3 out of 4 stars
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Gera Stapleton is a reporter with what she thinks is the worst assignment ever. Her editor has assigned her the task of researching the latest in a string of hauntings in the small town of Jerome, Arizona. It seems that the town’s friendly ghost, Mac, has had a mean streak lately. The problem is Gera doesn’t believe in ghosts. Just when she arrives in town, a dead body is discovered and also attributed to the ghost. Is Mac really behind the murder or is someone just trying to blame it on him?
Tangible Spirits is a mystery by Becki Willis. The book is written in the third person perspective with Gera Stapleton as the narrator. The characters are well rounded and enjoyable to read about. I love the humor that Ms. Willis throws into the book as well. One of the older characters, Minnie, is trying to tell Gera to Google something. Instead she says “Ogle.” It’s little moments like these that lighten up the story and make it fun to read.
The book is well edited and the writing style is on point. The author knows how to set the scene. There are plenty of facts thrown in about the very real town of Jerome, Arizona that add to the mystery. In the special note at the beginning of the book, Ms. Willis tells us the inspiration behind this book. After visiting Jerome, Arizona and learning about the historic landmarks and ghost stories, she felt compelled to put her own spin on these tales. Tangible Spirits is a unique blend of actual places, real legends, and fiction.
This story is a true mystery in that there are several suspects. There are quite a few people who have a motive for the murder, and the killer isn’t revealed until the very end. For those that like to play detective, this is the perfect story.
Unfortunately, the pacing of the story could have been a little steadier. The first half of the novel tends to drag some. There is quite a bit of description about the town and the local ghost legends. Since ghosts are heavily involved in the story, some of this is to be expected. I wish, however, that it had been more evenly spaced with the action of the story.
The author also included an element of romance in the story. While Ms. Willis incorporated it seamlessly into the plot, it felt a bit rushed to me. I have no doubt attraction can form quickly, but it seemed to me that the relationships progressed quite rapidly. This is most assuredly a matter of opinion, though, and didn’t take away from the enjoyable story.
Overall, I rate Tangible Spirits 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the blend of fact and fiction by the author as well as the true mystery of the story. Since it dragged a little in the beginning, I couldn’t give it a full 4 stars. However, I would recommend this to those that love good mysteries and ghost stories.
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Tangible Spirits
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