Lisa Ks Book Reviews

Monday, July 31, 2017

Welcome to week 7 of the

THREE AMIGOS SUMMER READING CLUB

with Bloggers Mary Brown, Karen M. Owen, and yours truly!

Every Monday from now through August 28,

Mary, Karen, and I

will recommend some of our favorite cozy mystery titles in eleven (11) different categories!

Today our theme is

Paranormal aka Para-cozy/Ghost Cozies!

We're recommending 3 books with this theme that really stand out to each of us.

My pick for favorite cozy with a paranormal/ghost theme is

THAT OLD FLAME OF MINE

#1 in the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries 👻

by J. J. Cook

This great series features Fire Chief Stella Griffin, who solves crime with the help of her predecessor, who just happens to be a ghost… NO MATCH FOR MURDERAfter knocking the lights out of her boyfriend when she catches him cheating on her, Chicago fire fighter Stella Griffin hops on her Harley and heads for Sweet Pepper, Tennessee, where she ends up becoming the small town’s fire chief. When her dear friend Tory Lambert dies after her gingerbread-style house is set ablaze, Stella suspects arson and foul play.

As Stella investigates, she gets help from a most unlikely source—the ghost of Eric Gamlyn, Sweet Pepper’s old fire chief. And if that isn’t enough to rattle her, attractive police officer John Trump seems to have taken an interest in her. But Stella’s got to stay focused if she hopes to smoke out a killer before her own life is extinguished.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!

THAT OLD FLAME OF MINE was the first ghost themed cozy mystery I ever read. I loved it from the first page until the last!

The thing is, I forgot that resident ghost, Eric Gamlyn was a spirit at all! I only thought of him as the good and kind former fire chief that he was.

👻

This tale starts out introducing the new fire chief, Stella Griffin who is excepted within her firefighters even if she is a woman. (The police chief doesn't feel the same.) As the new chief, Stella is given housing in the former chief's cabin in the mountains. Lisa does she know that deceased chief, Eric is going to be her roommate! Does she ever have her hands full with him!

👻

No worries, Stella and Eric become great friends, and reading about how they lived and worked together was one of my favorite parts of the entire series. Not to mention, I have a big ole crush on Eric.

👻

MY REVIEW

When Chicago fire fighter Stella Griffin catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she decks him. Between that and recovering from a shoulder injury, Stella needed a change of scenery. Jumping on her Harley she heads to help the town of Sweet Pepper, Tennessee get it's fire brigade back up and running as their temporary fire chief. The brigades first official call is to the home of Stella's friend Tory Lambert, who tragically is found dead in her burning house. Things don't look right to Stella. Did Tory die of foul play in an arson fire?

Sweet Pepper's old fire chief is helping Stella with her investigation, but there's one catch - Chief Eric Gamlyn is a ghost! Stella has to stay focused, but it can be hard with ghost Eric and police officer John Trump, who has more of an interest in her than just being one of her volunteer fire fighters, vying for her attention. But Stella has to find a killer before she's the next to die.

Author J. J. Cook - AKA husband and wife team Jim & Joyce Lavene, have a real winner on their hands.This is a fantastic book!.I wasn't sure at first that I would like a ghost with my cozy (though I love ghost stories and watch true ghost shows), but it worked and I really enjoyed it.

Stella is a strong protagonist and not only because she's a fire fighter. She's intelligent and insightful, as well as kind and caring. I love that she has the respect of her volunteer fire fighters. Many stories would have at least one or two men disrespecting her authority what with it being a small town. I also like the way she excepts ghost Eric Gamlyn. If all ghosts were like him, I'd want one too! Eric is a good sounding board for Stella. The two play well off each other. Policeman/fire fighter John Trump's feelings for Stella are at war with his feelings for her family, but he seems a good pairing for her. And with a supporting cast of fire fighters Ricky, Petey, Banyin, and Bert, local war hero Tagger, Police Chief Rodgers, who is not a supporter of Stella, and a host of Sweet Pepper locals, THAT OLD FLAME OF MINE is a must read and has left me burning for more!

ATTN: Recipe lovers - Look for the great pepper recipes at the back of the book!

👻

My Amigos Mary and Karen have also picked their favorite lighthouse cozies.

Please head over to their blogs and check them out!

Mary Brown's blog