For Jack Shepherd, tiger shape-shifter and former soldier, life is heading for a dead end. Dead End, Florida, to be exact. When he learns that he inherited a combination pawn shop/private investigation agency from his favorite uncle, Jack’s first job is to solve his uncle’s murder. Because sometimes it takes a tiger’s eye to see the truth.
Tess Callahan, who owns half a pawn shop in the strangest town in Florida, didn’t expect Jack to show up and be so very enticing. And exciting. And annoyingly over-protective. But when yet another dead body shows up on her doorstep, it’s time to take action. And if she has to team up with a sexy tiger shape-shifter to do it, well, that’s just a bonus.
Welcome to Dead End, Florida, where Bigfoot keeps a winter home. And welcome to the Tiger’s Eye Mysteries!
Dead Eye is a fun paranormal mystery. As a reader, it reminded me of the Southern Vampire Mysteries that were eventually turned into the HBO series, True Blood. But the similarities lie in the fact it’s a fictional universe that has a large variety of paranormal creatures that are “out of the coffin.”
This book incorporates the quirky characters and situations that I love in cozy mysteries and adds a paranormal twist that elevates the storyline. Tess is an every day kind of girl, with the exception that she can foresee your death if she touches you. She lives a fairly normal life and spends most of her days running the pawn shop she inherited. However, things change as a dead body is dumped at the backdoor of her shop on the same day that her co-owner, Jack finally returns to Dead Eye. Jack, who is a tiger shape-shifter, has been away fighting in the paranormal wars for the past decade. Little does he know, the girl that was deposited at the back door died the same way as his uncle, Jeremiah. This sets Jack and Tess on a path of discovery to who is murdering people in Dead Eye and what kind of darkness is brewing in the remote little bayou town.
The author does a great job of creating an amusing set of characters. I found myself chuckling or even laughing as the story unfolds, which is always a plus in my book. As this is the book is the first in a series, I find myself looking forward to seeing how the author continues to develop not only the main characters, but the world they live in. Especially since the author has hinted at some of the political and global impact that the paranormal world has had on the human world. I like books that add a sense of depth to their plot and this one definitely seems like it will have an element of enrichment to the world outside of Dead Eye.
Great start to an interesting and fun series. I look forward to reading the next book, which apparently has banshees in it! If you check it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment!
Reviewer’s Note: I received this book from Netgalley for review. All opinions are honest and are my personal views on the book.
