Author: Ava Burke
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781639109289
Crooked Lane Books
272 Pages
$29.99; $14.99 Amazon
January 21, 2025
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Lou Thatcher is haunted by ghosts -- friendly ghosts -- but when she finds herself involved in a murder investigation, she's in for the fright of a lifetime.
Tallulah "Lou" Thatcher has a gift: she can see dead people. But in New Orleans, Louisiana, this is not a drawback. On the contrary, her ability to see ghosts helps her host viral ghost tours through the historic Garden District. When rival tour guide Adam Brandt -- who accused her of faking her encounters to undercut his business -- is found murdered, Lou is the only one who can see him...his ghost, that is.
It's no secret Adam and Lou were feuding and with the absence of a suspect, she's the only one with a clear motive. After detective Dylan Finch, Lou's longtime crush, reveals the murder weapon was a ceremonial dagger from Lou's shop, she's officially declared the prime suspect. Determined to prove her innocence, Lou starts investigating right away.
Weaving her way through Adam's business partnerships, friendships, and kinships, Lou must uncover who wishes to see him dead before the killer tries to silence her forever.
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Lou Thatcher hasn't had the most stable upbringing. But she's finally living back with her beloved Nan, her grandmother, in New Orleans, where she spent the first nine years of her life. Lou has always felt at home here, mainly because she has a gift -- she can see and communicate with ghosts. So she's done the most natural thing she can -- she's started ghost tours, and her friendly spirits occasionally liven things up.
Unfortunately, this is what irritates rival tour guide Adam Brandt. He's sure that Lou is using trickery to get customers, and he's determined to figure it out and expose her. But one night when Lou is visiting one of her ghostly friends, she sees Adam across the street. When she goes to confront him, he runs away. But when she trips over something, it turns out to be Adam's body. Now Adam, her erstwhile enemy, wants her to find out who killed him. Lou really has no choice -- since the only other option seems to be that the police think she murdered Adam...
I have never read anything by Ms. Burke before, but I wish I had. I love books with ghosts (friendly ones, that it), and this one definitely had me enamored throughout. She writes with a supernatural flair, if you can call it that; one feels as if they are transported to New Orleans and visiting the spirits right along with her.
That's one of the many positives I can say about this book It's enchanting, mysterious, and full of a plethora of suspects (even if the police seem to not notice anyone else). Lou is trying to keep both herself and her business alive, while dodging those that want to do her harm. Along with this, her Nan has hurt her arm, and her sixteen-year-old brother turns up on her doorstep looking for help. Not even her live-in ghost Kenneth can do everything, though he tries.
Sifting through the people who wanted to do harm to Adam isn't easy, and the more Lou discovers, the more it disheartens her. It doesn't help that she's had a major crush on the lead detective, who also happens to be the brother of her best friend. Where will it all end?
But end it does, and the ending is just as surprising as the rest of the book. I had no idea who the murderer was until nearly the end, and that's part of the charm of it all. The red herrings are everywhere. The clues are few and far between. But it's one of the best reads that I've come across this year, and I would definitely hope others will think so, too. Highly recommended.
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Ava Burke's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ava-burke/
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