Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts

Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts is the third and final book in the “Ghost Dusters” mystery series. Publisher: Obsidian (Penguin), December 2009

Sadie Novak cleans up crime scenes for a living and often finds herself face-to-face with the dead. Blessed—or cursed—with the gift of second sight, she can’t seem to finish a job without being visited by an earthbound spirit.

Sadie’s going through a rough time. When her dad passes away, she’s left to juggle her widowed mother, her lying boyfriend, Zack, her struggling business—and the fact that her father’s spirit is reluctant to move on. Now, on top of all that, Zach’s former flame hires Sadie to dig out the home of her hoarder mother…and that’s when things get messy.

Sadie finds some unexpected things in the cluttered house—including the seventeen-year-old mummified remains of an infant, along with a very angry ghost who seems determined to keep Sadie away. Then, aided by a team of her fellow psychics, she unearths something even more terrifying: a host of secrets that someone will kill to keep buried.

Sadie got her hands full: business is slow, her dad recently died and Zach is not himself. When Sadie gets a job, she takes it to keep herself busy and she comes upon an angry ghost who throws things and Zach gets hurt in the process. With her father not passing onto the other side, with jealousy rearing its ugly head when Zach’s ex-girlfriend reappears, Sadie is really at wits end. Then there’s the other jobs that she handles with a mysterious bent: who is the mummified infant, who murdered the janitor and who is threatening her. It was good to see her sister Dawn and her best-friend Maeva, a psychic who helps her deal with her personal issues. The multiple mysteries and the family matters kept me turning the page, right until the end. What a beautiful ending. My rating: 4 stars

Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy

Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy is the second book in the “Dog Walker” mystery series. Publisher: Signet, October 2009

Professional dog walker Ellie Engleman is more than just a pal to her pooches–she can also read their minds. So when a fellow dog lover turns up dead, Ellie makes no bones about using her talents to track down her friend’s killer.

Strolling through Central Park with Rudy, her terrier mix, Ellie is shocked to find the corpse of a troubled but harmless park dweller she often met while walking Rudy. When the police arrive and question Ellie, she stumbles over her story–and finds herself the prime suspect. Fortunately she has onetime fling Detective Sam Ryder in her corner.

But the police investigation is the least of Ellie’s worries. Because it turns out that Ellie’s pup, Rudy, is the victim’s sole beneficiary–and he has inherited a key to a safety-deposit box whose contents just might point to both the motive and the murderer. Together, Ellie, Rudy, and Sam must sniff out the killer, or they won’t have a dog’s chance of surviving.

What a great book. When Rudy discovers the body of their homeless friend, Gary; Ellie learns that they are in the will and it’s not just bones that they have inherited and yet again, Ellie becomes the prime suspect. A note was left with the will indicating his brother of murdering him. With help from Sam and her canine friend, Ellie seeks the clues to clear her name and find the killer of her friend Gary. My rating: 4 stars

Doom with a View by Victoria Laurie

Doom with a View by Victoria Laurie is the 7th book in the “Psychic Eye” mystery series.  Publisher: Obsidian (Penguin), September 2009

Business has been frustratingly slow for Abby. She needs any new commission she can get, even if it means agreeing to a job with the FBI that puts her at the center of a political struggle between two powerful agents, one of whom is flintly lead investigator and confirmed skeptic Brice Harrison. Abby’s skills–and patience–are continually tested as she works to convince Harrison that she’s the real deal and can help him locate three teens who have mysteriously disappeared.

Abby’s intuition tells her these are not random abductions–and she foresees another victim being kidnapped. To get to the bottom of the case, she and Harrison will have to put aside their differences and work together to find the connection between the missing kids. And to do that, Abby will have to win over Harrison while keeping her psychic eye wide-open.

This is the best book in the series.  Abby and Candice assist the FBI in solving the case of the missing teens while Abby has to deal with an FBI honcho is is skeptic of her psychic skills.  What is great about this story is that Ms. Laurie takes the cast to a different level where nothing stays the same.  My rating: 4 stars

Larceny and Lace by Annette Blair

Larceny and Lace by Annette Blair is the 2nd book in the “Vintage Magic” cozy mystery series.  Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), August 2009

With all the stress of opening her new vintage clothing store (housed in the renovated old town morgue) Madeira Cutler feels like a bag of bones–until she discovers the real deal, unearthed by an intruder, in one of the old body drawers. And the bones are as vintage as Maddie’s stock (Classic Mod–so 60s!), or so says Maddie’s sexy resident ghost, Dante Underhill.

Could the break-in have something to do with the local playhouse and its curator going down in flames?  Somehow Maddie will have to juggle dressing the store, party planning, and crime solving all at once.  Add to the brew the local witch’s costume ball, which is being held at her store, and Madeira is wishing she knew how to ride a broom right out of there…

This was a fun and light-hearted murder mystery. Maddie does it again by becoming involved in another murder, both past and present, all because she has the ability to learn about the owners when she touches vintage apparel and antiques. With the help of her best friend, aunt and a ghostly figure, Maddie will find out the truth. My rating: 4 stars

A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair

A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair is the first book in the new “Vintage Magic” mystery series.  Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), January 2009

With years of experience working for a top New York designer, Madeira Cutler has learned to appreciate the clean line, rich texture and elegant draping of a finely crafted garment.  It’s not until Maddie goes home to Mystick Falls, Connecticut, for her sister’s wedding, however, that she discovers her understanding of fashion goes much deeper.

Before the accessory shopping and fittings can begin, the festivities hit a snag when Maddie finds her sister’s nemesis strangled with the bride-to-be’s veil.  In between opening her own vintage clothing shop and keeping the wedding on track, Maddie’s determined to perform her own investigation to clear her family’s name.  She soon finds that her best witness may be an antique wedding dress that magically unveils to her the scenes of those who have worn it. But if the gown doesn’t talk fast enough, the lives of everyone Maddie loves will surely fall apart at the seams.

I enjoyed this light paranormal mystery.  My rating: 3.5 stars

*new-to-me author

Hounding the Pavement by Judi McCoy

Hounding The Pavement by Judi McCoy is the first book in the “Ellie Engleman, Dog Walker” mystery series.  Publisher: Signet, March 2009

Meet Ellie Engleman, psychic dog-walker

The newest dog-walker on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has a talent—she can hear what her canine clientele is thinking. So when a dog’s owner turns up dead, Ellie must bone up on her sleuthing—and perk up her ears to find a killer.

Ellen Elizabeth Engelman is starting a new career as a dog walker on the streets of Manhattan.  She has an unusual ability, she can talk to her dog and his friends which helps when one of her canine friend’s human is found dead and he is missing.  Ellie meets sexy NYPD Detective Sam Ryder and is immediately intrigued by him and while he is looking to solve the mystery of who killed Professor Albright, she is looking for the missing Buddy.  With the help of her own pet, Rudy, Ellie is resolved to put a bite into both mysteries.  This was a very enjoyable read and I enjoyed learning a little about the profession of dog walking. [4 stars – really liked it]

*new-to-me author

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich is the fourth “Between-The-Numbers” mystery series. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, January 2009

The First Full Length Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers Novel from #1 Bestselling Author Janet Evanovich.

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys. Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel. Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

Features Stephanie Plum, bounty-hunter always in training, and Diesel who just pops in.  Stephanie and Diesel are looking for the same guy for two different reasons, Stephanie to save her cousin Vinnie’s business and indirectly her job and Diesel to save the world from a crazed man looking for world domination.  This was an okay read and will hold you over while waiting for Finger Lickin’ Fifteen.  There were several funny scenes, especially those with Lula and Tank that I enjoyed.  [3 stars]

Devil May Ride by Wendy Roberts

Devil May Ride by Wendy Roberts is the second book in the “Ghost Dusters” mystery series. Publisher: Signet, December 2008

When Sadie and her sexy partner Zack stumble on evidence of a chilling cult ritual in an abandoned meth lab, Sadie comes face to face with an evil spirit unlike any she’s ever seen before. And it’s no coincidence that a bundle of stolen cash turns up at her next crime scene just in time to convince a biker gang that Sadie made off with their money. She knows the threads are connected—but how?

Sadie Novak, owner of a crime scene cleanup company, who also happens to see ghosts who need that push to go over to the other side. In this caper, Sadie stops a satanic ritual and then becomes involved with a biker group that thinks she has stolen their well-hidden money.  There are so many twists and turns in this story with her dead uncle, her dead brother, her dead not known-before niece, a newscaster and other characters that are involved in the demons that chases her and threatens her sister.  I enjoyed this page-turning story and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Legal Tender by Sarita Leone

Legal Tender by Sarita Leone Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press, September 2008

Lindy thinks she has it all. An exciting life in New York City. Career prospects. Men. And she does, too. That is, until Granny Walker is killed. Then, all bets are off.

To satisfy the terms of Granny’s will Lindy must step into her grandmother’s orthopedic shoes and assume her place on the family farm. She’ll have to uncover the mystery between a raging bull and a Mustang, all while finding a husband and fighting off a nasty cousin.

Life on the farm makes a white sale at Bloomie’s look like child’s play!

Can a woman who’s more comfortable in stilettos than boots move from the city to the country and still have everything she’s always dreamed of? Maybe she can—with some luck and a lot of help from Granny Walker herself.

You see, the wise-cracking, advice-giving ghost isn’t quite ready to give up the old homestead. Not yet, anyway.

After the sudden death of her grandmother, Lindy moves to upstate New York and as part of the inheritance works on the farm while finding a husband within the specified time or the farm would go to her money-hungry cousin who intends to sell.  While accomplishing these two feats, Lindy’s granny continues to speak to her and guide her through life’s journey.  When it was discovered that her grandmother’s car was tampered with, the hunt is on for the culprit with a surprise twist.  This was a very good story with a hint of paranormal.