Wendy RobertsRecensioni

Great first book! Can't wait to read more of the series.

I have to say, not only was the Sixth Sense-esque surprise in the last few pages unexpected, it was also really unnecessary. I'm sure there were hints in the story, but I missed them completely, and it wasn't until almost the end that I saw anything out of the ordinary.

Also, this book was *really* detailed about the less than appetizing details. Like, don't read any time near food,

Burning Hope by Wendy Roberts has Scarlet “Red” Hooper finding the body of Murray in the storeroom on Pincher’s Dollarama. As the newcomer to town, Red becomes Marshal Joel Cobb’s prime suspect. Red is confined to the area until the investigation is complete. The only way to clear her name and be able to leave Hope Harbor is to investigate on her own. Red has a special ability, but she does not how to use it properly. Red’s estranged sister shows up with surprising news and an offer of help. Red is going to need assistance if she is to get out from under Marshal Cobb’s scrutiny. Burning Hope is the debut novel in A Red Hooper Mysteries. It is a paranormal cozy mystery since our protagonist has a special ability. In the beginning of Burning Hope, it did not feel like the first book. I felt like I was plopped into the middle of a series. Things are explained later in the story. The murder occurs in the first chapter leaving the rest of the book for the investigation and learning more about Red. I did not find Red to be a likeable woman. She is not the normal warm main character you find in this type of mystery (cozy mystery with a hint of paranormal). Red is standoffish and keeps people at a distance. I definitely did not like Red’s sister. We meet townspeople along the way with special attention on Noah. Noah is a nice man who owns the local hardware store. Romance is more prevalent than the mystery at times in the story. There were no sparks or chemistry between Red and Noah. The words are there but not the emotions. The mystery was straightforward. There are only a handful of suspects, and the solution was different. I never felt there was a real investigation. The mystery never felt a priority. I also question Red’s special ability. I just did not feel that everything came together into one cohesive story. There is too much repetition especially about Bubbles and Red’s grandmother. The one thing I did like was Muffin, the little kitten that needs a home. Burning Hope does contain foul language, intimate situations, and drug addiction. While Burning Hope is not my cup of tea, others find it appealing (that is the beauty of books). I suggest you obtain a sample to judge for yourself. Burning Hope is an unusual paranormal tale with a coffee catastrophe, a gone groper, distrusting townspeople, a frustrating marshal, a cuddly kitten, surprising secrets, a handsome hardware store owner plus a nomad with her bubble mobile.

Burning Hope by Wendy Roberts
A Red Hooper Mystery #1

Paranormal cozy mystery with a side of romance ~ Great introduction to the series

What I liked:
* Scarlet “Red” Hooper: fire scryer, descendent of female paranormal psychic seers, vagabond, lives and travels in a camper van decorated with bubbles, new girl in town when she stumbles across a body
* Noah Adams: widow, hardware store owner, small town entrepreneur, potential love interest for Red
* The small-town vibe
* The paranormal aspects
* Brandy: Red’s sister, mirror scryer, business owner, ex-addict
* Not knowing for sure who the killer was till near the end
* The potential growth as the series progresses
* Wondering what will happen next

What I didn’t like:
* The small-town gossips and hate mongers

Comment:
I wasn’t able to get a handle on Red. Determine her motivations, and understand what drew her and Noah to one another. I hope that in the future books of the series we will learn more about Red’s past and will be able to watch her character develop.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars½

Burning Hope by Wendy Roberts is a highly recommended paranormal murder mystery and the first book in a new series.

Red (Scarlett) Hooper has been in Hope Harbor, Washington, for a few months working at Pincher's Dollarama store to earn money to buy a new battery and fridge for her camper van Bubbles (named for the bubble decals that cover it). When Red stops in early one morning for coffee at the store and finds finds the body of Murray in the storage room she immediately calls 911, but as the only new person in this small town of over five hundred people, she is obviously the main suspect. It doesn't help when the police find evidence that seems to imply her guilt and uncover her connection to two other murder investigations. Red has the psychic gift of seeing visions through fire (and she also adopts a kitten) in this mystery.

This is a well-written, quick-paced novel that will hold your attention throughout. Obviously Red knows she is a suspect and she must do some investigating on her own if she wants to find the real killer. She also meets Noah is the process and the two become an item. There are several quirky, small town characters introduced along the way and Red's estranged sister shows up to give her some advice about her psychic powers.

Red is an interesting character who is apparently just learning how to really use her psychic abilities, although she has known they existed before this. (I'm not entirely taken with the psychic premise.) This is the first novel with Red as the main character, so while there is certainly backstory and good character development, Roberts has left plenty of room for more. This is a decent start to a new series. 3.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/03/burning-hope.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4605833616½

An interesting twist - Sadie Novak owns Scene-2-Clean a crime scene cleanup company. And talks to the dead. Of course there are murders to be solved....

First in a series

Second installment of the Ghost Duster series. An abandoned meth lab & evil spirits. Didn't like it as much as the first, but look forward to the next installment in the series - Dead and Kicking (12/01/09)

A Grave Peril by Wendy Roberts
Bodies of Evidence #3

Julie Hall and Garrett Pierce have moved in together by book three and though it seems Garrett may be interested in tying “the knot” Julie is not so sure she ever wants to marry or have a family. They have been a couple for awhile and seem to have a good relationship but as Garrett’s job with the FBI heats up, he is put on leave and then disappears one night...well...Julie is not sure what is going on. She begins to question the relationship and just where her partner may be. Then, she begins to worry.

Wanting to get her “toes wet” and try her hand at dowsing for the dead again after a longish cut she heads out with a friend and has success. She does a bit more looking for a few other bodies in this book but she also worries about Garrett and eventually starts looking for him following what she believes are clues to his whereabouts. With her friend Tracey along to help at times, a crazy cat and Wookie her rottweiler she deals with one problem after another as she tries to find out whether or not Garrett is alright.

This is book deals more with Julie’s search for Garrett and his FBI work than it does with finding the dead...although there is a bit of that, too. It will be interesting to see where the author goes with this series next...and I am eager to read book four when it is ready.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars½

The Remains of the Dead
3.5 Stars

In addition to her unusual occupation (crime scene cleanup), Sadie Novak has the added “gift” of being able to speak to the ghosts of the victims. When Sadie and her partner, former police officer Zach Bowman, are hired to clean up the scene of a murder/suicide, she is shocked to encounter not only a silent ghost with an urgent need to communicate, but a handsome man who is very much alive and has a troubling connection to the case. As Sadie begins to uncover the secrets of the Toth family, she becomes the target of a desperate killed intent on getting away with murder.

While this is a cozy paranormal mystery, it does contain vivid and sometimes gruesome descriptions of decomposing corpses and blood spattered crime scenes. As such, it is not recommended for readers with weaker stomachs.

Not only is Sadie a rather prickly and oft times brusque heroine, but she also has one or two annoyingly TSTL moments.

The story is well-paced and the writing flows although the author does have a tendency to mix up character names, which can get confusing at times. The mystery is interesting despite the obvious culprit, and the climax and resolution are exciting and satisfying. Moreover, the hints at a romance between Sadie and Zach have definite potential, and as a romance fan this is sufficient for me to continue with the series.

Devil May Ride
3 Stars

When crime scene cleaner and psychic-medium, Sadie Novak, is called in to sanitize an abandoned meth lab, she is shocked to discover evidence of a Satanic ritual. To make matters worse, she becomes the target of a biker gang convinced that she has absconded with their cash. Are the two connected, and if so what can Sadie do about it?

***Warning: Minor spoilers ahead***

The storylines in this series have wonderful potential. Unfortunately, the plotting and characterization are problematic.

The manner in which Roberts sets up the twists and turns of the narrative results in awkward and unnecessarily misleading situations. For example, the fact that Sadie can see and talk to the dead, but cannot always recognize when the person she is speaking to is a ghost leads to confusion regarding the sequence of events.

Moreover, Roberts has an annoying tendency toward undermining her characters and making them less appealing only to rehabilitate them latter in the story. Often times, this is too little, too late. For instance, Zack entanglement with Jackie is irritating as it presents him in an unnecessarily negative light and undercuts his developing romance with Sadie.

Other characters do not fare any better, and most are downright unlikable. The journalist, Scott, is the worst example of his profession. Ambition has turned him into a bottom feeding scumbag with stalker tendencies, and the fact that Sadie caves into both his blackmail and his more personal advances compromises her professional integrity and her likability.

While the basic premise of the series is intriguing and the mystery plots have some exciting moments, the issues with the characters and the romance are a turn off. Will read one more to see if things improve.

I was a little lost that when I started this book because it was the second book in the "Bodies of Evidence Series". I wished I had read Ms. Roberts's first book "Grave Calling" it would have helped me understand Julie Hall a lot better. I started to give up and read the first book in series but I was already engaged in the storyline of this ones so I didn't want to give up and start over. I'll just read it later, that's a promise.
I was a fan of Ms. Roberts' earlier series "Ghost Dusting" several years ago and I was glad to see she has another winner out.
I liked Julie Hall a lot, she's gone through Hell to get to her life back on track and there were just enough hints sprinkled throughout the book that I could gather enough information without having read the first book to get a grasp some of her past history to know that she's a survivor but I'd love to know more about what makes her tick.
Julies finds dead people or graves with divining rods, she's made quite a name for herself in Washington State, as well as all over the world. She get's tons of requests from people from all over who want her to find their lost loved ones and bring them home so they can put them to rest. She's a private person and would just like to work around the Pacific Northwest and live with her Rottie, Wookie and have her hunky FBI lover, Garret nearby. She's media-shy, to say the least.
When an elderly lady shows up on her front porch one morning asking for her help in finding the body of her 25-year-old daughter, Julie's torn, she knows this is a no win situation but she'll consider taking the case. When she starts looking into it the case she learns some things that make her decision for her, so she accepts.
This is a great mystery, with twists and turns that will keep you hanging on until the end. It's a fast read and I'm looking forward to the next book in series. There are some new things coming Julie's way and I can't see what Ms. Roberts' has in store for her.
Disclosure: I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The review above are my own words and opinions regarding this book.

I was drawn to read this book because I have an interest in Dowsing Rods. I explore cemeteries in conjunction with my family research and have on occasion used them myself. They are just amazing what they will tell. Julie's history of abuse and her meeting of her FBI agent boyfriend Garrett were explained in the Bodies of Evidence, #1. I had no trouble following this without reading the first although I may pick it up because Roberts has a skill for characters and story telling. Divine Reunions is Julie's business name for her body locating ability. She has to use other detective clues to do her job which helps add depth to the story. Would have liked a bit more romance between Julie and Garrett. "A copy of this book was provided by Carina Press via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion."

A Grave Search by Wendy Roberts
Bodies of Evidence #2

I have been eagerly waiting to see what will happen next in this series. The main character, Julie, has had so many trials and tribulations that I want her to have “good” things happen in her life and…perhaps a few do in this book BUT a whole heap of not so good happens, too.

Julie has moved from the place of her painful childhood, she has set up house in a new home, she has created a thriving business using her divining skills and she still has her older FBI boyfriend Garrett Pierce. She is still dealing with the problem of alcoholism and the PTSD that is an outcome of the childhood abuse she survived. She does what she can with her copper dowsing rods to help families find and burry their deceased loved ones.

In this book she is asked by a mother to locate her daughter – a young woman that has been missing for some time. Julie is not terribly interested in the case until she realizes that the young man accused of murdering the daughter is someone she knew in school. With one thing leading to another she does become involved and eventually finds a whole lot more than she was bargaining on. She finds several bodies, helps in some investigations for bodies and finds out something major about her own past that begins to put a few puzzle pieces of her own life in place.

I enjoyed the voice telling this story. I enjoyed getting to know Julie/Delma better. I was thankful that Garrett was still there to support, care for and love this fractured but not broken heroine. I am eager to read more of the series and will say that having read book one made this book richer. Why? Because I knew the backstory of the heroine and about the people mentioned that she knew in book one and all of that and her previous experiences were more easily remembered and applied to this book.

I will definitely be reading book three when it comes out and want to thank NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

I'm a sucker for stories with ghosts, and this one was pretty good. I liked that the main character is a crime scene cleaner, which made for some interesting if gross reading. I will definitely read more of this series.

While the mystery was pretty good and more than a little frightening in this installment, I'll admit I was disappointed in the personal relationship between Sadie and Zach. I'm not sure why Zach all of a sudden has decided to become a complete jerk, but I'm even more baffled why Sadie would decide that being a doormat would be a good response.

Since I like the rest of the series I'll read the next book and hope the characters are back on track.

A Grave Calling by Wendy Roberts
Bodies of Evidence #1

Having used a few divination tools with mixed results I was eager to read this book of a woman who dowses for the dead. Watching my husband’s cousin look for water and being told how he does it using the same tools Julie used in this book made it come even more alive for me. I do like things that are not always scientific and don’t come with easy explanations ;)

Julie Hall, born Delma Arsenault, is the once abused but very talented heroine of this book. She has survived her childhood and is doing her best as an adult when along comes FBI Agent Garrett Pierce asking her to do something she has been raised to believe is evil – get her divining rods out and dowse for the bodies left behind by a serial killer. It is tasking for her but with the support of rather silent and quite a bit older Garrett she has success on more than one trip into the field. Before the end of the book she finds herself in the crosshairs of the killer. Since she is not one to follow the rules the FBI finds it a challenge at times to keep her safe.

As the first book in the Bodies of Evidence series I found this interesting and intriguing. It drew me in and kept me turning the pages without taking a break. I liked both Julie and Garrett and felt they brought out the best in one another. I have a feeling that they will make a great team in future books of the series. I liked that the book ended with the case tied up in a bow but with a hint at the direction the series plans to take for book number two. I am looking forward to reading more of this series and other books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars½

Jen is a barista with two big secrets. First, the homeless guy who keeps coming by the cafe where she works and who she keeps giving day-old baked goods to is really her paranoid schizophrenic father. And second, she has an ability known as automatic writing – someone or something writes messages to her via her left hand. Her latest message: “Dear Jen, Arthur is screwing Misty.” Arthur is Jen's cop boyfriend, and Misty is Jen's half-sister and nemesis.

Jen dumps Arthur after confirming that he did, in fact, sleep with Misty. Then she decides to get back at Misty with some dog poop. It's a spur of the moment thing, and it isn't until after she lobs the poop into Misty's apartment that she realizes that Misty is lying dead on the floor, her throat slashed.

As my description indicates, Jen isn't the most mature person ever. I really, really didn't like her. It was more than just the dog poop incident – it was nearly everything about her and the way she interacted with the world.

After she read the message to herself about Arthur cheating on her with Misty, she went to Arthur, took his loaded gun, and pointed it at his crotch while she interrogated him. I get that she was angry, but what sane person does that? Later on, they both demonstrated their incredible grossness and stupidity by sleeping with each other after Jen, in a bout of fear and worry that her dad might have been involved in Misty's death, called Arthur. Who sleeps with a person who recently pointed a loaded gun at your crotch? Who sleeps with a person who made you so angry that you pointed a loaded gun at them? Why did these characters have to be so awful?

I also didn't like the way Jen bashed the cafe's part-timers for being skinny. Her comment to one of them: “Grab a muffin or three. Put some meat on your bones before you cut someone.” (51) And no, she didn't mean it in a snarky friendly way – she didn't even consider the part-timers worth the effort of remembering their names. Even Mitch, her coworker, thought her treatment of the part-timers was a bit much.

Speaking of Mitch, I spent a good chunk of the book wondering if he was going to be Jen's obligatory love interest. On the one hand, books like this often have a love interest, and he seemed like the most likely one. He was good-looking and willing to let Jen cry on his shoulder if she needed to. On the other hand, I disliked Jen enough that I couldn't help but think that Mitch was too good for her. He was even a better barista than she was. His only failings were that he teased her for taking baked goods to the homeless guy near the cafe (he didn't know the man was Jen's father, but that still didn't excuse the teasing) and that learning about Jen's automatic writing freaked him out. The relationship between him and Jen petered out before it even began. I'm not sure why the author bothered, unless there are plans to turn this into a series.

The most appealing thing about this book was the mystery. I genuinely had trouble figuring out who the killer might be, although I had suspicions that turned out to be correct. The killer's efforts to cover their tracks were very messy and unfocused. The aspects that initially caught my attention, the coffee shop stuff and the automatic writing, were so-so at best. Like I said, Mitch was a better barista than Jen was. Also, Jen's automatic writing only cropped up a few times. It was briefly mentioned that the spirit that spoke through Jen was probably someone close to her, but nothing ever came of that – another indication that this might become the first book in a series.

However, even if a second book gets published, I'm not planning on reading it. Grounds to Kill already gave me more of Jen than I really wanted. I'd rather not subject myself to more.

(Original review, including read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

My God, the ending of this book was depressing.

Good book, and if I run into the second somewhere I'll nab it. I won't actively hunt for it or order it online, though.

Mystery wise it was average. There weren't many players in the field so it was easy to guess who it could have been. Not enough leads to other sources. I was able to guess the motive pretty early too if I was right on the killer (turned out being so.) Pacing didn't lag so the book was never dull and there were enough little shockers to fill the void of suspense. The majority of the novel wasn't on the mystery exactly, but character interaction and lots of time on various jobs. It sounds distracting but these were the most interesting scenes of the story.

The major issue with me is the main character, Sadie. I just don't really like her. Sure, I understand her reasoning behind the job she chose and it's a noble one. Despite her speeches about being caring and loving letting a spirit go free, when she does stumble upon an ocassional ghost she's basically rude most of the time and it's clear they mainly just annoy her. I also took offense with the way she phrased her objections to her sister about the wedding engagement, and especially how ridiculous she was with the psychic. Thankfully the woman pointed out how annoying her skepticism became, but even after proven the woman was genuine, trying to help, and similar to Sadie's abilities, Sadie was generally still too short and rude half the time. The woman just was too moody and bitchy for me to latch on to as a heroine. I didn't hate her but she's not someone I can understand.

Zach was awesome though, as was the fun friend Pam and the other characters. The author writes well and it's easy to fall into her story as she keeps the dialogue realistic, doesn't muddle the page with pointless ramblings of decor and description, and keeps the pacing smooth and moving forward.

I do recommend to fans of paranormal mysteries.

I've read several stories now based on crime cleanup, this tale adds a little extra a psychic connection. However, the characters never fully came alive for me, and the mystery was easily solved in the first 1/3 of the book.

a cute, quick read. Probably worth checking out a couple more in the series

This was hanging by the edge of my seat skerry!

This book was well written, fast paced, and it sure held my interest.....I even hid out while @ work for a few to read it!

Sadie Novak is a house cleaner, but the kind you'd call if there was major body decomposition or a crime scene. Not only does she clean up the mess, the blood & guts, but she cleans up the non-corporal remains of those whose souls are left behind.

Sadie can see & hear the ghosts and she helps them move on into the light.

In this installment, she is up against a Biker Gang and those of its members that have chosen to become part of a Satanic Cult....one that her deceased brother Brian's former fiancee is now very much a part of....one that has kidnapped her very pregnant sister Dawn so that they might claim the child as their own.

Whoooeeee......

This is the most current in the "Ghost Duster" mass market series, and for some reason they seem to be difficult to get from my Library.

Sadie was a 2nd grade teacher, until the suicide of her brother Brian. After his death, she quit her teaching job and began, " Scene-2-Clean", where she now cleans up crime scenes, decomposition & unattended death sites. But Sadie has a "gift", she can also see & communicate w/ the deceased, whom she helps to complete unfinished business, help find their murderers, and move on.

Sadie's father has just passed and for some reason he is unable to move on.... he has a task to complete before leaving.

Sadie & her boyfriend Zack (a former Seattle PD) are cleaning up his ex-girlfriend's mother's house (she was a hoarder) when they encounter a mummified baby and a particularly nasty ghost, who has poltergeist abilities. The ghost refuses to leave as some of the boxes in the upper bedrooms were his and he is protecting them....

Zack is hurt by the ghost & resorts to being taken care of by his ex (who is a nurse) and she supplies him w/ pain killers to which is he addicted..... The police who are now cleaning up the house since the discovery of the mummified infant, are also being attacked by the ghost....

Sadie does her best to interview the owner of the house, who is in assisted living for care of her Alzheimer's/Dementia and begins to get the necessary information, when her van is vandalized and she is almost murdered twice.... and then assaulted more.

While working on & off on the hoarder's house, Sadie is also called to clean up the remains of a former male model turned homeless junkie in an under-construction mall boutique and a janitor in an "elite" school for gifted children.

The clues are all there if one pays attention, and for once I did! It was a light and interesting read, it held my interest all through to the conclusion.

After reading reviews, decided it wasn't for me. Didn't even start.

This is a re-read for me, but my first reading was long enough ago that I remembered very little of the story or the characters. I needed a cleaning theme for a Bingo game, and this fit the bill.

This is the first book in the series, and the only one I've ever read, and picking it up again reminded me why. I have quite a few cozy-reader-friends who adore this series, so perhaps it's just suffering from first-book-itus, but quite a few things about this story just struck me the wrong way. Pretty much both of the biggies concerned the main character, Sadie.

Sadie is in the crime-scene cleaning business because 5 years previously her brother committed suicide and there wasn't anyone in the business, leaving it to her to clean up the aftermath. She enjoys the part of her work that takes on this burden and keeps other families from having to deal with it themselves. She also is gifted (?) with the ability to see those that have died and she helps them to pass on. Her involvement in the mystery is due to one such ghost.

Sadie is still grieving her brother and the author does a very, very good job with her protracted grief. But there's a whole side-story about Sadie's sister getting engaged, and Sadie's insistence that she's only marrying the man because he looks like their brother. But he doesn't look anything like their brother and everyone tells her he looks nothing like their brother, but Sadie just won't budge. I don't know, but to me, this is brainless behaviour for someone who is written as intelligently as Sadie. Her too-long-lasting refusal to accept the reality of this just feels wrong.

The second thing I really didn't like was her fixation on who she thought was the murderer. The author gives the reader so many clues (and, admittedly, one red herring) that I knew the murderer at least 2/3 of the way in. Again, her fixation on the wrong person in spite of all the clues jumping up and down screaming "look at me! look at me!" were beyond frustrating and downright irritating. I don't like my heroines stupid or prone to fixations.

I'll have to ask around to see if this series improves with future books. I like the characters and there was a little Sixth Sense moment that I thought was a nice touch. I also like Zach and the future chemistry between them could be worth picking up another book.

Sadie and Zack are cleaning up his ex girlfriend's mother's house of hoarding when a mummified baby is discovered in a box. An angry ghost breaks Zack's ankle which leads to him getting back on prescription drugs and Sadie is being firebombed everywhere she turns.

Great addition to the series. Couldn't put it down.