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Some of my favorite mysteries include those that feature the unexplainable, sometimes scary events that take place in haunted houses, feature UFOs or are solved by psychics. You, as my mystery community, are invited to share your old or new favorite haunting mysteries (real or novels) with me so I can feature them for my coven of mystery lovers, bloggers and authors. It takes a lot of time to research all these books. I need your help to make this site as much fun and as useful to readers as possible. 

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The Spookshow by Tim McGregor 

Click for Just Released Book 6: A Haunting at Crown Point

When Billie Culpepper's friends, Kaitlin and Tammy, drag her to the local murder house to see if it's haunted, Billie is not prepared for the level of evil that lives there. When they find a skeleton in the basement, she has to call the one person she is trying to avoid, police detective Mockler. He knows she can see ghosts, but he doesn't really believe it. Now he's going to get a big dose of proof. When Kaitlin disappears and Billie can feel the evil that has visited Kaitlin's apartment, she knows she has to go back to the murder house to try and save Kaitlin from the entity that is trying to suck her in. She and Tammy enlist Mockler to help them, not knowing anyone else to ask, and it gets very scary. Unfortunately, this is one of those stop in the middle books that is intended to make you buy the next one. The more of the series I've read, the more I like it. It's a Young Adult paranormal thriller, and if you like those, you'll like this one.  ****Five Stars, Sandy Penny, Founder - SweetMysteryBooks

The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Adventure Series by N. S. Wikarski


The Granite Key by N. S. Wikarski

(The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Adventure Series Book 1)

When Cassie sees her sister's death during a robbery where a strange man in a stetson hat and snakeskin cowboy boots is looking for a key, she is plunged into a mind blowing adventure mystery she could never have seen coming. She finds she did not really know her sister at all, and that the secrets her sister kept may be the beginning of Cassie's destiny. This book is about a secret society that recovers artifacts that relate to the matriarchal history that predates our current patriarchal social structure. It has not yet revealed whether these artifacts are magical, but I suspect they may be. Some of the same artifacts are being hunted by the Abraham cult, supposed descendants of the angels who were cast out of heaven for mating with humans. These two groups face off in a race for the ultimate artifacts, the bones of the mother, and Cassie's special talents hold the key to finding them. I love the reinterpreting of the meaning of archaeological finds from a matriarch's point of view vs. the warring patriarch's view. What amazing discoveries will reveal themselves in the rest of this well written, inspiring series. Love it. Can't wait to read more. It is not a stand-alone book, but the beginning of an ongoing serial. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks *****Five Stars 




NEXT IN THE SERIES, BOOK 3

The Mountain Mother Cipher by N.S. Wikarski
(Book 2 of the Arkana Archaeology Mystery series)

The race is on to find the Bones of the Mother, a group of artifacts related to our history as a more peaceful matriarchal society prior to the current male dominated warring one. The Arkana is a hidden group that collects and protects these valuable objects, perhaps magical objects, and they are in direct opposition to the Nephilim, a patriarchal cult that believes they are descendants of the angels who fathered children with humans and were cast out of heaven. Abraham, their leader and The Diviner talks directly to God and believes he is infallible. He has been charged with retrieving the Bones of the Mother in order to restore the angels to their rightful place in heaven and earth. He has hired a brutal killer to protect his son Daniel in this quest, Daniel is beginning to see cracks in the foundation of his faith and his father. Cassie continues to refine her power to read objects and see their history as if she were there. These powers will help the Arkana decipher the coded directions and find the five objects, hopefully before the Nephilim. Both groups are now hot on the trail of the first object, and they are bound to run into each other along the way. I love the way history is revealed through the mythology of artifacts and astrology/astronomy is used to help pinpoint locations. It's hard to classify this novel because it is a mystery, a thriller, young adult coming of age story, and a little mystical sci-fi. It is a modern day myth-busting confrontation between matriarchal philosophy and patriarchal domination.This is a great saga, and I'm really enjoying reading it. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks *****Five Stars

The Magic of Cape Disappointment, A Novel by Julie Manthey

This is the story of a brilliant and independent young woman coming face to face with her mystical/magical destiny and being drawn into it kicking and screaming and resisting in every way. Finishing medical school but refusing to become a doctor, she hides out in NY being a successful artist until her parents are killed in a car crash and she has to go home to take care of her 90 something grandmother. With Native American roots and genetic links to Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark expedition, Kay has been told she is destined to be a great healer and savior of her tribe, but her scientific mind rejects such hogwash. She has never even met her tribe. When the subject of her most successful painting stands in front of her, the lines between sanity and magic start to blur. This is an excellent telling of how myths interact with life, and our lives are enriched and expanded by the connection with supernatural events. As her premier novel, I loved it, and look forward to more from this author. I wish I had written this book. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMyteryBooks

The Dreaming - Walks Through Mist, Book 1 by Kim Murphy

When a beautiful red haired young woman is hit by a car on a lonely road, Detective Lee Crowley is called in because she has been bull whipped and has other injuries. He suspects she may have escaped from an abductor. To complicate matters, she is dressed in historical style clothing and only remembers that she lived in Virginia in the 1600s. She also speaks an unrecognizable language at first, but gradually reveals that she speaks some form of English. Lee relates to her because he was found roaming alone in the woods at two or three years old, not knowing anything about his family. He was adopted by a loving family, but he only knows that he is of Native American descent and wants to know his past and why he was abandoned in the woods not far from where the young woman is found. The story switches back and forth from modern day to Phoebe's life in Virginia and her life after being taken in by an Indian tribe. Lee calls in his ex-wife Shae who is a hypnotherapist to try to help unravel the mystery of who she really is. In the process Phoebe begins to show Lee how to access inner visions that will reveal who he is and where he came from. Did she really come from the 1600s or is she just a traumatized woman who has created a fantasy world? If she came from the 1600s, how did she get here? Has Lee lost his objectivity with her? So many well conceived questions and answers.  It's a terrifying and beautiful story of courage, love, loss, survival and triumph. I stayed up all night reading it. I look forward to more from this author. Five Stars ***** ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks

Evan Ronan's The Unearthed series begins with The ghost hunting McCluskey brothers being asked to investigate a house where a family murdered each other, and now the new family seems to be having some issues with their son and his imaginary friend. Strange things are happening, and they want to be sure they are not headed for the same fate as the previous tenants. Is it the house, the boy, a ghost, a demon or something else completely? It first seems like many other haunting novels, but later reveals a twist that is not the usual ghost story material. I really like this author, and look forward to getting to know his work better in this series. ~Sandy Penny, Founder, SweetMysteryBooks *****Five Stars.

I have now read all three books below, have not read The Hysteria. I liked them all.

Click here for Evan Ronan's Amazon Author Page.


The Dream Machine (Eddie McCloskey Series, Book 6) 

by Evan Ronan

Eddie McCloskey, ghost hunter and paranormal expert, is finally getting his life together. He just proposed to his girlfriend, and has now been hired by the Feds to help in a case. In a secret facility, a machine has been built that prints out pictures of what sleeping subjects are dreaming. Even crazier, one dreamer seems to be predicting future crimes. Eddie will be working with his old nemesis, Agent Manetti to try and decipher the pictures and solve the murder before it is committed. In the spirit of The Minority Report, the intent is to prevent violence. But, is it all real? Can the future actually be changed? It's an interesting concept, an ethical dilemma and a good mystery all rolled into one. Throw in a convicted murderer who is a known lucid dreamer, and the plot gets dangerous. I like this series, and this book branched out and involved Eddie in more than just hauntings. It opens the way for broader storylines and more interesting premises while still hovering on the edge of the paranormal. I loved it and will continue to read what Evan Ronan writes.  ~Review by Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks. *****Five Stars


The Accused & The Damned, Book 3 by Evan Ronan

Eddie McCloskey has stopped drinking and now, and he has a pretty steady stream of paranormal investigation clients. After his recent successes, his reputation is good. When he gets a call from his old friend GIles Tyson, whose reputation has now been trashed by TV debunker Gracie Barbitok, he feels he has to take on the job of helping the defense team for Anson Ketcher. Anson is Giles best friend, and he is accused of murdering his wife in a fit of drunken rage, but he says a ghost killed her, and he's sticking to his story. Unfortunately, the investigator for the prosecution is the hatchet mistress Gracie Barbitok, who will stop at nothing to debunk the claim of a ghostly killer. Will the judge even allow such a defense? Will the media circus get out of hand? Will Gracie set Eddie up to fail publicly and destroyy his hard earned reputation? You won't see this coming. It's a well-crafted story, and as always, I loved it. I can't get enough of Evan Ronan's writing. *****Five Stars. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks

Book 1

Book 2

Book 4

Book 5 

Death Whispers (Mary Howard Supernatural Mysteries Book 1)
by Charmain Marie Mitchell 

Mary Howard sees, hears and dreams of dead people. Sometimes it's more intrusive than others, and she tries to hide from as much input as possible, attempting to be a writer. She never knows what will trigger a vision. When her best friend Kate's fiancee is murdered, she sets out for London to comfort her and see if she can help identify the killer. When several murders occur, and the dead show up on Mary's doorstep projecting devastating visions of child abuse, she's sure the murders are related, and she plans to prove it. But even the ghosts don't seem to know who murdered them, it happened so fast. They all mention that Emma was there. Who is Emma and where can they find her? Mary is not immediately impressed with Detective Inspector Lee Adams, who is skeptical about her visions, but he agrees to let her help with the investigation if she shares everything with him. But, the inspector has a secret, and will he betray Mary in the end? And when everything comes to light, the truth is stranger than her visions and infinitely more dangerous for Mary. An excellent story, well told with a little romance thrown in for good measure. If you like stories of mediums and mysteries, this is a good one with game changers to the end. Some sexual content. Five Stars. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks


Greensmith Girls (Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery) by Raven Snow

Rowen Greensmith is a witch, but she'd rather not tell anyone. When her crazy aunt Lydia calls her to say there are two dead bodies, she's not even sure if it's true. Aunt Lydia can be overly dramatic. Then she says Aunt Nadine sold a dead body at a garage sale. Rowen is confused but realizes she better go home and try to sort it out. Enter handsome Ben Williamson, local detective, and her high school sweetheart, Add in Eric Richardson who is related to the dead body from the garage sale and you've got a volatile situation. Uh oh. Why is her family suddenly being looked at for two murders? When a photo is found of Rowen's grandmother with Lionel Richardson, the dead man from the garage sale, Rowen begins to suspect there may be things about her family she doesn't know. The spirit of Lionel Richardson is definitely not at peace, and now he may be murdering people, but why would he do that? And the ghost of a woman he killed is showing up in Rowen's dreams. How many people will die before all the answers are found? For a small town, it's getting pretty complicated. Now all she has to do is find out who killed the garage sale guy, why he's so mad, how to stop it all and protect her family. Should be easy, right?  Not so much. It's a good story with fun characters, a quick and easy read. If you like your murder with a side of paranormal magic, you should enjoy this one. Four Stars. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks

John Albion's Debut Psychic Thriller is sure to become a best seller.

Silent Messages by John Albion

A psychopathic killer is murdering women in a different way every time and taunting the police with cryptic clues and phone calls when a man turns up saying he is seeing visions of the murders. He is not a known psychic, just a guy who works at a boring factory job and has plenty of time for his mind to wander. At this stage of the game, Detective Sam Elliston and his partner, Kate are happy to have any clue that may lead them to this maniac. It's a paranormal thriller, and it is really well written, except ...

I wanted to give this novel five stars, because I really liked it, but there were a couple of holes in the story that bothered me. Hope these are not spoilers. When Morgan, the psychic, sees all the murder images while holding a set of keys, and it turns out the owner of the keys was in jail at the time of the most recent murder, why didn't they ask who else had access to those keys? Makes them all seem a little stupid. Someone should have at least realized that later, when they reviewed their story board over and over again. And, the investigation of Morgan as a possible suspect as the murders continue is minimal and really doesn't eliminate him as a potential killer. He has no real alibis. He comes in with visions of scenes from the crimes, and inevitably they have already happened, so why aren't the police more suspicious? Most police would have been. Serial killers love to involve themselves in the investigation of their own crimes. And, after all the warnings Sam gave his daughter not to take any chances, she ignores the obvious signs of danger.

All that being said, I love the way Morgan didn't know what to do with his "gift." That was very real. I love a little psychic detective work, and this was a great story, very suspenseful. I stayed up all night to finish it. I look forward to more from John Albion in the future, and I hope he will continue this series with all the main characters working together again. I know the next book will be five stars. ****Four Stars.  ~Review by Sandy Penny, Founder, SweetMysteryBooks


Tuesday's Child (Psychic Visions Novel #1) by Dale Mayer

If "Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace," Samantha Blair is testing the limits of that grace. An empathic psychic who fully embodies the murder victims of a serial killer, her body, mind and soul are being assaulted every time she falls into a trance. She keeps trying to tell the police about these murders, but that only puts her on their list of suspects. Having finally found a place where she has friends and satisfying work and a safe place to live, how can she risk losing all that by trusting the police one more time? Labeled as crazy as a loon by the police, she returns to her solitary life, once again feeling rejected. Then Detective Brandt Sutherland who is on the serial killer task force notices that details she gave in advance are showing up at murder scenes. Having worked with a psychic before, he teams up with her to find this heinous criminal. But, can he handle it? When he sees her bleeding out during one of her visions, Brandt finally understands why Samantha has to help find the killer - he's killing her over and over again. It's a great story, well written, compelling and frightening with excellent insight into the downside of being psychic. It's dark but hopeful, mean and kind, deadly and life affirming - real, very real. It's Medium meets Dressed to Kill, Ghost Whisperer meets Hannibal Lecter. I love it and hated it at the same time. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks. *****Five Stars.

Seven Sisters Collection by M.L. Bullock (a paranormal dreamer mystery) 

Whatever Happened to Calpurnia?

This is the first three books in the Seven Sisters series. It is the story of a woman who dreams about the past history of places and objects. She tends to avoid places that might have negative history, but when she is hired to research the history of the The Seven Sisters mansion for its restoration, she is dropped into the middle of an unsolved historical mystery. What happened to the mistress of the house, Calpurnia, who mysteriously disappeared and was never found? This house with many secrets invades her dreams, and she seems to be repeating its darkest events in her own life. Is there anyone in her life she can trust, especially the compelling Ashland Stuart, her boss and the owner of The Seven Sisters mansion? Fast paced, romantic, melancholy and hopeful. Full of romance, betrayal, mystery, and ghostly appearances. I read the first book as a free download and then purchased this three book collection as I was completely absorbed into the story and had to find out what happened to Calpurnia. I love a little paranormal in the every day lives of characters, and this fits the bill. A wonderful story. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks.


The Essence by Sandi Baughman

This is a great ghost story about a British mystery author who meets a woman in San Francisco while on a book tour. She turns out to be a famous artist, Helena Foxworth, and he is smitten by her. They meet a few times, and she invites him to stay at her family's Victorian mansion while he's in town. She does not live there, and it's vacant, so he accepts. He and his imaginary sleuth friend (Dick Sunday) with whom he writes his mystery novels, along with his man's man, Bruno, take up residence and begin to have some extraordinary experiences. They are stepping back and forth in time between the 70s and the present. Turns out the woman disappeared 30 years ago, in the 70s, and apparently they are meant to solve the mystery of her disappearance. They eventually identify the culprit. The detectives have to use his visions to find evidence that will connect the perpetrator to the crime scene, after 30 years. It's very poignant and romantic, and a good mystery story as well. I loved it. Think I'll read some more by this author.


The Aura by Carrie Bedford

A Kate Benedict Paranormal Mystery

What if you knew who was going to die, but not when or why? Life gets very complicated for Kate Benedict when, after being hit by a car and seeing her dead mother, she begins to see shimmering auras over people's heads. When all those with shimmering auras start dying, Kate doesn't know what to do. It's so confusing and now she could be a suspect in a murder or two. And even worse, it's making it hard to do her job as an architect, and her unsympathetic boss is ready to fire her. With her life falling apart around her, why can't she just ignore those auras? She would if they'd just stop dying on her. Can she stop the dying? Can she help those in danger? It's a great story. I loved it and will read more by this author. ~Five Star Review by Sandy Penny, Founder SweetMysteryBooks.


The Library: Where Life Checks Out (Kindle Edition) 

Past and Present on a Collision Course

Based on a real life ghost story of a haunted library, Carmen DeSousa unveils the mystery of the haunting with a compelling tale of murder, betrayal and resolution. Can those with unfinished business from the past reach out from the other side and influence a current situation that will help them find peace? Detective Mark Waters is about to find out just how far that can go. Great story. A leisurely read with lots of emotional content. You get The Depot as a bonus leading up to The Library.
~
By Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks.
Click for a list of Carmen DeSousa's Books on Amazon


First in the Whisperings Series  

Along Came a Demon by Linda Welsh 
(Free Kindle Version for a Limited Time)

Tiff Banks sees dead people, not wispy shapes and ghostly visions, but she sees them like they're as real as you and me. And, they are usually attached to the locations of their death or where they are buried. Although she claims not to be psychic and not to be a detective, she helps the police solve the mystery of unexplained deaths. When a dead woman asks her to find her son, and there's so evidence that she ever had a son, the mystery deepens. When Tiff is confronted by a demon and then he shows up as a police officer working the dead woman's case, things get a little more freaky. Oh, and Tiff lives with two ghosts who died in her house, just to complicate her life a little more. It's an interesting paranormal tale of demons, battles for turf and the introduction to a world existing invisibly but enmeshed with our world. If you like paranormal mystery novels with a little romance and a lot of fast action twists and turns, you will like this one. ~Review by Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks.

Whisperings, Books 1-3

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose 

Brilliantly written, decidedly melancholy with deep emotions. The story is unique and speaks of the struggles of women trying to be artists in 1894. Set in Paris, it is rich with descriptions of the Maison de la Lune, the house, once a home for courtesans, now being converted to an art museum. Sandrine returns to Paris after her husband pushes her father beyond his ability to cope and he commits suicide, or perhaps she just wanted to espcape her husband, and this was her only way out. Sandrine is no stranger to loss in her life as her teenage boyfriend was killed when she distracted him. She feels so at home in Maison de la Lune, and when she learns she will not be allowed to live there, paranormal events begin to unfold. The story walks a difficult balance between madness and ghostly possession. It is not a fast-paced story, nor is it meant to be. It is a book to be savored, pondered, with passages that must be reread and reconsidered. It is haunting in more ways than one. I love it. Can't wait to read more by this author. Five Stars. ~Review by Sandy Penny, SweetMysteryBooks.


The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

I just read my second book by this author called "The Flip." It's a ghost story about a couple who buy old houses and flip them. They buy a house haunted by two ghosts, a woman and a man. The couple falls in love with the house until strange things begin to happen. The ghost woman, Tessa is a mean girl from the Civil War days, like Scarlett O'hara from Gone with the Wind, She likes to torment the people who come to the house, sexually exploiting the men. The male ghost, Gerald, was in love with her when she was alive and vowed never to leave her, even though she rejected him and he died that night. When the past and future come to light, it has a very interesting conclusion. I enjoyed it a great deal. The more I thought about the book, the more sense the title made, an aha moment. There is definitely a flip at the conclusion. If you like a light haunting romance in the spirit of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, I highly recommend this one. *****Five Stars. Review by Sandy Penny, Founder, SweetMysteryBooks.

The After House by Michael Phillip Cash

This is a great paranormal read with a seafaring ghost, a mystery, and danger around every corner for Remy Galway. Throw in a little romance on the heels of a divorce, some supernatural matchmaking, some karmic resolution; mix it all together, and you've got a fast-paced eclectic story that fascinates from beginning to end. If you like a little magic in your mystery, I highly recommend this short novel.  ~Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks.  ***** Five Stars.

Carrots by Colleen Helme . A Shelby Nichols Adventure

Carrots, Guns, Gangsters and ESP ...

Review by Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks

What if you went to the store to get carrots for chicken soup, got shot in a robbery and woke up able to hear what others are thinking? And what if your husband hated that you could hear his thoughts and his co-attorney was lusting after him? And what if a  mobster found out about your new ability and forced you into using it to help him? Well, that's exactly what happens in this first of the Shelby Nichols Mysteries. It has lots of action, cliff hangers, bad decisions (they make the best stories), misunderstandings and ethical dilemmas. It rolls along at an increasingly dangerous pace, and is a very interesting tale of the challenges of having ESP. I love stories like this, and this one is particularly well done. Love the writing, love the story. I love the cover too, very clever, definitely makes you want to find out what carrots have to do with a gun and a girl.  *****Five Stars

 BESTSELLING PARANORMAL THRILLER AUTHOR MICHEAL RIVERS is 1st Place Runner up of  The Paranormal Awards 2014 and won Supernatural Book of the Year 2012.

Featured Novel: Verliege by Micheal Rivers

1st Place Runner up of  The Paranormal Awards 2014 

Review by Sandy Penny, Founder of SweetMysteryBooks

Verliege is a complex ghost story that stretches between the U.S. and Germany and bridges the past, present and future. It is dark and frightening and disturbing in so many ways. If you like a good ghost thriller horror tale, you will love this one. It is well-written, deftly plotted and continually surprising. It raises questions of how much influence ghosts have on humanity and allows the ghosts free run to kill, maim, control and frighten the living. In this book, the ghostly characters are as real as you and me to all who encounter them.

When the famous author and historian Adrian Bolt and his wife Alicia become enamoured with Verliege Castle, and use their newfound wealth to purchase it, they have no way of knowing the horrors and torments they will face, with deadly consequences. When Dr. James Pellitere becomes Adrian's psychiatrist, he has no way of knowing how enmeshed he will become with the castle and it's ghostly inhabitants. The author maintains a level of tension that makes you want to both read on and stop altogether.

This book sets the stage for future novels about Verliege and the conspiracies and mysteries the disembodied have planned for our world. It hints at political intrigue and religious designs, but leaves that for future books. It is mesmerizing and will make you listen closer to things that go bump in the night. If you read it before bed, don't expect sleep to come easily. *****Five stars.

The Black Witch . by Micheal Rivers 

Curse of the Black Witch, Book 1 (currently writing the sequel): 

Darkly Seductive and Scary as Hell

The Black Witch is a horror/dark fantasy novel and a profile in courage for those facing the uncertainty of death at the hands of pure evil. Set on the high seas in a vivid tale of desperation the characters come to life in this epic sea adventure. When an old schooner, The Black Witch, enchants a wealthy couple, they have to have it. With a difficult past, it was said to have been disassembled years before, but here it is with its original fixtures and Captain's logs. It's a bit of a wreck, and restoration will be expensive. Not having enough money to buy it and restore it without bankrupting themselves, they go into partnership with an old friend who is knowledgeable about sailing ships and also falls in love with The Black Witch.

A few people are invited along on the maiden voyage after restoration. One of them is a powerful psychic who knows something is wrong, but is not quite sure what is going on. The men who restore the yacht also fall in love with it and sign on to crew during the journey. It looks like the beginning of a wonderful adventure. Then everything goes awry. Had they paid attention to the Captain's logs, they would have been forewarned of a pattern of violence and disaster on the Witch's voyages. Unfortunately, they do not heed the warnings, and the lure of the sea intoxicates them.

The story is like a nightmare that keeps waking you up into a new nightmare. You think you're awake now and all will be well, but it just starts fresh and gets worse. This ship belongs to a demon, and he seeks out particular people on which to exact revenge or torment. This is a frightening book, as it is meant to be. It deftly assembles old sailing legends into a watery paranormal thriller. Will they all end up in Davy Jones' locker, will they end up forever sailing on a ghost ship, or can they possibly escape the horrible fate the sadistic demon has planned for them? Reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean's ghost ship, you'll be waiting for every turn of the the corner for something to jump out and get you, but it will come when you least expect it in ways you won't see coming.

Darkly seductive, well written and scary as hell. Maybe it IS sailor's hell. There is nothing that would frighten me more than being stuck in the middle of the ocean on a potentially sinking vessel. I highly recommend it to those who like to be frightened, those who like sea stories, and those who believe in the struggle of good against evil.

Five Stars*****


The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

I just finished this book, and it was written the way I want to write my stories. Reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate with its magical realism. It's about a girl who is born with wings and the stories of the women in her family and of her challenges in this world. Intriguing. Not a true mystery per se, but I loved it so much, I had to post it here. I listened to the Audio book, and it was so compelling that I finished it in one sitting. ~Sandy Penny . Founder of Sweet Mystery Books

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava — in all other ways a normal girl — is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.  SweetMysteryBooks.


Covenant of the Dove . a Sanctuary Adventure . by Sandy Penny

Sanctuary is a half-way house for the spiritually awakening. Many mystical, metaphysical and magical events happen to the people who live there and the people who show up for Sandy Penny's help and guidance. Navigating the fine line between reality, fantasy, dementia and multi-dimensionality makes the journey a precarious and fascinating one. 

In Covenant of the Dove, Ana White has just been through a harrowing experience that has her family considering committing her. Ana is certain that she's quite sane and only needs spiritual assistance to sort out what happened to her. She shows up on Sanctuary's doorstep in a depleted condition desperate for completion and closure with Columb Cunradh, an Irish doctor with whom she fell desperately in love. 

Based on a true story, the magical realism cascades into the veiled world of the past, present and the creative plane of existence.

Fleur deKey (A Foundation Mystery) by Vickie Pettee 

A French Quarter Mystery with a dash of paranormal, a pinch of history and splash of romance. Flash! That’s what can happen when Echo touches objects and people. IFs – intuitive flashes. She’s inept at interpreting her bizarre dreams and her IFs may be erratic, but the French Quarter locals have adopted Echo and her Insight Foresight Benevolent Foundation as their resident sleuth. It's the weekend of the Satchmo SummerFest. When a Jazz legend's house is demolished, the discovery of a 1939 newspaper photo and a silver key in shape of a fleur de lis hidden inside a tarnished cigarette case triggers assaults, mayhem and treasure hunting. The Foundation/Echo follows a spider web of clues, revealing an unsolved murder at the root of the mystery. Someone is obsessed with recovering the hand-tooled key Echo is safeguarding, someone who wants the seventy-two-year-old secret to stay buried. Echo wrangles with making sense of old history, wacky dreams and nonsensical blues tunes while dodging and outwitting her adversary - until the menace escalates with a kidnapping and a chase through the French Quarter in a frantic search for the right keyhole. 

[REVIEW: Great characters, creative story, real Louisana flavor, plenty of action and a psychic heroine, everything I love in a paranormal mystery novel. I love mysteries that feature psychic heroines, and I really like it when they are fallible and tell the story the way psychics really experience the information. This is my first read of a VIckie Pettee book, but it won't be my last. ~Sandy Penny, Founder of Sweet Mystery Books

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert

Intriguing . Bewitching . Seductive . Frightening . Breath Holding Suspense

Gabriel Blackstone is an unscrupulous hacker and reluctant "remote viewer" who can't resist his ex-lover's plea to look into her stepson's disappearance. His investigation leads him to a rambling Victorian home that bewitches him-as do its beautiful, enigmatic owners, the Monk sisters. The pair are solar witches, obsessed with alchemy and the Art of Memory, a practice invented by the ancient Greeks. 

With his uneasy suspicion that one of the sisters is a killer, Gabriel sets out to determine which. But the more entangled in the case he becomes, the more deeply he is drawn into the sisters' entrancing world - losing hold of reality as he falls into mortal danger... The combination of ancient magical arts and modern cyber realities compels you to read on.   

See My Reveiw   ~Sandy Penny 

The Cadence Caper by J. M. Griffin

Life has been quiet for Sarah McDougall, that is, until she's envisions an elderly woman's abduction.Confused over the unwelcome and distressing images of a woman she's never met, Sarah soon gets a plea for help from her friend and lover, Raven De Ville. It turns out his aunt has been kidnapped by treasure hunters. When there's no ransom demand for the return of Raven's aunt, and Sarah experiences more psychic episodes where she sees and is seen while she ghost walks into danger, things take a sudden and unexpected turn for the worse. Sarah's psychic abilities are more complicated and aggravating than she'd originally thought. While she struggles to get the hang of ghost walking, an unwanted gift inherited from her Scottish grandmother, Sarah lands in precarious positions that put her own life in danger. Can she survive long enough to rescue Raven's aunt or will she end up trapped by her own powers?




A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter . A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he’d abandoned years before.  He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract.  Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.
 “A tantalyzing paranormal romance, full of mystery and intrigue. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Sign me up for book 2!” ~Nichole Chase, author of Mortal Obligation, Book One of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy
“A Hidden Fire is saturated with mystery, intrigue, and romance…this book will make my paranormal romance top ten list of 2011.” ~Better Read Than Dead Book Reviews

NOTE: I've just read A Hidden Fire, and I'm completely mesmerized by the stories. Living in Houston, to find a Vampire novel set here in contemporary time is a real treat and makes it more alive for me. I'll definitely want to read more of Hunter's work. I love the elemental powers.

 ~Sandy Penny , Founder, Sweet Mystery Books.


The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard

The life of a magician isn't all kiddie shows and card tricks. Sometimes it's murder. Especially when magician Eli Marks very publicly debunks a famed psychic, and said psychic ends up dead. The evidence, including a bloody King of Diamonds playing card (one from Eli s own Ambitious Card routine), directs the police right to Eli. As more psychics are slain, and more King cards rise to the top, Eli can't escape suspicion. Things get really complicated when romance blooms with a beautiful psychic, and Eli discovers she's the next target for murder, and he's scheduled to die with her. Now Eli must use every trick he knows to keep them both alive and reveal the true killer. Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all! THE AMBITIOUS CARD is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series. See our Review 

The Breath of God by Jeffrey Small

Visionary fiction in the tradition of The Celestine Prophecy. A murder at the Taj Mahal. A kidnapping in a sacred city. A desperate chase through a cliffside monastery. All in the pursuit of a legend that could link together the great religious faiths of the world. In 1887, a Russian journalist made an explosive discovery in a remote Himalayan monastery only to be condemned and silenced for the heresy he proposed. His discovery vanished shortly thereafter. Now, graduate student Grant Matthews journeys to the Himalayas in search of this ancient mystery. But Matthews couldn’t have anticipated the conspiracy of zealots who would go to any lengths to prevent him from bringing this secret public. Soon he is in a race to expose a truth that will change the world’s understanding of religion. A truth that his university colleagues believe is mere myth. A truth that will change his life forever—if he survives.

Praise for The Breath of God ... “Jeffrey Small, a Harvard/Yale/Oxford-educated speaker on religion and spirituality, makes an impressive literary debut with a thriller that explores where Jesus went between the ages of twelve and twenty-nine. Small begins with a real fragment of history from 1887, when a Russian journalist discovered something in the Himalayas that might have solved the mystery of those lost years. In The Breath of God, an Emory scholar sets out to separate historical fact from religious legend. Small’s themes, such as the common ground of the world’s religions, are timely.” Atlanta Magazine 

Find Your NEW Favorite Supernatural & Paranormal Mysteries & Thrillers 

 

A Novel Obsession by Jeff Joseph

Abby has met the man of her dreams; too bad he lives in her fantasies! Nightly, she pulls out his book and dreams of a romantic life with him, just like many other women do as his popularity and romantic image grows. Meanwhile, in the small town where Abby lives, she becomes the object of rivalry between several jealous and obsessive suitors, compounded by the interference of well-meaning friends and family. Daniel Sheppard is a best-selling author who has trouble living out the romantic novels he writes. As he becomes more and more famous, he yearns for a love of his own to fill the void in his life. By chance, he discovers that he and Abby may be kindred spirits, but he is unable to contact her. Will Abby and Daniel find each other across the miles and beyond the barrier of small town gossip? Or, will they remain each other's Novel Obsession?

Angela Wallace . Elemental Magic and other Paranormal Mystery Novels 

Angela Wallace has created a world of magical people with powers beyond the norm. Here characters are deep, likable, intriguing. Her plots are well planned and executed, and the  action moves quickly enough to keep you engaged. I've only read Elemental Magic so far, but I'm looking forward to exploring more of her writing.  


In Manny Jones and the Place by Eli Justa supernatural mystery/thriller, enter the world of hapless Manny Jones who is a blues musician. He escapes the city and drives to his place in the country mountains. While at the Place for an extended time, strange events begin. Food, cigarettes, whiskey etc. appear, he meets a beautiful, mysterious, woman, acquires a dog, and has a conversation with a supposed dead man at his supposedly burned down cabin in the woods.The supposed dead man turns out to be Abel from the Garden of Eden who has a mission for Manny and the girl, concerning the end of this earth age. Cain is also still alive, and fights the mission with murder, kidnapping, etc. Music, magic and mahem combine to create an intricate story with lots of twists and turns.

 

Sati and the Rider (A Satyana Mystery) by Winslow Eliot

When a charming young man brings an unexpected delivery, Sati’s life is changed forever. Thrown into an adventure of hide-and-seek, fraud, murder, and a strange cult, the bold and alluring intuitive consultant must use all her powers to follow a mysterious trail to its surprising revelation. 

The House of Night Series by P.C. & Kristin Cast

House of Night, Books 1-4 (Marked / Betrayed / Chosen / Untamed) 
House of Night, Books 5-8 (Hunted, Tempted, Burned, Awakened) 

Book 9 . Destiny . Book  10 . Hidden . Book 11 . Revealed . Book 12 . Redeemed

Deborah Harkness
Shadow of Night 
A Discovery of Witches 
The Jewel House
The Book of Life

Sasha Solomon Mysteries

Explore the Paranormal 

by Pari Noskin Taichert

Paranormal & Supernatural Mysteries from Amazon Search 


The Soul Collector by Glenn J. SoucyForest-covered mountains had formed around Lake Tahoe, guarding the massive lake and its only island. For thousands of years the still waters held a dark and treacherous secret. Things were happening that no one could explain. Fog would defy the elements and spread against the wind. The trees were rumored to whisper and cry during the moonless nights. Large, black crows were sentinels of the island. Millions of spiders the pawns. An eerie voice called all who ventured too close to the icy waters that surrounded the island. It called them to come to the rocky landmass. If they didn't drown during the swim, madness took them over within seconds of touching the cursed place. Now one woman, Elizabeth Knight will take on the evil forces. She will battle a being as old as time itself. But is she winning or is she just a puppet?


The Soul Collector by Paul Johnston .  Brutally targeted by the "White Devil" serial killer, crime writer Matt Wells knows what it's like to look evil in the face and survive. He's rebuilt his life—but with a disciple of his tormentor still at large, he has never stopped looking over his shoulder. When mystery writers start dying and his friend is found murdered, Matt's paranoia appears well-founded. Now he must use all his resources to orchestrate the psychopath's end. But as cryptic clues to the next victims mock him, it is chillingly clear that his dance with the devil has only just begun.


The Soul Collector by Kathleen Kane .  On her remote Colorado ranch, Rebecca Hale struggled to raise her small son alone. The last thing she needed was a drifter on her land--a drifter with no horse, no gear and no memory. Zacariah was even more mysterious then he seemed. He wasn't even human. He was a spirit whose task it was to usher the souls of the departed into the afterlife. But Zack had angered the Heavenly powers and they banished him to earth, where he was to live one month as a human. Stranded on the Hale ranch, Zack vowed to keep his distance from the desperate, disordered affairs of humankind. But Zack had a duty that had to be carried out, no matter what the cost to Rebecca and those she loved. And when Rebecca's gentle kiss awakened a new hunger in him, it forced him to choose between Heaven and the little piece of paradise known only by the human heart.