not so much. Libby’s mom is still staying with them, Libby has had to spend some time with Derek and it drives her crazy. Does she like it? Does she want to? Is the reason for his past behavior becoming any clearer, and does it even matter? Jess still doesn’t have Hal’s insurance, and Leo, the sexiest dead person ever, has a soft spot for Libby – whatever in the heck that means. So much going on, but it all blends together so perfectly into another delightful adventure in bizarre St. Sebastian, and every little hanging bit makes you want to keep reading to see where it connects and find the next hanging bit. And once again we are treated to a little blast from one of author Hartoin’s other not-to-be-missed series: a weird little oddball who can cook. Boy can he cook! Hello to Aaron.

Thanks to the author for providing an advance copy of The Trouble with Tinsel. I can hardly wait to get started in any new book of hers. It’s always a one-sitting read because I just can’t stop. This is another amazing addition to my Hartoin Library that I recommend without hesitation. I leave this review voluntarily; all opinions are my own. show less

‘‘Dead Companions’ was a delightful surprise. I love finding a new author to follow who knows how to make me smile. I read a sample of this book because it was offered on sale for £0.77. I knew I’d found something good as soon as I read the opening chapter, so I ditched my reading plan for the week and just kept going.

This was a fun, feel-good book, without being saccharine or tropey. What I loved most was the book’s positive energy. It’s written with confidence and skill, show more sweeping me up in the narrative. The dialogue sparkled. It made me laugh and quickly got me engaged with the core characters of the series.

Jess and Libby have been friends since childhood, and their kids have grown up together. Now Libby is facing an unexpected divorce, Jess is a widow, and they and their teenage kids. Libby’s two boys and Jess’s daughter are starting somewhere new – a spooky old house on the market for a suspiciously low price in a town with a history of hauntings.

The dynamics of the friendship between Jess and Libby felt real. Their kids were fun and actually sounded like kids. Add in a resident (but selectively visible) ghost and a murder mystery, and what’s not to like?

The plot (was the resident ghost murdered and if so, by whom?) was above average for a cozy supernatural mystery, but what kept me engaged and smiling throughout the book was how Libby, Jess and their kids fought to find a way to be happy despite the burdens of grief and fractured relationships that they were carrying. They were likeable people who I wanted to succeed.

It helped that the town they’ve moved to has a very high score on the Woo Woo meter, but without going Derry dark. There are multiple ghosts in the story, ranging from the sweet to the scary and most of them are known to the locals, although not all locals can see them.

I had fun with this, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I’ve already downloaded the second book, 'A Trunk, A Canoe, and all the Barbecue'

I checked out A. W. Hartoin, and it looks like there'll be a few more series that I might follow. show less

I almost can’t believe that Survive and Thrive is the ninth book in author A. W. Hartoin’s Stella Bled series, but then I remember just how much Stella, and her husband Nicky, have endured since their honeymoon in 1938, when they were young and carefree and war was just breaking out in Europe. Dangerous, tragic, often unbelievable – those are the words to describe Stella’s life since she was recruited and agreed to do whatever was asked of her to try and stop the Nazis and end this show more horrible war, whatever the personal cost.

And the cost has been high, very high: separated from her new husband and only seeing him a handful of times since then, never knowing if as a pilot flying dangerous missions he has been shot down, captured, or killed. Stuck in Europe, not able to return to her home in the United States, with scant information to or about her family. Hunted by assassins, living undercover, taking on a variety of roles in disguise, infiltrating the enemy. Injury, illness, frostbite, watching those she cares about disappear – or worse – being killed right in front of her eyes.

And the last, worst, cost of all? At the end of her last mission, embarking on a new mission she’s been told only she can successfully complete, Stella watches her infant son Torsten sail away in the care of another woman, the only way she can keep him safe. Or hope to keep him safe, because she doesn’t even know if they will make it to their destination. She’s determined to return to him and Nicky, but nothing is certain in these dark days.

And this new mission? One with a partner, Mr. Bast, who has been an on-and-off, significant presence since Stella embarked on this path. They are to be embedded in Czechoslovakia, posting as a German businessman with his young, German, frivolous, not-too-bright wife. This role will certainly tax Stella’s acting ability, won’t it?

All missions are dangerous, but this may be the most dangerous of all. Tasked with stopping an assassination, Stella soon learns that her handler didn’t give her all the information she needed and in fact lied to her. The mission is much worse than she thought and when their contacts are dead and there is nowhere to get information Stella and Mr. Bast wonder if they, like their contacts, will soon be dead.

Survive and Thrive is fast-paced, tense, thrilling. Stella and Mr. Bast work well together, but circumstances are changing so quickly they must improvise quickly and are always on the edge of discovery, and possibly even worse, Stella is for the first time in the depths of despair. Feeling betrayed by the lies and false pretenses she was given at the start of the mission, she is more and more hopeless about being able to successfully continue to play their parts, do what is now required and escape unharmed – or at least alive. She and Mr. Bast become separated and he is not at the rendezvous point. Was this all for nothing: failing the mission, losing her partner, and never seeing her husband and son again?

As always author Hartoin has done an extraordinary job telling this story. So full of detail and historical facts, suspense and danger that feel real, it is as if the war is happening right now and not a fictional or historical event. Fact and fiction are seamlessly woven together, the pace perfect and the words exquisite. Stella’s past missions and the people she encountered play a part. And the emotions? I could hardly stand it. I have been with Stella from the start, and at a point in each book I become so immersed that I start to wish she could have just had that honeymoon and her expected life, as if she's not a fictional character but a young relative of mine or something. It’s a gift Hartoin has, to draw you into the story, keep you on the edge of your seat and provide such an abundance of history. I recommend you read Survive and Thrive, all the previous Stella Bled books and also Hartoin’s other series: the Mercy Watts series and the Jess and Libby Paranormal Cozy Mystery series. They not only reference Stella and provide a wonderful crisscross web of family and events, but they are also as riveting and satisfying as the Stella Bled series. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less