Review: Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

Published January 21, 2015 by
Season Publishing

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is the first book in her new Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. It has so many things in a cozy that I like: a strong female main character/amateur detective, a southern setting, a touch of the paranormal, humor, and a dash of a possible romance.

Verity Long is a graphic designer who is currently unemployed and about to lose her grandmother's house because of her jerk ex-fiance and his mother who have poisoned some of the townspeople against her.

After an estate sale, Verity has few items left and still owes $20,000. When she takes a vase out into the garden to clean it off, she discovers that it was an urn and she has accidentally trapped the ghost of the inhabitant on her property. Her newly found ability to see other spirits with his help leads to a job offer from her ex-fiance's brother.

Ellis wants her to do one thing, clear the ghosts out of the carriage house that he is converting to a restaurant so that they will stop tearing up the place. Verity soon finds out that there is more than the supernatural at work. And that the mystery from the past and the present mystery are linked.

"Verity isn't above questioning the living or the dead. But can she find the truth before the killer finds her?" (Goodreads.com)

This book is really a fun, cozy, paranormal mystery. I enjoyed reading about Verity who was definitely very courageous right from the beginning. The ghostly character of Frankie wasn't overdone and was interesting. He faded out at a good time in the plot. Ellis was a good character as well. Don't want to say more about him because that would be a spoiler. The supporting characters were kept to a minimum which kept any confusion down. There is room for expansion on them and their roles in Verity's life in the future. I seriously enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who like a little paranormal with their cozy mysteries.
I gave it 5 stars. I am so looking forward to the next installment in the series. I hear it may be out Fall of 2015.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday: Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is turning out to be a cute book. There are mysteries on 2 levels: paranormal and human. Verity Long needs cash fast to pay off her ex-fiance and keep her grandmother's house. Ellis needs someone to look into a destructive haunting at his property. He hires Verity and the 2 begin to work together to solve the ghostly mystery and find the all too real human mystery.

This scene is where they are negotiating:

(Ellis) He took a slow breath as he steered us onto more solid ground. "That kitchen equipment cost me more than you're asking. You clear out my vandal ghosts, every damned one of them, and you've earned the twenty grand."

(Verity) "All right, then." This was a business arrangement, pure and simple.

It's a good sample, but it doesn't do justice to the banter between Ellis and Verity or the banter between Verity and the ghost she has accidentally grounded on her property. I'm enjoying the book. It comes out officially January 21, 2015 from Season Publishing. It's Book #1 in the new Ghost Hunter Mystery series.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!