Dead and Kicking

I had read the other two books in this series a while back and remembered enjoying them fairly well so thought I'd try this one. I found I just didn't like the principal characters. Sadie was ill tempered in a way that didn't seem a symptom of grief over her father's death, just general bad temper. Her boyfriend Zack showed no attractive characteristics. I'd kick him to the curb. Sister was just silly. I was disappointed.

If you have read the other two ghost dusters mysteries, you will like this one. True it does have a darker mood than the others, but that is to be expected when the main character Sadie loses her father. The book starts off at the funeral of her father, who has died from a sudden heart attack. Not only does Sadie have to deal with his death, she has to deal with his spirit who is still in her parents home. Sadie also has to deal with a lying boyfriend. Zack takes a job from his ex-girlfriend Paula without telling her and then breaks his ankle on the job. After the injury he starts taking painkillers and drinking even though he is a recovering addict. Sadie also finds a vengeful ugly spirit still lurking in Paula's house who is very good at throwing things. This starts the mystery to find out who this spirit is and why he hasn't crossed over yet. Many twists and turns with Sadie always putting herself in harms' way. Really good quick read, I am eagerly awaiting the next ghost duster book.

First Line: The cemetery smelled of freshly mowed grass. Sadie Novack's brother committed suicide. It was several days before his body was found. The grieving Sadie had to clean his apartment. Vowing that no other family would have to do that while she had anything to say about it, Sadie quit her job and went into business for herself cleaning crime scenes. Along the way she discovered that she has another talent: she can see the dead and help them come to terms with what's happened. Right now Sadie is going through a rough patch. Her father has died and doesn't show any signs of wanting to move on. Her boyfriend, Zack, is spending a lot of time with a former girlfriend, and Sadie is trying to take care of jobs for a second cleaning company while its owner is out of town on business. In the midst of all this, she finds herself shoveling out the house of a hoarder, and there's a very angry ghost trying to keep Sadie off the second floor. There seems to be something buried under all the trash that's worth killing for. I enjoy this series, and this was another good entry. Although the crime scene clean-up can be a bit stomach turning from time to time, I still find those scenes interesting, but it's Sadie that makes me come back for each new installment. She's a very real character, and while I'm reading about her, I can run through so many different emotions: sadness, compassion, irritation, confusion, rage, and laugh-out-loud humor. I don't like a lot of "woo woo" in my reading, but the paranormal scenes where Sadie deals with ghosts are very well done and don't overload any of the circuits in my fuse box. If you enjoy reading Charlaine Harris's Harper Connelly series, you should enjoy this series as well. I do.

Wendy Roberts' DEAD AND KICKING tells of Sadie, who cleans up crime scenes for a living and finds herself face-to-face with the dead. Her gift of second sight can't always help her as she investigates an angry ghost and secrets that even the dead will kill to keep. A top pick for any mystery library's paperback section.

Sadie cleans up crime scenes & an added bonus she can talk to the dead. Sadie has slowly accepted that she can talk to the dead - but she doesn't tell a lot of people including her parents. When her father dies she doesn't want to help him cross over and that leads to some very interesting emotions. The big clean-up in this book is a hoarder's home of her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. The ghost at the house doesn't want anything to leave and is very violent. Another Excellent book in this series - now I have to wait till next Christmas for another book - some wait for Santa I wait for another Wendy Roberts book. If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest; Truly, Madly: A Novel , The Remains of the Dead (Ghost Dusters Mysteries, No. 1), Devil May Ride (Ghost Dusters Mysteries, No. 2) and Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye (Psychic Eye Mysteries, Book 1)

In Seattle Sadie Novak owns Scene-2-Clean, a firm that cleans up crime scenes. She also is a medium who communicates with the dead. Her job is to help the deceased pass on by removing whatever makes then cling to the earth. Most spirits she meets are not evil or even hostile, but Sadie and her lover-co-owner of the business Zack are cleaning out the apartment of his former girlfriend Paula's mother when they run into a malevolent ghost who refuses to allow them to enter "his" room. Running out of the place Zack breaks a bone in his foot. A recovering addict, he is not supposed to take drugs, but he does anyway as he moves into Paula's house to heal. Trying to forget Zack's betrayal for the moment, Sadie throws herself into her work and soon finds a mummified baby in one of the boxes. .The remains could be part of a lot Paula's mom bought at a yard sale or flea market or perhaps it something sinister that happened inside the house. Someone is trying to scare Sadie away; but that fails as she keeps cleaning and exploring while the threats turn increasingly violent. This is an exciting paranormal amateur sleuth starring an audacious courageous psychic who does not fear mortal murders having met malevolent spirits. Sadie's father recently died and though he cannot quite fully materialize she selfishly wants to spend quality time with him before he moves on. The whodunit is cleverly devised to keep the audience absorbed with several delightful solid and ephemeral subplots as Wendy Roberts provides another witty breezy Ghost Dusters Mystery (see The Remains of the Dead). Harriet Klausner