39) Watch for the Dead by Sheila Connolly

The Blurb :

Looking to take a break from busy home renovations, Abby and boyfriend Ned Newhall jump at the chance to vacation on Cape Cod. Not only do they plan to get away from the dust and grime, but since Abby has no known ancestors in the area, the trip promises to be free of the unsettling ghostly appearances that have darkened her recent days.

Dreams of a relaxing vacation are soon dashed, however, when a storm blows in and brings with it a scene from the past more disturbing than any Abby has ever experienced. The long-dead woman who appears to Abby is someone she’s met before, but this time her presence defies any explanation at all.

Determined to unravel the mystery of the woman’s recurring appearances, Abby follows a trail of family history and upheaval that spans generations and may yield the biggest revelation of all, not just about Abby’s ancestors but about her living relatives as well.

My Thoughts :

I have been enjoying this series ever since I came across it on Netgalley.  This fourth installment has been on my Kindle for a while but for some reason or another has continuously been bumped down my to be read pile.  So yesterday I finally decided it was high time to read this one and read it within a day.  I just couldn't put it down.

What I really love about this series is how unusual it is.  There is a amazing well thought out paranormal twist that I haven't come across before.  This aspect of the series has been developing with each book and this fourth part in the series offers up even more interesting and strange revelations in regards to the appearances that Abby and the others witness.

The other part of this series that I love is the genealogy.  Keeping track of everyone is sometimes a little hard and confusing but with each book I find myself always remembering everything from the previous installments.  Which is definitely due to Sheila's wonderful writing skills because this is something that I usually have trouble with.  The mystery of Abby's gift tied with the family history is an addictive story and I can't get enough.  Also the way that Ned and other the characters involved twist into the story is just wonderful reading.

I can't wait to see what happens next and look forward to discovering more about Abby's gift and her ancestors.  I hope the author doesn't make us wait long for the next part especially because this one felt like it ended very abruptly.  I just wasn't prepared for that to be it.  I am really hooked.

This isn't your usual cozy mystery but it is an amazing trail of clues that Abby is following.  Historical aspects included this is a must read series for me and definitely like nothing else I have read.  I hope one day to have more time and to read some of the authors other books/series.  She really is a talented writer.

59) Defending the Dead by Sheila Connolly

The Blurb :

Abby Kimball has slowly accepted her recently discovered ability to see the dead, but none of the harmless sightings she’s experienced could have prepared her for the startling apparition of a centuries-old courtroom scene—where she locks eyes with a wicked and gleeful accuser. Thrown back more than three hundred years, Abby realizes she’s been plunged into a mystery that has fascinated people throughout American history: the Salem witch trials.

With her boyfriend Ned at her side, Abby digs into the history of the events, researching the people and possible causes of that terrible time and her own connection to them—all the while going more deeply into her connection to Ned, both extraordinary and romantic.

As Abby witnesses more fragments from the events in Salem and struggles with the question of how such a nightmare could have come about, she’s suddenly confronted with a pressing personal question: Were one or more of her ancestors among the accused? Unraveling the puzzling clues behind that question just might give Abby and Ned the answer to a very modern mystery of their own.

My Thoughts :

The Relatively Dead Mysteries may be seen, for some readers, as something other than a mystery.  There is no murder victim to be found while doing something cozy and the lead character, Abby, isn't an amateur sleuth.  However I still think this is a mystery and still very cozy.  The cozy aspect is the genealogy and history while the mystery is the who, what and why of the historical ghostly gift that Abby possesses.

This third installment in the series was just as intense and rewarding to read as the first two.  You can expect a lot of historical facts and in-depth research which the author has lovingly put together into a story that you can really get your teeth stuck into.  The Salem Witch Trials are a topic that I, as a non American, don't know an awful lot about but after reading this book I feel like I have learnt something important about history and also been given the chance to explore the different angles the story has.

For some readers this maybe some unpleasant history but when you think about it a lot of the past isn't very nice.  Also this project of Abby's and her quest to see how her gift works would obviously take her along avenues of history that may shock but will also educate.  I have to applaud the author for handling the subject matter with care and making it so informative and readable.

As for the general storyline, I love it. Abby can sometimes be a little over the top in her research and I sometimes wonder how Ned can put up with her but I can also understand why she gets so intense.  I am enjoying their relationship and love how they are fixing up an old house.  In this book there are some nice developments with Ned's mother and daughter.  These extra additions to the puzzle just make the story even more interesting and worth reading.

I hope I get the chance to read more books by this author soon.  I am absolutely hooked on this series and I can't imagine how good her other books must be. The Relatively Dead series leaves me eager to travel to Boston and the surrounding areas where these books are located.  The series also gets me so interested in the topic and location that while reading I am constantly visiting Google maps and wikipedia to find out more.  Not a lot of books manage to get me so engrossed and excited.

If you give this series a go then make sure to start from the beginning.  The on-going story will be ruined and not make much sense if you haven't read books one and two.  Oh and this series is only available in e-format but the Kindle app works on a variety of platforms and the series is really worth it and the books are actually quite cheap compared to others.


*I have a little boohoo to the author.  Sean of the Dead is actually Shaun of the Dead but maybe my review copy hadn't been edited yet but it was available around the release date so I guess this was the finished product.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

152) Seeing the Dead by Sheila Connolly

The Blurb :

Ever since her first ghostly sighting, Abby Kimball has been trying to unravel the mystery of her newly discovered ability. So when she sees the apparition of a Revolutionary War soldier in the middle of the town green—just days before the annual Patriot’s Day celebration, no less—she’s determined to figure out her connection to the man.

The ethereal soldier is not the only mystery in Abby’s life. She’s also trying to sort out her connection to Ned Newhall, the man who shares her ability and is playing a more serious romantic role in her life every day. But with plans for the celebration ramping up and her job becoming more chaotic by the minute, Abby’s finding it hard to catch her breath, much less come to grips with all the new turns her life has taken.

And when another eerie episode is followed by the appearance of a very curious young girl who seems wise beyond her years, Abby discovers she and Ned may have only scratched the surface of their special ability, and that Ned may hold the biggest surprise yet.

My Thoughts :

When I read the blurb for this book I was eager to give it a try.  Ghostly sightings are enough to get me interested and I admit that I have been dying to try something written by this author for a long time.  However I realised that this book was actually part of a series and I really wanted to read the first book before picking up this sequel.  Of course that meant that this book got a lower place in the 'to be read' pile for a while longer than expected.

In retrospect I am happy that I read the first installment before this second book.  There was so much that happened in the first book that had a lot of impact on the story in this second part.  There are also things that happen in this second book that only made sense because I read the first installment.  So anyone wanting to check this series out really needs to get both books.  Then it is totally worth it.

I will admit that I had trouble with this one.  Not because it was bad but because there was so much depth to it.  With so many historical details and lots of interesting bits and bobs about everything to do with Abby's research and job it was hard to read this at my normal pace.  I had to slow myself down and really read every detail in case I missed something important.  In fact the majority of the content was important and extremely interesting.  However for a non American who has little knowledge of the areas of history this book relates to it was, sometimes, like I was being taught a lesson.  Which was ok because the author taught it well and made it worth learning.

Hopefully there won't be a test about the historical content of the book.  The on-going story would be worth testing me about because I made sure I paid close attention to the relationship ups and downs that Abby and Ned have in this sequel.  There are some amazing revelations about Ned which made the story even more compelling to read and a new younger character made things more interesting.

The writing style is wonderful and the author has obviously done a lot of research to make this book happen.  I wouldn't be surprised if she actually worked in this kind of area because she really seems to know her stuff.  I am not sure if this series is really a cozy mystery.  There isn't any crime to be solved but more a historical mystery related to the paranormal abilities Abby and Ned have.  It makes for great reading though and even though it slowed me down and I found it hard going sometimes I loved it.

I can't wait to meet up with these characters again and see how things progress.  I really like Abby and even though I am still a little wary of Ned, I do like him.  It will be interesting to see what ghosts get found next time and how the younger character fits into things in the long run.  This series has a great concept and definitely has some original angles.  Well worth checking out!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

123) Relatively Dead by Sheila Connolly

The Blurb :

Abby Kimball has just moved to New England with her boyfriend and is trying to settle in, but the experience is proving to be quite unsettling, to say the least. While on a tour of local historic homes, Abby witnesses a family scene that leaves her gasping for breath—because the family has been dead for nearly a century. Another haunting episode follows, and another, until it seems to Abby that everything she touches is drawing her in, calling to her from the past.

Abby would doubt her sanity if it weren’t for Ned Newhall, the kind and knowledgeable guide on that disturbing house tour. Rather than telling her she’s hallucinating, Ned takes an interest in Abby’s strange encounters and encourages her to figure out what’s going on, starting with investigating the story of the family she saw . . . and exploring her own past.

My Thoughts :

I have wanted to read a book by Sheila Connolly for years and never managed to get around to it.  So when I picked up a book on Netgalley and realised it was the second in the series, I had to hunt down this debut.  Of course I found Relatively Dead was already on my Kindle and so I started reading it straight away.

Throughout the whole book I couldn't really decided what the mystery was.  I guess the biggest mystery was why Abby kept putting up with Brad.  The other mystery was why she was seeing ghosts and another mystery was why her great grandfather disappeared all those years ago.  The first mystery was solved a little too late for my liking but never the less it got sold.  The second mystery was partly solved...or at least in my opinion it wasn't completely finished.  The last mystery was solved but very abruptly and with little time spent on it.

This may sound all a little boring, annoying or even confusing but my sum up doesn't do the book justice.  It was actually a nice story with lots of historical and interesting facts.  I really enjoyed the book and wonder what the next story will bring.  The paranormal aspect is not overwhelming and for some it may not be enough.  It was however a nice concept that I look forward to reading the next one.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator