Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts (thoughts)

From Goodreads:

"Sadie Novak's got the kind of job that kills cocktail chatter dead: she owns Scene-2-Clean a crime scene cleanup company. And if wiping up after murders weren't spooky enough, she can also see and talk to the ghosts of the victims...

When grieving relatives hire Sadie and her employee, ex-cop Zack Bowman, to clean up after the murder-suicide of Trudy and Grant Toth, Sadie figures she's bound to meet at least one chatty ghost. But Kent, the man Sadie first encounters at the scene, is very much alive--so much so, that Sadie soon finds herself agreeing to a date with him.

Then a real ghost shows up--the oddly silent spirit of Trudy, who seems determined to prove that her husband's innocence, and inspires Sadie to track down the real killer. But as she scours the crime scene, Sadie quickly realizes she's in way over her head, that Kent has a strange connection to the dead couple, and that someone wants her to give up the ghost...for good."


My Thoughts:

Hmm....I'm kind of stuck on what to say about this one. I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and I always enjoy the paranormal so I figured that I would end up loving this book. I ended up liking it but not loving it like I expected. Sadie has a job that no one wants to do and a "skill" that no one would believe in if she told them about it. Her only employee Zach knows that she is able to "talk" to ghosts but chooses to ignore the fact that she does. Sadie begins a new cleanup job and gets involved in the mystery surrounding the death. So this book was interesting in the fact that it is completely unusual. Sadie's job and her ability to communicate with the dead are different than what is out there relating to the paranormal. The mystery that she found herself caught up in was fascinating as the ghost wouldn't actually "speak" to Sadie. Sadie was left to trying to figure out herself what the ghost was trying to communicate which turned out to be a dangerous job for her. There was an instant chemistry between Sadie and Zach that left me intrigued. It was hinted at a couple of different times but nothing really panned out so I'll have to wait and see what happens in future books.

Although I enjoyed the mystery and the unique storyline, I never really found myself caught up within the story. I was a bit disconnected at times and found that I wasn't actually too worried about who the bad guy was. That being said, by the end I found my reading groove and didn't want to put it down. The ending was a bit of a surprise which is always a positive. All in all, a good read but it just wasn't my favorite. I'm still planning on continuing on with the series and hopefully it will get better as it goes on. Recommended but with a few reservations.

Bottom Line: An interesting read but not my favorite.

Disclosure: I checked this one out from my local library.

8 comments:

  1. This one sure does not sound like the book for me.
    Disconnected, not worried about the baddie, eh, giving is a miss

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  2. Good review. I didn't think there was such a thing as a paranormal cozy.
    Ann

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  3. hmm...too bad it wasn't so great. The premise sounds good. I know what you mean about being disconnected from it. Hopefully the series gets better.

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  4. I wish that the authors would put more into their books instead of saving it for the end!

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  5. I don't like when I can't get into a book. That being said if I am by the end of the book then I'll usually continue the series like you. I've been feeling like a cozy myself but I have a few of Joanne Fluke's books to read so that's what I'll probably do.

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  6. The synopsis sounds good and right up my street, but I'll bare in mind what you've said... Might give it a go.

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  7. Blodeuedd- It wasn't awful (or I don't think that I would have finished) but I really thought that I would have enjoyed it more.

    Cozy in Texas- I would recommend Victoria Laurie's paranormal mystery series if you are interested. The first one is titled Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye and it was a fun read :)

    Naida- I hate when I don't connect with a book or the characters. It really takes away from the reading experience!

    Staci- I must agree with that statement :)

    Darlene- I love a good cozy mystery which is why I picked this one up. It wasn't my favorite but I'm hoping that the series improves as it goes on.

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  8. Nikki-Ann- You'll have to let me know what you think if you read this one!!!

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