Southern belle Verity Long is back in business—as a ghost hunter. Now all she has to do is visit the town’s creepiest mansion and exorcise a family of vengeful spirits. Piece of cake. After all, ghosts love her and need her… that is until she meets the ghosts of Rock Fall mansion. They’ll do anything to keep their murderous secrets hidden within the cliff-side fortress—even if that means getting rid of one meddling ghost hunter.
With the entire town skeptical and scrutinizing her every move, Verity struggles to uncover the century-old mystery behind the house. And when she stumbles upon a very fresh, very dead body, she realizes there’s more to it than she ever imagined. With the help of her sexy cop boyfriend, Ellis, and her ghostly gangster sidekick, Frankie, she braves the overgrown gardens, the desolate family cemetery, and the haunted mansion that have been locked away for generations.
Can Verity unearth the truth before she’s the next one buried on the deadly grounds?
In this installment of the Souther Ghost Hunter Mysteries, Verity is tasked with helping a retired mailman clear his family’s home of an ancient Egyptian curse that killed an entire family within a matter of a few days, decades earlier. I was already a fan of this series, but the inclusion of an Egyptian curse really perked my interest.
Verity finds herself willing to take on the job for all the organic vegetables she can eat, but Frankie is not amused. As with every other time she’s asked for his help, Frankie is unwilling and disinterested in helping others unless it benefits himself. However this particular haunted mansion leaves Frankie disturbed and he’s unwilling to help much with the exception of giving his power to Verity.
The thing I enjoyed most about this particular story is that Verity is solving a past mystery. These types of stories tend to be the stronger stories in this series and it allows Verity and Ellis to partner in a more natural way. However, there’s always danger in store for her as she embraces the ability to see the other side and she finds that the ghost in this particular place are far from willing to talk to her.
I’m a little concerned for the future of Verity’s and Frankie’s partnership. Frankie has always been an unwilling partner, but this feels like he’s pulling away, which leaves Verity in possible danger from both the living and the dead. However, I did enjoy seeing Verity do some of the sleuthing on her own. As someone who claims to be an independent woman, Verity relies heavily on others to help her out in many of these books. This is the first time she’s really plunged in without the safety net.
Another great thing about these books is that it continues to build not only the present, but the past of Sugarland. I really enjoy learning about the living and ghosts, because it helps to further develop the storyline and engage the reader. These books seem to be getting better and better as the series goes along and I look forward to continuing on to the next book. Especially since this one ends with a cliffhanger…
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