Review: Crime Seen by Victoria Laurie

Title: Crime Seen

Author:  Victoria Laurie
Publisher: NAL
Publishing Date:  September 4th, 2007

Pages: 282
Genre: Adult Paranormal Mystery

Series:  Psychic Eye #5
Source:  Audio

 

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye, is having a hard time getting over a gunshot wound from her last case-especially because she didn't see the shots coming. Out of work and second-guessing her abilities, she tries to get back in the saddle by helping her boyfriend Dutch with some of his FBI cases. And soon enough, her intuition returns-with a vengeance.

This is the 5th book in the series. I am still going Strong with this series, even though the main character bugs me quite a bit at times… other times she cracks me up and I adore her. What I enjoy most are the mysteries and this installment took me in a bit of a different direction… the mystery is solved but not take care of. At least one of them. There seems to be a on going plot forming. YAY! I do love those.  This wasn’t my favorite of the series but it was still fun and I enjoyed the read

Abby and Dutch are sort of living together as she starts to heal from her gunshot wound. OF course things aren’t perfect, the cat and dog do not get a long, Abby is bored, and Dutch is pushing for more time with Abby. Dutch does what all good boyfriends that are FBI agents do, he brings home some cold cases and Abby begins to look through them… this causes some trouble and a wild good chase and the introduction of quite a bad guy. Abby of course heads for trouble and her and Dutch have misunderstandings and lack of communication. Nothing much has changed there.

I feel like I am saying the same things over and over about this series so I am going to shorten this one with points of likes and dislikes.

Likes

• The mystery is good as always
• 
  
• Love the pet interactions
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• Love the introduction of a new character… Candace- a private eye who helps Abby out.
• 
  
• Love the problematic romance. Just because it it cracks me up and makes me roll my eyes all in the same scene.
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• Love the fact there is an ongoing plotline now.

Dislikes..

• Abby got on my nerves a little more with her deceit and lies and hiding things from Dutch. He’s not going anywhere and yes he wants to protect her but she always knows he can’t stop her. Just be honest with the guy.
• 
  
• The fact that Abby has commitment issues. Sometimes this seems out of character… she wants a commitment.. .nope she’s too independent and needs her space… just make up your mind woman.
• 
  
• Abby just acts stupid at times and I know she is much smarter than this.

So as you can see more likes than dislikes. And the likes are strong likes… loves actually. So this series is still going strong for me. Short review but not sure what else to say that I havn’t already said. Love this series and I will keep on reading on.

Even with it's faults... Still loved it. 

Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 books and counting. Victoria divides her time between her two adult mystery series, (The Psychic Eye Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries), and a Y/A thriller, When (Formerly titled Death Date), to be released in early January of 2015.

As a professional psychic, Victoria's protagonists - psychic Abigail Cooper, and spiritual medium M. J. Holliday - tackle the tricky world of the paranormal while fighting bad guys and demons with plenty of plucky humor and determination.

And using that keen understanding of the paranormal, Victoria also created the character of Maddie Fynn, a teenager with the unique intuitive ability to predict the exact date of someone's death.

To showcase her writing range, Victoria has also penned a children's epic adventure series, The Oracles of Delphi Keep.

Review: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead as a Doornail

Author: Charlaine Harris  
Publisher: Ace Books
Publishing Date:  May 1st, 2005

Pages: 297
Genre: Adult Paranormal/Supernatural Mystery

Series:  Sookie Stackhouse #5
Source:  Audio

 

Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

Another book down in this series I can't seem to get enough of. This one was an interesting one for me. We got to see a little bit more of the fairies. A little more of the other weres. And the mystery of the sniper shooter had me very interest. 


Sookie's brother, Jason, is now a werepanther and is in trouble. Someone is out there shooting weres and either they will go after Jason, or Jason did it. I am not sure how but Jason is a suspect it seems, again. So of course Sookie puts herself in the middle of it. She is Sookie, it is her brother, and she has many other friends that are weres. 

There are always eye rolling moments for me in these books and I question myself many times on why I like these books so much. But I do. I love the crazy, the annoying, the over the top, the strange humor. I just love it all. 

Sookie is Sookie and as annoying as she an be there are times I really like her, like in this book. Yes she does some stupid things, but she is loyal and is always there for those she cares about. Even when it puts her in danger. What also amazes me is that as dumb as she can be, she is pretty good at putting the puzzle pieces together. 

The plots in this series always has some other stories in the background, this one had a good one with Sookie's friend Tara into some trouble with a vampire. SO what does Sookie do... she calls in Eric. Which means more Eric times yes. He has no recollection of his previous time with Sookie so of course this is the perfect time for Eric to be Eric and exchange his services for information. Oh the Eric. I am glad he knows though. I know they don't end up together but I do hope there is more Eric and Sookie time. 

There is also much more more Alcide and the weres. I loved getting to know the weres a bit more, their lifestyle and their members. 

I didn't guess who the sniper was. I never would have. It was a complete surprise. So the mystery was good too. Loved it of course. 

Another one down, another one enjoyed. 

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.

The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.

Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.

Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.

Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Title: Living Dead in Dallas 

Author:  Charlaine Harris 
Publisher: Ace Books

Publishing Date: March 26th, 2002

Pages: 291
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance/Paranormal Mystery

Series:  Sookie Stackhouse #2
Source:  Audio

 

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck. First, her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).
The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she obliges - and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

This is the second book by Charlaine Harris in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I enjoyed this book. Maybe even more than the first. I did see the show before I read this book so I kind of saw some things coming, but of course there were some changes. I think I am going to really enjoy this series. There was a bit more mystery in this one and bit more layers of the characters coming undone. Lots of romance, action, and trouble for Sookie. 

Sookie and Bill are now an official item. The town knows, their friends know, the other vampires know. Everyone knows. Everything is going reat until they aren't. Isn't that the basis for all stories.

Sookie is attacked but some crazy creature lady thing in the woods which poisons her. Vampires are the only ones that could save her and in return ask for a favor which of course leads to danger. There is something suspicious going on and it has to do with a very powerful and old vampire. He is missing and Sookie needs to go undercover to uncover the truth. 

I think this one was a bit better than the first. I really feel I was able to get to know the characters a bit better, a bit deeper in this book. Not just Sookie either. I was able to see a bit more of Erik and his goons, friends, or whatever they are called. 

I wasn't just able to make more of an acquaintance with the characters, the story seemed a little deeper and filled with much more action. It was more complex. I enjoyed the mystery, the new crazies, and the possible paths the books might be taking. 

Sookie was a bit better in this book. Still annoying at times. I do like her as a character. She is tough and brave at times but sometimes she is a bit whiny and over emotional. I would really like to see her make decisions more on fact and not emotion. Of course than we might not have much of a story. 

Erik is more present in this book. I know from the show he does become an important part of the stories... I am just glad to see more of him in this book. I don't know the sort of love triangle thing. I know it's only a small one but really why does everyone have to want Sookie. This I don't get. 

The story was interesting. I liked the time in Dallas, the time with the crazy cult people, and the new problems that arises with the cult. Watching Sookie go undercover was quite interesting. She does need a bit more training. 

All in all,  a lot more action, story, and character development and I loved it. 

I am quite in love with this series!

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.

Review: A Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie

Title: A Vision of Murder 

Author:  Victoria Laurie
Publisher: Berkley Books 

Publishing Date:  December 6th, 2005

Pages: 296
Genre: Adult Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Series:  Psychic Eye Mystery #3
Source:  Audio

 

Professional psychic Abby Cooper has invested in a fixer-upper, hoping to make a killing in the real estate market. But a killing of another kind puts her plans awry, as the ghost of a murdered woman and some troublesome poltergeists lead her into a mystery that stretches all the way back to World War II.

This is the third book in the series and I am still loving the series. I love the characters in this series and I am happy to know I have a while before I will catch up to the latest book. I love the mystery, the banter, the humor. They just keep me on my toes for sure. 

Abby and her sister, Cat, decide to take on a new investment. Along with Abby's handyman, they buy an old house to fix up and sell. This sounds like a great idea until they try their first renovation day and find that the place is haunted... and by a pretty pissed off ghost. Abby must find a way to deal with this ghost before their investment turns into a flop. Not only does Abby have to deal with a mean ghost, but she has to deal with an injured and overprotective Dutch, a freaked out handyman and a mad sister. Things are getting crazy for Abby. 

This book was pretty funny just like the other two that I read. I really do enjoy this sassy character and her crazy set of friends and family. I really do love Abby. She is just so ridiculously funny and snarky and just a pain in the rear at times. she doesn't know when to give up and she doesn't let anything keep her down. 

I did a few minor issues with this book. Nothing that kept me from enjoying the read and loving it the entire time. Just a few things like eye-rolling moments when Dutch is being a male chauvinistic. I mean he really goes overboard with trying to protect Abby at times. I get that she finds herself in trouble all the time. But really it's getting old how many arguments they get into because of this. Abby gets a little aggravating at times too when she overreacts with Dutch. I think it's about time to just let the couple be happy and learn to work together and live together in love and harmony. 

For the most part, I like Dutch. He is a pretty good match for Abby. They definitely make each other work hard for the relationship. He fully works with her gift now and he is pretty supportive in most aspects of her life. I just think the cop in him makes him a little too pushy on he stay safe front. Most of the time I just adore the interactions between Dutch and Abby. 


The only other issue I had and really this may have been my mood, I found this story lacking interesting moments a bit compared to the other books. I just didn't feel as invested in the story as I did the others. It felt too much like a history lesson and it just didn't keep my mind interested. I just wanted to know who did it and get it over with. I enjoyed the personal life of Abby more. 

The one thing I loved about the story was the ghosts. I did get into the haunted house, the imprints, the crazy stuff going on... I just didn't like the story behind the hauntings. It took a while to get there and I felt it was in a roundabout way. Once it all came together it made sense but I would have never gotten there on my own for sure. 

I think though, it doesn't matter what the story is. I  just enjoy being a part of Abby's life and her crazy antics. She is a breath of fresh air when it comes to heroines. 

It may seem I didn't like this book much. No, I did. I loved it as I have the other two. I just liked the story in the previous two much better. I really can't wait to read more in this series. 

Just a fun cozy mystery with all the paranormal crazy. 

Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 books and counting. Victoria divides her time between her two adult mystery series, (The Psychic Eye Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries), and a Y/A thriller, When (Formerly titled Death Date), to be released in early January of 2015.

As a professional psychic, Victoria's protagonists - psychic Abigail Cooper, and spiritual medium M. J. Holliday - tackle the tricky world of the paranormal while fighting bad guys and demons with plenty of plucky humor and determination.

And using that keen understanding of the paranormal, Victoria also created the character of Maddie Fynn, a teenager with the unique intuitive ability to predict the exact date of someone's death.

To showcase her writing range, Victoria has also penned a children's epic adventure series, The Oracles of Delphi Keep.

Review: Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Title: Dream a Little Dream

Author:  Kerstin Gier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 

Publishing Date:  March 8th 2013

Pages: 319
Genre: YA 

Series:  YA Paranormal Mystery
Source:  Audio

 

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.

The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....

I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like forever. I haven't read any of these author's books before but I have heard many good things about her books. So I was excited to finally find time to read this book. I love the name, the cover, the synopsis so I figured I would love the book. Well, I didn't love it but I did enjoy it for the most part. The book had some pacing issues and I had some character connection issues. Though I had some issues the plot was amazing and the world building was freaking amazing. 

Liv and her family (mother and younger sister) move around and Liv never really has time to settle in and make friends. Thier latest move is taking them to London. Liv's mother has found a man an decided to settle down for good. Liv starts a new school and kind of makes some new friends. She is forced to make some new friends when she ends up visiting their dreams.  This leads to some dream sequences, demon talk, a mystery of a boy that died, and a possible human sacrifice. 

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I really had trouble even rating it. So I am very happy to do a review that I really don't know how to put into words because the rating system just doesn't do my thoughts well.

First of the plot in this book was very interesting and well done. I needed to know what was going on from the very beginning. The further the story went the more I needed to know what was going on. I was really into the story. 

The world building was beautiful and creative and so well done. I loved the entire dream walking thing, the doors that led to others dreams. The sharing of the dream walking. I loved the story behind why the kids can dream walk. It was all really well done and wow the imagery that came from this book. This truly was my favorite part of the book. 

I think though, the issues I had with the book are why the world building was so well done and the story was so interesting. I had issues with character connection and pacing. So I will start with the character connection. 

It took me well over half the book, almost to the end to connect with any of the characters. They all pretty much felt flat to me for most of the book. Towards the end, I started to feel something for Liv, Grayson (Liv's kind of stepbrother) and Henry (Liv's love interest). No one else though and there is a ton of characters. I mean I can't even say what I truly like about any of these characters. The most I can say is Grayson is sweet beneath his aloof behavior. Henry is very sweet and caring and honest but almost to a fault. Liv is curious and smart and doesn't like secrets. So there we have it. They also are all very loyal. Which I love loyal characters. So I guess that is a win. 

Now on to pacing. I felt that the story had a lot of mystery to reveal. I mean a ton. Which is good I don't mind mystery and secrets and reveals. But the reveals took forever. I felt there was more time spent in the dream world enjoying the scenery then really figuring out what was going on. So, even though I loved the imagery, it took time away from character connection and finding out what the heck was going on. I need those in my stories. 

So the ending I felt. I felt the characters, I was no longer left in suspense, I knew what was going on... for the most part, it just all came together. In fact, if it wasn't for the ending, I would have for sure rated this book lower and not cared to finish the series. But I did like the ending and I feel that it will be an easier read in the second book to really feel the characters and the pacing problem might be fixed. I already bought the second book. So yes the ending did it for me and I am curious to follow through, even a little excited to carry on with this series. 

There for sure some bumps in the road, but the destination was worth it. 

Kerstin Gier is the bestselling author of the Ruby Red trilogy, as well as several popular novels for adults.
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