I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Dead and Buried
by
Patti Larsen
paranormal fantasy, cozy mystery in a Kindle edition that was published by Patti Larsen Books/Mayhem and Murder Ink on May 15, 2021 and has 222 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Merry Little Mystic Murder, Drawn to Death, "Dead Weight", "Dead Heat", Dead Even
Second in the Whitewitch Island cozy paranormal mystery series revolving around a retired Inquisitor Georgia Drake, who has lived on the island for two weeks now. The focus is on a shipwreck rumored to have treasure.
My Take
It’s a switch on the island approving of the sheriff in Dead Even, 1, and their current resentment towards her, stripping away their respect for the previous sheriff.
As for the council . . . pfaugh . . . You’d think they’d appreciate a sheriff who gets to the truth?! Unfortunately, not everyone tells the truth. Surprise. Not. Other “truths” are law enforcement’s distrust of journalists — seems I’ve read that same problem in JD Robb’s In Death series, *grin*.
Then there’s that local historian who is NOT happy, and she isn’t afraid to let anyone know.
Truer words: “being a good friend sometimes meant allowing the other person to just vent without actually trying to fix things”. Yep, and a truth I struggle to adhere to — I’m always wanting to help. I think I need a tattoo of that on my hand!
Ooh, more truer words. It’s the rich who get all the consideration and the small-time businesses who get the runaround. Of course it is handy for Larsen as it allows her to start opening up the “real” problems in the series.
I do wish I could talk to my cat the way Georgie talks with Benjamin. Then again, I might not like what he has to tell me. As for Benjamin, Georgia might think he’s a “good boy” who’ll mind her, but he proves he has a mind of his own.
I had to laugh when Georgia realizes how quickly she’s adapting to human actions instead of the power she’s used all her life. Then her realization about how easy it is to become close to a human.
Katerina’s passion for her grandfather’s interests was heartwarming, as was her concerns about the fraudsters in their area of interest.
There’s a wee bit of romance, unrequited and twisted on two sides.
For all Georgia’s snottiness about how much better magical people are, she doesn’t disdain some of those human inventions, *snicker*. It can be a fun read of the differences between the cultures, the different terminologies, law enforcement restrictions, and more.
There’s plenty of action as Benjamin starts evolving, unwelcome truths rise up, the emotions the Filos’ exploration brings up, and secrets of the past are uncovered.
Okay, yeah, Dead and Buried is a B novel, but it is cozy and entertaining. And I have to agree, it’s lovely to do something you love together. Until Larsen teases with that cliffhanger at the end!
The Story
Dang it, ever since Georgia helped the sheriff solve some murders, everyone on the island is treating her like a minor celebrity.
Unlike the angry Isaac Levine who is demanding the council do something about the income he’s losing when he’s barred from the sea caves.
But then the bodies start to pile up.
The Characters
Georgia Drake retired from her position as inquisitor for the Guild Artemis. Benjamin, a black Hades Guardian mastiff with amazing hearing but who failed the tests, is with Georgia as are the teasing raven pair whom Georgia rescued, Conscio and Caprice. Georgia’s family includes Arimanthia, her paternal grandmother who married a powerful Gold Dragon Sentinel. Morgana Drake, North American Magical League Emissary, is her nosy, pushy mother. Daddy is a Lead Defender for Guild Nemesis. Mattew, her big brother, is following the track their parents laid out for him.
Elias Barrow, her partner, had died on the job. SSA Tabitha Canard is a friend of Georgia’s who married Damon, a human who just got promoted to VP of Operations for a medical research corporation; Tab left the Guild Artemis for the FBI. Their children include Minerva “Minnie” and Pike. Meline and Jarrod are another team of inquisitors from Guild Artemis.
Whitewitch Island is . . .
. . . in a non-magical California, an hour from San Francisco, where Harriet Quinn is the local sheriff. Dr Mavis Fernsby, a retired Guild Hades Thaumaturge (a necromancer), is now the local medical examiner. Olive and Holly Henry, mother and thirteen-year-old daughter, are Georgia’s neighbors, and a sweet pair. Georgia indulges Olive who thinks she’s a psychic.
Isaac Levine owns Circe Cave Climbers, which is in dire straits with the restraints placed on the caves. Noah Muller, who has assisted Isaac, is trying to get his Gram, Flora Muller, who’s the local historical expert, to calm down. Morris Muller, Flora’s son and Noah’s father, has been dead for years.
The Queen of Beans is a coffee shop where the baristas spoil Benjamin. Mmm, I’d like vanilla cream-filled too. The Acropolis is an expensive hotel. Pam works at the Apollo. Davey Gant.
The divinely delicious Sam Spencer is the island handyman who’s been avoiding Georgie like the plague. (Sam replaced Betsy Ross on the council.) Sam’s dad was a handyman too. Miles Williams, an ex-con, has changed for the better since Dead Even.
Argus and Katerina Filo are grandfather and granddaughter, who search out shipwrecks and now hunt for the treasure of Captain James Marcus’ Ruby Rose. Hank Kale is their dig master and relic authenticator. Others no one knew were involved include Johan Melenson, Peter Swale, Barbor Danweld, and Theodore Vernon. Hudson Mathis had been a collector.
Julian McCoy is a journalist with the LA Times. Heliconium Perralto had been the mage who imprisoned Conscio and Caprice. In 1987, Unger Thicket was shot in San Francisco. Austin Cooper had been the previous sheriff.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a graphic collage in grayed blues and blacks with a massive ship’s prow with arched windows all lit up on the left. Conscio and Caprice are whirling at the top along with the two lit lanterns bobbing on the top deck. On the right is a very tall image of the long black-haired Georgia wearing sunglasses and big hoop earrings and a slew of necklaces over her pale gray tank top with her black suit jacket and gray pants. All the text is in white with a black outline, starting at the top with the author’s name to the title crossing Georgia’s waist. At the very bottom is the series info.
The title is too true, for many are Dead and Buried.
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