I’d like to thank Seven River Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book to read and review.
This book is set to be published May 18, 2021
Synopsis
Chantilly Adair, a single mother who can talk to ghosts already has her hands full with a project for the Castleberry Historical Society when the ghost of a notorious bully from her high school days appears and asks for her help solving his murder.
Review
This book was not for me. And what I mean by that is I am not the target audience. I didn’t realize that when I requested this ARC. I also didn’t realize this was the fifth book in a series. That being said I can’t base my opinion of the book on what I usually enjoy in a mystery novel.
This book is like reading a Hallmark Movie Mystery and for people who are into that genre, it is excellent. The book centers around Chantilly Adair, a single mother who can see and talk with ghosts. She juggles her time between gossiping with other women at Del’s cafe, her job, helping ghosts figure out how they died so they can cross over, her boyfriend, and her son.
The book is very soft. There are no hard edges to it. If you are looking for a violent thriller look elsewhere. Even the swear words are missing, at one point literally being replaced by “blankety-blank”. This is a safe, no suspense, “cozy” mystery that fans of hallmark movies will love. The characters are all (mostly) friends and everyone knows everyone else in the small town of Castleberry.
The pace of the story varies. At times I wished the focus would be more on the mystery and less on the gossiping and jokes that I just didn’t get at Del’s. But this is an established series that I have just been introduced too so I’m sure that is already a mainstay and a favorite part of the story for fans of the series. To me though, the mystery seemed almost like a second thought that was just forgotten about every now and then and gets a quick ending when it is remembered. It was definitely not a twisting turning who done it.
For what it is, and the audience it is aimed at though, this is a good book. Well written and safe. A nice read for a rainy day with likable enough characters. I’m basing my rating on how I think the target audience will like it.
Use the following link to buy this book on Amazon.
Deceased and Desist: A Chantilly Adair Paranormal Cozy Mystery (The Chantilly Adair Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 5)
Maitland Reviews 