Hang My Head and Cry

Elena Santangelo's HANG MY HEAD AND CRY, the sequel to BY BLOOD POSSESSED will have ghost hunters finding membership in her fan club. I have not, at this date, read the first of the series. But HANG MY HEAD AND CRY has plenty of strength to stand alone. Pat Montella is an Italian-American heir to the Virginia home of Miss Maggie Shelby. Together they are an engaging pair of amateur sleuths who zero in on a dual-case. The skeletal remains that turn up in Pat's garden and some current murders to keep the story hopping. The intricate details of post Civil War Virginia makes fascinating reading. The ghosts are real with more substance than a cold breeze, Pat's ability to step into the past will keep you reading through the summer heat.Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelUnder the Liberty Oak

I recently read By Blood Possessed and enjoyed it immensely. The novel reminded me of the best of the Barbara Michaels novels, suspense with a little of the supernatural thrown in. Her second book is just as good. The story of Pat, Miss Maggie and Bell Run continues, when another ghost makes his presence known to Pat. Shortly thereafter, a skull is found in Pat's proposed tomato patch. The anthropology department of the local university is called, and a team is sent up to Bell Run. A contemporary death seems to connect the two eras, and Pat and Miss Maggie try to find two murderers in two different centuries.

One day Pat Montella, the ghost detective, will inherit Miss Maggie's Bell Run, Virginia estate as the last known descendent of the Bell family. Pat begins to "dream of a young Black male living in the mid 1870s. Apparently he was named Emancipation in homage to Lincoln's freedom speech at Gettysburg a week before he was born. At about the same time, an unknown gravesite is found. Considering the history of the estate where many Civil War skirmishes occurred that would not be a shocking scenario. However, not long afterward, the police believe that a friend's assistant committed murder. Somehow the three events: the vision from the past, the newly found gravesite, and the murder are linked with Pat's abilities to see ghosts as the only chance of finding out the truth. The second Montella paranormal mystery retains the freshness and uniqueness within a strong amateur sleuth story line that highlights the debut tale (see BY BLOOD POSSESSED). The plot is fun and never loses steam as Pat struggles with her century plus old visions and trying to find the connection to present events. The characters (mortal and spiritual) add depth that propel the story line forward in such a way that paranormal mystery readers will appreciate. After HANG MY HEAD AND CRY Elena Santangelo can hold her head up high with pride.Harriet Klausner