I have a lot of thoughts about this installment but a few of them tread on spoiler territory so I'll tread lightly.

As with the previous books, this one recaps you on all the characters, so it could be read as a stand alone if it weren't for the fact that it gives away previous mysteries, I highly suggest you start at book one.

For me, from the very beginning of the book is was clear what why the killer was killing/what the pattern was, and who the two main suspects were, but I kept doubting my thoughts because Rosemary was so bend on it being a serial killer. For many chapters I was yelling at her, WHY AREN'T YOU SEEING THESE CLUES THAT ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. For a smart girl, she was very unobservant in this book, compared to the previous three. I had to remind myself she is still young. lmao

I feel so much for her as a person, and I hope in the next two books we can see some more of this major character growth. Each book has her coming more into herself, and discovering her own bit of self confidence.

Though the way she chose to bow down to her mom without raising her concerns when mom decided to move in on her town really hit me in the feels. She is trying to hard to become an independent adult, but still not there yet when it comes to tell her overbearing mom to stop snooping & get her own happy ending. Who calls out there 25 year old daughter in front of the sheriff like they are 10?!? Rosemary should have asked her to leave, or at the very least called her out on her behavior if mom was going to act like that.

To top that, she still has no friends that are alive, and has made up a whole person?!? to make it more normal that she is spending all of her time speaking with ghosts. I think this affects me so much because I totally remember being an introvert in college, and had there been ghosts to talk to I might never have branched out and made friends. I will be very sad for her if this series ends with her still friendless. (It would be big weird if she fell in love all of a sudden, but I hope for friendships.) The parts of this book that had her contemplating being in love with Asher made me cringe. He is dead.

That being said, I do love that these books are really two mysteries, one helping a ghost cross over, and the other being an in town murder mystery. Plus the no romance plot has me so giddy. So hard to find cozies that don't have insta love.

I loved getting to know more of the town, and seeing Rosemary become more of a regular, helping new comers fit in as well. She is so empathetic and really has brought a great deal to the sleepy town of Pebble Cove.

Overall, this series has been one of my favorites to read in a long while, and I recommend it to anyone who loves cozies with a touch of paranormal. It has a great cross book plot arc that is Asher's mystery, and a fantastic main character growth arc. ( )