Don’t like commenting or rating low because I know how difficult it is to write anything substantial, but while the first book grabbed me and the third book is almost impossible to put down except for sleep and this review, this second book tried my patience. Compared to most readers, I’m pretty forgiving about narrators, grammar, and proper pronouncement of words (in U.S.A. English compared to an entire world of English speakers, each with their own take on English word pronouncement–just like every single USAer themselves), but I need a good story. I made it through book 2 because of my patience and I also read romances, but I want to point out a couple of things.
If you’re not into sex or reconciliation and it does describe Book 1’s succession, you might want to skip to Book 3. I know this couple is coming back to a relationship that blew apart years before and I like it in this case. I’m rooting for them because the protagonist/ghost whisperer is very much in need of unconditional love. He needs someone or he’ll just become another heartless investigator. These are ongoing themes throughout the series so far. I also recognize that writing crime novels is tricky because if you don’t mess around a lot in the beginning by leading the reader away from resolution too early, you lose most of the die hard readers of crime novels by giving all the clues away in the beginning. But to the reader/listener it takes 18 chapters before this book even rubs shoulders with its subject matter or any crime matter at all–you could say the book is leading toward the principles of spookology, but in my opinion this is kind of weak on its own merits. This might have been one of those awful 1.5 books instead of book 2.This is how the numbers break down for me:
Sex is the only lead-away/red herring in this book while the author finds their footing in the crime novel business. Out of the first 18 chapters of this book 10 or more chapters are strictly about sex between this recovering couple. While it’s good scene sex–the sex continues to the very end (well beyond chapter 18). It’s just total overload. You can’t skip all of the sex by hitting the forward button because they discuss the case during sex half the time and there isn’t a single moment when the MCs are alone together when sex isn’t brought up and acted upon. One time we were toyed with thinking they’ll skip sex one morning after having sex all night long because they’re supposed to be a working cop team. They don’t skip it.
By the third book, the author has taken this into account somewhat by making the MCs work separately (so far). Also, the author is learning how to build tension and create true red herrings so that it isn’t easy to solve the case (at least as early as chapter 13 in book 3, where I am at the moment). BTW I am not a confirmed crime novel reader and am not good at solving crimes at chapter 1. I’ve only done that a few times and I’ve read a lot of crime novels. At least there isn’t nearly as much sex in Book 3 (thank you). Still a lot of it.
Overall, I like the series. It’s intelligent and it has the sensibilities of modern life that you don’t find in many romance novels. It keeps me thinking/screaming in my head: “it’s so and so, why aren’t you following that clue?” I supposed this is how most crime novels are supposed to make you feel. By the third book, I’m confused between suspects, so that makes it a true crime novel.
The series is fairly gritty for a ghostly crime series in an MM romantic setting, This is what sets this series apart, the realistic relationships and realistic day to day living, minus the over the top sex. Both men are tough and they aren’t bros, both points in their favor. The main MC is a diva, but you’d never call him that to his face. He’s just too hard-nosed and unpredictable for that, at least in case resolution ways. His reasoning is that of a novice at the ghost business, but that is also very gritty.
The dialogue is very good, all the settings are good. They mimic other books I’ve read, but are made different by the personality of the main protagonist and his faults. Only once per book does the author speak both MCs out of the same mind, which is close to excellent dialogue when you have 2 MCs.
The narration is better than just good. The characters come to life. I might not like the sound of their voices sometimes, but they do fit the character’s personalities. Some words are mispronounced in terms of how I’d like to hear them, but I have a degree in English from a U.S.A college so that makes me exempt from even going there. Not that many words are mispronounced, and let’s be fair. I have an English degree (based in 9 scholarships awarded to me by the department)–and I still mispronounce words.