Dawn Merriman

The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman is the debut of A Rylan Flynn Mystery series. Rylan Flynn can see ghosts that present themselves to her. Her goal is to help them move on. She pays the bills by filming what she does for her You-Tube channel. Rylan is visiting her Aunt Val for breakfast when she sees a female ghost. The ghost leads her to a body hanging from a tree. It turns out to be the ghost’s body. One of the responding detectives is Detective Ford Pierce who makes Rylan heart zing. Ford does believe Rylan can see spirits, but he would prefer she not trespass (like she did the previous evening) and stay safe. When Aunt Val ends up at the top of the suspect list, Rylan will do whatever it takes to clear her. The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman is easy to read. I wish the author had given us more information on Rylan and there were other questions I wanted answered (how she got her powers, her mother, what is in her brother’s old bedroom). The plot never developed to its fullest extent. The story had potential, but it did not reach it. It just scratched the surface. The paranormal element was light (I thought there would be more). I wanted a tricky mystery, some scary moments, and a little humor. I was able to solve the crime early in the story. The twist was not a surprise. The ending was expected. The repetition of details was not needed (the whispers through the walls at home, Rylan’s dead mother, Rylan’s attraction to Ford). I wanted a surprise or two, more paranormal, less romance, and a more challenging mystery. A Rylan Flynn Mystery series has potential, but it was not achieved in The Spirit Girls. The Spirit Girls is a paranormal tale with lost souls, a dishy detective, an accused aunt, a horrific killing, and a sassy spiritualist.… (más)

Abby Finch is having a time of it. First, she finds the bones of an infant in a garden that she is cleaning up for her soon to be ex-husband and his soon to be wife, who happens to be pregnant with their first child. Abby has been trying to keep things civil for the sake of the 3 children she shares with Howard, but he's been angrier than usual lately, which only gets worse when Abby's old friend, and one night stand from high school, Jake, re-enters the picture. Second, she finds the recently murdered body of Howard right where the bones of the infant were discovered! Abby and her friends decide to "help" the police with their investigation so Abby's children can begin to grieve in peace.

Whew! So much going on, but this means the story is never dull. I will admit that I was a bit annoyed with Abby at the start of the book because she wasn't standing up to Howard, but as the story progressed, everything was explained, and by the end of the book I realized that she had really grown on me. The mystery itself had many, many twists and turns leading to the big reveal at the end, and I can honestly say that I was completely surprised!

I highly recommend this cozy mystery - 5/5 stars!

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books, and Liz Fielding for the opportunity to read and review this book.… (más)