Tombs of Endearment

by: Casey Daniels

Published by: Avon Books

Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann

In the continuing mix of subgenres, this novels falls into the romance/ mystery/ chick lit/ paranormal category. This is Daniel’s third sassy and fun Pepper Martin book.

Pepper used to lead a pampered life–until her surgeon father got sent to prison for medical insurance fraud, and her rich fiancé dropped her. Now she works as a tour guide at Garden View cemetery in Cleveland. Her love life consists of vague relationships with the handsome Detective Harrison Quinn, and the mysterious and attractive Dan Callahan, a doctor who did a brain scan of Pepper after the head injury she received in the first book. He’s been hovering around ever since. The head injury suddenly made it possible for Pepper to see and hear ghosts.

Pepper finally gets a date with a hot guy, leader of the rock band Mind at Large, Damon Curtis. Unfortunately he’s been dead since 1971 (supposedly an overdose). His band is returning to Cleveland, site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for a big concert, and Damon needs her help. One of the band members, Vinnie, has been using black magic to channel Damon, using his talent to continue to write songs. Sadly, Vinnie turns them to pop rock mush, and also causes Damon a great deal of pain. Damon wants Pepper to end the channeling, and enable him to go on to the Other Side. Before she can really take the obnoxious Vinnie to task, she finds him with a knife sticking out of his chest. Just when her talent in talking to ghosts would really be useful, she cannot find Vinnie’s ghost anywhere.

This funny and cute cozy mystery with a ditzy red-headed heroine is creative and engaging. There seem to be few anomalies: for instance, Damon seems to be able to direct Pepper’s car to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, give her car a flat tire, and move crowds around–yet he can’t save her from a car chasing her around winding cemetery roads.

Author’s Web site: http://www.CaseyDaniels.com