Drop Dead Beauty by Wendy Roberts

First Line: Sadie bolted upright in bed and squinted into the dark.

With business finally picking up, Sadie needs to build a nest egg while she can. Not only will she be saving for the future, the work will take her mind off her relationship (or lack thereof) with Zack. That entire segment of her life has blown up in her face, and Sadie knows what she must do; she just wishes she didn't have to.

While she's busy lining up clients, Detective Petrovich needs her help. Usually he's the one who saves Sadie's backside, but this time the detective has found himself on the wrong side of a homicide investigation. Someone is framing Petrovich for the murder of his ex-wife, and Sadie's going to check out the luxurious day spa where the crime occurred. In doing so, she makes herself the target of a killer.

You never know quite what to expect from this series, and that's something I've loved about it from book one, The Remains of the Dead. Sadie Novak is one of my favorite characters in crime fiction. Her empathy for the loved ones left behind after a death and her dedication to helping spirits pass on make her the type of person I'd love to have as a friend. She's also hard-working, smart, sassy, and honest in her dealings with clients and friends alike. That honesty is something else I admire about her, and when she finds herself in a sticky romantic situation with two men in her life, she never thinks of lying.

Actually, make that three men in her life because Detective Petrovich is hiding out at her place while giving her advice on how to find out who's trying to pin his ex-wife's murder on him. With all the demanding men in her life and crime scenes to clean up, it's a wonder that Sadie doesn't snap and run screaming out into the night.

One of the things I think is good in a series-- unpredictability-- shows up more than once in Wendy Roberts' Ghost Duster books, and it happens in Drop Dead Beauty. Bad things happen to good people, including the death of characters some readers have grown to love. What some see as an act of betrayal, I see as realistic, and as a chance for the series to evolve. If you're the type of reader who likes learning about how to clean up after the CSI folks are through with a crime scene, and if you like stories with a touch of unpredictability, a ghost or two, a wonderful main character, humor, and a dash of realism, come join me. You're going to love Sadie Novak. (But I suggest you start at the beginning of the series.)

Drop Dead Beauty by Wendy Roberts

Intermix © 2013

eBook, 220 pages

Cozy/Paranormal Mystery, #5 Ghost Dusters mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Dead Suite by Wendy Roberts

First Lines: For most people, checking into a five-star hotel meant luxury and pillow mints. For Sadie Novak, luxurious accommodation meant blood spatter, maggots, and the occasional ghost. But it paid the bills.

When school teacher Sadie Novak's brother committed suicide, there was no one to clean up the mess. Sadie, in her overwhelming grief and pain, had to do that herself. Vowing that no one else should have to do that after the death of a loved one, Sadie did her research, took all the necessary courses, and began life anew as an unattended death/crime scene cleaner.

When she began her new career she didn't realize that she has a gift that is both blessing and curse: she can see and communicate with ghosts. In many cases she's able to send the spirit on its way, but this new career has also involved her in a few murders. In this fourth installment of the Ghost Dusters series, Sadie's on-again-off-again relationship with former policeman Zack is off. Again. Business is slow, and her mortgage payment is staring her in the face. However, when women start getting killed in expensive hotels, Sadie's back to work. Hopefully she can find the Seattle Slasher before the Seattle Slasher finds her.

I stumbled across this series shortly after the first book, The Remains of the Dead, was published. I fell in love with the premise, the character of Sadie, and the fact that she's not a cat-loving amateur sleuth. Nope, Sadie's pet is a rabbit named Hairy. I can hear you groaning, but as a former rabbit raiser, don't knock 'em unless you've had one as a pet. Besides, who says that Cozy Mystery Rule #17 states that the heroine must own a cat or dog?  Hmmm? I still remember reading that first book because the ending blindsided me. What a shocker! After that I was hooked, and when I couldn't find others, I was sorely disappointed.

Lo and behold, once again I stumbled across Wendy Roberts while looking up book info on Amazon. Evidently her publisher decided future books in the series were to be in eBook format only. I snapped up both new books that are available and dove right into Dead Suite. I was back with a favored character, and I was happy.

Some of the crime scene clean-up details might be a touch too graphic for some, but if you've watched CSI or Bones and not run gagging for the bathroom, Sadie's work shouldn't bother you. To be honest, I find it interesting to learn what all is involved in that sort of work.

The paranormal element in these books is well done. The scenes with ghosts are not overdone and even surprisingly believable. The pacing and story flow smoothly, and Sadie's intelligence, irreverence, and humor are refreshing.

Although it's sad that Roberts' publisher prevents old and new fans who don't have access to eReaders from reading her newest books, I am thrilled that this series has continued. I've missed Sadie, her biohazard suits... and even Hairy.

Dead Suite by Wendy Roberts

ASIN: B007P7HT9G

InterMix © 2013

Kindle eBook, 248 pages

Cozy/Paranormal mystery, #4 Ghost Dusters mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts

Title: Dead and Kicking
Author: Wendy Roberts
ISBN: 9780451228628, Obsidian Mystery, 2009
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, #3 Ghost Dusters mystery
Rating: B+

First Line: The cemetery smelled of freshly mowed grass.

Sadie Novack's brother committed suicide. It was several days before his body was found. The grieving Sadie had to clean his apartment. Vowing that no other family would have to do that while she had anything to say about it, Sadie quit her job and went into business for herself cleaning crime scenes. Along the way she discovered that she has another talent: she can see the dead and help them come to terms with what's happened.

Right now Sadie is going through a rough patch. Her father has died and doesn't show any signs of wanting to move on. Her boyfriend, Zack, is spending a lot of time with a former girlfriend, and Sadie is trying to take care of jobs for a second cleaning company while its owner is out of town on business. In the midst of all this, she finds herself shoveling out the house of a hoarder, and there's a very angry ghost trying to keep Sadie off the second floor. There seems to be something buried under all the trash that's worth killing for.

I enjoy this series, and this was another good entry. Although the crime scene clean-up can be a bit stomach turning from time to time, I still find those scenes interesting, but it's Sadie that makes me come back for each new installment. She's a very real character, and while I'm reading about her, I can run through so many different emotions: sadness, compassion, irritation, confusion, rage, and laugh-out-loud humor. I don't like a lot of "woo woo" in my reading, but the paranormal scenes where Sadie deals with ghosts are very well done and don't overload any of the circuits in my fuse box.

If you enjoy reading Charlaine Harris's Harper Connelly series, you should enjoy this series as well. I do.

[Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.]