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Fatal Fundraiser
by
Jennifer Willis
paranormal fantasy, cozy mystery in a Kindle edition on October 6, 2022 and has 261 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Crooked Curse
Second in the Haunted Coast cozy paranormal mystery series set on Oregon’s coast and revolving around Suri Mudge who sees ghosts. The focus is on the return of a serial killer.
My Take
The start with the prologue is a bit confusing — I think it’s the original serial killer whose actions will be repeated in today’s start, or maybe it’s a new serial killer?? I don’t get where whoever it is thinks the house is his.
The fundraiser sounded like a good idea — even though Eleanor says the library is already funded! It wasn’t such a great idea for Mindy, although how she thought a tiny town like Grady was a good idea, I don’t know.
Aha. Willis lets slip a bit more about the event that gave Suri PTSD and that load of guilt about Jim’s injury. Willis has also created Audrey’s character as being of Middle Eastern extraction, giving more diversity to the cast and providing a basis for conflicts within the stories. Yet another comment on “conflict” is that the hunt for Teddy only really got started when he went after white, wealthier kids.
Willis uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Suri’s perspective, so we know what she knows, thinks, and feels. I do feel for Suri. Trying drug after drug to keep her migraines at bay. Her secret getting out and being besieged by people — yep, the new Grady Oracle. As if the ghosts weren’t enough!
Suri’s character arc continues to evolve, with Loki’s help. No matter where you go, there you are. And yet, Loki continues to be a mystery.
It’s awfully convenient that the Tea Reader is the only place in town with a generator — yeah, those storms are doozies! And, tea. The shop only serves tea. How does Suri’s business do so well when it only serves tea? Annd, Suri has a bad rep in town. So, really interesting.
Okay, that’s an interesting development about all those thefts and the damage done throughout Grady.
It’s not a brilliant story, but its protagonist is interesting with her ills and PTSD issues, and I love the idea of the bookshop/teahouse. I always want to grab up a cup (or more) of tea when I read Willis’ stories.
The Story
It’s a poor start for Suri what with spilling that drink down her rented vintage dress at the fundraiser for the town’s first library.
The storms that hit Grady and its surroundings worsen things as animals are going missing, vandalism is hitting shops in town, and weird thefts are confounding everyone.
It gets worse when Suri seeing ghosts gets out, and the town forces Suri into doing a seance fundraiser.
The Characters
The antisocial Suri “Surly” Mudge is plagued by migraines and ghosts. Trey, an “entitled investment bro”, is the ghost from Crooked Curse 1, who’s decided to stick around and help — he’s freaked by what he saw.
Suri owns the Tea Reader which is managed by Barbara Costa. Her employees include the witchy Audrey who invented the Simply Suri drink. Audrey does like to invent specialty tea combinations and bake. Simba is Audrey’s new kitten. Ruth is another employee. The bookshop side has very irregular hours — Suri operates that side and is not very reliable.
Deputy Sheriff Jim “Chowder” Vandenhauter knows about Suri’s ghost interactions and used to date her back in the day. His assistant deputy, Colin, is off on a training course; he’s seeing Audrey.
Grady, Naghatune Bay, is . . .
. . . a small town on the Oregon coast where a freak lightning storm set off a supernatural outbreak on its citizens. Phil Lindquist is the cross-dressing mayor — he wears the skirts, etc., to promote his wife, Janice’s, shop, Chichi Boutique. Her nephew, George Hardin, a.k.a. Jorey, is coming to visit (his parents are getting a divorce). Mr Jangles is Jorey’s stuffed otter.
Eleanor Mayfield is the head of the Friends of Grady Library Committee — they intend that the abandoned Grazzini Queen Anne mansion will become, hopefully, the new library. The bitchy Mildred Moroni is the vice-chair of the committee. She and her husband run Moroni Grocery . . . and her cat, Lulubelle, is missing.
Mindy Barr owns Classic Rags, a shop selling vintage clothing. She is gonna be so ticked off at Suri. Murray Overhill believes a for-profit library is a better idea. The annoying Bobby Jackson, the editor and primary contributor of the weekly Naghatune Reader, isn’t too concerned about facts. The Knitting Genie is owned by Emmaline Kapul, whose dog is missing. Gary Spalding keeps goats — and two are missing. Petra Moore operates the Calico Café. Giorgio’s Antiques. Ruby MacKenzie has a great-aunt Thelma. Earl Greenbauer. Carol Tilson. Butch Manning’s dog, Scooby, is missing.
Eddie Cortés is the rescuing firefighter with Coastal Fire and Rescue interested in Suri. And she’s terrified that he’ll run when he finds out she sees ghosts. Loki is the mystery benefactor who drops off boxes of goodies for Suri’s bookshop.
The Grazzinis
Teddy Grazzini, a.k.a. the Idaho Strangler, had been Grady’s serial killer almost 100 years ago. Two ghosts “live” at the family mansion: Agatha and Adam Cooke, the gardener’s children. I think Gwenda had been their mother. Violet had been Teddy’s suspicious mother. Marilyn Grazzini Feldman was the last of the family.
Alice Scragg, 8; Edward Allison, 11; Aaron Yancey, 12; and, Lucy Spinner, 8, had been some of Teddy’s victims. Ritchie had been the sheriff in Grady at the time.
The Meridian Retreat is . . .
. . . a resort which offers up “spiritual sustenance” seminars. Blonde Seeker Number 1 and 2, a.k.a. Holly, were participants . . . and now pains on Suri’s doorstep.
Hattieville, Duniway County, is . . .
. . . the county seat. Dolores is an historian at the Historical Society. I think the society is based in Abigail Scott Duniway’s old home.
Children missing today include Tim Gailey, 17; Callie Burnett, 14; and, Jeff Penny, 15.
The Dog Claw Trail is . . .
. . . the start of a trailhead where The Logger’s Rest, a lodge-style diner, is located. Earl is one of the owners? Cheryl is a waitress whose black schnauzer, Stanley, is missing.
Andrew Gaines had kicked things off in Crooked Curse. Outlaws from the Archives is an historical true crime podcast.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a cartoon graphic with the long-haired Suri, in a white T, jeans, and long navy coat, throwing up her hands as a ghost flies behind her. It’s a star-filled, midnight sky with a mountainous background overshadowed by the well-lit Tea Reader with its welcoming porch and lit-up Christmas trees. The author’s name is in white at the very top. The pale gold title starts at Suri’s waist with the series info below in white.
The title is too, too true, for it is a Fatal Fundraiser that starts the story.
