The great thing about a small town is that it seems like everybody knows everybody else and that can make seem friendly. The bad thing about a small town is, it seems like everybody knows everybody else and you have very little privacy. Allison finds that out when she returns to her hometown to start a Guest House (not a B&B). She also discovers, though, secrets still manage to be kept and some are darker than others. At least that is the impression she gets from her first two guests, a pair of ghosts! Allison must get her old house ready for business while raising her daughter and finding a murderer.
The story is written from the perspective of Allison so, we get to know quite a bit about her, her quick wit and her no-nonsense attitude. Through Allison, we meet some of her friends, her mother and some acquaintances both unsavory and benign. This makes for an eclectic collection of characters which is great for a murder mystery. They're all varied and described well enough that it's easy to keep straight who is who. It also allows for ample 'red herrings' which I believe is a requirement of a good murder mystery.
The pacing of Night of the Living Deed is beautifully maintained. So much so that, the reader is never worn out or left to feel stagnant at any time. E.J. Copperman marries extraordinary events with the mundane to create and then relieve tension in the crafting of this story.
If I were to be negative about anything, it would be on two somewhat minor points. One has to do with how to repair plaster walls. A bit boring and pointless to complain about it even though it was hard to overlook when I was in the middle of the book. The other I won't go into great detail (spoilers) but, there was a moment when two events seemed to get confused with each other. Once a gain, not important, just one of those double take moments.
The Night of the Living Deed was a fun romp through two of my favorite genres: ghost stories and murder mysteries. In both characters and content, this proves to be an inviting opening to an intriguing series. There are some mature moments and a little bit of language that I believe puts this in the PG13 range.
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Great review. I've been wanting to read E.J. Copperman for a while. I guess I'll need to bump this series up on my list of ones to read.
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