Publication Jan. 21, 2025
New Orleans is the perfect setting for this book. Even in broad daylight, the sense of the past and wondering what lurks around the next corner is strong. One of my biggest memories of my long ago visit was seeing the cemetery mentioned within, so that was a real plus. While I honestly think it was the cute pup on the cover that drew me to the book initially, I'm a sucker for a cute doggie face, I'm glad I did.
I found myself engrossed from the somewhat mysterious opening pages. Tallulah/Lou Thatcher can see and chat with ghosts? Okay. You don't even quite realize that Kenneth is a ghost initially, though it's quickly obvious. She was mourning being taken away from her beloved grandmother's home in New Orleans, so it's almost a given that she's back with her as the modern day story opens. Ironically, it's when she sees the victim's ghost and doesn't realize it's a ghost, not a human, that she literally stumbles over his body. As if that shock isn't enough, she has been at odds with the victim, Adam Brandt, and is a suspect. Just to complicate things, the investigator is her long time crush, Dylan, her best friend's brother.
As an avid reader of cozy mysteries, I was delighted to discover that Lou was anything but a natural born sleuth. Not that she lets that stop her. In other words, she's a normal person caught in a frightening situation and not always cool, calm, and immediately talented at sleuthing out information. You know. A normal person. Heck, she's even unnerved by puppets. She's also quite likable, as are her friends. Tess, the shop assistant, and grandmother Nan and her boyfriend Ron are quite likable. Lou's unease over her grandmother's budding romance is very realistic, wanting to both see her grandmother happy yet preserve memories of her grandfather. They all step up to help when step-brother Bryce appears unexpectedly. That side story didn't quite jibe with the rest of the plot but is probably a means of bringing him into the story for future books. There's definitely a sense of family throughout, with Lou clinging to it while embracing, sometimes reluctantly, her future. Toby the stray that Nan rescued is a hit, full of energy and constant amusement. It was hinted that he also could see ghosts, or at least Adam's, so that may play into future books, too. There's even some romance though we may be headed toward a love triangle, one of my least favorite elements of any story.
Bottom line, this one unexpectedly hit the spot for me. I found the fact that even the ghosts mentioned seem to have backstories, not to mention different sets of skills and abilities, albeit much of the reasoning behind those elements seem to elude them. Having strolled the streets of New Orleans, it was interesting to ponder how/why a ghost might be limited to certain areas, too, often about the site of death. I even found myself feeling sympathetic to the initially obnoxious Adam at the end as different layers are exposed. In any case, enough rambling. My thanks to #CrookedLaneBooks for introducing me to Lou and allowing me to revisit one of the most fascinating places I've even been, New Orleans. I'm looking forward to seeing which of the already revealed ghosts make return visits as we go along. In other words, I'm ready for the next book, which is impressive since paranormal elements are not really a big draw for me.
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