Defending the Dead is the third in the Relatively Dead series, but I was able to follow the story fine without reading the other two. I was expecting a cozy mystery, but very quickly realized that was not the genre of this book at all. Having said that, it was a mystery to a degree but it was a historical, paranormal one.

Abby Kimball is currently out of a job. She has recently moved in with her boyfriend Ned and is fixing up his house. They share a rare gift, they are able to see ghosts of their ancestors. It turns out that along the way Abby and Ned share ancestors which amplifies the gift. Ned had known about this gift for many years but suppressed it, Abby has just recently discovered it and wants to explore what other ancestors she can find. Living in Massachusetts, she wants to explore the Salem Witch Trials and see if she has any ancestors that were involved. Using research as well as visits to Salem, and other towns surrounding the area, she begins to view historical events through the eyes of the spirits. It is actually an historical account of what happened to a certain degree and has some theories about what happened during that time. Add to this, Ned's biological daughter who also seems to have the gift and wants to know more about it and there are some human tender moments. Again, not what I was expecting, but once I got into the story it was interesting.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I just finished reading Defending the Dead by Sheila Connolly. It is the third book in the Relatively Dead series. Abby Kimball is currently out of a job, but is using the time to fix up the house where she lives with her boyfriend Ned Newhall. He purchased a lovely old Victorian that needs a lot of work. Abby and Ned share a gift. They can see the dead. Well, only deceased people who are ancestors. It seems that they have to be a lineal ancestor. Abby only discovered her gift when she moved into the area and took a tour of an older home. Abby can see them, sometimes even talk to them, or see scenes from the past play out front her ancestor’s point of view. Ned has had the gift since he was young, but he suppressed it (actually, outright ignoring it). Ned’s mother, Sarah, has the gift, but she did not embrace it either. Now, though, they have someone else to consider. Ellie has the gift. Ellie is Ned’s biological daughter. Ned’s ex-finance, married a nice man, George, who cannot have children. Ned was the donor for both of their children (they have a young son named Peter).

Leslie has not taken the news of Ellie’s gift very well. Leslie was also Abby’s boss at the museum, but she fired Abby (I personally do not think that it is fair or legal). Abby has too much time on her hands to think. Abby is working on the house, but it leaves her mind keeps whirling. Abby wants to find out more about her gift and decides that Salem and the witch trials would be a place to start. Wants Abby gets started, she gets drawn into the history and she wants to know why witch trials happened.

One day Abby gets a call and it is Ellie. She took a bus to get to Abby. Ellie misses Abby because she is the only person who understands what she sees and hears. This makes Leslie realize that she has to let Ellie see Abby. Ellie and Abby get together one day a week during the summer. The other days Abby is researching the witch trails and her family lineage. Will Leslie understand Ellie’s gift? What will be the outcome of Abby’s research into her Salem ancestors and the witch trials? Will Ned actually do any work on the house?

Defending the Dead is a good book, but I did not enjoy it as much as the previous two books. I do not understand why the characters never embraced their wonderful gift nor Leslie’s attitude toward Abby. This book is also very heavy on the history (I do not mind, but some people might feel bogged down by it). I give Defending the Dead 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoy reading Sheila Connolly’s books. I read all her series (Orchard Mystery Series, Museum Mystery series, the County Cork Mystery series, and the Relatively Dead Mystery series).

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing in exchange for an honest review. ( )