Defending Angels

Benjamin Skinner, loathed by all who met him, left a message on attorney Bree Winston-Beaufort's answering machine hours after he reportedly died in a boating accident. Claiming he was murdered, he asked for Bree's help to get him out of purgatory, and to find his murderer. Bree inherited her uncles law practice and temporarily set up shop in a rental house at an address only certain people could locate while the law offices were renovated. As Bree and her newly hired staff got Beaufort and Company up and running, she sought the truth about her new clients death. Eventually, Bree had to go before the Celestial Court to plead Skinner's fate on the charge of Greed. Mary Stanton's new series begins on a high note with Defending Angels. The paranormal cozy stays true to the mystery genre delivering a true whodunit including a surprising climax and fulfilling finish. The main characters are engaging, the villains are vile, and the story brisk and more believable than one would expect. This series is sure to find loyal fans who want to read more about the gang at Beaufort and Company. Defending Angels (A Beaufort & Company Mystery)

The title grabbed me. I picked the book up and read it all the way to the cash register. Then, I stayed up all night to finish. Basic story: Bree Beaufort is a 29 year old lawyer taking over her uncle's practice in Savannah, GA. She's got to find and furnish a temporary law office, since her Uncle's burned down and will require refurbishing. She comes upon an old home, 66 Angelus, which is smack dab in the middle of Georgia's only all-murderers cemetery. Then things get weird, that very day she receives a package from her old law prof which contains stationery with her new law office address and an iPhone. Before the phone is even out of the box, she's getting a call--from one of the most notorious businessmen in the city who wants her to represent him. She calls him back, only to discover he's been dead for more than 6 hours. Yet, the next day when she visits her old law prof, an associate hires her to investigate the man's murder. Thus begins a supernatural tale of murder most foul in what the author calls 'the most haunted city in the US.' The story's just as engrossing as you'd expect and the characters keep you engaged and reading. Well worth the money and time. Rebecca Kyle, March 2009

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/09) Brianna Winston-Beaufort thinks that she is lucky to find an inexpensive office for rent in a prime business area of Savannah. When she goes to see the property she discovers that the building is sitting next to a private, all-murderers cemetery. The landlord, Lavina, who lives in the building, also appears to be very eccentric. Strange things begin happening immediately. Brianna takes the space and obtains a client list that she has inherited from a recently-deceased relative. She also receives some gifts from a former professor who was very special to her. The gifts include a cell phone which has a message from a recently-deceased, publically-known man who wants to hire her. Brianna discovers that she is to be part of an organization that will represent deceased clients who are trying to defend their way into heaven. She isn't too sure that she wants this job, but people and even animals come into her life to help give her support with her cases. She also uncovers some important secrets about her own past. She learns that in addition to her education, she also has special gifts that can help her with her cases and deal with the evil that she encounters. I loved reading "Defending Angels" by Mary Stanton! It is a "Beaufort & Company Mystery," so I hope that there are many more books to follow in this series. Mary Stanton has developed a wonderfully unique idea as a basis for this paranormal murder mystery series. I really enjoyed that she included animals with special abilities in this book. She also did an excellent job of bringing the magic and mystery of Savannah alive to make you feel like you are really there. This is a must read for all fans of paranormal mysteries. It would also make a great book for a reader's group. It will definitely generate some fun discussions.

In Savannah, Georgia, Bree Winston-Beaufort takes over her late Uncle Franklin's law practice. While renovating his office, she temporarily rents space walking distance from her town house from weird elderly Mrs. Lavinia Mather who mentions the cemetery turns people off from the historical early eighteenth century edifice. However, before she can settle into her practice, Bree receives a call from despised billionaire Benjamin Skinner, who pleads with her to defend him. However, as she considers taking on the case, Bree knows there is a minor problem with this client; he is dead. Benjamin desperately needs an attorney to defend him in the Celestial Court for violating the Celestial Law code on avarice. To make a case in his defense, she needs willing witnesses ready to testify that Skinner had altruistic moments. Private investigator Gabriel Striker accompanies Bree as their search for a character witness feels increasingly like finding a needle in a haystack. The stunned Bree makes this superb paranormal cozy into a great tale as she adapts to the wonder yet perplexing celestial realm, celestial law, and celestial courtroom procedures. Readers will enjoy her journey into the supernatural side of Savannah along side the hunk of a sleuth. Fans who relish something different will want to accompany Bree as she mounts a defense for a client whose middle name is greed in an angelic court not of his peers. Harriet Klausner

Imagine this: You are new in town, ready to take on your late uncle's law firm, and totally gung ho about it. You finally find a place to set up your temporary office. Unfortunately it is in the middle of a cemetery that has only murderers buried in it, and your landlady seems a bit eccentric but hey! At least the rent is cheap. You finally hire two intelligent assistants who seem to be relatively sane. Then voila, you receive that first call from someone (and not just any someone, mind you, but one of the biggest and meanest tycoons in the state) who wants you to represent them. The only problem is, when you immediately call him back, you find out that he's been dead for hours. What would you think? Brianna Winston Beaufort (but please call her "Bree") thinks it is nothing more than a practical joke brought on by her ex-boyfriend. It just HAS to be. Either that, or everyone around her is completely crazy or it is just her that is losing it. Bree has to figure things out before she goes mad with frustration. Who are these people she has surrounded herself with? Why are they telling her to take on dead people as clients? Why have her nightmares been coming back? And why is that painting of the cormorant coming to life? What secrets had her uncle been keeping from her about his clientèle? She begins to think that maybe it would be best if she did not bother taking on her uncle's firm. Defending Angels has every element needed that makes for a great story. The words will captivate you while the story will haunt you. There were so many elements to this story that simply cannot be expressed without giving away too many details. Simply put this is a book that is going on my "must keep" pile. Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Lyda