Waking Up Dead / Margo Bond Collins

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Mystery / Paranormal

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

The author lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college English online. She loves paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.
Description:

After she is raped and brutally murdered in Dallas, TX, Callie Taylor ‘wakes up’ as a ghost in small-town Alabama. Seeking solace against the loneliness of the ghostly life, she falls into the habit of dropping in on a young married couple and watching TV with them (although they can’t see her). When a stranger breaks in and murders the young wife, Callie gains a new purpose—to bring the killer to justice.

Appraisal:

This was a fun and easy read. A book you can pick up and put down, and then slot right back into the plot again when you re-open. The ghost world and Callie’s abilities and limitations were well handled--basically she operated very like Patrick Swayze in Ghost--and Callie was great to be around, witty, and with a dry sense of humor.

When Callie finds an African American bank teller and her grandmother who can see and hear her, she persuades them to help in her quest. They were also fun characters. The grandma—Maw-Maw—was especially feisty.

I think lovers of mystery books will enjoy this slightly different take on the genre--having a ghost act as ‘detective’ added an interesting twist.

Format/Typo Issues:

I received an advanced copy, so can’t pass judgment here.

Rating: **** Four stars