Debbie's Spurts

This reader's personal opinion, ©2016, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by Google Play, Penumbra Publishing, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers* 

This was fun, more cozy mystery than paranormal ghost story. A long ago traditionally published freebie whose sample and premise (despised mother-in-law haunts to solve mystery of who murdered her) I liked then left languishing on kindle because seldom in cozy mystery mood.

Lotta natural chuckles but in wth them a good story, a growing attraction type of romance (not center stage) and a mystery that made sense. I really liked the main character and mostly balanced away from some things I don't like about the genre (like endless forced not that funny humor, humor mostly poking fun at other characters, side characters only as infodump recipients, too simple/easy a mystery, mystery is hard for reader to solve before the end only because author didn't mention needed clues until end ...).

Small cast with even smaller set of possible suspects gradually eliminated over story arc where villain likely guessed by most readers although with plenty of layers to the mystery where you won't guess everything.

So why not full ★★★★☆? Ghost was not that interesting (surprise), a bit too much armchair psychology towards end (kinda sappy HEA, everyone but killer pretty much now has epiphany about their own life, gives someone else an epiphany, or others realize how they misunderstood them in a let's-forgive-all-bullies-cause-we-didn't-understand-what-they-went-thru way), romantic interest a little too perfectly as mc and plot needed including always being able to find a hacker or agency contacts or be owed a favor by someone or

, one sex scene (albeit a good one) seems to have been inserted as if some editor said put one in so not really in with story flow, ... honestly, more likely me being picky because I was enjoying most of the book so much I wanted all the story to be that good.

*©2016. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher (except Penumbra Publishing) to reprint/quote in whole or in part. I may also have posted on booklikes, goodreads, Leafmarks, and may have cross-posted to other book sites including kobo and Barnes and Noble. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.  

Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:

★★★★★ = All Time Favorite 
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Average.   Okay. 
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked or meh? but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking.  (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." If author is going batshit crazy in the blogosphere over reviews -- I now know why they are getting bad reviews.  Or maybe author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)