Header Menu

Sunday, December 27, 2009

214) Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee

When he was alive, Kevin Fahey was a cop who had seen better days both career and family wise. Dead after a drug bust gone bad, Kevin finds himself in limbo watching over the family, friends and work colleagues he left behind. Then the victim of a murder case he solved comes to him and Kevin finds out that he put the wrong man in prison and the murderer is still free.

He realises that he has to find the real killer so he can finally rest in peace. However he can't communicate with the living. So Kevin keeps watch over his ex-partner Danny and the new detective Maggie Gunn in the hope that he can somehow help them solve the case. What he finds out along the way will shock him and he can only hope that Maggie, who he starts to grow very fond of, doesn't loose her life too.

This is the first in the Dead Detective series and caught my eye a few months ago when it was released. The ghost aspect and the hope of a new cozy mystery series to add to my collection had me adding this to my list of books to buy. I was however a little disappointed at first because this series is not at all as cozy as it seems but a proper murder mystery with a ghost telling the story.

But wait! I said I was disappointed at first...after a few chapters I couldn't stop reading. This mystery totally grabbed me and the ghost of Kevin intrigued me. While this story is a little somber it is also very well written. More of a Tess Gerritsen or Kathy Reichs than the Madelyn Alt or Shirley Damsgaard I was expecting. So despite my expectations being totally off track I really liked this story and enjoyed the change of pace.

So if you like a nice murder mystery but don't want the paranormal element to be too over the top then I can highly recommend this. Following Kevin as he unravels the murder and also sees what his life really was worth, was not only interesting but realistic. The second book in the series, 'Angel Interrupted', is out in August and I have already added it to my pre-order wishlist. This is a series I am sure I am going to enjoy.

1 comment:

Vickie said...

I had the same feeling in the beginning and had a hard time making myself make time for it. Then one day, I just got into it and it was read rather quickly. Horrifying and intriguing all the way through. I admire Fahey for what he is trying to do and I really admire Maggie.
I look forward to more of this series and this author.