The Remains of the Dead
by: Wendy Roberts
Published by: Obsidian
Buy From Amazon.com
Reviewed by Rachael Dimond
The Remains of the Dead is the first book in a new mystery series. The story features Sadie Novak, the owner of Scene-2-Clean, a crime scene clean-up company. Sadie runs her small business with the help of an ex cop named Zack. Together they clean up after the deceased so the family doesn’t have to deal with such a horrendous task.
Sadie has a secret. She can see and talk to the ghosts in the houses she cleans. Usually they have a last wish to be granted or something that needs to be handled. But a lot of the time they just need some answers and to be told that they can let go and move on now.
Sadie and Zack’s latest case is a murder-suicide of a husband and wife named Grant and Trudy Toth. While cleaning up the crime scene, Sadie meets a man named Kent, who she mistakes for a ghost, wandering around the Toth’s house. After realizing Kent is a live person, Sadie wonders who this man is and why he was in the home of the Toth’s. Something doesn’t seem right to Sadie so she waits for the ghosts to appear and tell her what happened.
When Trudy Toth’s ghost appears, Sadie assumes she will just tell her who killed her, if not her husband, and then that will be it. But Trudy’s ghost can’t talk for some reason and just gestures manically for Sadie to understand her. How will Sadie solve this case if she’s having trouble communicating with Trudy’s ghost? Did Trudy’s husband Grant kill her and then himself or is this an elaborate cover up for murder by an outside perpetrator?
The Remains of the Dead is an exciting and fun mystery that deserves to be read all in one sitting. Sadie is a loveable character with a dark past and I look forward to learning more about her in the next book in the series. The mystery is tightly plotted and not even the most experienced mystery readers will be able to uncover the answer to this puzzle.
Armchair Interview says: This IS a 5-star mystery—and fun, too.
Author’s Web site: http://www.WendyRoberts.com
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