Review: Ghost Appeal

GHOST APPEAL by Louisa West

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: I didn’t choose the boo life. The boo life chose me.
I’m Ivy Hearst and I’ve always had a spook-tacular talent for seeing ghosts. It’s just part of who I am. When I was small it used to give me the heebie-jeebies, but as I got older I learned to embrace my gift. Now, as a spiritual medium, I get to help others handle their own spirit experiences and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Normally. Seeing the ghost of a dearly departed client whose house I just performed a spiritual cleansing in? That’s a new one. And it’s landed me in hot water. Now I’ve gotta put my gift to work and ghost-bust a murderer. With a bossy apparition all up in my business and the Savannah PD side-eying me as a suspect, this won’t be easy. A web of mystery and danger is being woven around me. Evil spirits and the killer are closing in, and I’ll have to walk the shadowy line between the dead and the living to uncover the truth. The clock is ticking, and the supernatural forces around me are only growing stronger. Can I bring a murderer to justice before I get thrown in the slammer–or into the afterlife myself? Ghost Appeal is the prequel novella to Louisa West’s new series of Sleepy Hollow Mysteries. In it, Louisa does a great job introducing the reader to her main character, spiritual medium Ivy Hearst. Set in the haunted city of Savannah, Ivy has been able to see ghosts all her life and has chosen to help others deal with their supernatural visitors. However when a particularly dangerous entity sets its sights on Ivy she is forced to make a change that will take her all the way to Sleepy Hollow, NY. This is a great beginning to what promises to be a fun new series. Ms. West has done a great job setting the stage for book one and I can’t wait to read it.

THOUGHTS: What an interesting start to a new series. Ivy lives in Savannah, Georgia and deals with ghosts. But demons? That’s a whole ‘nuther world—and not a good one. She takes on Polly, a witch, as a client to help cleanse her home of a dark spirit but things don’t go exactly to plan as the next day Polly shows up on her doorstep—dead. In order to prove that she didn’t do the deed, she needs to find the real killer, but it means dipping into some dark places that could mean her own death. Getting away from the evil that is pursuing her, she needs to leave Savannah. With the help of a friend, she gets a job in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Yes, that Sleepy Hollow! And the series is off and running.

Interesting characters, good setting (hot and humid!), twists and turns that keep you interested. And a good prequel to the upcoming stories.

Recommended.