Southern Spirits : Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries

Cozy Mysteries are not my normal genre; however, one of my closest friends was telling me how much she enjoyed this audio, and since we have similar taste in books I decided to give it a try. I have to admit, it was an entertaining audio, and Tavia really brought the characters and emotions to life. I loved her performance, and thought it was very lively and animated, but could see how some might thing it was over the top.

Some spoilers;
Through a series of unfortunate events, Verity finds she needs to raise money quickly to pay off her ex fiancé's family so she decides to sell her family's home. While going through some old items, she stumbles across a dirty old vase filled with dust, and proceeds to clean it, and dump the dust into the rose garden. To her horror and shock, she finds out it wasn't dust, but rather the ashes to a gangster named Frankie, when his ghost appears. Frankie wasn't too pleased with Verity the dumping his ashes, because now he is tied to the house. After her initial shock, Verity and Frankie strike up a odd friendship, and a deal.

Frankie knows where Verity can find some hidden money to pay off the debt so she can keep her home, but in return she must try to help free him. They start searching for the hidden loot, and end up face to face with Ellis, her ex-fiancé's brother, who also happens to be a cop. He's not buying her story about ghost or the hidden money, but when strange things start happening at the house he is renovating, he hires Verity to get rid of his ghostly pest. Even though she is new to ghost, and doesn't really know what she is doing, she needs the money badly, and against her better judgment, she takes the job. She maybe a novice, but with her sidekick Frankie, she just might be able to rid Ellis of his ghost. However, things become dangerous real quick as they investigate, encounter other ghost, evil spirits, and find clues, something or someone will do everything to try to stop them from uncovering the truth.

This story was filled with mystery, suspense, danger, and a spark of romance. The more time Verity and Ellis spend with each other, the more they realize they really are not what the other thought. Overall, I enjoyed my first Angie Fox story, and think it is a great fit for any cozy mystery lover.

I was very surprised and pleased by this book. Let me start by saying that Tavia Gilbert did a great job of dramatizing this book. She added extra drama and excitement in all of the right areas. I also love that she didn't over do a southern drawl. Her accent was perfect.

As far as the book goes, it was interesting with a fast paced plot and lots of twists and turns. The characters were believable and likable. No one had a perfect or easy life. There was just a little bit of romance and lots of drama and mystery. I bought the second book after I listened to the first few chapters. This has the potential for being a great series.