The Chick and the Dead

I can't say enough fabulous things about this series. Here, Pepper Martin, finds herself speaking with a ghost from the fifties who wrote a novel that became a mega sucess only to have her sister credited for being the 'talented' author. The ghost needs to be proven the author in order to provide financial resources from her orphaned grandaughter, who is in foster care. Pepper Martin, is a quirky, fun character, who wants to be shallow a little, but is sensitive, compassionate, determined, funny, and smart. This is a character whose smarts are often an afterthought. She definitely is led by her heart. The first two stories literally flew by as the stories never had a boring part, and scenes with the ghosts are aplenty. The rapport between Pepper and her deceased clients is the shining star of success in the series. Its hard to resist the charm of Pepper trying her best to resist the ghosts. Again, the softer side of Pepper is her downfall. To complete the rounding out of a five star review is the fact that the mystery is good enough to not be completely figured out before its reveal, AND even more so the fact that this is the second volume and has remained true to its pilot, plot, and narrative. This is at least as good as the first story and the only thing missing was the Don himself. How have these books been so overlooked? Amazing, I can't sing its praises enough.

An intriguing twist highlights this fun mystery featuring cemetery tour guide Pepper Martin. Pepper has the ability to see dead people, and when a celebrity author comes to town, Pepper learns the woman's deceased sister actually wrote the book. The dead sister claims she'd been murdered. Can Pepper prove who really authored the blockbuster? More importantly, can she find the killer who's begun to strike again? I liked the historical angle and the unusual approach to a whodunit. Great start, I'd like to see more in the series.

Pepper Martin has just finished solving Gus' murder and is happy she won't be seeing ghosts any more, until Didi Bowman shows up who's been dead for fifty years. She claims she's the real author of the Civil War novel "So Far The Dawn" by Merilee Bowman, her sister. Merilee is coming to town for the opening of the new museum related to the book and Pepper's boss Ella at the cemetery turns out to be a huge fan of her book. Pepper decides to look into Didi's claims, but is often unsure of whether she believes Didi. She ends up working for Merilee which is no picnic. When there's an attempt at Pepper's life, she decides there must be something to this and starts digging deeper. She knows this is probably putting her in more danger. Detective Quinn Harrison was watching her back, wasn't he? Could she figure out who the real author of the novel is without ending up in the cemetery permanently? I love this fun cozy series. Pepper is such a great character. She's funny but definitely not stupid. There aren't many ghost mysteries I like, but I love this series. I like how Pepper often says things in public to a ghost and has to quick cover up the fact that she was talking to a ghost. I like the sexual tension between Pepper and Quinn. The mystique of Dan adds to the series as well. I can't wait for the next one. I highly recommend this book and series.

Twenty-five-year-old Pepper Martin has had it up to her neck with the dead. After the pampered princess lost her fortune when her father went to jail for medical fraud, she took a position as a tour guide at Ohio's very own Garden View Cemetery. It's bad enough that she has to give tours in her polka dotted Cheap & Chic heels, but when she hits her head on a headstone, and earns the Gift of speaking with the dead, she realizes that things can only go down from here. This so-called Gift is nothing more than a curse, and after putting her life on the line to solve the murder of Mob boss, Gus Scarpetti, all she wants is for her life to go back to normal. Sadly, when you're the recipient of such an important Gift, things never seem to work out that way. And just as Pepper begins to adjusting to life without Gus criticizing her every move, she realizes that there's a new ghost in town who needs her help, and refuses to stop bugging her until she agrees to be at her beck and call. Deborah "Didi" Bowman, is a hot-to-trot twenty-something from the fifties, complete with saddle shoes, bobby socks, a poodle skirt, and an inability to cross over to the Great Beyond until her unfinished business is...finished. Pepper tries to ignore the hipster chick, but when she hears her story, even Pepper feels that it's her responsibility to do something to help the little lost ghost with a penchant for lying. Didi claims that her older sister, and uber-author, Merilee Bowman, has done her wrong, and stolen the manuscript that she spent years poring over. "So Far the Dawn" was Didi's pride and joy until the day she died, yet Merilee, a homely librarian, reaped the benefits, and cashed in on the book - becoming a millionaire with movie deals and a museum containing relics and memorabilia from the smash hit, as well as a fan club with millions of members. Now, as the movie is set to re-release in Cleveland, Didi has come out of nowhere demanding that Pepper dig into the mystery to discover the truth, and reveal to the world that Merilee is nothing but a fraud, and that Didi is the rightful author of the blockbuster. Pepper is skeptical. However, it is only when she takes a summer job as Merilee's secretary that she begins to wonder if Didi isn't telling the truth. When she begins to dig around the family tree, she learns a few very peculiar things of her own, like the illegitimate daughter that Didi gave birth to shortly before her death, the possibility that Didi was murdered, rather than a victim of her own depression; and a handful of illicit affairs that would make any self-respecting girl blush crimson. Now, armed with a struggling news photographer, and the inability to resist the truth, Pepper has dove headfirst into the world of historical fiction, and is slowly realizing that it's more murderous than she ever expected. Since reading Casey Daniels' DON OF THE DEAD, I have been eagerly awaiting its sequel, and I can't explain how overjoyed I was that it embraced

Pepper had a comfortable lifestyle until her doctor father was sent away to prison for medicare fraud. Needing to pay bills she took a job as a tour guide at the Garden View Cemetery. While leading a tour, she tripped and got knocked out when she hit her head on the marble steps of a mausoleum. Now she can see and talk with the dead as she did with Mafia Gus whose murder she solved. Now she sees the ghost of Didi Bowman who died in the 1950's and claims she wrote the mega bestseller, So Far the Dawn, that her sister took credit for authoring. Merilee is coming to Cleveland for the digitally recorded movie premier and to dedicate a museum devoted to memorabilia of the book and move. Didi wants Pepper to prove that she wrote the book so her grand-daughter in foster care will get the royalties and have a chance for a good life. Dangerous happenings begin when Merilee gets to town including a mugging of a photographer and the theft of his pictures, the murder of Merilee's assistant and attempts on Pepper's life. Pepper thinks all these events are linked but she doesn't realize that a killer is watching her every move. Casey Daniels writes an exciting paranormal mystery showcasing a heroine who manages to talk with and work for ghosts as if it was an everyday occurrence. One of her most endearing traits is that she knows she isn't a detective which is why she needs a little ghostly help to move the investigation along. Readers will care and feel sorry for Didi who had a heart of gold and died before she had a chance to live. Ms. Daniels' has a hit series on her hands. Harriet Klausner