Misty Simon

Adventures in Ghostsitting Vol.1 by Misty Simon is a Totally Rad compilation of three short stories that introduces the reader to Mel Hargrove (80’s enthusiast), who helps ghosts continue to be productive in society (if they want), while she continues to figure out her family’s legacy and fight some bad ghosts and people along the way, with the help of her boyfriend, Becker, and adorable dog (with ghost included), Mumford.

The first story, Desperately Seeking Salvage introduces us to Mel, Becker, and some of the older town folk who are being turned into nude statues by a ghost who has evil plans. This one put a smile on my face with the crazy antics of trying to get the statues dressed so as to not scar anyone for life.

Don’t Dream It’s Rover is next, and we are introduced to Mumford when Becker, who is the local veterinarian, finds him lethargic on the side of the road and brings him back to Mel’s. While Mel is not a huge fan at first (concerned that all the ghosts in the junkyard might not be nice to him), she comes around after a near death experience.

Every Death You Take has a bit of a true crime podcast feel to it, and is a bit sad. But with Mel, Becker, Mumford and more of the ghosts helping out, there’s a sweet ending… or as sweet as can be when it comes to death.

If you’re in the mood for a fun, fast read filled with great characters and a unique concept, I highly recommend Simon’s series, which also includes a Volume Two with three more short stories.… (plus d'informations)

Tallulah (or Tallie) Graver has just gotten divorced. Although her finances are pretty bad following the break-up, she is glad to be rid of her wealthy, pompous, jerk of a husband. She's embarrassed about her behavior while she was married to him, so she's trying to rebuild friendships and put her life back together. Putting her pride aside, she starts cleaning houses for some of the wealthy residents of her hometown, and also helps out at her family's funeral home. Just as the hometown gossip about her is dying down and her life seems to be improving, there is a bit of a fracas. Her ex-husband is found in an alley way after being tazed in the unmentionables. The town police chief immediately suspects her because she is Waldo's ex-wife. Tallie soon discovers another member of her former social circle murdered. Suddenly the entire situation is more dangerous than just her jerk ex being shocked in the jumblies. Tallie decides to do some sleuthing to prove that she had nothing to do with the attack, the murder, or any criminal activity. Can she discover the truth before someone else is dead on a slab at Gravers Funeral Home?

This cozy mystery is a bit PG-13. There are a lot of jokes about the ex-husband's privates. It never gets crude or inappropriate, but it is a bit of adult humor. Also there are a few minor curse words...readers who are offended by any cursing (even if it's minor) might want to pass this one by. I wasn't offended. Most of what she said is probably pretty close to the quips I would make if I found out my ex had been tazed in the balls.....once I was able to stop laughing.

The mystery moved along at a good pace, and the story line was interesting. I would have liked a bit more background on the town/location and a bit more action at the family funeral business....but it wasn't really necessary to the plot. For the most part I liked the characters. I think the wealthy snobs Tallie was forced to clean house for were a bit overdone at times....almost stereotype upper class twits. The ex husband was a royal ass....but the character needed to be a total jerk as part of the plot. I did feel like hopping into the story a few times just to punch him. What a jerk! :) There were plenty of suspects and some unexpected twists and turns before the end. All in all, a nice start to a new cozy series.

The next book in the series, Grounds for Remorse, will be coming out soon.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

… (plus d'informations)

It's nearing Christmas and Tallie's unlikable grandmother is visiting. All she does is argue, and no one wants to spend time with her. But Tallie has agreed to be a buffer between her and Tallie's mother, so they go to bingo together. But when Tallie is shifted from her seat by a bingo regular, she finds herself sitting between a nice woman and her Aunt Ronda, who also has problems being nice to people. After an uncomfortable night, Ronda leaves in a huff and forgets her purse. Tallie runs out the back to give it to her, and finds Ronda -- dead from a blow to the head. When Ronda's husband, Tallie's Uncle Hoagie, disappears the same night, he's suspected of murdering her.

But more than this is happening to Tallie: her uncle Sherman, who's the fire chief, has asked for her help in locating an arsonist that no one is able to catch. He's depending on Tallie's being able to notice details and her instincts to help him, if she can. To top it off, her boyfriend Max has announced at the dinner table that he'd be happy to help her father run the mortuary, leaving Tallie free to run her cleaning company, but stunning her at the same time. Now Tallie's trying to find an arsonist, locate her uncle Hoagie, and decide what to do about Max. If she can stay alive - again - she might be able to figure it all out...

This is the fifth book in the series and probably the best. While I figured out what was going on with Hoagie early on in the book, it was still a lot of fun to watch everyone else figure it out along the way. I loved the fact that Tallie isn't afraid to speak her mind, and she's not an bumbling idiot running into problems because she didn't think them out first. She's intelligent, and I like that above all things. I also like the new direction in the friendship between Tallie and Burton; and in this book we learn more about his past and why he is the way he is. It's bringing more life to the characters involved, and pulling you deeper into their own lives. It's highly enjoyable.

The story line was one of the best so far, and I loved the fact that Tallie is finding out her own strengths and knows what she wants out of life. She's able to run a business and still have time for her family and friends, and solve a murder or two along the way. I also like the fact that she gets her ducks in a row before blindly heading out and getting caught up in bad situations. It makes the entire book a real pleasure to read.

I also love to read any books about Christmas, and while this one doesn't center on the holiday, it still has enough touches where you know it's there. There is a presence of family around the table, and conversations much as all families have, along with the siblings arguing over one thing or another. Days gone by in my household (I live far from my own family); but remembrances live on.

When we get closer to the end of the story everything starts to come together, with surprises still at hand that I don't think anyone could have seen coming. The ending itself was done wonderfully, giving us a tale that ended satisfactorily and also things to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended.… (plus d'informations)

Tallie Graver is finally happy since her disastrous marriage. She has her own cleaning business with a good crew, a boyfriend she loves, two pets, and a town she's where she's happy. But she's also working for her family part-time at their funeral parlor, which is fair since she lives above them, even if she doesn't like the job. But all in all, she's making it work.

She's ready to bid on a job at a huge mansion, and is up against another cleaner who's just recently arrived in town - Audra McNeal. When Tallie loses the job unfairly, she's angry. But when she arrives at the mansion the next day to retrieve her cleaning supplies and her beloved vacuum cleaner, she sees that someone has thrown it into the dumpster behind the mansion. So getting it back isn't going to be easy, but Tallie's not going to lose it. However, she finds more than her vacuum...she finds the body of Audra, and now she's waist-high in a murder investigation.

When Chief Burton tells her to leave it alone, Tallie knows she can't, since she liked Audra. So he bends a little, telling her she can garner information, but that's it. When Tallie - with the help of her boyfriend Max - digs a bit into Audra, she finds she wasn't the person Tallie thought she was, and might have actually been an enemy. But because her employee Letty asked her to help since Letty's cousin is a suspect, she won't let go. Unfortunately, neither will the killer, who's keeping an eye on Tallie as well as her investigation. If Tallie doesn't hurry, it won't end well and her cleaning days will be over...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have to say that it's one of my favorites. Tallie's business is taking off, and this book concerns that fact. There's plenty of things going on at once - her boyfriend is in town for awhile, she's running a business, deciding what she really wants to do with her future, and of course, attempting to locate a killer. This time out, she's also coming to understand Chief Burton more via her cousin Matt, and I think (and hope) it will bring them to a better understanding of each other. I agree with Burton that she should become a private investigator, but if not, the series is fine just the way it is.

The clues leading up to the murderer aren't all that apparent, and while I wasn't supremely surprised, there was still a bit of me that was. The motive for the murder seemed twisted in itself, but with a twisted mind you can't expect anything else. I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, and it gives us something to look forward to in the next in the series. Recommended.… (plus d'informations)