Friday, August 16, 2019

Review: Mind Walk by Melissa Bowersock



Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery/Native American

Description:

“Sam Firecloud’s job as a medium is pretty straightforward: along with his partner, Lacy Fitzpatrick, he investigates hauntings, researches the ghosts to find out what keeps them tethered to the earth plane, and he releases them. But a new call for assistance brings a surprising request: a neurologist wants to study Sam’s brain as he’s connecting with lost spirits. The study is one thing, but when Sam and Lacey look deeper, they soon realize the doctor has a hidden agenda, and it’s not scientific at all.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: biography, contemporary, western, action, romance, fantasy, paranormal and spiritual. She has been both traditionally and independently published and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. She has a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that says IMAGINE. In her next life, she plans to be an astronaut. She lives in a small community in northern Arizona with her husband and an Airedale terrier. She also writes under the pen name Amber Flame.”

Learn more about Ms. Bowersock and her other books on her website or on Facebook.

Appraisal:

I think we all have a clue how Sam Firecloud feels about mind games. However, getting a chance to learn how his brain processes information differently than others is too intriguing to pass up. Dr. Kaufman is heading a study to learn how a medium’s brain functions by having the medium wear a helmet that has electrodes attached in the key areas they want to monitor. It’s a legitimate study at an Institute for Neurological Study. But Dr. Kaufman hasn’t been wholly honest with Sam and Lacey about what else he is seeking.

The controlled study includes a control spirit located on an estate which Cal State now owns. Sam easily picks him up as a creative scientific genius who is bound to the earth plane by guilt. The source of his guilt is the mystery and without that bit of knowledge Sam can’t release him. To top that off the scientists don’t want the ghost unbound.

On the home front, Sam is experimenting with some new techniques with his pots. The kids are excited to give these a try on a pot of their own. There is also a new resident in the back yard of Sam’s studio. I was excited to meet him, as he tickled my fancy, and brought up memories of my own childhood.

Back at the estate, Sam takes a second Walk in the back flower garden and learns this ghost found a lot of solitude in the surrounding gardens. With more information from the scientists, Sam and Lacey claim they are done and leave the project. This is where the plot takes some interesting turns and things start to look bad for Sam and Lacey. The climax is rather subtle and Lacey starts to protest, but Sam shakes his head at her. I had a big chuckle at the turn of events at the end.

As always, I was thoroughly entertained with this unique story that almost went sideways. Emotions ran high, even for Sam. You don’t get to see him lose his cool very often. I loved everything about this story, from the neurological study, to the new pot techniques with the enthusiasm of the kids, to the backyard visitor.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK
  
FYI:

Mind Walk is book 21 in Ms. Bowersock’s, A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES. This series does not need to be read in order. However, you may miss some character development.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

2 comments:

Melissa Bowersock said...

Thanks so much!

?wazithinkin said...

Thanks for dropping in and commenting, Ms. Bowersock.