Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Review: What Dead Women Want, Linda Schmalz

Some strange happenings are going on at Carly Middleton's new home in rural Wisconsin. Either she's got bats in her belfry or ghosts in her attic. Possibly both. All she wanted after her divorce was to settle down back home and relax. But she can't ignore the phenomena any more. In steps Mike Valentine to help with an investigation. And just when they think they have a handle on things, life gets even crazier, and the entities louder.

I gotta say, I was extremely surprised to find how much I enjoyed this story. Whacky and sweet with a touch of paranormal, this book was cleverly written. The only mishap was "the plan." Without issuing a spoiler alert, I found "the plan" over the top and highly unrealistic, which kind of ruined the whole middle phase of the book. Worse was how every character went along with it. In saying that, Schmalz has a unique and pleasant writing voice, with witty dialog and interesting characters. She also has a great eye for detail in her scenes, putting the reader right there. Recommended.

2 comments:

tracyrcoxx said...

Great article. I like it!

Sarah the Author said...

A fun read that puts you into the heads of completely normal people who have a not so normal problem. The writing is strong and engaging. By the time the solution rolls around, you're sitting there thinking, "Yep, that's pretty much what I would do, too."